The New Jersey Devils put on a monster performance against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was their biggest win of the season and everyone helped.
The New Jersey Devils have had an awesome pre-Christmas portion of the schedule. They underperformed by a lot, fired head coach John Hynes, put former all-star goalie Cory Schneider, and traded former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall. Things haven’t been good at all and it is looking like they are going to have a top-five pick and a chance at the lottery for the third time in four years. They have had some fun moments but the season has been a complete drag for the most part. With that said, this game in Chicago was a gem against the Chicago Blackhawks.
It got off to a rocky start because Chicago got out to a 1-0 lead early. The Devils didn’t give up and ended up scoring seven unanswered goals to win 7-1. It was a team win in every way. They killed off seven Chicago power plays, outshot them 44-33. They had seven goals with seven different goal scorers. If they played this type of team game all season long, they wouldn’t be in the last place in the Metropolitan Division. This was the best win of the season by far.
Jack Hughes had a really good game. Since the Devils started scratching Hall ahead of his trade, he leads the team in scoring chances. He was bound to finally score in that time and he did with the most beautiful move you will see. His development is coming along because he is really starting to drive offense when he has the puck on his stick. It won’t be long before the points start coming in bunches.
There are a couple of players that you can say had their best games of the season as individuals as well. P.K. Subban hasn’t been great this year but we know how good he can be when he is on his game. He scored a goal to make it 2-1 Devils which gave them the lead for good. He also looked really good in other areas of the ice including his own zone. He didn’t look like he was trying to do too much which allowed him to look like the old Subban. Nikita Gusev was also really good in this game individually. He had three assists in the game. He got off to a rough October, but has lowkey been one of the team’s best players since.
Nico Hischier didn’t get a point in the game but he was dominant. He was winning 50/50 battles and feeding his teammates for shot attempts. None of them buried in this game but if he keeps playing like that, the sky is the limit for him both offensively and defensively. His battle level is the best on either side pretty much every night. When you combine that with his raw skill and a little more development, you will have an elite player.
The Devils will ride this dominant win into the holiday break. They hope that this is something they can build on as they try to make this somewhat of a season down the stretch. Nico Hischier told the crowd following the most recent home win that they are not giving up. That is just the attitude you want to see from one of their leaders. It begins again on Friday when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit The Rock.