The future is now!
New Jersey Devils were down 3-1 to start the third period and came back from behind to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Devils forward Miles Wood had two goals while Ryan Graves and Jesper Bratt had one apiece in the victory. The Devils have won five straight games in regulation and now 8-3-0 with 16 points on top of the Metropolitan Division.
Here are my thoughts:
1. There is no quit, but grit with this team. The Devils never once got down on themselves and made no excuses. They kept moving their skates and kept putting the pressure on the Oilers. Even though Ryan Graves had struggled in the first two period, he came up big with the game tying goal which became a monumental momentum shift of the game. Moreover, it was eventually the turning point of the game that led to Jesper Bratt’s game winning goal seven seconds later.
2. Vitek Vanecek was outstanding after coming into the game replacing Mackenzie Blackwood in the second period because of injury. Vanecek had to come in and face the Oilers on the power play, which they eventually scored. But Vanecek shut the door and made some outstanding saves to keep his team in it. Tom Fitzgerald traded for Vanecek last summer and has already paid off dividends. The Oilers kept coming and Vanecek was about keep the puck out of the net.
3. Jesper Bratt bet on himself. And his 11-game point streak to start the season has been impressive. He wanted to be a core leader of this Devils team and proven himself to be an elite player. Not bad for a 6th round pick.
4. Nico Hischier was a monster throughout the game. He did get upended and crashed into the boards but was okay. I personally don’t want to hear anymore comparisons with other players drafted from the 2017 NHL Draft, such as Cale Maker. Devils are lucky to have Hischier as their captain and is leading by example.
5. Miles Wood and his big line mates, Nathan Bastian and Michael McLeod, can bring the energy and scoring. The Devils can roll four lines on any given night and what a performance!
6. It has been an amazing two weeks for Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff’s team has gone 8-1-0 since the “Fire Lindy… chants at the Rock against the Detroit Red Wings at the home opener. It has been a remarkable turnaround.
Seven Seconds
Now THAT is how you end a game. 😈
— NHL (@NHL) November 4, 2022
The @NJDevils scored two goals in the span of seven seconds to secure the win! pic.twitter.com/to0roYNROM
PODCAST - Devils/Oilers Game Recap