Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

New Jersey Devils: The Good, Bad And The Miles Wood

By Dave Browne

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JANUARY 14: Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils stops a shot by Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins in the first period during the home opening game at Prudential Center on January 14, 2021 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JANUARY 14: Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils stops a shot by Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins in the first period during the home opening game at Prudential Center on January 14, 2021 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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New Jersey Devils
Nikita Gusev – New Jersey Devils (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

The Bad

The Devils will not win too many games when their backs are against the wall early and often like it was last night. Mackenzie Blackwood won’t be able to bail them out every single night, and neither will Scott Wedgewood (or another goaltender). For the first period and a half Boston had the Devils on its heels, pinned in their own zone and dominated puck possession. When the Devils had the puck, they did little with it nor created too many offensive chances. This is the first game of the season with a lot of new faces on the roster. They’ve had little to no time to develop or gain any sort of chemistry with one another due to the shortened training camp and no pre-season games. Let’s hope that they fix some of these issues.

Nikita Gusev was not good on opening night. We all love Goose. It would be great if the free agent to be inked his name on a new contract to be part of the future core in Jersey. However, it was a forgettable night for Gusev. He missed a wide open net on a beautiful one timer, turned the puck over on multiple occasions and didn’t create a lot of offense. He had a few shots on goal, but nothing to substantial. We know what he is capable of, so there is no reason for long term concern.

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