Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

New Jersey Devils Hang On For Third Win In A Row

By David Holliday

Jan 2, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Jersey Devils center Yegor Sharangovich (17) possess the puck as Washington Capitals right wing Daniel Sprong (10) chases during the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Jersey Devils center Yegor Sharangovich (17) possess the puck as Washington Capitals right wing Daniel Sprong (10) chases during the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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In another afternoon game, the New Jersey Devils pulled off a surprising win against the Metropolitan Division favorite Washington Capitals. This marks three wins in a row for the Devils, who have come out of the Christmas break scorching hot. The Devils also have been making better lineup decisions and keeping Yegor Sharangovich with Jack Hughes is really paying off. Who would have thought? Sharangovich now has points in three straight after opening up the scoring on Sunday. These two have undeniable chemistry. Hughes took the shot on the play, which was the right call, and with Sharangovich’s drive to the net, the team remained hot offensively.

Following up this great play, Dawson Mercer‘s pass threaded the needle to Damon Severson who hit the back of the net in the one spot he was given. That put the Devils up by two barely a minute after Sharangovich’s goal.

Severson has looked good since the break. They needed him to against a dangerous Edmonton Oilers offense and to fill a lot of minutes for Dougie Hamilton after he took a puck to the face early Sunday. Another player who should be given a nod is Jonas Siegenthaler who has been slowly improving as the year went on. He isn’t shying away physically anymore and is actually looking like a solid NHL Defenseman.

Nico Hischier is also starting to get going finally with 2 goals on Sunday and 3 since the break. His underlying numbers were good before, but he really needed to get going on the score sheet because it was not enough for a guy on a long-term contract worth over $7 million and with a “C” on his chest. This has to be the year he proves to be a 20 goal scorer moving forward on top of a good defensive player.

On the bad side of things, Mackenzie Blackwood is just frustrating to watch now and his giveaway to push the game to overtime was just awful. His consistently low save percentages are becoming troubling and he is currently 27th in the league for Sv% and 63rd in Goals against average. While he is dealing with an injury this is now half his young career being a bad goalie.

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