Five observations from New Jersey vs Tampa Bay:
1. It happened again *DJ Khaled voice*
Anotha one! Sorry, sorry, I had to.
You won’t believe this but the Devils once again held a 3rd period lead at home, and they once again blew it.
The Devils entered the final regulation frame up 4-3 on the Lightning. Sami Vatanen quickly scored a beautiful goal, extending the lead to 5-3 and giving the team a little more margin for error. It didn’t matter. Why?
Despite allowing just five shots in the 3rd, the Devils conceded three times. Three! Ken Daneyko mentioned on several occasions during the broadcast it was hard to fathom the Devils couldn’t keep the puck out considering they didn’t give up all that much and, honestly, I agree with him.
If I told you the Devils would be up by a pair of goals early in the 3rd and concede five shots the rest of the way to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, you’d sign up for that every single time. Anyone would.
Unfortunately, anything that could have worked against the Devils (own goals, broken sticks at the blue line, etc.) did and the end result was a much-needed point being left on the table.
2. They really did deserve better There isn’t much appetite for moral victories right now. Understandably so – the Devils need every single point possible and can’t afford to let them slip away.
With that said, it’s hard to be too disappointed with the performance we saw. At least from the skaters. After a somewhat sloppy 1st period, in which the Devils looked like the fatigued team missing a couple key players, I thought they were mostly excellent and the numbers bear that out.
They generated 31 shots on goal and 13 Grade A chances over the final 40 minutes of regulation. The team’s previous season high was 11 Grade A chances and that was done in 60. They really were a much different team and, for the first time, generated quality looks with some of the ease you’d expect given the high-end players they have.
All in all, the Devils had 19 more shots on goal, six more Grade A looks, and controlled ~70% of the expected goals. They were the much better team in aggregate.
They just couldn’t get a save, or a bounce, and they paid the price.
3. Something’s gotta give I know some fluky plays worked against Schneider – such as Taylor Hall redirecting one home into his own net – but, at the end of the day, the Devils gave up 23 shots, 1.82 expected goals and their $6 million man conceded seven goals. That’s 5.18 goals above expectation. Given some of the bounces, I could see a handful going in without getting too worked up. But seven? That’s absurd. If this was an ultra rare occasion it would suck but, sure, Schneider could have a free pass. It’s not, though. This has been happening for the better part of two years. Not to the same extent, obviously, but almost every time out Schneider is giving up more goals than he should have, and we’ll make every excuse in the book for him. That’s getting old. This is the NHL. At some point a goaltender has to, you know, make a save or two to cover up for a mistake. We can’t say ‘oh, Jesper Bratt was late getting to the point to cut down the angle on that Braydon Coburn wrister’ and let him off the hook (this didn’t actually happen last night, just making a point). Stop a puck.
4. Jesper Bratt made the most of his opportunity No. 63 was given a chance to play with Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha on the 2nd scoring line. He took advantage, going full Sicko Mode. Bratt was all over the ice from start to finish, seemingly having the puck on a string all night. He created quality looks for teammates and was not remotely trigger-shy when a chance presented itself. Bratt piled up eight shot attempts, five scoring chances, two goals, and led the team in 5v5 shot contributions. He was full of life and showed why so many were optimistic about what he could do this season with a better supporting cast.
5. P.K. Subban was too hard on himself I know he was out there for four goals against, which is never good, but I think – like the team as a whole – he deserved better. The Devils controlled a significantly larger portion of the chances, expected goals, and shots with Subban on the ice. I mean, he was only on for six shots against in ~18 minutes at 5v5. It’s not his fault his stick broke at the wrong time or that Schneider stopped *checks notes* 33% of the shots with him out there.
I thought he was good breaking out of the zone, he turned back the clock with a few end-to-end rushes where he cut through Tampa Bay’s neutral zone defense, and he led Devils blueliners in shot contributions by a pretty comfortable margin.
Was Subban flawless? Absolutely not and I don’t want anyone to get the impression I’m suggesting otherwise. But it’s not like he was hemmed into the defensive zone shift after shift. For him to say his performance was unacceptable, that he looked like a rookie, and essentially shoulder all the blame for the loss, is harsh. Though I appreciate him trying to take ownership, I don’t think this is a time where he needed to do so.
numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and tracked manually Recent Posts The Devils should change the way they play