New Jersey Devils: Win Versus Pittsburgh Penguins Changes Outlook
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils always seem to play the Pittsburgh Penguins when they really need a win. That happens again on Friday night. If the Devils are able to come out victorious, it will change the season outlook for one night.
The New Jersey Devils head into Friday night in a very precarious position. With the Florida Panthers breathing down their necks, the Devils go into a back-to-back against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning, two of the biggest favorites to win the Stanley Cup. If the Devils can someone come out of this with two points, things will get easier.
The Devils are 2-0-0 against the Penguins this season. It seems like the Pens play the type of style that helps the Devils get comfortable. Back on February 3rd, with Cory Schneider just going down with injury, the Devils were able to beat the Penguins 3-1. This was due to a big performance by the defense, and peppering Casey DeSmith with 38 shots.
This came at a time when things were looking bleak. The Devils were quickly coming back to the pack after a scorching hot start. Just a week earlier, the team lost 10 of 12. They really needed this win.
Travis Zajac lifted them up with two very important goals. It was his first game of the season where he was a real difference maker.
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Everything worked out in that game. It was similar to their performance on February 27th. The Penguins went into that matchup with an 11 game home winning streak. It seemed like too tall a task for those Devils to come out victorious, but they did anyway. It was mostly on the shoulders of Keith Kinkaid, who stopped 36 of 38 shots. Not even the heroics of Sidney Crosby could keep the Devils from winning.
Tonight is the most important game of the season. Not in the way of if they lose their out, because that’s not true. No, this is more, if they don’t win then they have to find a way to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning on the second half of a back to back. Losing both these games will likely knock them out of a playoff spot, with the Panthers playing the Arizona Coyotes and New York Islanders next.
The Devils can’t afford to hope for help from Panthers opponents. Scoreboard watching has done nothing but bring disappointment. It’s up to the Devils to keep winning. If they find ways to get points, then this run keeps going. If they don’t, then first team out is a certainty. It starts tonight against the Penguins.