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Five observations from New Jersey vs Los Angeles:
1. The Devils powered through a sluggish start
It was hardly surprising the Devils were slow coming out of the gate. It was almost expected. They have not played well of late and were on the road in a different time zone taking on a team that, good or bad, tends to lull you to sleep. It showed early on.
Breakouts were sloppy, controlled entries were few and far between, and there wasn't much space to put their team speed to use. Los Angeles wasn't overly crisp either but they were the better side. The start of the game certainly had a 'here we go again' feel to it. The Devils didn't fall into the trap, though.
They slowly found their footing and took advantage when opportunities arose. It was not a dominant performance – far from it. They didn't come in waves and spend long periods of time in the offensive zone. They were, however, opportunistic and did enough to get by when they weren't at their best. That's rarely been the case this season so it was refreshing to see.
2. Taylor Hall led the way
The thing about great players like Hall is they rarely have bad games. When they do, they almost always follow it up with good ones. Hall is an elite talent and as driven as anyone. You can bet he'll come out with some extra pep in his step tonight.
That's an excerpt from what I wrote about Hall in my game preview. It most definitely proved to be true.
After a somewhat slow start, like the rest of the Devils, Hall came to life. His speed was a factor, his playmaking was excellent, and he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger when he had a shooting opportunity. When all was said and done, Hall finished with three assists (two primaries) and five shot attempts. He was the straw that stirred the drink for the Devils and put forth an MVP-type performance they really needed from him.
What's great is he brought his linemates along for the ride. Kyle Palmieri, who entered play with two points in his previous nine games, scored a pair while Nico Hischier also found the back of the net. Hall played a part in creating each one of them.
The Devils rely on their top line as much as any team in the league. If they don't score, the Devils rarely win. Let's hope this breakout performance gets them back on track.
3. There's a new sheriff in town
Okay, maybe not. There's a new No. 1 defender, though! Heading into the season, Sami Vatanen was very clearly the coaching staff's top dog. Slowly but surely that has changed.
Severson again led the Devils in total ice, 5v5 ice, finished with a positive high-danger chance differential, was on for three of the team's six goals, and picked up a primary assist to move him back inside the top-10 for defense scoring leaders at 5v5.
As CJ Turtoro astutely pointed out, Severson's usage is trending up in a big way. And deservedly so.
4. The 3rd line was exceptional
I absolutely loved what I saw from Miles Wood, Travis Zajac, and Blake Coleman. Wood was a complete pain in the ass from start to finish. He also made some skill plays with the puck. Baejac scored a big goal to get things started in the 2nd period and, like Wood, assisted on the eventual winner. Coleman was effective on the forecheck, led the team in scoring chances (4) and fittingly buried the empty-netter. All three players were at their best. As a result, the ice was generally tilted in New Jersey's favor when they were out there.
5. The power play showed life
In a stunning turn of events, the power play was not completely useless. Far from it. Though the Devils only had two opportunities to go to work, they did find a way to convert. Perhaps equally importantly, they looked good in the process. The puck movement was really good. The players were consistently moving as well. The PP wasn't stationary and predictable, which is probably why they managed eight shot attempts and four scoring chances in less than four minutes of work. More of that, please.
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