1) The New Jersey Devils managed to pick up their third win in 21 games last night and the play of Keith Kinkaid was the biggest reason why.
Philadelphia outshot and out-chanced New Jersey by decent margins but Kinkaid was dialed in from the word go and always came through with the big save when called upon.
The 27-year-old has stopped 101 of 105 shots he has faced over the last three games and his save percentage is now up to .920 on the year.
The Devils have tested Kinkaid by putting more on his plate down the stretch and, for the most part, he has answered the bell. I expect he'll be rewarded with a contract extension this off-season.
2) In a stunning turn of events, the Devils were a better with Severson on the ice than without him. The Devils out-attempted the Flyers 11-7 at 5v5 with Severson and were out-attempted 47-29 without him.
This is the kind of thing happens pretty frequently so it's amazing to me Severson doesn't a) get more minutes and; b) get more recognition from a lot of fans. At times the guy has been a punching bag on social media and he's almost unquestionably been the best defenseman on the roster. I don't get it.
3) The Adam Henrique on the wing experiment seems to be sticking a bit, which tells me the coaching staff realizes he hasn't had a good defensive year and may be better off with less responsibility. Next year is a big one for the Devils -- changes could be made if they don't start making strides -- so I'd expect they'll go out and get a center this summer if they do view Henrique as a winger long-term. Travis Zajac, Pavel Zacha and two of Joseph Blandisi/Michael McLeod/Blake Coleman/Jacob Josefson is not going to get it done.
4) Call me crazy, but I feel like Andy Greene has taken a bit of a step back this year. His underlying numbers aren't bad, especially given the tough minutes he plays, but he just doesn't look the same. I mean, the other day he was walked by Colin McDonald for a goal against. I think age, and the insane amount of minutes he has played against the league's best players on a nightly basis, is finally starting to catch up with him a little bit.
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