The New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators have each had pretty disappointing starts to the NHL season. Ottawa's was to be expected, as their GM said as much by saying very little during the preseason. The Devils, on the other hand, were poised to get back to the playoffs for a second straight year, something the franchise hasn't done since 2008 and 2009.
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Instead, New Jersey is dead last in their division, and they welcomed the second-to-last in their divison Senators to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Friday night. It was a must-win for both teams, a chance to get two huge points against lesser competition, at least according to record. While that sounds like a boring matchup, it provided by far the most electric electric 15-second sequence in the NHL all year.
Early in the second period, with the Devils already leading 3-1, Ottawa was applying a ton of pressure in the New Jersey zone, eventually getting a shot to deflect right in front of a wide open net for Sens winger Brady Tkachuk to tap in. But the Devils sold out for their goaltender Keith Kinkaid, miraculously saving an easy goal, which led to this heart-stopping sequence:
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That right there is everything that's great about hockey. Bodies everywhere, mass chaos, gloves, sticks flying all over the place. A sure goal for Ottawa, which would have made it a close game at 3-2, instead turns in to an odd-man rush in the other direction. And of course, the Devils finishing it off and sending the crowd into a playoff-atmosphere-like frenzy makes the whole clip. And don't forget about the call by underrated play-by-play man Steve Cangialosi, which was ruined by terrible color man and former Devil Ken Daneyko. If you're ever trying to convert someone into a NHL fan, show them that goal.