Recap
The New Jersey Devils managed to leave Boston with a win for the first time since 2013-14 in the 5-2 victory over the Bruins. The offense started just 25 seconds into the game courtesy of some nice passing that led to a goal from Damon Severson. The Devils also received goals from Kyle Palmieri, two from Blake Coleman and one from Nico Hischier. The Bruins were firing shots all night, including facing 29 of 42 in just two periods. The Devils put the game away in the third, netting three goals, including an empty-netter from Coleman to end it.
Takeaways
Mackenzie Blackwood again looked strong… The Devils haven’t exactly had much success against Boston in recent years. And having to go on the road without Taylor Hall or Johansson seemed to be an incredibly daunting task. Blackwood has looked very comfortable in between the pipes, and the team responded with a nice performance on offense. Yes, it is only one start, but so far in his appearances this season, Blackwood has played very well. And with the league trending towards bigger goalies, it’s nice to know the Devils may have found something with Big Mack.
Depth players had great games…. Having players outside of the top three contribute and be noticeable on the ice has been tough sledding much of this season. But this game seemed to be as close to a full team win as there could have been. Pavel Zacha did basically everything but get on the score sheet, firing 7 shots on net and landing three hits in 16:24 of ice time. Miles Wood also had one of his better games of the season, logging an assist and three shots while being on the ice for 17:18. Last but certainly not least is the depth scoring courtesy of Mr. Pickles himself, Blake Coleman. Coleman had two goals, including a beautiful backhanded finish on a breakaway after blocking a shot from the point. Coleman also put home the empty-netter to ice the game and defeat any hopes of a wild Bruins comeback.
Final Score and Stats
Score: Devils 5 Bruins 2
Shots: Devils 33 Bruins 42
Faceoff %: Devils 46% Bruins 54%
Hits: Devils 28 Bruins 20
Powerplays: Devils 2/4 Bruins 0/2
Blocks: Devils 19 Bruins 4