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Last night the New Jersey Devils concluded their four-game road trip in fine fashion as they beat a Minnesota Wild team that entered play having won 17 of their last 19.
A few notes:
1) By all accounts, that was a real gutsy win by the Devils. Falling behind a couple goals early is never easy to overcome. Doing so on the road, with a struggling offense against the NHL's save percentage leader makes things even more difficult. The Devils didn't hang their heads, though. They kept playing and were eventually rewarded for their efforts with a much-needed two points.
Ottawa still has a few games in hand, which means the number is bound to grow, but the Devils sit three points back of a playoff spot and there is half of the season remaining. If not anything else, at least they earned themselves more meaningful games with this 3-0-1 run.
2) Pavel Zacha hasn't had a good year offensively, but he's starting to take some steps in the right direction.
Over the last few games, he has looked good playing on a line with Jacob Josefson and Beau Bennett. He seems to have more jump in his step and is getting more offensive opportunities than he had in games past.
Zacha has eight shots on goal in his last three games, which is the highest total he's had over any three-game span all season (the previous high was six). He has a good shot, so if he can keep getting pucks on net the goals and points should start coming more frequently.
3) It was awesome to see Beau Bennett come away with a huge goal against the Wild. I think he has played very well all season and has done a nice job of creating chances for himself and others. They just haven't been going in.
Bennett seems like a mentally strong guy -- he has no problem poking fun at himself -- but it had to be tough scoring just twice in his first 38 games despite having no shortage of chances.
4) Credit where it's due: Ben Lovejoy played really well. Despite only one of 18 (5v5) zone starts coming in the offensive zone, and playing big minutes against Minnesota's best, Lovejoy led the team with a plus-7 shot attempt differential.
Many, myself included, are quick to criticize Lovejoy when he struggles so it's only fair we give him credit for strong showings like last night.
5) The Devils have five games remaining this month. Three are against playoff teams (Montreal, Los Angeles, Washington), one is against a team half a point out (Philadelphia), and one is against a mediocre Detroit Red Wings team. If the Devils can survive this next stretch, they could be in a good position to make some noise next month with nine of 11 games being played on home soil.
During that stretch, they play the likes of the Sabres, Avalanche, Islanders (x2) and the Senators (x2). That is six games against a) struggling teams or; b) the team the Devils are trying to steal a playoff spot from.
The Devils' schedule next month is pretty much as favorable as it can get in today's NHL. They have to find a way to take advantage of it.
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