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Some off-day thoughts as the New Jersey Devils prepare to put their four-game winning streak on the line Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins:
1) During Joseph Blandisi's first NHL stint (three games) in early December he showed some flashes, and played pretty well, but looked a little uncomfortable and it almost seemed like he was just trying to survive at the NHL level.
In seven games since his recall in early January he's been a much different player. He's been extremely confident with the puck, has played with great pace and hasn't been afraid to try skilled plays in order to create offense.
It has paid dividends for him as he's tallied six points in seven games. He hasn't just been putting up points, though, as the Devils' underlying numbers have been much better with Blandisi on the ice than without him.
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Seven games isn't a large sample size, obviously, but his numbers are very encouraging and leave plenty of reason to be optimistic about his future.
2) I don't think Lee Stempniak is getting enough recognition league-wide for how well he played this season. He's been a key contributor to what has been the Devils' best line all year long (Mike Cammalleri - Adam Henrique - Stempniak) and has not only produced points but made a positive impact in possession and played regular minutes on a top-15 penalty kill.
To put into perspective how good he has been this season I give you this.
Stempniak is making just $850,000 this season. I think it's safe to say he's been the best bargain in the NHL.
3) Eric Gelinas has played a more sound game of late, and has been rewarded with more ice time from John Hynes as a result, but I'd like to see him do a little more offensively. Gelinas picked up an assist on Saturday night but he's tallied just one shot on goal in his last six games. Part of that could be taking some shifts up front but regardless it'd be nice to see him put his powerful shot to use on a more frequent basis.
4) Cory Schneider's last six starts: 5-1-0 with a .945 save percentage. The guy is insane.
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