What It Takes
It's becoming the norm now to see any player step in front of a shot and go down for a block. It's all part of doing whatever is necessary to win games. On Saturday, it was both Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer with huge shot blocks in the dying minutes of the game to preserve the one-goal lead, and collectively, the team had 28 blocked shots.
It's those little things that not only help the team win games but bring out the best and motivation in everyone.
“From Day 1 of training camp the message has been, that’s what’s required," Keefe said. "That’s what it takes and if you want to be a top team, a consistent team, it takes what it takes and there’s no shortcuts to do that. I think in this last little stretch, it’s demanded a lot from our team in terms of the quality of opponent and how tight the games have been, and I’ve liked how the guys have managed it.”
“It’s expected from everyone,” Mercer added. “Everyone will be in that situation at one point where, when little things like that are going to come in handy to block those shots. Last game it was me and Nico, but next game it could be two other guys and we know anyone in this room is willing to step in front of that. Whenever it’s your turn, you’ll just do it.”
Building Belief
This most recent stretch of games has been an impactful one. Not just because of the 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games, but because of the quality of opponents the Devils have beaten. They've beaten the Panthers twice, the Hurricanes, and the Capitals to name a few. And it hasn't been by fluke either. It's been their hard work, defending one-goal leads and commitment to their system that has translated into impressive results. What that does too, as Kovacevic explains, is that it builds a new level of belief with every added win.
"I definitely think we have chemistry and now we have the belief too,” Kovacevic said. “We’ve beat a decent amount of good teams lately and we’re looking around and are like, we think we have something here. We’ve got to keep building at it. But as the chemistry grows, that belief grows and I think that can be a really powerful thing.”
“I think just going with how it is, when you’re winning games, everyone is happy," Mercer said. "When things are going well, there’s a lot of confidence and I think just building on that is a huge thing and taking that opportunity when you are winning those tight games that teams are realizing that when you play us. And we just want to make sure that we’re ready because they’re going to be ready to face us.”
