‘Fast, dynamic’ Devils shut down Canucks
These aren’t the same New Jersey Devils.
They don’t bore you. They can score. And they’re not long in the tooth, but rather, long on promise, with seven players aged 22 or younger. The youth-shall-be served mantra includes first-line centre and 2017 first-overall draft pick Nico Hischier and a collective will to aggressively forecheck instead of trapping up the neutral zone.
“They are not the Devils of old,” warned Vancouver Canucks coach Travis Green, who played against New Jersey teams that sucked the life out of any game with a defencefirst diligence. “They now play a fast game and are competitive and structured.
“If you’re not ready, it’s going to be a long night.”
The Canucks were often hemmed in their own zone and didn’t have enough of a net presence to make it a difficult night for Devils goalie Cory Schneider. He stopped what he saw in a 36-save performance for a 2-0 victory over his former club at Rogers Arena. It was Schneider’s fifth straight win over the Canucks since being traded to the Devils.
The Devils have now won nine of their first 11 games and their first five road starts.
They got all the offence they needed in the second period when Jimmy Hayes hammered a Taylor Hall rebound off the end boards past Jacob Markstrom.
Here’s what we learned:
THE FUTURE IS NOW
There was curiosity to see if Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher, 22, could continue to lead rookies in scoring with 11 points to date as a mobile defenceman, and if first-year winger Jesper Bratt, 19, — a sixth-round 2016 pick — could build on his 10 points in 10 games. He had five shots on the night.
“We’re a different team than we were last year in terms of how we’re playing — we’re fast and dynamic,” said Schneider, who took a bloated 3.26 goals-against average into the meeting.
If that isn’t enough optimism, there was the emotional return Wednesday of winger Brian Boyle. He was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia — a form of blood and bone marrow cancer — back on Sept. 19 and he only recently resumed skating.
In short, the Devils didn’t lack for motivation.
ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION
Brandon Sutter admitted knowing nothing about Hischier in advance of getting another shutdown assignment against a top line, but he got to know the smart and shifty 18-year-old centre in a hurry.
That said, it was Sutter’s linemates Markus Granlund and Derek Dorsett who continued to be an even-strength matchup menace.
GET BOESER POWER-PLAY PUCKS
The hardest adjustment for 20-year-old rookie winger Brock Boeser is sitting out.
Wired for wiring shots with a heavy and accurate release, the team’s leading scorer returned after missing one game with a rightfoot contusion suffered when he absorbed a shot Thursday against the Washington Capitals.
It didn’t take him long to make an impression.
Boeser stepped around Blake Coleman with a toe-drag move and in one motion rifled a wrister that just missed beating Schneider to the glove side.
It’s his power-play deployment that remains a mystery.
His sweet spot is the faceoff dot, but plays aren’t designed to get the puck to him there. Odd.
ICE CHIPS: Alex Edler (knee) took the game-day skate and is seven to 10 days from playing. He’s expected to travel with the club next week when it opens a four-game road trip in Calgary on Tuesday.