Despite No Captain, New Jersey Devils Take Down Minnesota Wild

The New Jersey Devils were without their captain Nico Hischier on Sunday afternoon. That didn’t stop them from taking down the Minnesota Wild 4-3.

The Good

The top end of the Devils forwards continued its pace on Sunday, as did the powerplay despite the first pointless night for Jack Hughes. Bratt continued his torrid pace with another 2 goals and an assist on the night along with a disallowed goal. On top of the offensive play, he is still playing that solid two-way game and is pushing himself as a notable league star.

Much like Bratt, Tyler Toffoli looks unstoppable offensively as he netted another goal and was inches from getting a second after hitting the bar late in the game. The only reason these two aren’t getting talked about more around the league is Hughes’s early-season tear.

Vitek Vanecek had another solid game despite the average numbers. Eventually, he is going to get some puck luck. The first goal was a breakaway, the second he had no chance due to a deflection right to a Wild player for the empty net, and the last barely slid under the pad from about five feet in front of the net. It is a game of inches, but he was only a few of them from us talking about this being a 4-1 game. He also made some key saves again, including on Kirill Kaprizov right after the Devils finally scored the first goal in a game and right at the end on the same high-end scorer to secure the win.

Michael McLeod likely wasn’t the right guy to move to second-line center. He actually did an admirable job on the night. He was skating hard, getting pucks in the corner, and created numerous chances on the night, so he deserves some massive props for playing that far up the lineup and doing a great job on the night.

Erik Haula has been on fire this season, and his goal off the Wild turnover was an Ovechkin-level slapshot. With five goals on the season, one would think he has been cheating defensively, but that is not the case at all. He has been playing heart-and-soul hockey for the team, which was best emphasized by his big shorthanded shot block right after his goal.

The Bad

Alexander Holtz played 6:55 on the night, and he was noticeable a few times on both ends of the rink in a positive way. He even could have had a point on the night had the goal not been called back for offside. He looks confident, and he has been willing to use his shot, which also looks heavy and accurate. He just might never be given a real chance in the regular season based on what we are seeing here right now. Hopefully, the coaching staff puts him in the top six or at least gives him a solid shot as a permanent third-liner.

Dawson Mercer has been terrible, and the third period pretty much summed up his season. Two on zero breakaway along with Curtis Lazar, and they barely get a shot off. He also missed out on an empty net that would have sealed the game. It’s bizarre he was given 21 minutes on the night.