Six takeaways from the New Jersey Devils' third consecutive multi-goal victory:
1) That was the best game Cory Schneider has played in a long time. Score effects played a role --simply put, teams routinely get outshot while defending a lead -- but the Toronto Maple Leafs peppered him with pucks and he continued to come up with big save after big save. At no point did he look tired, shaky, or the game appear to be out of his control. It's still early, but Schneider is sure making it look like last season was a one-off.
2) Another game, another solid showing by Jesper Bratt. His puck movement, particularly on the man advantage, was really good and he had a couple nice rushes where he slipped past defenders and was able to create a chance. Being a frequent penalty killer helped his cause (the Devils took eight minors) but it says a lot that he logged more ice than the likes of Kyle Palmieri, Taylor Hall, and Nico Hischier in just his third NHL game. I've learned never to say never, but it seems safe to say he won't be sent back to London.
3) I haven't talked about Adam Henrique much in this space so I want to give him some love. I thought he was really good against Toronto. He tallied a pair of assists, had five shots on goal, played more than seven minutes on the penalty kill -- where he was also able to create offense -- and stepped in for Bratt after he was run over by Matt Martin. John Hynes has talked a lot about playing *for* each other, not *with* each other, and Henrique coming to Bratt's aid was a good example of that (as was Stefan Noesen sticking up for a teammate in the 1st period).
4) Miles Wood's speed wreaked havoc on the Leafs in this game. He consistently won races to loose pucks even when opposing players had big head starts, and he was able to regularly blow by defenders in order to create good scoring opportunities. He had a pair of goals, four shots and six attempts in just over 11 minutes of ice. I'd say he made a pretty good case to remain in the lineup.
5) I don't mean to single out Mirco Mueller, but the Devils were once again measurably out-played with him on the ice at 5v5. Through three games the Devils have been out-attempted by 24, outshot by 16, and out-chanced by 12 with him out there. You want to give him some rope given he's a young player and has always had the rug pulled from beneath him anytime he's had a tough shift, but his play needs to improve if he's going to continue to hold a spot in the lineup.
6) I'm not saying the Devils won't be better than many -- myself included -- expected, but it's important to keep things in perspective and not get carried away. Right now, the Devils are scoring on well over 13% of their 5v5 shots. Last season, only two teams (Minnesota and Washington, who were both loaded with offensive talent) scored on *more* than 8.88% of their 5v5 shots. The Devils could very well have a much-improved offense, but they're due for some regression.