Devils HC Sheldon Keefe raves about ‘world-class, elite’ winger

New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe praised Jesper Bratt, calling him a "world-class, elite" player. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Keefe said Bratt improves the team with his individual performance.

Bratt is having a great season with 20 goals and 60 assists in 69 games. He ranks fifth in the NHL in assists. In his last five games, he had three straight three-point performances. He recorded one goal and two assists against both Edmonton and Columbus. Additionally, he registered three assists in a 7-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"He's a world-class, elite player on his own. He makes our team better because of how he individually performs, but if you look where he's at with his assists, those are not just freebies; those are well earned & it starts with how he prepares himself." Keefe said, as quoted by reporter Amanda Stein.

Bratt’s impact goes beyond scoring. He has a plus-11 rating showing his two-way play and he plays an average of 18:44 per game. His ability to create scoring chances helps the team's offense. He is on track to reach 95 points, which would be a career-high.

New Jersey is sitting third in the Metropolitan Division with 80 points. Alongside Timo Meier and Jack Hughes, Bratt is helping in driving the team’s attack.

Jesper Bratt scored in Devils's 2-1 win over Blue Jackets

The New Jersey Devils beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Monday at Nationwide Arena. Goalie Jake Allen made 45 saves, 23 in the third period, to help secure the win. The Devils have now won four of their last five games.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe praised Allen’s performance and the team’s strong defense.

“A desperate opponent coming at us,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “... But goaltending was terrific from Jake Allen"

Timo Meier scored first at 13:35 of the second period. Less than a minute later, Jesper Bratt made it 2-0. Greaves misplayed the puck behind the net, and Bratt quickly shot it into the open goal at 14:14.

Bratt said his line had good chances before the goal and was glad to score.

“Our line did a pretty good job creating scoring chances. Definitely had some good looks before that, but sometimes you get those and you’ve just got to put those in too.” Bratt said, via NHL.com.

Mathieu Olivier scored at 13:24 for Columbus in the third period but despite Columbus pushing hard, the Devils held on.

Bratt reached 80 points this season, becoming the third player in Devils history with back-to-back 80-point seasons.