Five observations from New Jersey vs Florida:
1. James Reimer was not tested adequately Last night was a golden opportunity for the Devils to get back into the win column and fill the net in the process. Among 40 eligible goaltenders (500+ minutes), Reimer sits 34th in save percentage and 39th in high-danger save percentage. He has struggled mightily, particularly when facing quality shots. The Panthers have bled them lately, too, ranking 29th in high-danger attempts against at 5v5 over the last 10 games. Naturally, they held the Devils to just six last night. That's their 2nd lowest output of the year, with the lowest coming Game 3 against San Jose.
Relatively speaking, it was a pretty easy night for Reimer and the Devils still beat him three times. The result likely would have been different had they generated quality looks at anything close to their usual rate (12.22 HDCF/60).
2. Things went south in a hurry The Devils are getting a lot of flack for blowing another 3rd period. While the trend is concerning, I'm not sure criticism is warranted for last night's effort. The Devils allowed fewer attempts, shots on goal, and scoring chances in the final frame than any other period. It's not like they were caved in and allowed Florida to open a shooting gallery. The Devils also had some things working against them, such as Nico Hischier getting boarded directly in front of an official with it going uncalled. If the Devils get the power play, maybe they convert and put the game away. Instead, 5v5 play continued and the Devils were forced to spend a good portion without their No. 1 center.
Making matters worse is Aaron Ekblad set a pick on Jesper Bratt in overtime, which led directly to the winning goal. He didn't flatten Bratt by any means, but he created extra space for Jonathan Huberdeau. Technically speaking, Ekblad is interfering with Bratt's ability to make a play on the puck. That's a tough way to lose a game.
Then here's the second pick on #NJDevils Jesper Bratt. I mean, if teams are allowed to have a guy (Ekblad) just skate around and try to get in a guy's way to create 2-on-1s ... maybe one of those is OK but two in a span of a few seconds is probably not OK. pic.twitter.com/Q3a6bZB1Cw
— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) November 27, 2018
3. Travis Zajac struggled It has been a good year for Baejac. He's played a lot of different roles – top line/offensive center, shutdown center, etc. – and played them well. He had a very tough night, though.
At 5v5, the Devils lost the shot attempt battle 20-3 with Baejac on the ice. He finished 4th among forwards in time on ice during that game state yet recorded just one (1) shot contribution. No. 19 created absolutely nothing offensively and spent the vast majority of his time chasing play in the defensive zone. It's surprising the Devils didn't concede a 5v5 goal when he was out there. Florida certainly had plenty of opportunities.
4. The PK continues to hum Penalty killing was certainly a positive for the Devils. At least at 4v5. In ~6:30 of time down a single man, the Devils gave up two high-danger chances. They created two of their own, one of which Blake Coleman was able to convert. Florida has a really good power play so out-scoring them in 4v5 situations – while trading Grade A looks – is encouraging.
5. Brett Seney is coming alive He's quietly stringing together some really good performances. Sunday night he tied Taylor Hall for 1st on the team with nine shot contributions at 5v5. Seney was very involved offensively again vs Florida picking up another seven. Only Hall recorded more.
Combine the two games and we're looking at 16 shot contributions in ~20 minutes of ice. Seney is playing almost exclusively against bottom-6 players and taking full advantage of it.
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