For the first time in almost two months the New Jersey Devils have won consecutive games.
It wasn't pretty but Mike Cammalleri scored a pair of goals in the 1st and Cory Schneider did the rest en route to a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Notes:
1) This game is a perfect example of what quality goaltending can do for a team. Despite being out shot 36-21, out chanced 29-17 and out played for the vast majority of the game the Devils managed to collect a much needed two points because of Cory Schneider.
I know I'm beating a dead horse here but if the Devils can squeeze into the playoffs he should be a legitimate candidate for the Hart Trophy. He's been nothing short of spectacular this season.
2) The Devils were sloppy but things were pretty even in the first 20 minutes. I don't know if the Devils were sitting on their lead, the Senators started activating more to create offense, or it was a combination of both but the Devils were dominated for the final 40 minutes. Again, they're lucky they had Cory Schneider between the pipes.
3) We'll file this one under the not good category.
The N.J Devils did not take a single offensive zone face-off at 5v5 tonight, the only team to accomplish that since 2007. (h/t @zzptichka)
— Emmanuel Perry (@MannyElk) December 31, 2015Really hammers home how badly the Devils struggled to create offense at full-strength.
4) I really like how John Hynes managed the bench in the latter half of a back-to-back. Knowing the team's legs wouldn't be fresh he did his best to keep shifts short and manage ice time evenly. No player logged less than 10 minutes of ice. Jon Merrill was last among blue liners in ice playing 17:03 while John Moore led the way with 21:58.
5) Stefan Matteau didn't get on the scoresheet but I thought he played a pretty good game. He was disruptive on the forecheck, had a few solid hits, and was the team's only positive player in terms of possession (the Devils out attempted the Senators 10-6 with Matteau on the ice). Hopefully this game is a bit of a building block for him.
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