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Five observations from New Jersey vs Vegas:
1. Luck finally turned
The new year has not been kind to the Devils. Prior to last night, they had won just 13 of 31 games since the turn of the calendar.
Part of that is on them. They haven't been perfect and, besides the last handful of games, neither goaltender has stopped pucks with any sort of consistency. It doesn't matter how well you play if the goaltending isn't there.
Perhaps a bigger factor has been luck, or a lack thereof. On many nights the Devils out-shot, out-chanced, and out-worked their opposition only to come up short. A bad call would go against them. A fluke goal would find its way into the back of the net. They'd hit posts while pushing for a goal late. They'd miss an open net on a Grade A chance. Pretty much anything that could go wrong offensively did.
Last night that finally changed. The Devils converted on seemingly every quality chance they had. They deserve some credit for being opportunistic but it was just one of those nights where *everything* goes right. Look no further than Tomas Tatar shelving one on his own net for a perfect example of that.
With the Devils in desperate need of points, and many of their players struggling offensively, a game like that couldn't have come at a better time. Now they need to build on it.
2. Nico Hischier was spectacular
For my money Nico was the best player on the ice and I'm not sure it was close. Every time he had the puck on his stick it felt like he was going to make something happen. He was dynamic rushing through the neutral zone and he was literally skating circles around Vegas defenders in the offensive zone. The goal he scored was lucky, obviously, but the work he did prior to setting up Michael Grabner for a tap-in was simply incredible.
On top of tallying two points, and seven scoring chances, Hischier posted a team-high plus-8 chance differential at even-strength.
It was the kind of performance that leaves you wondering just how special Hischier can be. He already is a fantastic player and he's still just scratching the surface.
3. Keith Kinkaid was solid
It didn't always look pretty but once again Kinkaid got the job done. Though the Devils jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, they didn't necessarily deserve it. They gave up quite a few good looks and Kinkaid was able to hold down the fort and allow the team to find its footing.
He ended up stopping 39-42 for an impressive .929 save percentage. As good as those numbers are, they may not do him justice given Vegas piled on a garbage time power play goal late.
Kinkaid has now won eight of his last 10 starts and posted a .933 save percentage over his last nine. I'd bet on him cooling down sooner than later – he's done nothing in his career that would make you think this is sustainable – but the Devils may have to keep riding him until that happens. He's playing above the norm as much as Cory Schneider is playing below it.
4. It wasn't a perfect game
The result was perfect. The process getting there was not.
Any time you give up 18 high-danger chances, 39 total chances, and 42 shots you clearly have some work to do defensively. Some may argue score effects played a part but Vegas' best period in terms of chance generation came in the opener so I'm not sure I'm buying that.
The breakouts were a little sloppy at times and there were some avoidable turnovers in the defensive zone. Grabner, for example, tried to force a play while exiting the zone and it led to a Grade A chance for Vegas *and* an Andy Greene penalty.
They have to get those kinds of plays out of their system if they're going to win enough games – against mostly very good teams, no less – to get into the playoffs.
5. An added bonus
The best part about putting a game away with plenty of time remaining: it allows coaches to get everyone involved. Not only did depth guys get extra run to break out of offensive slumps, but they took some of the workload off key players.
Taylor Hall routinely plays 20+ minutes. He played 13:46. Nico Hischier is the team's No. 1 center. He played 12:28. Kyle Palmieri is the team's best pure goal scorer. He played 13:47.
Hall is asked to do as much as anyone in the league, Hischier is playing the most games he's ever played in a season, and Palmieri is a rugged player who takes a beating on a nightly basis. Getting those three, in particular, some extra rest is really important.
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