The New Jersey Devils were once again far from their best but that didn't stop them from extending their point streak to four games.
Despite being out shot 38-27 and out chanced 44-19 the Devils managed to push the game to overtime before eventually falling in a shootout.
Some thoughts on the loss to Lou Lamoriello's Toronto Maple Leafs:
1) I know I've made a habit of carrying Cory Schneider's water but for my money he was the best player on the ice in this game. He was peppered with shots from start to finish and made a plethora of Grade A saves while keeping the Devils in it until the very end. If he wasn't at his best the Devils wouldn't have sniffed overtime.
Including last night's game Schneider has posted a .920 save percentage or better in 14 of his last 16 starts. He has a .932SV% in that span.
2) From the Devils' perspective there were no shortage of negatives against the Maple Leafs. They lost the game. They lost Adam Henrique. They were out shot and out chanced significantly. The list doesn't end there, either.
One positive, though, was the play of John Moore.
He looked excellent quarterbacking the top power play unit, he made a good first pass and he had no problem rushing the puck up ice if the lanes were there.
Moore also logged a ton of minutes (22:57 to be exact) and didn't look at all fatigued even after skating 15 miles in overtime.
Last night's assist gives him seven points over his last seven games. He's really starting to come on and is being given more minutes as a result. If you're in a (somewhat) deep fantasy hockey league he's probably a guy worth looking at.
3) One thing I like about the Devils is that they are almost always aggressive on the penalty kill. I don't know if Adam Henrique not being available had anything to do with it but that was not the case last night. There was a lot of standing around - especially at the points - when Toronto was on the power play. The puck carriers had way too much time to make plays.
4) Sergei Kalinin didn't find the scoresheet but I liked his game. He was effective cycling the puck down low and caused a lot of havoc around the net; especially on the man advantage. I like him in that spot.
5) If Adam Henrique will be forced to miss time and Travis Zajac is not ready to return I think it'd make sense to give Joseph Blandisi a look.
I know the Devils want him developing in Albany this year - or at least for most of it - but they don't have many options and Blandisi has seven goals and 16 points in 18 games with Albany. If they need a center (even for a couple games) I think he's earned a shot.
Prospect Updates
1) Mackenzie Blackwood was suspended eight games for a slash against a Sudbury player last Friday. He has served one game thus far and will miss Barrie's next five games before serving the final two games of his suspension during the preliminary round. It was probably safe to assume Blackwood and Flames prospect Mason McDonald would split at least the first two games so realistically he's only missing one World Junior start.
2) John Quenneville recorded a goal and an assist in a losing effort as his Brandon Wheat Kings fell to the Calgary Hitmen 6-4. Quenneville is off to a very good start this season recording 12 goals and 30 points in 24 games thus far. We'll find out soon if that's enough for a spot on Team Canada's at the World Juniors.
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