Wow…would be the best way to describe last night’s game in one word. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 in a shootout, and it was a classic. The battle of the Jersey Turnpike failed to disappoint yet again as this game had just about everything.

Takeaways From Tonight

Taylor Hall is very good at hockey… If you have not figured this out yet you must live under a rock. A two-goal night from hall extends his point streak to 15 games. This however did not come without a scare as he did take a dangerous hit from Flyers defender Radko Gudas following his first goal. He missed the rest of the second period, but returned in the third and scored the game-tying goal with 1:21 left.

Keith Kinkaid needs a break… This seems rather clear if you want to base it off his recent play. In his last 4 starts (including tonight), he is 1-3, with a 4.50 GAA, an .861 save percentage and he was pulled from one of those starts. He is not used to this major workload and is exhausted. It is time to give Eddie Lack a couple more looks and see what he can do for the Devils over the next week while Cory Schneider is on IR.

Two Points are Two Points… A win is a win and that is exactly what New Jersey can say going into their next time. They can come back home to take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday with their heads held high. They came into Philadelphia and came back from a two goal deficit twice to win this game in the shootout. Drew Stafford picked up the lone goal in the one on one fiasco.

What Needs to be Done Next Game

While Kinkaid did not have his best performance tonight you are not allowed to pin all four goals solely on him. The defense is going to need to really batten down the hatches. The Hurricanes have really come along the past few games and are now in a wild card spot with the Devils. Thursday is a must win game for both teams and it should be an extremely exciting contest. The offense was on point for both teams tonight as they combined for 11 goals in regulation play. But they also gave up seven together so it will come down to who improves defensively.

Closing Thoughts

This was one of the most exciting games of the season so far and was icing on the cake that it was a rivalry. Expect nothing less on Thursday as two teams with a long playoff history fight for their spots. The race is on.