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A few notes on this off-day:
1) Historically, the Devils have been built on good defense and strong goaltending. That has been the recipe for every successful team the Devils have had over the last couple decades.
They certainly got away from that in the early going of the season -- they bled chances and, at times, both goaltenders struggled -- but they seem to have found their footing again.
Since the turn of the calendar, the Devils have played 11 games. At 5v5, they have allowed just 10 goals(!) and own a .957 save percentage(!) in that span. Unsurprisingly, they rank 1st in the NHL in both categories.
The Devils still get outplayed some nights, and they aren't where they need to be offensively, but they have done a better job of limiting the Grade A chances they give up and the goaltending has been excellent. It's no surprise they've crawled back into the playoff race as a result.
2) Those who follow advanced stats at all know they aren't too kind to Miles Wood. More often than not the Devils are outshot and out-chanced when he is on the ice at 5v5. He isn't very good defensively and usually has underwhelming linemates so it's not hard to see why.
That said, I was looking through his numbers a little more closely and I found something interesting. Though the Devils allow a lot more shot attempts and chances than they get with Wood on the ice, the Devils win the battle when it comes to high-danger looks. The Devils control 37% of the shot attempts and 40% of the chances with Wood on the ice (those are really bad numbers) but they get 52% of the high-danger chances. Those are weird splits and could be related to a small sample size (high-danger chances don't grow on trees) but on the surface, it makes some sense.
How often are the Devils in the defensive zone chasing play and giving up some shots/chances, then out of nowhere Wood bursts down the ice and the Devils get an odd-man rush and/or breakaway? Pretty often, which would help explain those numbers.
If the latter part continues and he can clean up his play in the defensive zone, he should be a very useful player.
3) This is a backburner issue right now but I wouldn't take Steve Santini out of the lineup when Andy Greene and/or John Moore return to the lineup. He has been steady and fared really well in the minutes he's been given. Keep him in the lineup, let him grow, and help the team at the same time. Don't take him out unless he gives a reason to.
4) Here is a Taylor Hall update, because everyone loves Taylor Hall: over 82 games he is on pace for 67 points and 265 shots. At 5v5, the Devils generate more chances per hour with him on the ice than any other player and he is 2nd on the team (behind Beau Bennett) when it comes to suppressing chances at 5v5. He has been spectacular and, with a little more help up front, I think he'd have even more to give.
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