New Jersey Devils Dominate Johnny Gaudreau And Columbus Blue Jackets
The New Jersey Devils came flying out of the gate and kept up the pace against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. That led to a 1-0 win against the defending Stanley Cup champs. The Columbus Blue Jackets are not nearly the team the Avs are, and it showed as the Devils took it to them with 53 shots and 7 goals. This team is starting to catch the attention of fans around the league. If they play this way all season, they are a legitimate playoff threat.
The Good
The Johnny Hockey we needed. No, this Devils team didn’t need Johnny Gaudreau. It needed John Marino.
Marino scored his first goal of the season. He added that to his role shutting down the opposition’s best players. He is an absolute steal in terms of contract ($4.4 million AAV) and trade value (Ty Smith and a third-round pick). He has probably been the Devils’ best defenseman this year. Devils fans wanted Gaudreau, but that didn’t happen. Quite frankly, the Johnny we got has been just as good.
Jesper Bratt‘s streak continued with another two-point afternoon. The man has just hit his stride early in the season. His vision and creativity with the puck are matched only by his confidence this season. It has been a treat to watch him play night in and night out.
The BMW line was all over it again and continues to be the best fourth line in hockey. Miles Wood‘s tenacity really pushed his presence, especially on his goal. He wanted the puck more than the defender and just out-hustled and out-muscled him before the beautiful bar-down backhander looking like a star on that play. The line also was credited with 11 shots, 7 of which were from Wood himself.
Vitek Vanecek went 20/21 on the night and has been playing incredibly after his rough start. The team should feel pretty confident with him behind them right now, and if they can keep up the shot suppression, this will be the biggest part of transitioning into a good team.
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Up next is the Western Canadian road trip. It happens every year, and it usually goes poorly for the team. This is a new group, and they need to fair better. They have all the tools to do just that this time and Mackenzie Blackwood should be able to handle a soft Vancouver team, while a good night with Vanecek could help the team survive the strong Alberta teams.