Here are my quick hits following the Devils’ 3-1 W in PHI, heading into tonight’s game vs. CBJ:
Got the Job Done
What a gutsy effort it was on Sunday for the Devils to go on the road, match that low-event style of hockey we’ve seen against the Flyers all season, and find a way to take home a critical 2 PTS at the end of the afternoon. This was a win that was desperately needed for this team — not only because they were coming off three-straight regulation losses — but also to galvanize the group with a few new guys in the lineup.
Raise Your Glass to Cody
Speaking of the new guys, how about Cody Glass wasting no time getting his first in the black and red, going far side over the blocker on his first shot as a Devil?! For any player to come into a new team and instantly make an impact with a game-changing play goes a very long way, confidence-wise, for them moving forward. Not to mention, Glasser’s line played a terrific game as a whole and was on the ice for the second goal as well. Rachel and I will break this all down during tonight’s pregame show, but all in all, this was about as good of a first-game post-trade for Glass, Sprong, and Cholowski as we could’ve asked for. Onto the next!
Biggest Game of the Season
Make no mistake about it, Devils fans: tonight is arguably the biggest game of the season so far, with a Blue Jackets team in town that is right on your tails and can move within 2 PTS of you by winning in regulation tonight. This is an absolute must-win situation and is a massive four-point swing that you cannot afford to take lightly. For me, it all starts with creating some frustration for Columbus by taking away their time and space early on in this game. This is a CBJ team that is feeling it offensively right now, coming off a 7-goal performance at the Garden and scoring at the highest rate (4.29 Goals/GP) since 4 Nations. For that reason, this has to be a mature, playoff-style game right from the opening puck drop — not a track meet!
Be sure to tune in tonight at 6:30 p.m. as I chat ice-side with Cody Glass on our MSGSN pregame show! Then, I'll join Rachel at the desk as we recap Sunday's win in PHI, the third line's performance, CBJ's impressive season, and the metro standings.
Let's Go Devils!
-Sal
Here are some trade deadline graphics from our broadcast on Friday night!
