As the New Jersey Devils are at the half way mark of the 2022-23 NHL season, the Devils find themselves two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Last night’s comeback victory against the Hurricanes was the proverbial four point game the Devils needed. Devils gained two solid points in the standings while their nemesis got nothing.
These kids don’t quit. The Devils just keep coming after you no matter what the scoreboard says. And that has been the big difference. Seeing Dawson Mercer and Jesper Boqvist scores two consecutive goals within 20 seconds of each other in the last minute of the second period to tie the game 3-3 was amazingly liberating. It did not matter if the Hurricanes had two shorthanded goals and outplayed the Devils. New Jersey eventually responded with a four unanswered goals surge to beat Carolina in a crucial game.
And the Devils did this without their leading scorer Jack Hughes showing up on the scoresheet. This Devils team has a knack for the dramatic come back. It is not how you start. It is how you finish. And for two games in a row, New Jersey Devils finished on top at the end of the game.
Big props to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan on this latest Devils piece