Devils throw away victory in opener.

For nearly two entire periods, the New Jersey Devils and their fans could not have scripted a better opening night than they were receiving from their team.
After all, the Devils had raced up, down and around the Winnipeg Jets and built a four-goal lead.
But games aren't won for play over thirty-nine minutes and forty-nine seconds and when Winnipeg's Dmitry Kulikov beat Cory Schneider with just eleven seconds to go in the second period, little did the Devils or I know it, but it was all bad news from there as the Jets would score three times in the third period, almost end the game in regulation and eventually deal the Devils a 5-4 loss via the shootout.
It wasn't all bad news as the Devils at least landed one point on the evening, but this could have been so much more.
Devils goals to Blake Coleman (1 and 2), Nikita Gusev (1) and Sami Vatanen (1).
The Devils travel to Buffalo on Saturday night, so there is no coverage here due to conflict with Ohio State-Michigan State.

Hell Raisers

1) Cory Schneider left the game after the initial goal in the third period by Winnipeg with an undisclosed injury and there is no word at this writing of the injury or its seriousness.
Schneider was good in goal until the Kulikov goal which was soft, as Schneider finished with 19 saves before leaving the game.
I wonder how much the game was affected by the Schneider absence?

2) Considering the circumstances, it is hard to criticize Mackenzie Blackwood too much for his problems in the loss.
Blackwood wasn't stretched and ready physically on short notice and when you add that to the hoopla of opening night for a player going through that for the first time, it's tough to knock anyone's performance- even if it wasn't very good.

3) The defensive breakdowns were glaring, particularly on the game-tying goal where it seemed like the Devils were on the ice since the Carter Administration and simply couldn't get off under any circumstances.
It didn't take a hockey expert to see what was going to occur and sure enough, it did.

4) That breakdown alone should have been on the coaching staff, but one other thing stood out to me.
Remember when I commented in the preview that I was always hesitant to try to figure out lines and defensive pairings because they were often obsolete quickly?
Well, that was true by the first game as the Devils placed captain Andy Greene with new acquisition P.K. Subban, breaking Greene up with his pairing with Damon Severson.
Severson was moved with Mirco Mueller and they were really bad.
Bad to the point that after the game-tying goal, they rode the pine for the rest of the game and deservedly so.
I'm not saying that this is more than a bad night, but even on the surface-Severson and Mueller's strengths and weaknesses don't seem to be a good match.

5) Some good news- I had forgotten how much I loved the grit of Blake Coleman.
Coleman's second goal was one of those that contained a large amount of luck, but luck often arrives through hustle and effort and the pair arrived together as Coleman swatted the puck with one hand, a defender on his back and falling to the ice.
Plays like that don't come often and they come along even less for the high effort players, so it was good to see that work be rewarded.

6) Nikita Gusev is going to be a star.
I know it's one game, but you can see the vision and the offensive skills with the ability to finish that isn't as common for even scorers as you would think.
This guy is going to be a standout and I think it might be sooner than one thinks.
The only thing that keeps Gusev from being a first-line forward is the Devils also having Taylor Hall on the roster.

7) Jack Hughes showed what he'll become, but he seemed a bit jittery and overwhelmed, but that's understandable, he's 18.
I can't imagine being in that situation at 18.
There will plenty of nights that you see the growth and struggles and then there will be others that you'll smile and think forward to the great days to come.

8) The Gusev/Hughes/Jesper Bratt line is going to be exciting to watch grow as well and I hope that John Hynes sticks with these guys as a unit.
The offensive creativity and skills combined with their speed on the ice will cause so many matchup problems for defenses that there will be times that they will seem to be overwhelming to rival teams.
There will be plenty of defensive breakdowns and there will be nights that will cost the Devils a game, but keeping these three together will be worth it.

9) I was surprised to see rookie Jesper Boqvist not dressed for the game and off-season addition John Hayden in the lineup.
Hayden's just a journeyman and even though it was only one game, I hate to already see Boqvist sitting when he could be learning, so that a guy like Hayden can play.
If this becomes a pattern, I would have rather seen Boqvist returned to Sweden for the year.

10) In the shootout, the Devils looked to use their best possible lineup with Nikita Gusev, Jack Hughes, Taylor Hall, and Kyle Palmieri before the game ended.
I'm not sure about the Devils other shootout performers (after missing most of last season), but on the surface, I'd wonder who would be the fifth and sixth shooters?
Just a guess, but maybe Myles Wood or Pavel Zacha?

11) I know it seems that I'm overly bothered about losing an opener with 81 games to go, but I hate giving away points that should have been safely in the pocket.
When you are a team that has playoff hopes, but you aren't a powerhouse that figures to steam into the playoffs with few roadblocks, every point means a lot when April rolls around.

12) Every recap won't be this long, it'll depend on time to both watch and write.

Please forgive a personal note as I wrap up.
I didn't really lose my love for the Devils or the game as part of my hiatus and although there were times that I missed both and especially last winter when I found myself a little bored without the Devils or Cavaliers to watch.
What I discovered that what I missed most was time with Rachel.
Hockey is the only thing that really bonds us together, she likes to spend more time with her mom with more things in common and that makes all the more reason that Devils hockey became even more important to me.
I knew from the first day when she gained such a passion for the team and for Adam Henrique that the day that Henrique left the organization was going to be difficult.
It always is with your first sports love as a fan, it's intense and passionate and when it changes, it changes you as a fan.
The love is never as pure, never quite as intense and it's never the same as that first time.
That doesn't mean that you don't care or lack passion, it's just different.

I expected Rachel to have a hard time with the trade, but I didn't quite expect the long-term issues to the point of rarely watching the team for the rest of that season.
Without watching with her, I didn't enjoy it as much and when she lacked interest for the 2018-19 season, I decided not to pay the money for Center Ice for the first time in close in two decades.
I missed it and watching the games with her.
I'm glad to have that back and to share my thoughts on the season here with whoever reads this.
Anything else that happens on the ice won't be this a bad season for me- Promise.