The Devils Have Now Won 40 Games For The First Time Since 2012, And Here's To 41 Not Giving Me Agita3/28/2018
That close. That fucking close. It's impossible to say what would have happened if the Hurricanes had extended their lead to 3-1 early in the second period, but it's definitely not overly presumptuous to assume that the Devils were an unmade desperation save away from having a disastrous blow dealt to their playoff hopes. As it was written, I can't say I'm surprised that a dead-in-the-water Carolina team that Randy Newman would consider less worthy of life than people under 5'5 forced New Jersey into catch-up mode by taking advantage of a bi-polar first period. Making things interesting against uninteresting competition has kind of been the Devils' M.O. throughout the second half of a season that, when charted, surely looks a hell of a lot like the EKG of someone having a heart attack. That said, never has the constant peppering of an opposing goalie felt like as much of an incoming health crisis as it did last night. That's due, in large part, to the fact that each passing game is more 'must win' than the one that preceded it. It was probably enhanced by the history of heartbreak that's come at the hands of that particular visiting team. Maybe, just maybe, the uncontrollable thumping in my chest was just a sign that I should look into a prescription pill addiction if Damon Severson and John Moore are going to continue being a self-destructive pair that makes drunken college couples seem cut out for the long haul by comparison. Whatever the case may be, it feels odd referring to last night's win as the Devils 40th of the regular season since the tension in the building was thicker than you'd expect to experience during the month of March. The focus and puck security better start matching the circumstances because there's not always going to be a Darling like Scott available to help dig the Devils out of dire straights. A win is a win, especially this time of year. However, if game-tying powerplay goals in the second period against inferior competition are going to continue to feel as relieving as a post-coffee potty break then the push they've put in to get to where they are in the standings could easily get wasted with nothing more than a lazy dump....or whatever else you could consider the hockey equivalent of a discourteous flush.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
January 2020
|