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Five observations from New Jersey vs Columbus:
1. Sergei Bobrovsky was the difference
They say goaltending is the great equalizer and that was the case in last night's contest.
Following an underwhelming opening frame, the Devils put on their hard hats and took it to the Blue Jackets over the final 40 minutes.
During that time, they out-attempted the Jackets 38-18, out-chanced them 21-6, and won the high-danger battle 9-1.
Overall, the two sides were credited with an equal amount of high-danger looks (11) but the Devils still ended up with the decisive advantage in Grade B chances, if you will.
Check out the vast difference between the two sides in shots from the top of the circle and in.
Sergei Bobrovsky was a wall, Keith Kinkaid let one stoppable shot get by him, and that was the difference between two points and zero.
2. Another Hart performance from Taylor Hall
The goal he scored to extend his point streak to 19 games was a little bit lucky but Hall deserved to be rewarded for the performance he put on.
He was once again a consistent threat all night long and by far the team's most involved offensive player.
On top of scoring the lone goal, and recording five shots on target, he led the team with 11 primary shot contributions at 5v5.
3. The penalty kill was excellent
The Devils took three minor penalties and killed them off with relative ease. They gave the Blue Jackets a lot of trouble while trying to setup shop in the offensive zone and even when they were able to do so, they struggled to get the puck into dangerous areas and create scoring opportunities. The Jackets were credited with two chances during six minutes of power play time, which is very poor.
Though the Blue Jackets do not have a good power play, it's still encouraging to slow a team down the way the Devils did.
4. The goaltending wasn't good enough
The Devils have been in a bit of a tailspin over the last month winning just eight of their last 20 games. The biggest reason for their struggles has been goaltending.
Their goaltenders have managed to post a .910 save percentage or better just six times(!) during this 20 game stretch. They are 6-0 in those games.
When the Devils have gotten sub .910 goaltending, which isn't even league average, they have won just twice in 14 tries.
Keith Kinkaid was OK last night but his workload was small. The one mistake he made pushed him below a .910 save percentage and, shockingly, the Devils lost the game as a result.
If they don't get at least average goaltending, they're not going to win. Kinkaid and Eddie Lack aren't going to give them that on a consistent basis so they really need to get Cory Schneider back. Thankfully, he shouldn't be too far off.
5. Damon Severson continues to shine
He didn't get on the scoresheet but I thought he quietly played a really strong game. His positioning was good, he used his body to separate Blue Jackets from the puck on a couple promising attacks, and he looked really steady as a whole. In more than 19 minutes of ice at 5v5 the Devils allowed just three chances and one(!!) shot on target. On top of his strong defensive play, he also led the blue line in shot contributions at 5v5. He was excellent.
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