I got to say, with the way it began, the finish was anything but predictable. That's not to say that this Devils' team hasn't proven capable of overcoming far, far more than a one goal deficit against a team that's recently been on the receiving end of more high-dangers shots than the guest of honor at a 21st birthday party. However, the way in which John Moore couldn't have done less in both creating and preventing a breakaway goal against felt like a bit of a bad omen with the way things have been trending as of late. For a team that is unquestionably at it's worst when they are giving the puck away unforgivable fashion, starting off a game that was pretty close to must-win territory by wrapping a gift for a 25-goal scorer provided some immediate room for pessimism...
Luckily, the one player whose presence in the lineup (or lack thereof) has become extremely polarizing put forth a performance that will surely warm everyone to the idea of keeping one of team's most talented defensemen out of a luxury suite. If all Damon Severson had to do was play like someone other than Damon Severson to earn the trust of his head coach then faith absolutely must have been restored by back-to-back rockets that made me do a double take at the back of the jersey from which they came...
If logic prevails, that's one personnel decision that can be put in the past, because - with some of the dumbass decision making we've seen from the defense - you might as well find a spot for one of the few players that can limit it by providing offense. Keith Kinkaid recovered nicely, and it was also great to see Kyle Palmieri stay hot with an absolute snipe while finding himself on a line that got him going so quickly that it might as well have been ingested off a desk out of love for a stripper. Giving Pavel Zacha a consistent role on the roster is just as important as no longer having to remind yourself that Damon Severson is still on it, and - in conjunction with the sporadic-yet-effective efforts of Miles Wood - Palmieri did just that. They were absolutely dominant together in a way that would have demanded the spotlight if it weren't thee night in which one defenseman's vindication was vital in providing a much needed, relatively easy victory.
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10/14/2022 09:12:58 am
In the same way that the Devils' offense had been struggling, the defense was getting losses too. They were allowing more goals than they were scoring and they were losing games. They needed a change, so they decided to turn to their defensemen.
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