Some New Jersey Devils related thoughts as we await the return of NHL action:
1) Kyle Palmieri hasn't garnered a lot of recognition league-wide for his strong play but he's having an absolutely fantastic season.
He enters all-star weekend tied for 13th in the NHL with 20 goals. He sits one behind Steven Stamkos and Daniel Sedin and is tied with Johnny Gaudreau, Corey Perry and Nikita Kucherov, among others.
What's impressive about Palmieri is his goal scoring hasn't just been on special teams. He's been a legitimate scorer at full-strength, too.
Palmieri is scoring .89 goals per 60 minutes of 5 v 5 play. That puts him a hair below the likes of Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn, and ahead of John Tavares, Phil Kessel, Sean Monahan, Evgeni Malkin and Stamkos, among many others.
He's going to get a nice raise in the summer.
2) David Schlemko and Eric Gelinas can be prone to head scratching turnovers a little more than anyone would like but they are both useful players and have quietly been very effective as a duo this season.
In ~200 minutes together at 5 v 5 the Devils have generated 54% of the shot attempts, 56% of the scoring chances and 50% of the goals. Those are impressive totals for a 3rd pairing.
3) As each day passes it appears more evident Stefan Matteau will not be a long-term fixture for the Devils. Albany call-ups have consistently been played instead of Matteau and he never seems to do enough to remain in the lineup for more than a game or two at a time.
I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't finish the season in New Jersey.
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