New Jersey Devils Show Ability In Back-to-Back Wins
The New Jersey Devils had a tough back-to-back set this weekend and came up big with wins against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who sit in a Wild Card spot, and the Winnipeg Jets, who are second in the Central division. Right now, the Devils look to be set for a playoff run, but a bad stretch could always change that, so they need to keep their foot on the gas and finish the year with things firing on all cylinders.
The Good
Nico Hischier was a monster this weekend with a four-point night against the Pens and added an assist against the Jets. His defensive game was on point, and his line was all over the Jets when the rest of the team wasn’t playing up to the standard set by its captain. He was doing this with Tomas Tatar and Fabian Zetterlund. They aren’t bad, but this isn’t the first line most would expect. Just wait till he has Timo Meier on his wing.
Jack Hughes shockingly went goalless against the Jets, but he still had a pair of assists in his return and had five shots. The post was not his friend on an open net that he definitely would score on 99 times on 100 shots. The team was getting points with him gone, but they weren’t playing well for large chunks. Not having a guy who could just take over was certainly not as fun to watch.
John Marino and Ryan Graves gave the Devils a solid pairing they could lean on. Playing 24 minutes each in the Penguins game against stars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for big portions, they were massively positive on the scoresheet.
Want your voice heard? Join the Pucks And Pitchforks team!
Dawson Mercer is heating up lately, with three goals and four points on the weekend, but his drive for the puck is what has really impressed. He is going after players offensively and defensively with speed and intelligent determination that usually isn’t seen in such young players. He is truly a core piece for this team, and it doesn’t seem to matter where he plays in the top nine because he can handle it and get results.
The Bad
Miles Wood finally got off his goal slump, and the pass by Michael McLeod was incredible. Outside of that, it hasn’t gone well. The ice time for both has thankfully dropped, Wood playing 4:48 and 9:40 while Mcleod played 7:54 and 10:02, but they should have been sat a long time ago. Now it will probably not happen, thanks to the goal, but as fans, we have to hope they get it together fast and that Bastian is back and feeling good enough to be the real spark for that line.