What A Difference A Year Makes

Zach Parise battles in front of the net in Buffalo (Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE)

The Devils have once again regained their winning form. After a brief two game losing streak, they put together a late flurry for a win in Buffalo. Different than last season, the Devils were able to curtail their losing streak, and get a big win on the road.

After one period, the Devils led 1-0 on a Kovalchuk power play goal. Buffalo scored a goal in the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Devils pulled away once the game reached the third period. First Petr Sykora scored on the power play to give the Devils a 2-1 lead, then Kovalchuk scored two more goals to complete the hat trick.

Maybe the biggest difference between this years and last year’s team is the unselfishness shown by the players. The first example is the extra pass from Patrik Elias to Ilya Kovalchuk for the first goal. Then Zach Parise elected to pass to Kovalchuk for an open net goal, which gave Kovalchuk the hat trick.

The Devils now sit at 6th place in the Eastern Conference. They are one point behind both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia who both have 69 points. The Devils are now 11 points behind the first place Rangers.

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