Feels great man. Congrats to Patty on the milestone goal. In great company with 'The Rocket'.
With the recent lull in play by the boys it's about time they brought it tonight. They knew they had to play as close to a 60 min game and they did.
NJ isn't a contender so it was good we hounded them and practiced what we need to do to be successful against the upper-echelon teams. Play aggressive, tight, move the puck fast, and don't be too cute.
NJ gave us a lot of space in the NZ (but we REALLY skated, and were hard on pucks) and we made them pay. Dominated the game (other than faceoffs), puck posession was excellent, our defensive-zone coverage along with active sticks was on full-display. Few hiccups with stretch passes and unawareness made us rely on Fred to make some big saves.
Rielly, Gardiner, Zaits, OZ and Dermott with great games. I can see Oz gaining confidence too, which is so important. He has a unique skill set along with his handedness.
The whole team starting with JT & Marner were terrific. Our 3 centers were too much for the Devils. JT was a machine. He was hard on pucks, winning 50/50 battles and a solid 200ft presence. Great awareness in the o-zone too.
Kadri looked hungry and had a solid game, which should wake him up hopefully. Great nice, little pass to Rielly for the buzzer-beater in the 2nd too.
Matthews with a goal by driving the net and collecting the garbage which was nice. I also liked when he drove the net on JT's goal, the first of the game. He was more engaged defensively too, but he's still progressing to get back to how we know him to be. Positive signs.
The key is to start out games just like this, get the first goal and then teams can't sit back, trap, and dictate play. Keep pushing the play with speed (our greatest asset), gain a bigger lead and shut 'er down.
Consistency is the true goal. Games like tonight are great for my health. Onto the next one.
