Newark. The Devils from Jersey met Carolina last night — and it was Jesper Pratt who played the tug.
He scored twice in a heated league final that Newark won 3-0 at home at The Rock.
– Yes, there was excessive heat in the fire tonight, the 24-year-old sniper told Sportbladet.
The Carolina Hurricanes have topped the Metropolitan standings since last fall and did so as recently as January in such superior fashion that it seemed a foregone conclusion that they would sweep the division and secure home court advantage for at least a few rounds.
But in the past month, the New Jersey Devils have methodically and single-mindedly closed the gap, so when the rivals met last night at The Rock in Newark, it was a head-to-head for first place.
‘I knew what was at stake’
And it was noticeable – above all, with demons. They played a true cannonball game, attacking like hell in the first two periods and then shutting down effectively in the third to pull off a solid 3-0 victory.
– Yes, of course we knew who we were up against and what was at stake, so there was extra heat in the fire tonight. Like in a playoff game. We had a lot of energy from the start, Jesper Bratt says when we meet him in a uniform but satisfied dressing room afterwards.
– We played well in the end and entered the type of adult hockey that belongs to the playoffs.
Best new character
Jesper himself had a big part in the victory and scored two of the three goals – the second goal was in the goal area, which was totally uncharacteristic.
Still, he has a new personal best in NHL goals scored at 27 — with sixteen regular season games left to play.
There were some games when I didn’t get a bounce back with me, but I worked hard with my agent and my mental coach Andy Soward and trusted what I was doing. In the end, there will be a jump in front of the box like that night and then you put it there, continues the 24-year-old from Trångsund.
– It was definitely nice getting the disc in right now, and that would be a little boost to my self-confidence.
As for the Hurricanes, it has been a long time since the disc entered. In fact, they have now gone eight periods without scoring.