Devils 4, Ducks 2: Off the schneid

Led by their stars, the Devils erased an early 2-0 deficit en route to their 1st win of the campaign.

Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey, and everything else, with our writers and subscribers.

---

A few observations from New Jersey vs Anaheim:

The stars took over

I think most people would agree the Devils have four stars on their roster: Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton.

Depth is important, of course, but more often than not – so long as the goaltending is remotely competent – the Devils will live and die based on how those four players perform.

Each of them put their best foot forward and looked absolutely dominant against the Ducks on Tuesday night. Not just good. Not even great. Dominant.

No. 86 put forth by far his best performance of the season. He had the puck on a string from start to finish and was the dynamic facilitator the Devils are paying him to be. He had five shot attempts, and assisted on 12 shots, at 5v5 alone. He was rewarded with his first two points of the season and, honestly, it felt like he deserved a whole lot more.

Jesper Bratt…goodness. He didn’t create the shear volume that Jack did but the Devils tilted the ice each and every time he was out there. New Jersey won the shot attempt battle 22-2, the chance battle 15-2, and the SOG battle 14-0 with Bratt on the ice at 5v5. He also recorded another two assists, pushing him to five through three games.

Nico also posted dominant on-ice metrics while leading Devils forwards in chances (6), high-danger looks (4), and finding the scoresheet twice. It was a captain’s performance.

Hamilton was electric as the 4th man in attack, jumping up each and every time he could to provide another layer of offense and keep possessions alive. He led the Devils in attempts (13), chances (8), shots on goal (7), and posted an expected goal percentage of nearly 80.

If the core four can stay healthy, the Devils are going to be extremely difficult to deal with on a nightly basis.

Mackenzie Blackwood responded