Sunday Scrimmage Takeaways I FEATURE

The Devils wrapped their second scrimmage of training camp Sunday afternoon at
Prudential Center
. The contest featured Team B vs. Team C. Here is what you need to know from the head-to-head play.
WHO WON?
There is some controversy swirling around as to which team should be declared the victor. Team B built a 4-0 lead, but Team C chipped away with three goals in the third period. Regulation ended with Team B ahead 4-3. But as training camp goes, the two squads played an additional 3-on-3 overtime session to get the necessary reps. Team C scored in the overtime to tie the game at 4-4. As it advanced to a shootout, Jack Hughes tallied to end the afternoon with Team C ahead 5-4.
So, did Team B win since they led at the end of regulation, 4-3? Or did Team C win, since they led at the end of the overtime/shootout, 5-4?
That question was put to head coach Lindy Ruff. Was it assistant coach Alain Nasreddine's Team B or assistant coach Chris Taylor's Team C?
"There is an incredibly sour debate going on in the coaches' office right now," Ruff said. "If you want to ask Nasreddine, you'll find out. If you want to ask Taylor, you'll find out."
Although, Tatar made it clear that his team, Team C, was no doubt the victor.
"We won," Tatar said. "It's a part of the game to continue. In the 3-on-3 We tied it and in the shootout we won. I don't care what anybody says, at the end we had 5 and they have 4."

HUGHES STARS
Team C's Jack Hughes and his linemates Yegor Sharangovich and Tatar didn't have immediate chemistry. In fact, through the opening two periods the trio look disoriented (though that could also be due to the fact that
Team B was playing its second game
of camp while Team C was playing its first).
However, Team C got its groove in the third period as Hughes scored two goals in the third period and finished things off with a nifty shootout goal.
"The first two periods of the 15s you could see our group trying to figure it out, figure out the structure," Tatar said. "As the third (period) started we started feeling much better and started making some plays.
"When you play the first scrimmage there are a lot of fast things happening at the same time. You're just trying to establish yourself and adapt to the speed."
Hughes made a couple eye-popping plays to help get his team back into the game. Trailing 4-0, Hughes broke the shutout when his corner shot eluded goaltender Akira Schmid over his shoulder and through a tight window. Hughes followed that with a snipe from the slot to make it 4-2. Hughes finished off the game with a sick deke move to beat Schmid in the shootout.
Hughes has told the media that he expects to take his game to another level in the 2021-22 season. Though Ruff made sure to let his star player know what lay ahead.
"I think (Hughes) has to understand that (scoring) will be harder this year than it was last year," Ruff said. "He's going to get more attention. All the habits away from the puck have to be better. You can't take those plays for granted."

WOODS EFFORT
Another player that really stood out in the scrimmage was forward Miles Wood. He scored a goal in the typical Miles Wood fashion - crashing the net and finding a loose puck in the blue paint. But it was his effort that really stood out.
In scrimmages, hitting is typically minimal as players don't want to hurt their teammates. But Wood threw a heavy body check into defenseman Michael Vukojevic. In the second period, when forward Jesper Boqvist was awarded a chased penalty shot - meaning as he moves in on the penalty shot the remaining nine players are allowed to chase him from behind - Wood actually caught Boqvist and denied him of getting off a shot.
"I'm seeing a real strong effort in practices. He played well and made a lot of good plays in the scrimmages," Ruff said. "Backchecking on the shootout play, that's something we can laugh at but it took away their chance which should have been a freebie."
Wood may only be 26 years old, but he is the longest tenured Devil entering his sixth season. He tied for the team lead last season with 17 goals while wearing an 'A' as an alternate captain. Wood has embraced that leadership role, and his efforts through camp are showing.
"When I was trying to break into the league, there were certain guys that tried to step up in these (scrimmages)," Wood said. "These games are very easy to hide in, put on the cruise control and just cruise through it. I think as an older person, I guess you could say, I wanted to up the pace of the game."

OODS AND END
* Team B built a 4-0 lead through two periods on goals from Mark Jankowski, Tyler Wotherspoon, Wood and Alexander Holtz. Team C stormed back by scoring the next four goals: Hughes (2), Chase Stillman and Sharangovich (OT). Hughes scored the shootout deciding goal.
* Dougie Hamilton showed a little flash of the future during the overtime session. He carried the puck to the low circle in the offensive zone and waited for Sharangovich to reach the slot.
Hamilton made a no-look pass
to Sharangovich for the tap-in tally.
* Holtz, the team's seventh-overall pick in 2020, was elevated to a spot alongside Pavel Zacha and Janne Kuokkanen, though was moved throughout the lineup. He seemed to play best with Wood as both set each other up on their goals. Holtz will be given a chance in training camp and the preseason to show what he can do with NHL talent around him, and possibly show if he belongs in New Jersey for the start of the season.
* Speaking of rookie first-round picks, Dawson Mercer had another noticeable performance. He nearly got on the scoresheet when he re-directed a pass from the slot into the crossbar. Later in the third period he made a diving play to get his stick on an attempted outlet pass that thwarted a potential breakaway against. Mercer's play continues to open eyes.
* Stillman scored a goal in the third period for Team C. He didn't make much of an impact at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo and didn't have much impact in the opening two periods Sunday (although he was robbed of a goal by a diving save from Jonathan Bernier). But Stillman got on the board in the third period with a goal to finally make his presence known. Stillman will almost certainly play in the Ontario Hockey League this season, but now is the time for him to plant the seeds of the future in the minds of coaches, management and his future teammates.
* Nassredine can be a crafty guy. With his team trailing 4-3 near the end of regulation, the assistant coach pulled his goaltender for the extra attacker, or should I say extra extra attacker. Team C sent two players over the boards and had a 7-on-5 advantage. The scheme however, didn't work. But Ruff liked the try.
"I thought it was a brilliant move," Ruff laughed. "I complimented him because he almost got away with it. I said if I was going to put seven, I would have put a couple better players out there."