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Henrique answers the bell, leads Devils to overtime win vs Wild |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
Five notes from New Jersey vs Minnesota:
1) Adam Henrique's 'demotion' to the 4th line didn't last very long – nor should it have. From the word go he looked like a completely different player than we've seen the last couple weeks and was making a noticeable impact almost every time he touched the ice. He was distributing the puck effectively with crisp passes on the tape, he was moving his feet, he was physical, he was...everything. When all was said and done, he tallied a goal, two assists, was one of the team's best possession players and logged more minutes than all but Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, the team's two best scorers, up front.
2) I thought the Devils started the game horribly – they were on their heels for almost the entire 1st period – but Cory Schneider held down the fort until the team found its footing. After the opening frame, they did that as the chances were 19 apiece over the final 40 minutes and change. I think the Devils have to be happy with their effort, and the response, following a bad start where they were extremely lucky not to be trailing, let alone leading.
3) Damon Severson didn't get on the scoresheet but he played another strong game. He looked steady defensively and that showed in the numbers as he was on the ice for fewer chances against than every other Devils defenseman. Severson was also one of two Devils to finish above 50% in possession and I liked the bite he showed mixing it up with Eric Staal around the net. I didn't think Severson should have been scratched to begin with but he's responded nicely to it.
4) The Todd jinx was in full effect last night as, after praising Ben Lovejoy for his recent play, he put forth arguably his worst effort of the season. The ice was tiled severely in Minnesota's favor and it felt like they had chances to score every time he touched the ice. They probably did, honestly. At 5v5, the Wild out-attempted the Devils by 18 and out-chanced them 12-1 when Lovejoy was out there. That's not good.
5) John Moore should be on the Metro Division all-star team because I'm pretty sure he's the best 3-on-3 player of all-time. Seriously. That guy darting up the ice and scoring an overtime winner is as predictable as the morning sunrise. You *know* it's going to happen.
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