The Devils are 12 points out of a playoff spot, but from watching their effort against San Jose you'd think they were fighting for the top spot in the division.
Coming off an embarrassingly bad game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Devils came out and kicked San Jose's teeth in en route to a 5-2 win.
10 takeaways:
1) I still maintain the Devils would be best off tearing the team down and rebuilding given where the team is at, but I have to give them some credit. Their dud against the Ducks was pathetic, but they won 2-of-3 on a very tough West Coast swing, which is very impressive considering the roster they have assembled.
2) New Jersey was outshot considerably in the 3rd period (that's to be expected defending a lead on the road against a good team) but that was one of their best efforts this season. They outshot the Sharks 29-18 in the first 40 minutes, and were certainly the better team. What a strange team the Devils are.
3) I feel like I've been beating this to death of late, but Adam Larsson is playing some great hockey. Playing almost 24 minutes against top competition he posted exceptional possession numbers alongside Andy Greene while recording his 3rd assist in four games in the process. It took some time, but he's really coming along now.
4) Speaking of Greene, he deserves a lot of credit for helping Larsson along. Giving Larsson big minutes is nice, but it wouldn't be too beneficial if he was playing with a mediocre partner and getting caved in almost every shift. Greene is as steady as they com,e and his calming presence surely helps Larsson out greatly. He knows if he makes a mistake Greene can probably bail him out, and he can focus on playing his game rather than worrying about a mistake.
5) Jacob Josefson played one of the best games of his career. Playing with Tim Sestito and Jordin Tootoo he dominated in possession, recorded an assist at even-strength, and scored a short handed goal on a beautiful feed from Adam Henrique. He still only played 10:42, but it was his first game in a while so I don't have a problem with it.
6) Henrique had two nice assists while playing almost 20 minutes against the Sharks. His assist on Josefson's goal came short handed, which shouldn't be a surprise, as he leads the league in short handed points since entering the league. What a weapon that guy is.
7) Eric Gelinas played less than 10 minutes. It was his first game in a while, too, but at what point does someone give him a legitimate chance to prove his worth? Limited minutes isn't going to do anything for him.
8) Mark Fraser was not playing pro hockey a couple months ago. Last night, against a perennial playoff team in San Jose, he played 22:23.
9) Travis Zajac quietly has recorded six points in his last seven games. As is the case with many Devils, it hasn't been a good year for him but it's nice to see him turning it around a little bit.
10) Cory Schneider didn't have to do too much in the first 40 minutes, but he was incredible in the 3rd and finished the game with 34 saves on 36 shots. He's up to a .920SV% on the year and has really played about as well as the Devils could have hoped for.
Recent posts