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On improved 5v5 play, Miles Wood, and the addition of Louis Domingue

November 4, 2019, 11:54 AM ET [37 Comments]
Todd Cordell
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Making strides

The New Jersey Devils had almost a week off following their 1-0 win over Vancouver in what was an absolute snoozefest. While they have won just one of four games since, they’ve looked like a much different team – and for the better.

In those four games, the Devils out-shot their opponents 93-74, out-chanced them 82-61, and controlled 61.27% of the Expected Goals at 5v5 – 4th best behind only Boston, Pittsburgh and Vancouver.

I know we’re looking at a very small sample size but those numbers are a far cry from what we saw in the early going.

The Devils were a bottom-5 team in terms of Corsi For%, Expected Goals For% and Scoring Chance For% over the first eight games. When you factor in Cory Schneider and Mackenzie Blackwood struggled, it’s hardly a surprise the team lost almost every game – even when they managed to get multi-goal leads.

If this improved play is a sign of things to come, the Devils just might be able to claw their way back into the playoff race.

The Miles Wood hate is misplaced

*ducks for cover*

Is it safe to come out now? Yes? Good, good. I think Wood has been a solid bottom-6 forward this season. There, I said it.

He leads the team in shot attempts, shots on goal, and scoring chances per 60 minutes at 5v5. The production has been there, as he’s producing points at the exact same rate (1.74 per 60) as Tom Wilson, Nazem Kadri, Jeff Carter and David Perron. He is also his usual, physical, self, sitting 3rd on the team – behind only Blake Coleman and Wayne Simmonds – in hits.

On top of the individual outputs, he has a solid on-ice xGF of 52.20%. Put another way, the Devils are getting the better of the weighted shots when he is on the ice.

I get Wood has his faults and can be frustrating to watch. He doesn’t score as much as he should given the abundance of looks he gets around the net. He looks like a fish out of water at times, too. But – but! – the Devils are out-playing their opponents with him on the ice despite the fact just eight of 84 zone starts have come in the offensive zone.

I know he can be overused at times, and it’s annoying that high-end talents like Nikita Gusev and/or Jesper Boqvist are often being scratched, but a) Wood doesn’t make those calls and; b) he’s playing just fine.

It’s the John Haydens and Kevin Rooneys of the world that should be sitting.

Bringing in reinforcements

I have no problem with the Devils trading *checks notes* essentially nothing for Louis Domingue. In fact, I think it was a good idea.

It’ll be good for the team’s prospects to have a stable veteran in Binghamton. And, if necessary, he’s a decent guy to have around as the big club’s No. 3.

I know he’s not exactly a name-brand goaltender but his 5v5 numbers are pretty comparable to those of Mackenzie Blackwood and Cory Schneider since the beginning of 2017-18. Take a look:

Blackwood – 31 GP, .917 save percentage, 57 goals conceded on 48.82 expected (117% of exp.)
Domingue – 45 GP, .913 save percentage, 92 goals conceded on 76.17 expected (120% of exp.)
Schneider – 71 GP, .910 save percentage, 147 goals conceded on 120.81 expected (122% of exp.)

Domingue has performed a little worse than Blackwood and actually fared better than the $6 million man, which says a lot about where the latter is at right now. Domingue, after all, is the guy currently in the AHL.

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