Some thoughts on New Jersey's 4-2 win over the red hot Florida Panthers in a rare Sunday night game:
1) As a whole I didn't think the Devils played overly well but they were certainly the better team in the early going. They had a lot of sustained offensive zone time and were rewarded with a couple goals as a result.
Florida took it to them in the final 40 minutes but score effects surely played a role as the Devils played more conservative and (somewhat) sat on their lead. It would have been nice to see them go on the attack a little more but when Cory Schneider is your goaltender it's not as big of a deal as it otherwise would be.
2) I thought Damon Severson was one of the best players on the ice. Defensively there weren't many hiccups and his puck distribution abilities and vision were on full display in the offensive zone. He created several quality chances for the Devils and had two assists to show for it. He was also New Jersey's best possession player.
3) The Mike Cammalleri - Adam Henrique - Lee Stempniak line continues to get it done on a nightly basis. They combined for three goals, six points and were New Jersey's best unit in terms of possession despite spending a lot of their even-strength time against Aaron Ekblad's defense pairing and Aleksander Barkov's line.
4) Patrik Elias was held off the scoresheet and had just one shot but I thought he played very well. Defensively his game was more than adequate and he moved the puck effectively all night; especially on the power play. On one shift alone he made two or three back door passes to set up Grade A chances for teammates. Sometimes it's hard to believe he's 39-years-old.
5) Cory Schneider stopped 34 of 36 meaning he has posted a .920 save percentage or better in 13 of his last 15 starts. When he's playing like this the Devils are going to win their fair share of games regardless of how well they're playing in front of him.
6) I've been watching the Devils' use of blue liners on the power play closely of late and they've been all over the map.
Over the last handful of games John Moore was a staple on the power play - often playing 3-4 minutes - but he didn't see a second of PP time against Florida.
On the other hand David Schlemko ate up just one minute of 5 v 4 ice against Philadelphia (ranking 3rd among blue liners) but tied for the team-lead in PP time on Sunday with almost three minutes.
It seems like there's an audition going on for the PP1 QB spot so it'll be interesting to see who is primarily used in that role going forward or if there continues to be a rotation.
Prospect Updates
1) Pavel Zacha went off in a big way Sunday as he tallied a goal, three assists and four shots in Sarnia's 5-4 win over Ottawa. He's red hot right as he's recorded nine points in his last three games. The 2015 6th overall pick has 17 goals and 30 points in 23 games.
2) Mackenzie Blackwood did not play in a 6-3 loss to Mississauga as he's serving a suspension for a slash in a game against Sudbury on Friday night. The league has yet to decide how many games he'll serve but from what I've heard I don't think Blackwood's suspension that will cause him to miss the World Juniors.
3) Blake Speers had a goal and six shots in SSM's 5-4 win over North Bay. Colton White was held pointless.
4) It's probably safe to assume Connor Chatham will be moved prior to the OHL trade deadline next month. His Flint Firebirds are not going anywhere this season and he'll be going pro at year's end so it makes sense for the two sides to part ways. He has seven goals and 23 points in 27 games this season.
Recent Posts Playing down to competition