New Jersey Devils Month Of February: 28 Days Of Streaks
By David Berger
For the New Jersey Devils, the month of February was a fairly positive one. After a 6-3-2 month of January, the Devils found both failure and success during the short month of February. There were times where you thought the Devils were really on a roll and other times where you questioned what they were even doing on the ice. Perhaps the most notable thing to happen during the month was the trade of Jaromir Jagr to the Florida Panthers. Will there be a big trade that highlights the beginning of March?
Another Winning Month
It’s not the prettiest record ever seen in a month, but the New Jersey Devils went 7-5-1. Two winning months in a row is a positive sign for the remainder of the season. After a dreadful start to the season in 2014, the Devils are now 13-8-3 in 2015. Looking at February, it certainly was a month of streaks. They started with a pair of wins at home that finished off a 4-0-1 homestand coming out of the All-Star break. Then they would lose four in a row before waking up and winning four in a row. Then the Devils would lose a pair of games before closing out the month with a shutout at Columbus.
Back From the Dead
Jan 19, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA;New Jersey Devils defenseman Adam Larsson (5) congratulates New Jersey Devils right wing Jordin Tootoo (20) after Tootoo scored a goal during the first period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
After that 4-0-1 stretch spanning January and February, there were some hopes at a playoff run. It still seemed unlikely because I believed their success was unsustainable with the way they were playing. That unfortunately reared its ugly head with a debilitating loss at home to the Edmonton Oilers. That loss seemed to signal the final nail in the coffin for the Devils’ season. However, after a rough weekend in the midwest all of a sudden they woke up. They reeled off four straight wins at home and pulled within single digits of the eighth seed. A tough loss to the Boston Bruins dampened hopes, but there still is some chance to make a run with six weeks of the season remaining.
Top Performers
Cory Schneider: All season the Devils have relied on one man to carry them and that’s their goaltender. February was more of the same and their star netminder was equal to the task. In the month, Cory Schneider went 6-4-1 but as has been the case all season you must look past the record. In 12 appearances during February, Schneider posted a .948 SV% and conceded just 18 goals while picking up two shutouts. Overall on the season, Schneider is third in the NHL with a .927 SV% and fifth with a 2.19 GAA. He has been MVP caliber and truly is one of the elite goalies in the league.
Adam Larsson: Ever since Peter DeBoer was fired, the young Swedish defender has taken his game to another level. His confidence has grown and grown because he knows he isn’t going to be benched for a rare mistake. Even Ken Daneyko noted that during the game against Boston where Larsson made a costly turnover. When Damon Severson went down with a fractured ankle, Larsson stepped up to play on the top pairing with Andy Greene and they’ve both been fabulous. Larsson had eight assists in the month, equaling his total for the first four months combined. He has two goals and 16 assists this season, oddly enough those were the exact totals during his rookie season in 2011-2012.
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Mike Cammalleri: Where would the Devils be without Cammy? The free agent signing from Calgary has turned out to be everything the Devils could have asked for. Whether he’s playing wing, center, top line, third line it simply doesn’t matter for Cammalleri. He leads the team with 33 points, recently overtaking Adam Henrique who has 32. Cammy also leads the team with 23 goals which is extra impressive because the next closest player is Henrique who has just 12. Cammalleri had seven goals and three assists during February and is currently riding a six game point streak. He’s also tied for the league lead with eight game-winning goals. For a team that struggles to score goals, they at least have one guy who doesn’t.
Jordin Tootoo: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how outstanding Jordin Tootoo has been for the Devils, especially in the month of February. Tootoo’s game has always been dropping the mitts and delivering crushing hits, but all of a sudden he found some offense to add to his résumé. After having four goals and two assists through January, Tootoo had two goals and four assists in February. Seeing power play time as well as being bumped up to a line with Cammalleri and Travis Zajac certainly has helped, but he’s playing on a level many people didn’t know he had. He’s simply been great.