Nicholas Desiderio has been so important for New Jersey over the course of the last four days and he was once again leading the offense from the front lines. He was getting open and putting the goalie to the test by firing a variety of shots towards the net whenever he could find the time and space. He got down low and played a physical game in front of the opposing goal and was getting a couple of rebound opportunities by outmuscling his man and being quick to the puck. He used his long strides to carry the puck up the ice and lead rushes, driving the defense back and powering his way into the high quality scoring areas where he could get his prime scoring chances. He was moving the puck well on the powerplay and did well up high to cycle the puck around the point and help create space for his teammates by drawing the attention of the defense as a shooting threat. A goal and assist for Desiderio capped off a very strong game in what was an impressive tournament for him.

Desiderio was the entirety of the Rockets offensive arsenal throughout this game, having been in on all of his teams’ goals and generating a majority of their scoring chances. He scored the first goal of the game off a perfect snapshot from the faceoff dot on the powerplay that beat the goaltender clean. Not too long after he did a great job locating a loose puck in the crease area then batting it towards an open teammate who deposited it into the yawning cage. Throughout the rests of the game Desiderio was displaying his highly intelligent style of play in all three zones. He showed good awareness along the defensive zone half wall by realizing pressure and making quick plays with the puck to kickstart the transition game. In the offensive zone he was taking good routes which, allowed him to get to get to loose pucks first, and was displaying good scanning habits which allowed him to spot passing options early and exploit the Saints defensive zone structure. To cap it all off he put the game away with an empty net goal late in the third period to give him 3 points on the evening.

As the game wore on the influence that Desiderio had over the outcome continued to grow. He was integral at slowing down the game and establishing possession in the offensive zone by making good passes and quick decisions on the puck. He used his body really well as he carried the puck up to protect it and then mixed in some nice changes of pace to give himself some extra room on the puck to operate. He did not rush any plays and was able to deal with pressure in a composed and effective manner. He did a great job keeping play flowing well and his constant involvement was driving his team forward all game.