The New Jersey Devils won again tonight this time against the Columbus Blue Jackets and now are 4-1 since the Christmas break. The break clearly did something for them because they are missing some good pieces and their head coach until Thursday night, but offensively they are playing quite well.
The Good
The team got off to a quick start again scoring a goal 51 seconds into the first. Tomas Tatar showed some great hands in front. He looked great all night next to Hughes and Bratt nearly netting a pair of goals which is a big deal with the team down so many scorers. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt are just making everyone around them better and generating so many chances it is insane. Bratt’s contract is going to be really interesting in a few months.
Mackenzie Blackwood has been terrible lately but letting in one tonight was a nice surprise. How the rebound got out on the goal was a mystery considering it hit his chest, fell into his glove and he tossed it out but the mistake ended up not being a big deal despite how close the game was.
Ryan Graves had a good game and while it would have been nice to see him bury one of his grade-A scoring chances and five shots, him getting points isn’t the biggest deal. His block at the end of the game leading to Hughes’s empty netter was a big-time play.
The Bad
This team still has issues but it is clear to see the team playing better offensively since the Christmas break. This is the first game back with Lindy Ruff behind the bench. Coach Nasreddine has in my opinion done a bad job as a defensive coach but this team played better under him as an interim head coach and in his short stint here since Christmas would probably be undefeated if Blackwood played better against Boston. Ruff is definitely on the hot seat and is probably the only coach to ever have the seat get hotter while he isn’t even with the team.