The New Jersey Devils put another notch in the win column on Thursday night, pretty much dominating the Anaheim Ducks and winning 4-1. Like they have all season, they dominated on the shot sheet, and Nico Daws finally put forth a big performance to keep the Devils in the game when the goals weren’t coming.
They went into the first intermission 2-0 after goals by Arseny Gritsyuk and Nico Hischier. Let’s talk about Gritsyuk.
Sheldon Keefe shook up the forward lines when the scoring wasn’t moving in the right direction to start the season. The most significant change he made was putting Gritsyuk on the first line with Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes, and moving Anthony Mantha to the third line. Everything about that move has worked out.
Gritsyuk is on a four-game scoring streak, and all of those goals were pretty incredible. He basically undressed Cale Makar to add to the Devils’ lead on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche. He had a nice reaction goal against the New York Rangers, hitting an empty net off the rebound. On Thursday, he got the scoring going for the Devils.
Arseny Gritsyuk always had this as a possible outcome
The Devils re-signed Gritsyuk this offseason to a very reasonable three-year contract. It felt like the one move Suunny Mehta made that fell under the radar the most. He got himself a first-line forward for under $4 million, and he’s played like a first-line forward.
Gristyuk doesn’t have great top speed, but he has a really consistent speed to him, which is how he keeps up with Bratt and Hughes. He has a rocket of a shot. He regularly hits north of 80 miles per hour with his shot.
And this is why he’s been so successful with Bratt and Hughes. He kind of has the perfect set of skills. For so long, the Devils have been trying to find the right fit for the top line. Imagine if what the Devils were looking for was here the whole time? Props to Sheldon Keefe for making the move this early in the season despite Gritsyuk’s lack of scoring beforehand. He could easily score 30 goals or more if he stays in this situation long term.
The Devils are a stronger team this week than they were last week, and the most significant change the team made was placing Gritsyuk on the top line.
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