New Jersey Devils Simplified Their Game To Beat Tampa Bay Lightning

As the New Jersey Devils looked to squeeze out of the funk of a three-game losing streak, upcoming restricted free agent Jesper Bratt came to the rescue with his first career hat trick. The huge performance came against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that had beaten them twice in the previous week. Bratt was determined to hit the 30 goal mark for the first time in his career versus the bloodthirsty two-time Stanly Cup champs.

It wasn’t just Bratt doing the heavy lifting. Nico Hischier potting his 30th goal of the season, another first for the Devils. Hischier has been doing it all; becoming a key factor in this game with his passing and defensive capabilities.

A huge deal on defense for the New Jersey Devils was Kevin Bahl, the young defenseman who had two hits and a blocked shot, (which in our book, brings a good Sasquatch score). Michael McLeod, Dawson Mercer, Tomas Tatar, and Ondrej Palat helped stop Tampa with blocked shots and hits, showing they are more than just offense.

Vitek Vanecek had a much calmer performance against Tampa this time around. He needs to be more composed ahead of the postseason. Some might say he even outperformed Andrei Vasilevskiy in his own building, which is a huge confidence booster ahead of the Devils matchup with the Minnesota Wild.

Nolan Foote got called up with the fourth line being a bit banged up. He’s looking to solidify a last-minute roster spot with a crucial fourth goal of the game against his former organization in Tampa Bay.

Going forward, the New Jersey Devils need more physical play and depth on defense and offense. Goaltending is getting finetuned in time for the playoffs, roster expansion is on its way for the NHL playoffs, and the New Jersey Devils are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot. This past game is a confidence booster for the New Jersey Devils getting out of a funk after losses to the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Devils look to clinch that playoff spot as early as Tuesday night which would be the cherry on top of the sundae of this season. We’ll wait and see who ends up starting on Tuesday against the Wild. Akira Schmid is likely chomping at the bit to get another shot in net.