Five observations from New Jersey vs San Jose:
1. The Devils couldn’t sustain their strong start I thought the Devils were absolutely fantastic in the opening frame. It was most definitely one of the best periods they have played all season. They had the puck a ton and did whatever they wanted with it, completely dissecting San Jose’s pedestrian defense and generating chance after chance in tight.
What I especially liked was their commitment to getting the puck when they lost it. They completely smothered San Jose’s puck carrier – be it on the forecheck or with back pressure – and didn’t allow any time whatsoever to make a play and get moving in the right direction.
Unfortunately, as has so often been the case this season, the Devils completely fell apart after they built up the lead. They couldn’t generate anything in transition or off the rush. Their forecheck was non-existent. Simply put, they played on their heels.
Chances were 28-13 San Jose over the final 45 minutes. Shots were 24-13 San Jose. Expected Goals were 2.76-1.43 (65.87 xGF%) San Jose. The Devils got what they deserved.
2. Cory Schneider did his part He wasn’t at the super-human level we’ve seen from Mackenzie Blackwood where he routinely posts .940+ save percentages and makes 40 stops. But Schneider was good. Not good by his standards over the last couple of years; just good.
In regulation he faced 13 Grade A opportunities and 2.65 Expected Goals. He only allowed two. His positioning was solid and he made a handful of stops we haven’t really seen him make with any consistency in years.
Overtime took him to 3 xGA, and three actual goals, but if the Devils showed any pulse over the final 40, they take care of that game in 60. And I’m not going to fault Schneider for conceding in overtime; he allowed a goal on a Grade A opportunity and the Devils couldn’t even touch the puck.
I don’t know that Schneider will be part of the team’s future but, at the very least, it’d be nice to see some more efforts like last night so he can rehabilitate his career and potentially find a backup job next season.
3. Time for change Please, for the sake of all that is right in the world, stop using Jack Hughes as the top line left wing. I get trying it for a period or two. Heck, I get trying it for a game or two. But we’ve seen it for a few now and the results have been piss poor each and every time.
Hughes is not bringing anything to the table offensively – he had one shot attempt, zero chances at 5v5 – and the line’s on-ice metrics were sub 50% across the board. I don’t know if it is a chemistry issue, or if Hughes is uncomfortable playing wing, but he looks like a fish out of water. He’s completely neutering the two-way impact of Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri as well.
I get the Jesper Bratt - Pavel Zacha - Nikita Gusev line is clicking and you might not want to break it up but something has to be done.
Right now the Devils are getting nothing out of two top picks and a 30-goal scorer. They don’t have that much talent on the roster; they can’t waste what they do have.
Perhaps try something like Bratt - Nico - Palmieri and Zacha - Hughes - Gusev.
4. The Goose is flying Another game, another quality effort from Nikita Gusev. He had four attempts, a pair of chances, and beat Martin Jones in tight after a turnover from Jacob Middleton. His on-ice numbers were also very strong, once again, as the Devils controlled ~56% of the attempts and ~61% of the expected goals while he was out there.
He’s up to 40 points in 60 games on the year, which is quite impressive considering a) he’s dealt with sketchy usage for much of the year and; b) the Devils are a bad team that can’t score. It’s not like he’s playing with a ton of quality offensive players and being handed points like candy to a kid on Halloween. That production is hard-earned.
5. Quick hits a) Crazy but true 1.0: attempts were 16-5 San Jose with Travis Zajac on the ice, yet he finished with an xGF above 50%. Put another way, San Jose had all the quantity; New Jersey had the quality.
b) Crazy but true 2.0: Freddy Claesson made a couple noticeable mistakes throughout the night and was the brunt of a lot of criticism as a result. And yet he was the lone player with a +2 goal differential, and he finished with a ridiculous 76.58 xGF%. Go figure.
c) Dangerous Dakota Mermis had a tough night at the office. He made that crazy spinning play to deflect a Brent Burns empty-netter wide but, other than that, things weren’t great. Spent a lot of time in the defensive zone, took a penalty, etc, etc.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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