New Jersey Devils: Brian Boyle Proves Himself A Finisher

The New Jersey Devils had a great bounce-back performance against the Los Angeles Kings. Lost in the excitement was another great goal by Brian Boyle.

The New Jersey Devils were coming into Tuesday night’s game down on their luck. They were coming off two back-breaking losses to division rivals. They were also welcoming the hottest team in the league in the Los Angeles Kings. It would have been no surprise if they left the Prudential Center with a loss.

Literally, the exact opposite of what you’d expect happened. Taylor Hall was amazing, scoring two beautiful goals. The defense was fast attacking and stopped any scoring chances before getting to the net. Cory Schneider was his usual self, only allowing one goal that needed a very opportune tip to get past. Brian Gibbons scored another short-handed goal to seal the deal.

Despite all these factors, one that’s fallen under the radar was the play of Brian Boyle.

Boyle is the best story in the NHL, and it isn’t close. We’ve covered his fight again cancer multiple times on Pucks and Pitchforks, as did the rest of the NHL media. He’s more than an inspiration, he’s been a hero this year. That would be the case if he was making a minimal impact on the ice, but he’s been very good.

Take his goal last night. Boyle throws the faceoff towards Jimmy Hayes, and a fight on the board ensues. Stefan Noesen ends up coming out with it, and he throws it to Boyle. Now, Boyle’s a big dude, so he could have easily been drawn to the board battle. Instead, he took position in front of Jonathan Quick. Since the Kings all went towards the puck, he found himself by himself. Knowing this, he was able to corral the puck, and take a better shot. He didn’t need to just throw the puck at the net, he was able to put together a good shot the went five hole past Quick.

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That was his sixth goal in 20 games this season. Almost all of his goals look the same. He finds a spot in front of the net, and takes advantage of the puck getting to him. Whether it’s a rebound chance, a pass to the front or tipping in a shot, Boyle’s positioning is the reason for his scoring ability.

Boyle has never been a scoring forward. The Devils signed him to win faceoffs and be a veteran presence on the bottom six. The Devils got so much more than that. He’s become a finisher when the Devils need one. He doesn’t take a ton of shots, taking just

31 all season. However, those shots almost always count for something. Boyle has been much more than expected for the Devils, and the team is lucky to have him on the roster.