The New Jersey Devils were not that good in 2019, but they ended the decade on a high note and will carry some momentum into 2020.
The New Jersey Devils will go into 2020 much lower in the standings than they would have guessed coming into the season. Some changes have been made within the organization, but a big win over the Boston Bruins secures a winning streak headed into the new decade. The win was their second in a row and their fourth-straight game where they earned at least a point (3-0-1). It came via the shootout which had been an issue earlier in the season. These are all great signs.
With stars like Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand, it is incredibly hard to defeat the Bruins on any given night. It is even harder when they have the lead because of the system that they play. It is perfect for their roster so it becomes even harder when they have a multi-goal lead. That is what the Devils faced when they went down 2-0. The ended up coming all the way back to win in the shootout.
Damon Severson scored an own-goal a few nights ago against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He got redemption for himself in this game as he was the one who scored the eventual shootout winner ahead of a huge save by Mackenzie Blackwood on Bergeron. Blackwood wasn’t as busy as he normally is sometimes but he was phenomenal when he needed to be. The Bruins are capable of creating high danger chances and he was up to the task.
Nico Hischier and Nikita Gusev each continued their hot streak in this game as well. Each of them collected an assist. Hischier set up a P.K. Subban drive that was tipped in by Jesper Bratt to tie the game. Gusev’s assist was a sweet pass to Blake Coleman which was a play that really got the Devils going in the game. These two are guys that the Devils need to produce to win some games. 2020 should be a great year for both of them.
It was a tough year, but the Devils have not given up. Nico Hischier even said during a post-game interview that he is not giving up so fans should stand behind him. Of course, watching the World Junior Championships make you start thinking about the draft, but there is still half a season to play. Things will fall as they will but we will be standing behind the Devils as we begin what we hope to be a happy decade.