New Jersey Devils: Michael Grabner’s Goal The Biggest Against Golden Knights
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils scored an eight spot against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night. Of those goals, one stood out above the rest.
Zero is such a lonely number. It’s the number that players dread in all sports, unless you’re a goalie or pitcher. It’s a number that was haunting newly-acquired forward Michael Grabner. The New Jersey Devils addition scored zero points in his first eight games with the team.
You could tell it was bothering him. He had his chances. Grabner had two breakaways in those eight games, and missed the net completely both times. One came in a crucial game against the Florida Panthers. He really wanted that first goal, as you can tell from his quote to NJ Advanced Media.
"“When the season starts, you think about it and then things get rolling. When you come to a new team, it’s kind of like your season starts over again. So you just want to get the first one and get the monkey off your back.”"
That goal finally came against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Sure, it was one of the easiest goals you’ll see, but Grabner lives his life by gaining confidence on easy goals. Heck, he used his seven empty-net goals to build his confidence for the other 18 he scored with the New York Rangers.
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It could be the key to getting the skilled forward to, as he said it, get the monkey off his back. He needs to produce more than just as a defensive forward and penalty killer. He’s been good in both those aspects since he was traded. However, the Devils brought him here for more than that.
This team needs the secondary scoring to produce if they are going to survive this playoff race. It’s way too close to call, and the Devils need every win they can get.
That’s why Grabner’s goal was so important. Despite the fact it meant nothing to the final score, it could be the turning point of his tenure with the Devils. One simple goal could change the aspect of Grabner’s time across the Hudson River. Now, he can play his game and score goals like he was in the blue shirts.