It wasn't pretty, but the Devils managed to come from 2-0 down to squeak out a 4-3 overtime win against the rival Rangers at MSG.
Cam Janssen got the ball rolling with his near disallowed goal, and the rest of the offense followed suit as Travis Zajac, Michael Ryder and Eric Gelinas chipped in with goals of their own.
Martin Brodeur stopped 21-24 and had a beautiful assist in the win that saw the Devils move to 3-0-0 against the Rangers this season.
10 notes:
1. Since being recalled from Albany, Gelinas has been a gift that keeps on giving. He was absolutely outstanding once again and continues to dissolve any chance of him being sent back to the AHL. Gelinas had the game winning goal, four shots, a pair of hits and a blocked shot while playing well over 23 minutes in the win. Gelinas is showing signs that he may have what it takes to anchor the Devils' blue line going forward.
2. Sticking with Gelinas, how good has he been? Good enough to garner this kind of praise from Jaromir Jagr, a guy who's played with the best of the best and has seen it all.
Jagr on Gelinas (via Tom Gulitti): “The way he plays, he might be a superstar in this league if he keeps working.…
3. I can't say enough about Jagr and what he's been able to bring to the Devils this season. He's consistently created offense and always seems to do so at the most important of times. He had two assists last night, including a sweet pass to Zajac after some godly work behind the net protecting the puck from a couple Rangers' defenders.
4. I have to give credit to Cam Janssen for what he's been able to do this season. He's still not a very talented player, but he's a lot smarter now than he has been in years past. He's not taking cheap shots at anyone or trying to start a fight every shift and it's paying off. He still sticks up for his teammates when necessary, but his focus has been on playing hockey. That's why he has three goals this season and that's why he still remains in the lineup. I listened to his post game scrum, and Janssen knew what he was doing on his goal. Janssen said he wouldn't be able to get his stick on the puck, so he did a clean over-exaggaterated stop as a way of knocking the puck in without it being a kicking motion. A smart play from a player who's really matured since his last stint in the NHL.
5. Tim Sestito also deserves a lot of credit for what he's been able to do since Ryan Carter and Stephen Gionta went down. Sestito has brought a lot of energy to the team and has been effective in every role he's played in, whether that be on the 4th line or even the penalty kill. He's also helped create some offense, as evident by his two assist performance last night. Pete DeBoer has been very happy with his play, and rightfully so.
6. How about that outlet pass from Martin Brodeur last night on Janssen's goal? Brodeur launched a perfect saucer pass tape-to-tape the whole way down the ice that created the 2-on-1 opportunity for Janssen and Sestito. That's part of the reason the offense is better when Brodeur starts than when Schneider's between the pipes.
7. I thought Travis Zajac played an excellent game and it was nice to hear DeBoer talk him up in his post game media session. Zajac was very good defensively, won 59% of his draws, scored and had four shots. Not only that, but he played 21:30 which was the most among Devils forwards. His penalty was a fluke play and that rule in general is pretty dumb, so it was nice to see the team bail him out. Zajac's done a lot of the dirty work this year and doesn't seem to get much credit for it from fans, so it was nice to see the Devils get that win for him.
8. Michael Ryder seems to be heating up as he's scored in three of his last four games. As I've said countless times, he's always been a streaky scorer so it's not surprising to see him go on a nice run here. Hopefully for the Devils it keeps going a little while longer.
9. Jon Merrill doesn't get much talk these days because of Gelinas' play, but I thought he was good again last night. He made smooth transitions out of the defensive zone and setup a couple good scoring opportunities. He finished 3rd among Devils defenseman in ice time playing 20:31.
10. Reid Boucher played 14:04 in the win. He had a couple good chances and showed off his nice release, but wasn't able to find the scoresheet. I think he's been good, not great, since being recalled so I wouldn't be surprised if he's sent down once the Devils start to get healthy. There's no need to rush Boucher.
Prospect Updates
- Ben Thomson seems to be fitting in nicely since being traded from the Kitchener Rangers to North Bay. Thomson had a goal and two assists last night to give him 12 points in 18 games on the year and six points in six games as a member of the Battalion.
- Ben Johnson assisted on the game-winning-goal in Windsor's 2-1 win over Kitchener. Johnson's had a nice season in Windsor thus far finding twine 12 times and recording 19 points in 24 games.
- In the WHL, Damon Severson assisted on the game-winning-goal in Kelowna's 2-1 win. Severson has 25 points in 25 games and that strong play is likely enough to earn him a spot on Team Canada's World Junior team.
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