The New Jersey Devils are not participating in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It isn’t all that good that they had a bad year again but help is on the way. Some of that help is coming from the Utica Comets roster who are absolutely in the playoffs.
Utica was one of the best teams in the American Hockey League all season long. Now that the playoffs are here, big things are expected of them. The Devils have a lot of great young players in the organization and a lot of them are playing for this Comets team that was awesome.
Facing elimination, the Comets needed a huge win. With Nico Daws in the net, they pulled out a 4-2 win over the Rochester Americans. Daws made 30 saves on 32 shots to get his team the win for his team. He spent a lot of time in the NHL this season and it shows with his brilliant play in the AHL.
The offense really didn’t want to go home earlier than anticipated. Nolan Foote got things going for the Comets. AJ Greer scored two goals and Chase DeLeo added one to put four on the board. Both Foote and DeLeo scored their first of the playoffs.
Greer’s two goals were his 5th and 6th which shows how good he has been in these games. It is also notable that Nikita Okhotiuk fought Tom Fitzgerald’s son who is a Buffalo Sabres prospect playing for the Americans.
The New Jersey Devils are hoping to see the Utica Comets continue to play well.
Things are getting really good for them in terms of entertainment. They are going to play a winner take all game five on Thursday night. This is going to be a great chance for this roster to gain some very valuable experience that might help out some of the players on the NHL squad.
One thing that is to be noted is how good some of these guys played with the big club when they got their chance. Both Okhotiuk and Foote were noticeable in the NHL this season. Guys like Fabian Zetterluun, Reilly Walsh, and Kevin Bahl amongst others also had good moments with the big club as well. This is clearly helping them in the AHL playoffs.
A lot of these guys are going to get a chance to play in the NHL out of camp in 2022-23. Playing well in this winner-take-all game and helping their team to advance in the playoffs would be a great way to start for a lot of these guys trying to make it next year. Hopefully, they are able to get it done.