Respect | COLUMN  | New Jersey Devils

“We needed this win,” said Ruff, who celebrated his 64^th birthday with the victory. “If they beat us, it would almost put them out of reach (in the playoff chase).”

“It was a big game, a big event, four-point game,” Hischier said. “It was a huge win for us. That’s a team we’re chasing. Everybody was ready to play and it was all business for us.”

The captain was all business. He finished the night with three points, a plus-2, 22-plus minutes of ice time, five shots and won 62 percent of his faceoffs (18-11). He opened the scoring in the third period, but this time he waited a little longer than 32 seconds. Hischier’s second of two goals came at 2:48 to give New Jersey a comfortable 5-2 lead. 

With the Devils leading 5-2, the crowd also felt some comfort. During a stop in play, the arena blared “Higher” by the band Creed. When the puck dropped, the music stopped. But the crowd of 70,000-plus kept the vocals going. 

And that’s where the Devils hope this win can catapult them to: higher. In their play. In their results. In the standings. After all, they’re only as good as their last envelope.

“That’s a win that brings a group together,” Hischier said. “Everybody had this circled on the calendar. We knew it was a big game at the beginning of the year. With how the standings are it’s an even bigger game. This brought the group together.”

Sounds like the perfect end to a perfect day.

“I’m looking forward to drinking a beer and enjoy this one,” Haula said.

Or as Ruff surmised a little more eloquently:

“It was amazing. What a night. Everything was done to a T. To have 70,000 fans here. To pull up with the bus and you’re driving through, it’s 30 degrees and 40,000 people are in the parking lot, drinking Diet Coke probably it looked like, playing cornhole.”

“What a day,” Ruff continued with a grin. “You use a football stadium. I thought it was so well done. The ice was good. You had two teams that competed hard. In the end we found a way to win a hockey game. All our fans that came out and supported us got rewarded with a heck of a game by our club.”

The Devils woke up this morning and got themselves a game. They ended the night with a blue moon in their eyes and two points. And in between a lifetime of memories. 

“I tried to soak it in as much as I can. It was such a fun game,” Hischier said. “Those are games you’ll never forget in your career.

“The win makes it even better.”