A few notes from New Jersey vs Washington:
1) Last night was just one of those nights where nothing goes your way. The Devils certainly didn't play well – the Caps were in control from pretty much the word go – and making matters worse were some of the calls, or non-calls, working against them. The best example of that is the Caps scoring a goal with six skaters on the ice and involved in the play. Now, Washington was easily the better team and deserved the win, but the game *could* have looked a lot different if rather than a Caps goal, they had to kill a penalty and the Devils had a chance to get one of their own. It is what it is, though. The Devils didn't play well at all and they paid the price for it. Onto the next one.
2) Quite a few people questioned John Hynes' decision to start Cory Schneider last night. While in many cases I agree starting the backup is a good idea in a back-to-back situation, I think Hynes made the right choice starting Schneider. It was an important game – 1st place in the Metro was up for grabs – and you want your $42 million goaltender playing in those, not a struggling backup who has an .893 save percentage on the year. It's worth noting the Devils play just three times over the next two weeks so it's not like they risked burning Schneider out. He'll get his rest.
3) On a positive note, I thought Pavel Zacha put forth another strong effort. He did take a penalty that proved to be costly but he also led the team with three 5v5 scoring chances and, alongside Miles Wood and Stefan Noesen, was able to generate some sustained pressure in the offensive zone throughout. He was also one of the team's best players in possession.
Was not a great night for the Devils at 5v5. Pavel Zacha was a bright spot again, though. pic.twitter.com/ht6udNCHNB
— Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) December 31, 2017
4) It was really nice to see Travis Zajac and Marcus Johansson chip in with multi-point efforts. Between injuries, mixed linemates, etc. neither player has been able to hit their stride, get into a groove offensively, and provide consistent offense on the 2nd line. The Devils really need that so hopefully last night was a step in the right direction.
5) The John Moore - Sami Vatanen pairing was somewhat of a trainwreck when first assembled but they've quietly been playing really good hockey of late. They look a lot more comfortable with each other, both players are getting involved offensively – and shooting – and they're almost a 52% possession pairing now. Credit to Hynes and the coaching staff for sticking with them despite early struggles.
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