The New Jersey Devils resiliency leads to a victory over the Jets

Currently, the New Jersey Devils (37-14-5) are coming off a back-to-back after taking on the Winnipeg Jets (34-21-1). The Devils have become an interesting team nearing the NHL Trade Deadline as well as one of the most entertaining young teams throughout the league. That said, the lineup for the Devils looked slightly different heading into this game. In this game, the Devils scratched Nathan Bastian and started goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. Despite the win, Devils star player C Jack Hughes snapped his 10-game scoring streak.

However, while the Devils best players didn’t get involved in the scoring today their role players had a game to remember. In fact, many of the players who scored have been inconsistent throughout the season, yet it was good to see them get back on track. New Jersey Devils HC Lindy Ruff mentioned in the post-game press conference that it was going to take more than just their top guys playing well to compete at a high level.

“We’re going to need seven defensive and he’s [Jonas Siegenthaler] a real big part of this team,” Ruff expressed in the press conference. “He’s had some up and down struggles, but we count on him for a lot. He’s played against a lot top lines and been put in a lot of key situations.”

Rough Start for the New Jersey Devils

In the first period, the Devils and Jets both looked stagnant offensively, yet later in the period both teams delivered a combined three goals. The Jets appeared to find a rhythm and built momentum midway through the first period. The first score of the game came from Jets C Cole Perfetti with five minutes remaining. Initially, it looked as though the Devils diminished their momentum by answering with a goal of their own. The Devils answered this goal on the very next offensive possession from Tomas Tatar making it a 1-1 game with 4:34 remaining. Yet, the Jets negated that goal with a goal by defenseman Niel Pionk with 2:51 remaining.

Blackwood’s play has been inconsistent all season, however his resiliency allowed him to persevere in the game Sunday night. In the first period, Blackwood allowed two goals but he didn’t allow another goal for the rest of the game. This season, the identity of the Devils has been resiliency, and Blackwood exemplified that in the game. Ultimately, Blackwood’s mindset continues to elevate and grow as he begins to get more opportunities on the ice.

“You know you just try to continue to do the right things, play the right way and get to your spots,” Mackenzie Blackwood emphasized after the game. “Whether they beat you with a shot that was your fault or not, always remember it’s a one-shot mentality. It’s easier said than done, however I’m getting to that place mentally.”

Despite the two goals, It was evident that his teammates and coach never gave up on him. In fact, they trusted Blackwood to correct it and fix the issue for the betterment of the team. Ruff understanding how hard his job is on a nightly basis, allows his goalies to play freely and without clouded judgment.

“I leave the goalies alone, I had no comments to Blackwood,” Ruff emphasized in the post game press conference. “They got the toughest job in the building and I think you look at what he did for us after that first period. I can tell you who was at fault on both goals, for certain, it wasn’t Blackwood. Again, it’s not about one guy and his job is just to keep battling and he did.”

The Devils Build Impenetrable Momentum in the 2nd and 3rd Period

Despite the slow start, the Devils began building momentum through the second period. Although they managed to not score, the crowd began to sway in their direction as the Devils appeared to be much more aggressive. In this period, the Devils shot 22 shots to the Jets' 16 shots. These shots were much closer and had much higher chances of going in than the Jets' shots which were much further from the goal. The Devils had several significant opportunities to score, however none of the good looks went through the net.

That said, in the third period, all the momentum the Devils were slowly building by taking control of the game by winning their face-offs and gaining extra possessions on defense. Erik Haula won nine of 10 faceoffs on Sunday night. Early into the third period, Fabian Zetterlund scored his sixth goal of the season tying the game (2-2) with 14:58 remaining. Shortly after, this goal was followed by Miles Wood who gave them the lead, 3-2.

At this point of the game, the defense established its dominance and they controlled the Jets in all facets of the ice. In desperation, the Jets sent everyone on the ice including their goalie, which led to an easy goal in transition for Dawson Mercer. Ultimately, he delivered the dagger with 55 seconds remaining in the game to to seal the deal.

We stole the "Win" from "Winnipeg."#Sponsored | @BennersAutoBody pic.twitter.com/1Ks3tu4yQZ

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 20, 2023

Overall, the Devils have proven to be resilient all season and this game showed the toughness mentally and physically they are capable of. On Tuesday night, the Devils look to extend their two-game win streak as they take on the Montreal Canadiens at home.