Last week, the Devils beat Rangers in pretty convincing fashion. Then, they got blown out in Columbus and at home against Tampa.This week, they score 1 goal and lose to Carolina at home, then go on the road and come from behind to beat Nashville in OT. Are the Devils dead or alive? They are only 5 points out of the wildcard with 17 games left, so yes, they are technically very much alive. I just don't know if they have the scoring punch to get it done night in and night out. We traded our top scorer and are still mightily struggling to score 5 on 5.
The guys we needed to step up last night certainly did though. Henrique and Palmieri proved that they are the go-to guys. If the Devils want to make the playoffs, each of them will need to stay hot. Zajac got on the board last night. So did Devante Smith-Pelly in his first game as a Devil, with a goal and an assist. I see him very much in a similar role to Wayne Simmonds with Philly. And I'm not saying that because they are both black, silly. He's a guy who puts himself in front of the net, disrupts the other team's goalie, and cleans up the garbage.
Still, as I've been saying all year, the Devils need consistent secondary scoring if they want to make any sort of run. In my opinion, the 4th line is an absolute waste, and I really don't expect any production from any of those guys with the way things are going. I include Kennedy in there too, who was benched last night. Blandisi and Boucher will be key. They've been a bit recklessly lately, but that is to be expected from young players.
We know the Devils haven't been able to get it done 5 on 5. But, you can't help but praise them for taking advantage of the opportunities they get on the power play. Three more power play goals last night, which doesn't include when they pulled Kinkaid and tied up the game with an extra skater with just a minute left in the 3rd. They've proved that they can hang in those situations. But, will it be enough?
Snapping the 3 game losing streak was huge last night. It was a jolt that they desperately needed to stay in the playoff race. They were a little shaky defensively, leaving the Predators wide open for three of their goals. Both were on the powerplay as well. Hopefully they can regroup and hopefully Severson gets back in the lineup. Jon Merrill did not look good last night. I'm very interested to see which team shows up tonight against Dallas.
I still know that even if we do sneak in to the playoffs, we probably will get bounced in the first round. But, I still want to see this team fight down the stretch. Some people think the Devils should tank to get a better draft pick. Not me. This is a rebuilding process, but if they fight hard the rest of this year, it will definitely be something to build on next year.
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