One of the reasons I think Pete DeBoer is an excellent coach and fits like a glove in New Jersey is because his low event style of hockey.
That style is particularly effective when coaching a roster with less talent than most of its opponents.
The Devils have some good players, but nobody will argue their top line of Tuomo Ruutu – Travis Zajac – Jaromir Jagr stacks up near the top of the league in talent and scoring ability. That said there is a way to close the gap and offset the lack of talent they have compared to others when going up against teams like Pittsburgh, Anaheim, etc.
Enter DeBoer’s low event system.
The average NHL team has 105-110 events take place per game. An event is simple: any shot attempt for either team that takes place over the course of the contest.
Corsi (which is simply shot attempts) is the metric used rather than shots on goal because there’s a larger sample and more data to decipher which way the ice is tilted.
Anyways, the average amount of events in Devils games is much lower than the rest. The typical Devils game has a little over 90 total shot attempts, while every other team in the NHL averages at least 100, with most around 105.
Here are the average amount of shot attempts for/against for the Devils under DeBoer. As you can see, they’re improving each year, but that’s a story for another day.
Quick note: the Devils have ranked 1st in the NHL in shot attempts against each year under DeBoer.
The Devils averaging more shot attempts for than against is obviously a good thing. That differential is among the best in hockey, and has been over the last couple seasons.
Having low-event games, especially when the ice is tilted in your favor more often than not, is perfect for the Devils, and one of the reasons they stayed afloat in the playoff race for so long.
Keeping events low allows the Devils to keep pace with upper echelon teams, even though they have less talent.
What I mean by that is there’s a better chance Travis Zajac can keep up with Ryan Getzlaf production wise if the Devils shot attempt numbers during that matchup is 12/10 in favor of Zajac, rather than, say, 24/20. The more events taking place, the more scoring chances there will be, and the more likely it is that Getzlaf’s talent advantage shows up on the scoreboard.
Zajac keeping up with Getzlaf for a few games might be sustainable, but over a long period of time Getzlaf’s production should be higher even with less shot attempts and scoring chances than Zajac.
DeBoer’s low event system also means less work for Cory Schneider or Martin Brodeur. Less work means there’s a better chance for either goaltender to post save percentages that would be unsustainable over a larger period of time.
The Devils don’t get many shot attempts, but they allow even less and have the advantage in that regard much more frequently than not.
It may not be as exciting as a high event run-and-gun style, but it’s one of the few reasons a team near the bottom of the league in goal scoring almost made the post-season, and would have if it weren’t for their ridiculously poor shootout record.
Pete DeBoer can coach, and it’s best for the Devils if he continues to do so in New Jersey.
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Email: NHLToddCordell@Gmail.com