New Jersey Devils: Jesper Bratt Goal Will End His Slump
The New Jersey Devils may have lost against the Florida Panthers, but something positive came out of the game. Jesper Bratt was finally able to score after some very good performances.
Jesper Bratt has dealt with a combination of reduced role, inconsistent play and bad luck over the past month. He was taken off the New Jersey Devils first line, losing valuable minutes with Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier. Coming into Thursday night’s tilt against the Florida Panthers, he hadn’t scored in 18 games.
This slump may be expected, after a sixth-round pick who came out of nowhere was on fire to start the year. The most games Bratt’s ever played in a season is 58 with AIK two seasons ago. That included playoffs. It’s no wonder why Bratt hit such a rookie wall, and seemingly out of nowhere.
Many rookies go through these kinds of stretches. These teenagers aren’t used to aren’t used to playing such a demanding schedule that the NHL produces. Beyond that, add the fact that they are traveling more than they ever had, on top of being away from home for so long, and one might expect a major falling off.
Despite his struggles, Bratt seems to have found his game over the past few. He showed exactly why he was a first-line winger for so long in his game in Pittsburgh, where he had a couple of really good chances. He should have had an assist, but Pavel Zacha was absolutely robbed on a 2-on-1.
Then tonight, he finally was able to light the lamp. With the net empty with three minutes left, the Devils saw the puck go towards their own end. Newly acquired Patrick Maroon was able to poke it away in the neutral zone, and put it on Bratt’s stick for a break.
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Before, Bratt would have sent the puck wide or thrown it right at Roberto Luongo’s chest. Not this time. He threw at backhand shot over Luongo’s shoulder and into the net.
At the end of the season, this goal will look worthless. It ended up making this a one-goal loss instead of a two-goal loss. However, this meant so much more to Bratt. Instead of games going by, adding to his drought, now he starts over.
It comes at the perfect time. Brian Gibbons returns to the lineup soon. Head coach John Hynes has some hard decisions on his hands. Bratt might be the odd man out if he’s not able to get himself going. If what we’ve seen the past two games is any indication, Hynes should look elsewhere for who to bench.