Devils Are Gritty!
The New Jersey Devils got their second win in a row vs the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday Night. Keith Kinkaid and company got the 3-0 shutout and improved their record to NHL .500 once again at 8-8-1 for 17 points, finally out of the Eastern Conference basement.
The Devils have had their road struggles so far, but their second game against the Flyers in Philly went way better than the first. The Devils only have wins in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Hopefully they can start racking up some points in other places as the opportunities present themselves.
There were some important takeaways from the game that stood out. A lot was parallel to what we saw on Tuesday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Keith Kinkaid was as good as he possibly could be, as he surrendered zero goals and along with some help from the goal posts earned his career high third shutout.
We have had a love-hate relationship with Pavel Zacha throughout the years. He has played very well since coming back from his trip to Binghamton. He has zero points to show for his efforts. Yet, he is as snake bitten as can be offensively. His defensive game is there, so he at the very least isn’t much of a liability. The points could start to come in bunches real soon.
A day after National Pickle Day, Blake Coleman had himself a very good night. His first career three point night played a huge helping hand in the Devils securing the win.
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
Damon Severson may have been the Devils’ best defenseman over the last few games, and it is awesome to see. What we could be witnessing is the emergence of a young defenseman finally figuring it out. You see it across the league all the time, young guys at the position sometimes take two hundred games to get to a certain level.
Sometimes Kyle Palmieri having an elite shot benefits from playing with a guy as dynamic as Taylor Hall to find him in ways some other players can’t, but tonight he scored a goal that was all him. A wrap around gave the Devils the insurance goal they needed. It was Palmieri’s first goal in a few games. It finally gave him his 10th goal of the season.
Winning a few games in a row without Nico Hischier is impressive, and they are going to need to keep winning to make up some ground in the Metropolitan Division. I believe in this team just like I did last season.
Hall is in that tier of MVP-caliber players. He is going to remain there for the foreseeable future. Nico Hischier could very well be in that elite two-way forward conversation soon enough while Palmieri keeps sniping. The defense and forward depth has help on the way in the coming years. The Devils are capable of playing well enough to get back into the dance for the second year in a row.
Next. Martin Brodeur Enters Hockey Hall of Fame on Emotional Night. dark
The Devils will look to win their third straight on Saturday afternoon, when they will play a home matinée against the Detroit Red Wings. A short-handed goal allowed Detroit to upset the Devils in their building during the seven game road trip, and that sort of sent them spiraling out of control for a minute there. We should expect them to play with revenge on their minds.