G65 New Jersey Devils vs. Calgary Flames: Heating up
The Devils have quietly piled up the wins against teams who bleed shots, goals, or both.
Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess
The New Jersey Devils return to action tonight after a rare extended break amid a condensed NHL schedule.
Here are a few notes to get you ready for their matchup with the Calgary Flames:
Moving in the right direction 🧭
If it feels like the Devils have laid plenty of eggs in good spots this season, it’s probably because they have.
From the end of October to the end of December, the Devils lost seven of nine games against teams ranking bottom-10 in goals against, shots against, or a combination of the two.
Jack Hughes or not, there was no excuse for the level of ineptitude we saw for months when playing opponents the Devils could have and should have beaten more times than not.
The story has quietly changed. The Devils have played nine games vs. bottom-10 teams in goals and/or shots allowed over the past two months.
How many did they win, you might ask?
Eight. Yes, eight.
The Devils scored 31 goals (3.44 per) and allowed 20 (2.22 per) while outshooting the other teams by an average margin of more than seven.
It’s too little too late, I know, but the Devils have actually taken advantage of favorable matchups of late.
They get another tonight against a Flames team that has won just nine of 33 road games.
We should expect the Devils to get right back in the win column.
