Five observations from New Jersey vs Nashville:
1. Defense was optional So was goaltending but I’ll get to that. Just looking at the shot volume (62) I don’t think anybody would have expected a game remotely as high scoring as it was. The 6-5 scoreline is a little easier to understand when you look at where the shots came from.
New Jersey has struggled to defend around the net all season long and Nashville was in the latter half of a road back-to-back without one of their best defenders (Ryan Ellis). The end result was a lot of shots coming from a concentrated area, which happened to be just above the top of the crease.
In my preview I talked about how the Devils have played high-event hockey under Alain Nasreddine and, win or lose, there is generally a lot taking place. This was just another example.
Quite frankly, I hope there are 32 more.
2. Mackenzie Blackwood had a tough night Blackwood faced some great looks and the defense made plenty of mistakes in front of him. Heck, they screened him better than Nashville’s forwards did. Even so, Blackwood’s performance was still not close to par. There were a couple goals he would, and should, want back (Matt Duchene’s comes to mind).
The numbers also suggest as much. Based on the volume and locations, the Devils gave up 2.7 expected goals. Blackwood conceded five actual goals. He was beat on two of three in the shootout as well. It was a poor performance any way you slice it.
The Devils have made a habit of squandering quality starts from Blackwood by giving him little to no support. Last night the shoe was on the other foot.
3. Pavel Zacha was still Pavel Zacha He’s getting a lot of praise for his showing vs the Predators. Understandably so. Three points is three points and, quite frankly, he came close to four. You take that and run from any player each and every time.
When going beyond the surface, though, it’s more evident not much was different from a standard Zacha showing. The puck just went in for him.
Zacha remained rather ineffective at 5v5. He had one shot attempt and zero points. His Expected Goals For% was below 35%, and the Predators out-chanced the Devils 10-6 when he was out there. None of that is good.
All of the positives came on special teams. Zacha scored a really nice shorthanded goal, which is not abnormal for him. On the power play he took two shots. One went in and the other bounced to Nikita Gusev for a freebie. That was the performance.
Again, you happily take the three points. But the process wasn’t as encouraging as the end result. It’s not like Zacha helped tilt the ice at 5v5 or piled up chances. He shot 66.66% and the 33.33% turned into an assist.
That Zacha found the scoresheet three times and still finished 14th among skaters in Game Score – it factors in production, on-ice numbers, penalty differential, etc. and attempts to spit out an all-encompassing number – tells you all you need to know. He got results but there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Let’s hope this gives him the confidence necessary to take the next step.
4. Nikita Gusev continues to shine This guy is a legitimate star. At least offensively. Nobody in the game recorded more attempts (9), scoring chances (4) or penalties drawn (2). Gusev had the production to match too. He scored a goal, picked up a primary assist, and netted yet another silky smooth marker in the shootout. No other Devil managed to beat Pekka Rinne in the skills competition.
I know the Devils aren’t going anywhere this year but I’m not getting rid of somebody with more 5v5 points than Taylor Hall, Sebastian Aho, John Tavares, Tyler Seguin and Johnny Gaudreau. If the team is going nowhere again next year consider it then and only then. Gusev has to be part of the solution; he’s too good and too fun to sell off.
5. Roman Josi is a king I long for the day the Devils get a defenseman like him. He’s unbelievable. I don’t even think he was at his best last night and he still picked up a pair of assists, made countless key defensive plays (in zone and off the rush), and logged a hair under 30 minutes of ice in a B2B situation. What’s crazy is his rushes in overtime looked as effortless as they did in the 1st period. I don’t know how good his contract is going to look in five years but, my god, the Predators have a hell of a talent in the meantime. What a treat to watch.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com Recent Posts Five New Jersey Devils questions for the stretch run