New Jersey Devils Finally Get First Win Of The Season
The New Jersey Devils got their first win of their season against the Anaheim Ducks who were on the back half of a back-to-back. The team went down early again. It looked like it was going to be the same old story as the previous two games, but fortunately the team managed to hang in there and take control of the game. They used a strong forecheck and some lucky bounces on both sides of the rink to secure the 4-2 win.
The Good
Ondrej Palat and Nico Hischier both got their first goals of the season. Hopefully, that gets them going. Neither played a good first period and looked poor away from the puck, but when Jesper Bratt was lined with them in the second, they started to generate things. This also goes to show just how valuable Bratt is and the man should be given a deal equal to Jack Hughes now before the offseason when he can point to how much better he is than some of the players who got deals this past summer. Bratt and Hughes need to be split up for this reason because without him this line has no play driver. While they are excellent as a pair, the Devils can’t afford to be a one line team.
Brendan Smith only played nine minutes, but he laid out some big hits and moves a lot better than most expected when he signed with the team. The stats were skewed due to the nine minutes he spent in the box, but overall his game has been fantastic.
Dougie Hamilton and Ryan Graves were both firing everything at the net all game. Graves only hit the net once but his attempts were noticeable, including a pair of shots that hit the post. Hamilton ended the night with a goal and seven shots. Both played a big game and looked like legit top pairing guys.
Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian didn’t play much but did their jobs and deserve a shoutout. Bastian hit everything he could, finishing the night with four hits and pushed the Ducks players around while McLeod was 77% in the faceoff circle. Bastian also had a great chance at the end of the first with a shorthanded breakaway but was forced to take a long distance shot due to time running out. The pair also led all forwards in shorthanded time and kept it a perfect 4/4 on the night.
The Bad
Alex Holtz started the night in the top six and finished with 5:55 of ice time. As of right now, nobody is really sure why. The announcers even had to look to see if he was hurt or on the bench at one point. That’s never a good sign. As of now, it looks like the coaches just don’t like him. He needs to be playing at least 12 minutes or he needs to be sent to the AHL. He already has a goal, which is his main contributing factor, so why not give him a real chance to stick it out with the big club.
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Mackenzie Blackwood got the win and had a few big saves, but quite frankly. he still did not play well. The Ducks missed on a few big chances and Adam Henrique beat him clean on the breakaway, but the post saved this team. A .900 save percentage isn’t good and it was a fluke that it was not far lower.