Devils Start to Heat Up

New Jersey Devils center Adam Henrique celebrates after scoring a goal against the Ottawa Senators.
PHOTO: AP PHOTO/JULIO CORTEZ

The New Jersey Devils won their fourth game in the last five on Tuesday night when they squeezed by the Ottawa Senators 2-1. For the Devils this is the type of game they probably would have found a way to lose earlier in the year and now they turned it in to two points in a very hard fought victory.

It was a quiet first period with no one getting on the board; it wasn’t until the second period in which the action got started. Curtis Lazar got a breakaway on a defensive break down when Mike Cammalleri failed to grab the puck at center ice, the puck slid off Lazar’s stick and into the net. It looked like the beginning of another night in which the Devils wouldn’t be getting the breaks but then it turned around quickly.

Just one minute and 35 seconds later Adam Henrique snapped the puck past Robin Lehner from the top of the left faceoff circle to tie the game. This change of momentum was important for the Devils because it gave them a chance to relax and get back into the game.

In the third period Cammalleri would atone for his earlier mistake by sniping a perfect shot over Lehner’s right shoulder to give the Devils the lead. It was Cammalleri’s team leading 17^th goal and also got Jaromir Jagr his 17^th assist, which is tied for the most on the team.

It was a frantic finish in the waning seconds when Bobby Ryan found the puck on his stick with a wide open net to shoot at. As Cory Schneider came flying across the crease Ryan just couldn’t corral the puck and he was unable to get a shot off for what surely would have been a tying goal. It was a small amount of puck luck but maybe just the right amount the Devils need to get in order to climb the standings.

Following the game Deb Placey of MSG got a chance to interview Cammalleri and ask him about his feelings of being clutch but his answer was a little subdued. He said that the game winning goal stat is probably a little overrated but despite his humbleness he now leads the NHL with seven game winning goals this season.

The Devils will look to keep their hot streak going when they finish their home stand against the same team that started it, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game is on MSG+ at 7:00pm on Friday.