Photo Credit: David Siegrist

Devils Skate into a Defining Week

When the horn sounded Friday night ending one of the strangest Third Periods in NHL history, the Devils set their sights towards a grueling four games in six nights stretch composed of games against division rivals New York and Philadelphia, as well as the Central Division leading Dallas Stars and last season's President's Trophy winners, the Florida Panthers. Since defeating the Rangers at MSG exactly two weeks ago the Devils have gone 2-1-1 and remain atop the Metropolitan Division with the second most points in the entire NHL.

Should they be able to maintain or even expand their lead in the standings when the horn sounds Saturday night vs. Florida, they will be well on their way to solidifying their place among the NHL elite. Despite inconsistent play since they last crossed the Hudson River there is every reason to believe that this year's Devils does belong with the elite.

The Devils rode uncharacteristically inconsistent goaltending and defensive lapses to a 6-4 defeat against the Islanders on Friday. The Islanders took several multi-goal leads but the Devils continued to fight back cutting the score to 6-3 early in the Third Period. That is when NHL history was made.  Lindy Ruff pulled Akira Schmid with just under eight minutes remaining in the game and down three. The players immediately bought in and put on a display of sustained offensive zone pressure for nearly the entire eight minutes ringing shots off the post several times and forcing Islander goaltender Semyon Varlamov to make sprawling saves to keep his team in the lead.

In many ways these last seven plus minutes were a coming out party for Jack Hughes in which he demonstrated why he was worthy of the first overall selection three years ago. Simply put, Jack Hughes put on a show. Hughes set the NHL record for longest recorded shift, playing the final 6:02 of the game without leaving the ice, he also set a personal record for ice time in a game skating for over 26 minutes total. He made the most of that record-setting final shift by scoring a goal, drawing the team within two, he later hit a post on a shot, and made two clutch saves stopping pucks headed to the empty net.

While the Devils comeback ultimately fell short, the team's trademark resiliency coupled with an onslaught of skill was on full display and is a harbinger of what is likely to come this year. The Devils may have been beat when the horn sounded but they will not yield to an opponent and will fight until that final horn.

After the game much of the concern centered on winger Miles Wood who was knocked to the ice by a strong check from Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov. Fortunately, Wood was able to clear concussion protocol and returned to the ice for Sunday morning's practice and was a full participant. After practice, Wood indicated that the hit by Romanov was likely the hardest hit he has taken as a pro and that in his own estimation it was a clean hit.

Whether clean or not it was certainly evocative of the hits applied by former Devils Captain Scott Stevens.  At the completion of the game Ruff avoided commenting on the legality of the hit and instead chose to focus on his pride in how teammate Michael McLeod immediately stood up for Wood and challenged Romanov along the end boards. McLeod's actions cost him 17 minutes in penalty time but certainly earned him respect in the room.

The Devils conducted a spirited, intense workout Sunday morning running through drills at game speed. Ruff kept the same lines together throughout practice and utilized extra forward Andreas Johnsson as a substitute defense pair for Kevin Bahl. The team's resiliency continued to shine through in practice as the mood was upbeat and crisp and showed no residual effects from the loss to the Islanders or anxiety about the week to come.

Mackenzie Blackwood continues to make strides towards a return in net for the Devils as he participated in most practice drills and stayed after for extra work with Hughes, Fabian Zetterlund, Jesper Boqvist, Alexander Holtz, and Johnsson. Blackwood's mobility has visibly improved in the past weeks and appears close to a return. He will likely be sent to the Devils AHL affiliate in Utica for a conditioning stint before getting back on NHL ice.

The Rangers are riding a three game winning streak as they enter the contest vs. the Devils. Since losing to the lowly Blackhawks the Rangers strung together wins over St Louis, Las Vegas, and beat Colorado in a shootout.  The Devils enter the game on an eleven game road winning streak, a franchise record, with a win over the Rangers they will tie the all-time NHL record. The last time the teams played, the Rangers got out to a quick 2-0 lead but were blitzed by the Devils in the second period on the way to a 5-3 New Jersey victory.

That game featured an almost college like atmosphere with many Devils fans making the short trip to MSG.  During the game "Let's Go Devils" chants and mock "Igor" cheers were loud enough in the arena to be heard clearly by those at home watching on tv.  The Rangers will certainly be looking to reestablish their home ice advantage. The Devils should continue to be the dominant team at 5v5 and must prioritize staying out of the penalty box. Jack Hughes enters the game on a seven game point streak, the longest of his young career. He has thus far feasted in the interstate rivalry scoring ten points in thirteen games vs. the Rangers.

Puck drop is at 7pm at Madison Square Garden.