Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
Five observations from New Jersey vs Detroit:
1. The Devils probably deserved better
It wasn't the prettiest effort, but the Devils played better than I thought they would without Taylor Hall.
They were able to generate chances pretty consistently throughout. The problem is anything that could have possibly gone wrong in the offensive zone did just that.
Broken sticks ended a couple promising possessions, the Devils ripped two or three shots off the post, and Petr Mrazek came up big whenever they really broke the defense down and created Grade A scoring opportunities.
Thanks in part to three extra power plays, the Devils managed to out-chance the Red Wings by 10, according to NaturalStatTrick. They were unlucky to walk away empty handed.
2. Pavel Zacha stood out
The driver of the unlucky train was unquestionably Pavel Zacha.
The sophomore center led the game in shot attempts (8) and scoring chances (7) and looked comfortable with one of the power play units largely running through him due to Hall's absence.
I thought he was one of the better forwards on the team from the outset – there's a reason John Hynes moved him into the top-6 – so it was unfortunate he didn't get rewarded.
At least he's starting to generate more chances on a nightly basis.
3. Cory Schneider was adequate in his return
Schneider wasn't at his best – he'd probably want the 2nd goal back even though it was deflected – but I thought he had some good moments in his return to the lineup.
There were a couple sequences where he made a string of quality stops and he did keep the Devils within striking distance until the final 10 minutes of the game.
If not anything else, it was at least a small step in the right direction from his five prior starts. Hopefully, he can build on it in a hurry because I'm guessing the Devils won't be filling the net without Hall.
4. Marcus Johansson showed signs of life
I thought Johansson looked a lot more dangerous than we've seen in recent games – especially after Zacha was moved to his line.
He used his speed to back the defense off, he showed confidence holding onto the puck and waiting for lanes to open up, and he fired four pucks on net for just the second time this season.
Johansson was a good facilitator on the man advantage and the Devils out-chanced the Red Wings 7-2 in ~8 minutes alongside Zacha at 5v5.
I think that duo should stick to see if there's something there. The Devils really need Johansson to get going and it seems like Zacha may be able to help him do so.
5. The Devils wasted an opportunity
Hall's absence hurt a lot, and part of the loss was luck driven, but the Devils had a great opportunity to pick up two much-needed points at home against one of the league's bottom feeders.
They failed to do so and now they're really getting themselves into trouble. Tonight they have to take on the hottest team in the NHL in a road back-to-back. That's *likely* a loss and the Devils will have to follow that up with a date against a Nashville team that is a point out of 2nd in the Western Conference.
I don't want to get ahead of myself but it's entirely possible – perhaps even likely – the Devils drop 10 of 12 games heading into the all-star break.
The nice cushion they built up with a strong start is disappearing in a hurry.
Recent Posts
Five observations from New Jersey vs Philadelphia
On Severson, Santini, and optimizing the defense
On Hischier's playmaking, Palmieri's goal scoring, and more
Thoughts on the Sami Vatanen trade
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»