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The New Jersey Devils kept peppering Vegas Golden Knight’s goaltender Adin Hill throughout the night. But, 50 shots on goal and 4 shootout attempts by the Devils was not enough as New Jersey fell to Vegas 4-3 at T-Mobile Arena.
Thoughts and Musings
1. How awesome is Dawson Mercer? Mercer is absolutely tearing up opponents and has scored a goal in each of his last eight games. Not too shabby for a 21 year old who was drafted 18th overall in 2020 (draft pick courtesy of the Taylor Hall trade with Arizona Coyotes by then Devils GM Ray Shero). Mercer will go for nine straight games with a goal when the Devils take on the Coyotes at Mullett Arena.
2. I love yesterday’s deadline move by Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald trading a 2024 fourth round pick for Curtis Lazar. Lazar is not going to wow you with statistics and analytics but he will add value to the Devils bottom six with his veteran presence and playoff experience. Expect Lazar to give 110% effort and make good use of his playing time.
3. Jesper Boqvist had one assist on the night as he kept applying pressure by going hard to the net. He made good use of his 12:15 TOI.
4. Akira Schmid may have gotten the loss in the shootout but he gave his team a chance to win. Schmid has been outstanding when called upon to perform. He is sporting a 2.00 GAA and .926 save percentage with the Devils. Could he possibly be the 1B goalie that unseats Mackenzie Blackwood when he comes back from injury?
Curtis Lazar
PODCAST - Devils Fall Short, Lose To Golden Knights 4-3 in SO
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Sam Woo is co-host and executive producer of the Let's Go Devils Podcast which can be heard live every Sunday at 9pm ET and Wednesday at 8:30pm ET.