The New Jersey Devils finally broke out of their scoring slump, scoring six goals against the Montreal Canadiens. This is exactly what they needed going into a brutal schedule.
Well, that was surprising. The New Jersey Devils took on the injury-ravished Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, and did not waste time getting the scoring going. A four-goal first period led the team to a 6-4 win at home.
Everyone who really needed to light the lamp did. Brian Boyle has been in a terrible slump offensively, but he came out of the night with two points, including his first goal since January 4th. Travis Zajac scored two power play goals. Blake Coleman scored the most Blake Coleman goal ever, throwing a rebound around Charlie Lindgren. Patrick Maroon scored his first goal in a Devils uniform. It was a great night.
This win comes with a harrowing schedule coming up. After Tuesday, the Devils take on playoff teams for eight straight games. Part of that is a six-game road trip that goes out west. This will be the biggest test of the Devils season.
That’s what makes this win so important. Coming into this stretch on a four-game losing streak would be horrible. Especially with the Blue Jackets winning and the Panthers stealing a point from Tampa, the Devils really needed these two points.
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The biggest problem with the Devils when they lose is scoring outside of Taylor Hall. While he did extend his point streak to 26 straight games, he wasn’t one of the five different goal scorers. It was the first time in four games he didn’t light the lamp, and he wasn’t needed.
The game looks much closer on the score sheet than it was. The Devils went up 6-1 and clearly let off the gas. The Canadiens scored their fourth goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Most of these goals came with the game already in hand.
There’s not much else to say about the Devils win. It was an all-out assault for two periods. This is the Devils team that needs to show up over the next three weeks to stay in a playoff spot. The Panthers are still surging, and the Blue Jackets still have a ton of life. This win could propel them to the playoffs if they can keep this going.