A few notes from New Jersey vs Anaheim:
1) I thought the Devils played a really poor 1st period. They were sloppy with the puck – see Travis Zajac on the 1st goal – and there were a couple big breakdowns without it that led to excellent opportunities for the Ducks.
While the Devils held a 7-6 edge in shots after the opening period, they were out-chanced by five and paid the price for it.
They showed a lot more life in a back and forth 2nd period before taking it to the Ducks in the final frame. They came out firing and didn't take their foot off the gas following Jesper Bratt's early goal to tie it, which I really liked. They kept pushing for more – as evident by their +9 5v5 chance differential in the final 20 – and were rewarded accordingly.
It wasn't a perfect game by any means, but they worked their asses off to overcome a slow start and ultimately deserved the win.
2) Adam Henrique is getting a lot of warranted recognition for his performance but Sami Vatanen quietly had a pretty good night as well (Henrique goal aside). He led the team in ice time, picked up his first assist as a Devil, fired three pucks on net, led the defense with a +7 shot attempt differential, and was on the ice for just five chances against in more than 18 minutes of 5v5 ice. He was mostly strong defensively and it was the first time he's really shown any of the offensive abilities we saw in Anaheim. It wasn't a headline-stealing performance, but it's one the Devils will certainly take.
3) The Devils not only won the game, but potted five goals (one was an empty-netter, but still), despite getting zero points from the likes of Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Nico Hischier and Travis Zajac. For years, the Devils were essentially a write-off in any game their top guys didn't produce. That's no longer the case – at least not to the same extent. It's amazing how much of a difference having some speed, skill, and youth, in the bottom-6 can make as opposed to littering it with grinders.
4) Miles Wood in 2016-17: eight goals, 41.4 Corsi For%, 60 games played. Miles Wood in 2017-18: nine goals, 48 Corsi For%, 32 games played.
His defensive game has improved a ton – last year it seemed like he routinely skated himself out of position – and he's been one of the best 5v5 chance generators on the roster. He's gone from a fringe NHLer to an important piece in a short period of time, which makes you wonder just how much he can still grow.
5) Another game, another disappointing showing from Drew Stafford. He completely butchered two or three quality scoring opportunities that fell on his lap and didn't accomplish much – anything? – else. He's now on a 15-game pointless drought and 17-game goalless drought. I don't know how you can keep him in the lineup when Marcus Johansson given some of the other players who were struggling, like Pavel Zacha, have picked it up.
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