Two points were in the bank, and the New Jersey Devils still sounded miserable about Thursday. Sheldon Keefe said they tried to see “how cool we could be” after racing out to a lead on the St. Louis Blues, then watched a 4-1 cushion melt in 3:08 before Jesper Bratt cleaned it up in overtime. Friday was an off day, which left plenty of room to pick at the tape: the Concern-O-Meter is back, Timo Meier’s instigator still has Keefe talking league-wide enforcement, and Anthony Mantha keeps proving why Sunny Mehta wanted his finish.

I ran a fresh Concern-O-Meter and, with Daniel Amoia, dug into the “too cool” night, the Hellebuyck workload and Mantha’s heater. Daniel also caught Keefe on the instigator rule after Meier stepped in for Nico Hischier. Around the league, Sportsnet maps Nikita Kucherov landing spots, Pavel Dorofeyev finally got his Rangers spark, and the Boston Bruins keep scoring in bunches. The links are below.

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Daniel Amoia and I dissected Thursday’s 5-4 overtime win, from Keefe calling out a team that “started making it up” after a 16-4 first period to Connor Hellebuyck’s third straight start (28 saves, .875, a third-period giveaway on the tying goal) and Mantha’s finishing surge: five goals on 3.19 expected goals, nine points in 11 games since he moved down the lineup.

I brought the Concern-O-Meter back even with three straight wins and an 11-5-0 record. Protecting third-period leads sits at Medium (9-0-0 when leading after two, but two straight leads that needed OT or a shootout), the penalty kill is High at 67.6 percent and 29th in the NHL, the power play is Medium at 18.0 percent, and Meier’s finishing (one goal on 57 shots) is Medium while Bratt’s is Low after the OT winner.

Daniel Amoia has Keefe questioning how the NHL hands out instigators after Meier took 17 penalty minutes (instigator, fighting major, misconduct) for answering Jake Neighbours’ hit on Hischier. Keefe said he will never get mad at a player for standing up for the captain, then argued the guy who threw the hit often drops the gloves first: “That’s happening a lot around the league.”

Devils Postgame Live: Reaction to the Devils surviving a three-goal third-period collapse and beating the Blues 5-4 in overtime on Bratt’s breakaway.

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Michael Amato’s Friday Four maps interesting Nikita Kucherov landing spots if the Tampa Bay Lightning ever move the reigning Hart Trophy winner. Julien BriseBois still says he will not trade him, but Amato digs into fits with the Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals, and how free agency next summer could reopen every market.

Lou DiPietro asks whether Pavel Dorofeyev’s power-play equalizer against the Philadelphia Flyers was the spark the New York Rangers have been waiting for. Dorofeyev tied Thursday’s game at 13:52 of the third before Tye Kartye won it 1:29 later, New York’s first come-from-behind win of the season, and Mike Sullivan called it a huge goal for a winger who entered the night with more posts (five) than goals (four).

Jack Studley writes that the Boston Bruins keep winning with balanced scoring, rolling the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2 for a third straight win. Pavel Zacha scored twice, five different Bruins found the net, and it was the seventh time this season five or more Bruins scored in a win. Marco Sturm’s four-line attack has Boston atop the Atlantic.

Max Smith writes that Emmitt Finnie is becoming what the Detroit Red Wings need, centering the top line as a 21-year-old former seventh-round pick and sitting tied for second on the team in goals with seven. With Dylan Larkin away from the club and Simon Edvinsson still unsigned, Finnie is projecting as a major piece of Detroit’s middle while Marco Kasper nears a return.