One of the biggest questions about Nikita Gusev’s transition to the NHL in his first season with the Devils revolved around his KHL scoring translating to a new league.

Now 60 games into his NHL career, Gusev appears to be doing just fine.

His goal in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in San Jose gave him his 40th point of the season, good for second best on the Devils. Over an 82-game pace, that equates to 54.67 points.

Gusev was never going to replicate the 82 points he posted in 62 KHL games last season, but getting consistent production out of the Russian winger has been one of the few positives for the Devils this season.

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On top of Gusev’s scoring, his overall play has also improved since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. After being a defensive liability in the opening weeks of the season, he’s been much more consistent in helping the Devils drive possession.

When Gusev was a healthy scratch in late October and early November, it was to give him time to adjust to the defensive side of the game. In the Devils’ first nine games, Gusev had a team-worst 34.44 corsi-for percentage while on the ice, meaning the Devils were consistently giving up more shot attempts than they generated.

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Since returning to the lineup on Nov. 5, Gusev boasts a team-best 51.12 corsi-for percentage. One of the factors in that change came from joining a line with Travis Zajac and Blake Coleman, but regardless, Gusev is no longer a liability in driving possession.

Gusev has also been playing on a line with Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha over the past two weeks, and those possession numbers haven’t dipped.

As the Devils aim to retool their roster this summer, they will have a much better idea of what Gusev can provide in the NHL. They should feel confident having him as a part of their top six or top nine going forward.

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