Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils Blow It Again

By Vincent Parise

DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 01: Wade Megan #22 of the Detroit Red Wings battles for position in front of the net with Mirco Mueller #25 of the New Jersey Devils as Cory Schneider #35 of the Devils looks to cover the puck during an NHL game at Little Caesars Arena on November 1, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Wings defeated the Devils 4-3. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 01: Wade Megan #22 of the Detroit Red Wings battles for position in front of the net with Mirco Mueller #25 of the New Jersey Devils as Cory Schneider #35 of the Devils looks to cover the puck during an NHL game at Little Caesars Arena on November 1, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Wings defeated the Devils 4-3. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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This one hurts. This one hurts really bad. The New Jersey Devils paid a visit to beautiful Little Caesars Arena for just the second time ever and took on the Detroit Red Wings. The Devils played okay in a game that they should probably win, when you compare the records and rosters. That is the NHL though, any given night.

The Red Wings won the game 4-3. It was 3-2 with two minutes left, but a short handed empty net goal made it 4-2, and then a meaningless goal for Marcus Johansson with four seconds left gave you your final score.

This game marked the first start of the season for Cory Schneider. The good thing to take away from it is that he played well and pretty much looked like the Schneider of old. The Devils are going to need him healthy and playing well.

This game was a heartbreaker for a few reasons, none bigger than the fact that they led in the third and the fashion in which they blew it. Sami Vatanen scored a power play goal to take the lead, and then immediately after took a penalty that led to a Detroit tying goal.  The worst part is how Detroit re-took the lead. The Devils had a turnover on the blue line on the power play, and Detroit scored a short handed goal to give them the lead. This was a dagger in the hearts of the Devils. It was pretty clear from that point on what was happening.

The scary thing so far this season is the way the Devils have played when attempting to close out games. They do not play well at all in the final ten minutes of games. This needs to be corrected.

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Taylor Hall extended his point streak to 9 games on the meaningless goal by Johansson. It was meaningless no doubt, but it is good to see Hall rewarded, because he is one of the premier players in the NHL, and he needs to be recognized. The big line once again played very well. These guys are not going to score every single night, no line or player ever will. Others need to step up.

That leads to the next topic. It needs to be said. The Devils need offense from other players not named Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier or Kyle Palmieri. These three are going to get their chances. I’m looking at Pavel Zacha and Marcus Johansson especially. Johansson was brought in to be a very good second line player, much like he was when he played for the Washington Capitals. He hasn’t been “bad”, but they need more.

Zacha, on the other hand, has zero points. That is just not good enough from a guy who went sixth overall. He needs more offense. I don’t want to use the word “bust” just yet, but its eminent. The Devils will go nowhere without a proper second line center. Travis Zajac is the perfect third line center.

Next. John Ziegler’s Death Leaves A Mystery Unsolved. dark

The Devils fly back to Newark following Detroit, but it is a road game against the Islanders for the Devils on Saturday, November 3rd. They better stop the bleeding, otherwise their season could be in big trouble early.

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