New Jersey Devils shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 last night at the Prudential Center. The Devils gave away “Jersey… towels to fans in attendance as they debuted their alternate jerseys last night.
Despite coming out uninspiring in the first period, the Devils finally found the back of the net with a Jesper Bratt wrist shot and a power play goal from Dawson Mercer to make it 2-0 at the end of the second period.
In the third period, Jack Hughes rewarded Michael McLeod by passing him the puck to seal the game with an empty netter. It was McLeod’s first goal of the season.
Mackenzie Blackwood was solid in net but was not really tested throughout the night.
“I felt like, you know, we really needed a win tonight,… Blackwood said after his second shutout of the season and eighth of his career. “I felt like we should have gotten a win last game as well, played pretty well last game and tonight but definitely a must win for us. It’s great that we came out on the right end of that.…
Mack Black has been a “Flyer Killer… since his NHL career began in 2018-19 NHL season. He has a 8-0-2 record with a 2.07 GAA and save percentage of .932 with 2 shutouts.
This was a game that the Devils should have won and they did. But they ran into a struggling Flyers team with a new head coach. The real test is Friday against the Nashville Predators.
My Thoughts On The Black Jerseys From Last Night
The Devils alternate black jerseys has been more of a polarizing debate lately amongst the Devils fanbase than is it called Taylor Ham Vs. Pork Roll.
Personally, I still hate it and it is because the Devils replaced the NJ logo with “Jersey… in front of the sweater. It has not grown on me and most likely never will. To be honest, it was hard to watch the game because that NJ logo has been the fabric of our Devils fandom. Seeing it being eliminated and excluded on the black alternate jersey felt like it stripped my heart and soul of being a true New Jersey Devils fan. Moreover, that NJ logo is sacred to many Devils fans like myself.
Thankfully, the Devils did not paint center ice by replacing the NJ logo with the new “Jersey… logo last night. Because if they did, I would like to invite that Philadelphia Police dog up to the Rock to do it’s business.
Patience Is A Virtue
I’ll give credit to Devils co-managing partner David Blitzer for going on MSG with Erika Wachter and Bryce Salvador. It was nice to see him do an interview about the state of the Devils and give us his point of view of the direction the team is going, with or without que cards.
However, asking the Devils fans to be more patient when there has been only one playoff appearance since 2012?
The Devils fans have been patient enough. Maybe Blitzer should consult with Vancouver Canucks team owner Francesco Aquilini about being too patient. This is what Aquilini said after realizing his team needed to be shaken up.
“These are difficult decisions. These are not easy. I mean, to fire everybody at the same time, that's a hard thing to do and maybe I was a little bit too patient,'' Aquilini said.
Yes, patience is a virtue. But don’t push it. Please don’t ask the fans for more patience. Fans want more leadership and accountability. And that is when the winning will come.
Happy 25th Birthday To Mack Black!
The big 2-5 for Big Mac. #NJDevils | @TeamCalandra pic.twitter.com/W3S8dExcwf
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 9, 2021
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Sam Woo is co-host and executive producer of the Let's Go Devils Podcast which can be heard live every Sunday at 9pm ET and Wednesday at 8:30pm ET.
You can follow Sam on Twitter: @PrimetimeSamWoo