SAL'S QUICK HITS: START 2025 WITH A W

January 01, 2025

Bryce Salvador


Here are my quick hits following the Devils’ 3-2 L in ANA, heading into tonight’s game in Los Angeles:

No Points Again
Well, Devils fans, this is a rare occurrence we’re witnessing right now where the Devils have found a way to not get points in back-to-back games. This leaves an especially bitter taste in your mouth when you know you had 1-0 & 2-1 leads in the CAR game; then, last night, came back from 2-0 to tie the game late in the third before surrendering a GWG with about 3 minutes left, despite Marky being outstanding in front of you all night. Not only is this just the second time this season the Devils have lost consecutive games in regulation (the first was back in October vs. DET & TBL), but they’re also staring down their first road losing streak of the season, which is up to three-games after last night’s loss. It’ll be absolutely critical that the Devils stop the bleeding and start 2025 with a big win today vs. LAK.

Deserved Better
When you look back at last night's game in its entirety, yes, the 2nd period and parts of the 3rd certainly needed to have been a lot better. No question! But if you’re the Devils, the reality is that you deserved at least a point in this game, and you did not get any due to Dostal standing on his head for a majority of this game, stopping over 1.4 Goals above expected and 13 of your 14 shots from the slot. In the first period alone, the HD chances were 15-1 in the Devils’ favor, and the expected goals were 2.47 to 0.25 (at all strengths according to SportLogiq), yet they went into the intermission down 1-0. Once again, goaltenders seem to be extremely dialed in against the Devils this season, as it’s evident that they’re starting to circle these NJD games on their calendars as a game that can potentially catapult their season. Whenever you’re in a situation like this, you just have to take it as a compliment, tip your hockey helmet to Dostal and all these other goaltenders who have stolen points from you, and continue to play to your identity. Nothing changes!

Must-Win Game
This is a huge test coming up for the Devils tonight, as they’ve put themselves in a bit of a “must-win” situation against an LAK team that is extremely difficult to beat on the road this season. We’ve talked about how effective the Devils have been living up to the message inside that locker room of not losing two in a row. But look, it happens, and with the back-to-back regulation losses in the rear-view mirror, the message now becomes, “Hey, we can’t let things spiral out of control here, boys!” I'm expecting the urgency levels to be high right from the onset tonight. No more crucial time than now to rise to the task, stop the bleeding, and start this new year on the right foot!


Be sure to join Rachel and me on our pregame show tonight as we recap last night’s loss, break down Marky’s performance, discuss tonight’s starter, and Pre-Scout the LAK. It all starts at 5:30 p.m. EST on MSGSN!

Happy 2025, and Let’s Go Devils!
-Sal



Here are some graphics from last night’s broadcast!


Subscribe to my newsletter

Subscribe for the latest highlights and content