The New Jersey Devils concluded their two-game rookie tournament last night with a disappointing 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins.
Though they fared much better against Boston the Devils allowed 10 goals in two games and lost 10-5 on aggregate score.
Some thoughts:
- The Buffalo game went about as expected. The Sabres have a lot more star power in their farm system and it definitely showed. Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart gave the Devils fits and they certainly didn't do much to help themselves, either. There were some brutal turnovers (most notably by Ryan Rehill), missed assignments and blown coverages that certainly didn't make life easy on Mackenzie Blackwood. As a goaltender it's never a good thing to allow six goals, obviously, but he's not to blame for the loss. He had no help.
- Pavel Zacha was good but had a relatively quiet weekend (by his standards) registering one assist in two games. Ultimately camp/preseason/etc. will determine his fate but if he didn't dominate in a rookie tournament he's probably not ready for NHL duty. I've said this many times but I think it'd be best to send him back to Sarnia for another year of seasoning. There's no reason to rush him into the NHL and burn a year off his entry-level contract while playing for a team that will probably finish bottom-5.
- Joseph Blandisi, who played center all year for the Barrie Colts last season, lined up at right wing in this tournament and had some success as he scored twice against the Bruins on Sunday. He may be a long shot to make the big club this season but a good showing in camp and preseason could put him in the conversation for a spot given how weak the Devils are on the right side.
- Ken Appleby is playing for a pro contract with the Devils and he probably helped his cause with Sunday's performance. He made 36 saves - including 19 in the 3rd period - in what turned out to be a losing effort.
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