New Jersey Devils Prove Again Never Count Them Out

The New Jersey Devils have been one of the most exciting teams in the league. They have a ton of speed, are top ten in the NHL in scoring, and are third in the league in points. Nothing stops this team from winning. A two-goal deficit in the first period? Devils will tie it in the third period. Losing the tie with just four minutes left? Don’t worry too much. Blowing a power play with just a minute left? It doesn’t matter.

The latest example against the Los Angeles Kings saw the Devils star player Jack Hughes throw a puck toward the net with 40 seconds left in the game. Nico Hischier tipped the puck past Phoenix Copley, who honestly deserved a better fate.

The Kings were suffocating the Devils all game. The Devils had 49 chances at 5v5, but only 21 shots made it through. It seemed like “one of those nights.”

Then, things turned around. It started with, who else, Dawson Mercer. The 21 year old who is definitely not getting traded for Timo Meier made a great pass to Tomas Tatar right in front of the net, and he cut the lead in half.

In the third period, Tatar paid the favor back. He made a no-look pass to as Mercer was skating past two Kings players. Mercer took an immediate shot, and he beat Copley. That tied the game.

The Devils made a boneheaded play with just over four minutes left, letting Anze Kopitar find Sean Durzi alone in front. He made a simple shot that went past Vitek Vanecek. It felt like the air was let out of the Prudential Center.

However, this was going to be the Devils night. They didn’t care about the statistics or what the analytics said. They showed the tenacity to win this game. Hischier’s tip in tied the game, and in overtime, it was Dawson Mercer again.

Mercer has been incredible as of late, extending his five-game goal streak. He now sits at 18 goals and 20 assists on the season. Again, this is a player who just recently became able to drink a beer legally. Now, he’s winning games for the Devils.

That’s just how this season’s gone. The Devils have 21 come-from-behind victories, the most in the league. This is one of the most exciting Devils teams in decades. Enjoy the ride, but for real this time.