Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

New Jersey Devils: 5 Most Important Players When They Return To The Ice

By Nick Villano

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his second goal of the second period at 8:38 against Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his second goal of the second period at 8:38 against Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29): (Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports) /

2. Mackenzie Blackwood

The Devils did everything they could to keep their heads above water after Mackenzie Blackwood went on the protocol list. Scott Wedgewood did his best and Eric Comrie even got himself a win. However, they aren’t anywhere near the talent that is Blackwood.

The Devils went 2-0-1 with Blackwood in net and 2-3-2 without him. Blackwood might be the most important player on the team when looking at specifically winning games this season alone. He stands on his head night after night and very rarely allows in soft goals. He’s 11th in the league in goals saved above average despite only playing three games.

When he returns, expect him to play most of the games as long as he doesn’t have any long-term effects if he did get the coronavirus. The Devils did claim Aaron Dell and Comrie since the sudden retirement of Corey Crawford. When Blackwood returns, the Devils will have four NHL goalies on the roster, all of which have to go through waivers.

That’s not really that important, though, because of Blackwood’s ability to play games at a large clip. Nobody expects him to go the whole season with a .948 save percentage. The greatest season in terms of save percentage was Jacques Plante back in 1971. He had a .944 save percentage. If Blackwood could hover around the .925-.930 mark, everyone would be estatic. The Devils need a dominant Blackwood to survive this division.

Home/Editorials