Usually if a game is considered a weird one, the New Jersey Devils are not on the right side of the decision. They usually lose those types of games. Monday night was a different story when the Chicago Blackhawks visited the Prudential Center. New Jersey defeated them by a final score of 8-5. It was a very strange game.
Last season, the Devils had a nice comeback win in Chicago when they erased a 4-1 deficit to eventually win the game 7-5 and then later in the season defeated them 4-1. Some abnormal things especially considering the opponent and what they’ve done in the last 10 years.
Chicago is buried in the standings compared to what they’ve become used to, but that does not change the fact that they have some of their Hall of Fame players in their lineup. Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and of course Patrick Kane have the ability to change any game and win on any given night. No team should take them lightly just because they’ve struggled this season.
Kane had himself a four-point night, and when that happens the Hawks usually win. Not this time, as a very good effort by the New Jersey Devils put an 8 spot on the board and allowed young MacKenzie Blackwood to go through some growing pains and still come out with a win. When a player like Kane lights you up but you still win, that can be a confidence builder.
Now, most of Kane’s damage came when the Devils were up pretty big on the scoreboard, but they had the “bend don’t break” mentality and even scored some goals after the Blackhawks tried to come back, including an empty net goal to seal the deal.
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How good is Blake Coleman? Wow, he has been good lately. His contributions to this team are not going unnoticed with the coaching staff. He is the Devils’ second-leading goal scorer with 16 goals, and he shows no sign of slowing down. The Devils should be trying hard to get back to the post season just so this great season he is having is rewarded. Either way, it is awesome to know what he can do down the line and potentially keep growing as well.
It took 12 missed games by Taylor Hall, but Kyle Palmieri finally took over the team lead in points with his two goals on the night. Palmieri is up to 22 goals, and there is no reason he can’t at least flirt with 40 for the season. He is also having a tremendous year, and even though he may not be the same playmaker as a Taylor Hall or Nico Hischier, he has a GREAT ability to score goals with the best of ‘em.
A two game winning streak is what the Devils are riding right now, and they look to the team that consistently makes Devils fans so angry, the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Devils are in Columbus for the second half of a back to back on Tuesday evening. Hopefully they can finally get a solid win in Columbus and keep this thing going.
After a tough night for MacKenzie Blackwood, he still got the win in the end, but I would expect to see Keith Kinkaid today. With that said, if John Hynes goes back to Blackwood, nobody should be surprised because the Devils just seem to win when he is in the lineup. He is now 5-2-0 with a 2.25 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. Time to go on a run!