Here are some observations from the game:
• Mercer’s two goals were very indicative of being rewarded for his efforts. On the first, the Bruins turned the puck over just inside their own blue line. Mercer pounced and made a nice move to get free, but he put a shot over the crossbar. Mercer would find the puck again just above the crease and scored on a spinning shot on a bouncing puck that found its way into the net.
On his second goal, Mercer found some space atop the crease in the slot. Justin Dowling made a nice cross-ice feed that Mercer finished with a nice snap shot.
• Sometimes you get the bounces, sometimes you don’t. The Devils haven’t been getting the bounces of late. But against the Bruins, luck finally went their way, and at the perfect time. While on a power play, Nico Hischier’s attempted pass hit the skate of Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov and went right to Stefan Noesen at the side of the post. Noesen was able to tuck the puck into the net by banking it off the skate of goalie Jeremy Swayman. Right place, right time, right finish.
• Jack Hughes had one of his best shifts of the game halfway through the second period. He jumped on the ice for a change and didn’t leave until 1:54 minutes later. In fact, he stayed on the ice through three line changes. He started with Mercer and Timo Meier, stayed on with Hischier and Jesper Bratt and stayed on again with Paul Cotter and Stefan Noesen.
Hughes refused to leave the ice, and for good reason. The Devils held the puck in the offensive zone for nearly that entire time. In that span they recorded six shots and hit one post. Jack could smell blood in the Bruins and his killer instinct and great conditioning allowed him to make the most of the situation.
• Devils forward Jesper Bratt turned the puck over in his own zone in the first period and it led to the Bruins’ first goal. He would make up for that mistake with a sick pass through the Bruins’ PK box to Hamilton for the one-timer power-play goal.
• The Devils played the game without forward Ondrej Palat, who was held out due to illness.
