You can only play the cards you're dealt, and if this were Texas Hold'em the Devils were given a 2-7 offsuit by the NHL scheduling generator. Starting with three road games, two against the Stanley Cup hopeful Carolina and Tampa Bay and another against the ambitious and on the rise Blue Jackets, the Devils remain firmly in the hand.
Dropping a tough opener to the Canes, in which the game was tied with less than three minutes remaining, NJ pushed more chips to the middle on Saturday night in Tampa, coming out guns blazing. Jersey was on the front foot the whole way and carried that momentum to Columbus, finishing the trip with two wins and one loss. Despite that early success, the Devils cannot take their foot off of the pedal or things can get ugly fast. The October gauntlet continues as follows; home against Florida, Edmonton, then at Toronto. Then it's back to NJ less than 24 hours later for the fringe Wild, a young but weaker San Jose team awaits after that; maybe their easiest opponent of the month(but they never take advantage of that). Finally a home/road double dip with another Cup favorite in Colorado and ending at those pesky, young Sharks.
It's on the Devils now to keep pace, as a rough start in the standings is not ideal for team moral and momentum in which they struggled to ever fully gain just a year ago. Last season's tough hand came in the form of injuries, early on here it is the relentless barrage of Cup caliber opponents in quick succession. If the Devils can get out of October with an 8-3 record or even 7-4, it would surely put the NHL on notice and instill confidence in this young group that they can beat anyone (but not the Canes...yet). While there's a long way to go, folding this garbage hand is not an option. Sheldon Keefe and the boys need to avoid going on tilt, remain aggressive, bluff when they must, and walk away with an October pot and a confidence that can carry them through the spring.
Quick Hits
- Gritsyuk is legit! Still super early but the speed/vision/playmaking ability is evident. All that we heard out of Russia was about his sniping prowess, which is nice, but we heard the same about Reid Boucher and Alexander Holtz. When watching 81, it's clear he is HIM, not them. While we still don't know which spelling of his first name is correct, we do know the Devils should extend him right now!
- Have my prayers been answered? Dawson Mercer has been impressive thus far. Mercer has been buzzing in all facets of the game. Let's hope that continues.
- The special teams were just that on Monday night in Columbus. 5/5 on the PK and 2/2 on the PP, thats winning hockey...well maybe take a few less penalties next time.
- I have the Devils going 5-2-1 to finish October. Figure they lose either to Florida or Edmonton in NJ this week, Drop one of the games vs Colorado, and sprinkle an OTL in there some where.What record do you think the Devils will finish the next eight in October with? Comment and let me know...
Hey Siri, play "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen