The New Jersey Devils lost again Thursday night to the Edmonton Oilers. Despite a four-game losing streak, Brian Boyle’s goal was a major positive the Devils can build around.
Brian Boyle is the biggest story in the NHL this season. He started his first season with the New Jersey Devils with a cancer diagnosis. He missed the entire preseason and the first 10 games of the season dealing with chronic myeloid leukemia. When he returned, it showed pure perseverance.
That took a whole new level when he scored against the Edmonton Oilers. Boyle played down low, his best attribute on the offensive end, and cleaned up the third shot attempt on Cam Talbot. His celebration showed a form of elation we haven’t seen in hockey in a long time.
For his entire fight, Boyle hasn’t talked much about cancer. He’s kept his talk to hockey and what’s happening on ice for the Devils. That changed. For one night, everyone was a Devils fan. Every national outlet in North America was talking about Boyle’s goal.
In September, Brian Boyle was diagnosed with cancer.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 10, 2017
In October, he returned to practice.
Tonight, he scored. https://t.co/7ITXIr9lgH
Brian Boyle scores emotional first goal since cancer diagnosis (Video) https://t.co/wctwtXl2yn
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) November 10, 2017
An emotion Boyle told MSG during the intermission he never cried after a goal before. This one was different. It’s cliche, but this goal was indeed bigger than hockey. It was a goal that meant so much more.
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One can say that Boyle’s return should have given the Devils life, but the fact is they’ve lost every game with him in the lineup. That’s not on Boyle at all. After getting his skates back under him, he’s played very well. However, the team just hasn’t played well around him.
Again, this is different. It’s one thing to just return from cancer, but to perform is another story. The hockey world is paying attention to the Devils despite a four-game losing streak. The young players have something to keep their minds off losing. They can rally around this and end this streak quickly.