New Jersey Devils Win Wild One Against Chicago Blackhawks

The New Jersey Devils won a high scoring affair over the Chicago Blackhawks, overcoming a three-goal deficit.

One of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season has been the New Jersey Devils. Many projected them to finish towards the bottom of the standings, even after an offseason of improvement.

However, they have emerged as the best team in the Metropolitan Division and the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. It’s still early in the season, but at the very least, the Devils are much farther along in their rebuild than initially thought.

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On Sunday, Nov. 13, they faced a huge challenge – the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. In the first period, though the Devils scored the first goal courtesy of Miles Wood, the Hawks scored the next four. However, a second goal by Wood at the end of the period gave New Jersey some life.

After allowing four unanswered goals, the Devils stormed back with five of their own. Andy Greene, Nico Hischier, Taylor Hall, and Brian Gibbons each scored in the second period, to go along with Wood’s goal towards the end of the first.

Though Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks to cut the Devils’ lead to 6-5, Wood later iced the game with his third goal of the evening. That is the young forward’s first NHL hat trick. He had just three goals on the season entering Sunday. Wood doubled it in one game.

Also starring for the Devils was Hischier. He put up a goal and two assists for three points. The young rookie is a solid Calder Trophy contender with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points. If the Devils continue their magical run and make the postseason, it could give Hischier a huge advantage over the other Calder contenders.

For the Blackhawks, Alex Debrincat continues to impress. He scored a goal and put five shots on net in 15:35 of playing time. However, their defense continues to be a mess. Duncan Keith might be a hockey-playing cyborg, but he can only do so much. Brent Seabrook’s sudden decline has made things even more difficult for their blue line and for goaltenders Anton Forsberg and Corey Crawford.

The Blackhawks have a lot of work to do as they try to get out of the funk they’re currently in. Head coach Joel Quenneville will have to work some magic to make his defense respectable enough to keep their team in games. They have the talent necessary to score goals. But their blue line is unacceptably atrocious.

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Meanwhile, it’s really weird to see a Devils team this fast and this capable of scoring. It goes against everything people know about New Jersey. When people think of the Devils, they think of the infamous trap, how they ruined hockey by being boring (though it’s worth noting they were usually an above average scoring team during the golden days of the trap era), and how Scott Stevens destroyed people. But this young team is quickly changing that perception. And it’s a lot of fun to watch.

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