Hey everyone,
It's great to be back after the long break! My Twitter is back up and running, and it comes in perfect timing as the Devils push for a playoff spot down the stretch. Our MSG crew returns tonight vs. CGY, and, so will Jack Hughes, who missed the last 11 games due to an upper-body injury! Toffoli will also draw back in after being absent from Tuesday's game with an illness. Hopefully, getting fully healthy up front provides an even larger boost for an already galvanized Devils team as they hunt for consecutive wins Ws coming out of the 9-day bye/all-star hiatus.
Well, Devils fans, Tuesday night's win over COL was a substantial indicator of the energy, emotion, and desperation that the team will bring throughout the rest of the regular season as they fight for their lives in the Eastern Conference/Metropolitan Division playoff race. Despite Jack not playing, and Toffoli being out sick, the Devils put together a really strong 60-minute effort against a top team. Their ability to bounce back after COL's first goal; persevere after blowing a 3-1 lead in the 3rd period; and ultimately win the game tells me that this Devils team has a resurgence on their mind coming out of the break!
For me, the most impressive part of this win was how the Devils survived an ugly 3rd-period surge from the Avs. They were outshot 17-4, out-chanced 10-3 from HD areas, and conceded the pair of COL goals within just a 29-second timespan.
When you talk about weathering a storm like this, it doesn't get much more clutch than the Devils' tremendous game-winning sequence as the game clock winded down. If MacKinnon scores on his partial break with 2:47 remaining, the Avalanche likely then hand the Devils an extremely deflating regulation loss. Instead, Vitek makes an absolutely massive stop, and John Marino buries a GWG on the ensuing shift.
Chaotic, yes, but late-game heroics like this lead to the crucial points necessary to play meaningful games in April!
Now, looking ahead to tonight's game, it's your opportunity to build upon this win. 5 points out of a playoff spot with 35 games remaining, you have to play .650-.700 hockey if they don't want to be cleaning out your locker at the end of the regular season. Again, every point matters so much, including the ones up for grabs against the Flames. So, it's right back to work tonight at the Rock!
During our pregame show, I’ll chat with Santeri Hatakka about his seamless fit in NJ so far, and then Erika and I will have the chance to sit down with Devils’ “Buy Black” winner, Chisa Egbelu before we recap Tuesday's win. To read more about Chisa and his company, PeduL, check out this article as you get set for our interview. It all starts at 6:30 PM on MSGSN!
