PRE-GAME STORY
The Devils have traveled with their dads and mentors to Columbus, Ohio for the first game of a back-to-back weekend. First up is the Blue Jackets tonight at Nationwide Arena, a place where if you're not ready, their goal cannon can catch you off-guard.
This morning, Jesper Bratt's father Conny, mentioned that his son gave him a warning yesterday, that while they hope the cannon doesn't go off at all during the game, when it does for the start of the game as it always does, to make sure he blocks his ears.
With the way the Devils have been playing of late, with their improved defense, they have a good chance to keep it at bay. New Jersey is 7-3-0 in their last ten games, which head coach Lindy Ruff attributes to a better defensive game from all players on the ice. In three of their past four games the Devils have held their opponents to two or fewer goals.
During this morning's optional skate 15 players suited up. Both goaltenders, Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid were dressed, along with Tyler Toffoli, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Curtis Lazar, Chris Tierney, Michael McLeod, Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Jonas Siegenthaler and Brendan Smith.
10 Game Segments
Many coaches tend to break down their seasons into smaller segments, rather than looking at the full 82 games. For Lindy Ruff, he's pleased with a 7-3 record in their last 10 as the team starts to find more of a consistent stride. The smaller segments of the season are all about focusing on a small-term goal, to help propel themselves into the post-season.
"I believe in any segment where we win more than we lose," Ruff joked before sharing his thoughts, "We always set small-term goals, we went on a road trip like we went on, we win three out of four, you try to set goals. Part of that is the 10-game segment, you try to get 12 points because you know if you get 12 points because you know if you get 12 every 10 games you'll be in the playoffs. Obviously, 7-3 is good, you've got to put stretches on winning together, becasue the odd time, at different times you can lose a few."
Not As Easy
While last year the Devils put together a remarkable 13-game winning streak early in the season, things have gone a little differently this year, but the long-term goal remains the same. The team is pushing themselves for greater results than last season, but know it will have to come a little differently, not having built a stretch of 13-straight wins. Last year was more of the outlier than this one, Ruff explains.
"I think last year was a little bit rare when you look what happened when we strung all those wins together and found a way to win. We put ourselves in a really good position," the head coach said after today's optional morning skate. "This year will be a year, you look around our division, and our conference, it's tough. If you can pick a winner every given night, you're really on top of your game. But for us, worry about our game and we know we have a couple younger (defensemen) playing, some changes upfront, so you find your game and try to improve throughout the year."
