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Five notes from New Jersey vs Columbus:

1) I'll be honest, I thought the Devils were going to be in way over their heads against the Blue Jackets last night. The latter has been as good as anyone at 5v5 and they were sending out a two-time Vezina winner who has owns a .940+ save percentage at home since the beginning of the 2016-17 season. It seemed like the perfect recipe for the Blue Jackets to beat up on the Devils and prove they're in a different tier but that didn't happen. Not only did the Devils win, but they legitimately played well – they won the scoring chance battle despite five fewer power plays – and were fully deserving of the two points that moved them back atop the Metro Division.

2) Cory Schneider was absolutely fantastic from start to finish and perhaps the biggest reason the Devils came away with two points. They may have out-chanced the Blue Jackets, but they certainly gave up their fair share of quality looks and Schneider came up big time after time. His post-to-post movement was excellent, he controlled his rebounds, and he always looked sharp and in control. The Jackets peppered Schneider with 42 shots and the only one that beat him was deflected two feet in front of the paint. The 31-year-old has posted a .917 save percentage or better in eight of the last nine and is now up to a .923 save percentage on the year, one point above his career average. Remember when people wanted to pull the plug on Schneider and ship him out after having one down season playing behind arguably the worst defense in the league? Good times, good times.

3) I'm sure Nolan Patrick will be a very good player down the road but, man, the Devils look really good for drafting Nico Hischier with the top pick. He is so smart and dynamic with the puck and every night he makes a few plays that 'wow' you. Playing with Taylor Hall helps his cause, no doubt, but he's on pace for 60+ points and is centering the top line of a team that sits 1st place in the league's toughest division. He is already absolutely fantastic and he's only going to get better with time.

4) In yesterday's preview, I talked about how the Devils needed more from several players including Travis Zajac. He sure answered the bell. He scored his 1st goal of the season to get the Devils on the board, was a consistent threat offensively – he finished with a game-high of six chances, four of which were high-danger – and also played some important minutes on the penalty kill. It was a classic Travis Baejac performance.

5) Drew Stafford has officially found himself in the doghouse and rightfully so. He played just 8:21 at 5v5, fewest among all players, and 9:24 overall. I wouldn't be surprised if he is the odd man out next time Pavel Zacha gets into a game.

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