Devils' 7-2 Win vs. Sharks: What the Doctor Ordered

Though they got off to a slow start, the New Jersey Devils took control of the game and came away with a convincing 7-2 win over the Sharks.

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That was just what the doctor ordered for the New Jersey Devils. It did not get off to the best of starts, but it ended up being a convincing 7-2 win after the Devils rattled off seven unanswered goals against the San Jose Sharks. Here are three takeaways from the win as the Devils prepare for a tilt against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday evening. 

Daws Helped Devils Get Through Early Troubles

For the 43rd time in 59 games, the Devils gave up the game's first goal. At this point, coach Lindy Ruff should start with an empty net and let the opponent score to go up 1-0. But in all seriousness, it's not like the Sharks didn't deserve to go up 1-0 in the first period. 

I don't know if the Devils were feeling the pressure of the moment, but they did not get off to a good start to this game. The Sharks finished the first period with 1.11 expected goals at five-on-five compared to 0.37 for the Devils. 

As Dimitri Filipovic noted on an episode of The Hockey PDOcast earlier this week, the Devils' rush defense has been terrible this season. It showed early on, as the Sharks were gaining the offensive zone pretty easily on their first few shifts of the game. 

Even when the Devils had the puck on their stick in the defensive zone, they had trouble breaking out and getting the attack started. They were turning over the puck and getting hemmed in against a Sharks team that has had problems controlling play all season. 

Fortunately, Devils goaltender Nico Daws was up to the task early. Even to start the second period, the Devils were a bit helter-skelter defensively, but a big save on Alexander Barabanov was a bit of a momentum shifter. Moments after that stop, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier went the other way on the rush and linked up for a pretty goal to tie the game at one.