The New Jersey Devils concluded their seven-game preseason schedule with a convincing 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals.
Five takeaways:
1) Nico Hischier stood out in a big way once again. He was a threat almost every time he touched the ice and he did a great job of using his edgework and sharp cuts to lose defenders and keep them off-balance. He's already playing with so much confidence and it's really fun to watch.
2) Miles Wood didn't find the scoresheet but I thought he played a fairly solid game. Despite playing with lesser linemates, he was able to create some really good chances throughout.
This was a really nice sequence from Miles Wood. Created a couple good scoring chances in short succession. pic.twitter.com/kMFIup9DOv
— Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) September 28, 2017
His speed, as always, was on full display as it forced defenders to loosen their gaps and back off, which probably had something to do with him leading the team in controlled entries.
5v5 zone entry numbers from Devils @ Capitals. Miles Wood led the way with six controlled entries. pic.twitter.com/95QMIZDce9
— Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) September 28, 2017
3) John Moore is considered more of a puck rusher than a puck mover and last night's game was a good example of why. A handful of his outlets and exit attempts were intercepted and, in all but two cases, whenever he did manage to get the puck out of the defensive zone, the cost was losing possession.
5v5 zone exit numbers for the Devils vs the Caps. Will Butcher and Mirco Mueller led the way in possession exits. John Moore, uh, did not. pic.twitter.com/L7NISCfNbR
— Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) September 28, 2017
4) Mirco Mueller, Steve Santini, and Will Butcher all had good-to-really good nights, and continue to look like they belong in the NHL. Based on Ben Lovejoy being well, not great, and the play from the kids during the preseason, I'd like to see him lose his regular spot in the lineup so all three can play. I doubt it happens, but it probably should.
5) Despite leading for almost the entire game, the Devils controlled play at 5v5 from start to finish out-chancing the Caps 34-18. Preseason is preseason, but it was still nice to see a Devils team missing a few players (Andy Greene, Kyle Palmieri, Jesper Bratt, etc.) go into Washington and beat up on a roster almost identical to what they'll go with on opening night.