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Five notes from New Jersey vs Boston:
1) Despite the loss, I thought the Devils played an impressive game and deserved a better result. I know the Bruins were undermanned, but they had still been outplaying teams on a nightly basis and the Devils took it to them for a lot of the game. They weren't downright dominant but they controlled a lot of the play and, for the most part, it didn't much matter who was on the ice.
2) I thought Bratt was one of the best players on the ice and not just because he finished atop the leaderboard in possession. His passing was excellent, he made a couple nice defensive plays where he pickpocketed Bruins players and flipped the ice, and also banged in a garbage goal to end his goal drought. In the pre-game, I mentioned how he'd been quiet and the Devils needed his game to go back up a notch. It did.
3) Taylor Hall was once again an absolute beast and a threat every time he touched the ice. His skating was explosive and he created a barrage of chances with Nico, although finishing them was a different story in this one. When all was said and done he finished with game-highs in shots (6), scoring chances (6), high-danger scoring chances (4), and shot attempts (10) while logging almost 25 minutes of ice. He looked as fresh in overtime as he did in the 1st period, too. This guy is something else.
4) I received a lot of questions about Hischier and his 'struggles' or whether he'd lose confidence after failing to bury a couple excellent chances. I don't think he will and I'm not concerned about him at all. Sure, he seemed frustrated after the game but that's because the team lost and he felt he could make a difference – not because he was individually mad he didn't score. He only cares about the team and, if they won in a shootout, it'd be a non-story for him. He hasn't scored a ton of goals, but he's still playing at just under a 60-point pace as a rookie and is one of the main reasons the Devils are within striking distance for top spot in the Metro. If accomplishing what he has is considered struggling, and could lead to questions about losing confidence, then I would *love* to struggle.
5) Damon Severson was a bit of a punching bag for fans earlier in the season so I'm going to give him credit every chance I get. He's really answered the bell since being scratched and last night was yet another strong performance from him. He led the team in 5v5 ice with more than 20 minutes. In that time, the Devils generated 11 chances (no other Devil was on for more than eight) and allowed just four. That's a chance against every 5+ minutes, which is excellent.
**
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! I hope you all have terrific days.
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