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On Tuesday night the New Jersey Devils won for just the second time in 14 games and avoided a season sweep at the hands of the New York Rangers in the process.
A few notes on the game:
1) Cory Schneider was absolutely spectacular and the main reason the Devils walked away with two points. The kids came up with some big plays but if Schneider wasn't at his best it wouldn't have been close (the Rangers outshot the Devils by 11 and had 10 more high-danger chances).
Look at the shot location chart and tell me the Devils deserved the extra point.
note: I believe only regulation was included.
2) John Quenneville was enjoying a very solid season in Albany prior to being recalled -- like Joseph Blandisi, he was an AHL all-star -- but I wasn't sure how fast his offense would translate to the NHL level. The answer is fast, apparently.
Quenneville smashed home his 1st career goal on the power play, made a perfect pass through a smallish window to set up Blandisi for the OT winner, and he registered a couple shots on goal.
In four games (~60 minutes of ice) since being recalled for the second time, and likely for good, Quenneville has three points and 11 shots on goal. With a solid finish to the season and a good summer of training, one would think he'd enter camp as a near-lock to be on the roster next season.
3) I've been very impressed by how Blandisi managed to turn a poor season into a good one. He essentially entered camp with a roster spot to lose and he did just that. His preseason was mediocre and he started the year in Albany as a result, where he struggled mightily to produce coming out of the gate. He kept at it, got his game back on track, earned himself an AHL all-star nod, was called-up and is now producing with consistent minutes coming his way (he has six points in six games). The Devils have to be happy with his progress.
Also: Blandisi loves playing the Rangers, doesn't he? Always seems to come through with a strong performance.
4) Due to the play of Quenneville, Blandisi, Pavel Zacha, and the rest of the kids, Taylor Hall's incredible performance slipped entirely under the radar.
The guy looked like he had rockets in his skates all game long and he finished with eight shots(!!), a beautiful goal, and a near-goal after completely undressing Brady Skjei, who I'm really high on, in a one-on-one situation.
5) Ben Lovejoy -- he of 73 shots in 71 games heading into last night's game -- somehow registered five shots on goal and had some good scoring chances. Devils/Rangers games really are weird.
6) The Devils are going nowhere this season, obviously, but at least with more youth being inserted into the lineup and taking on larger roles, there is some excitement in these games and reason to be optimistic about the future. Zacha is riding a five-game point streak, Blandisi has taken his game up a notch, Quenneville has looked good, etc, etc.
Meanwhile, Michael McLeod, Blake Speers and some of the team's top prospects are producing at good clips in junior and gearing up for long playoff runs. You can finally start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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