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Ducks 6, Devils 5: Own goals the difference in yet another loss

December 10, 2018, 10:30 AM ET [32 Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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Five observations from New Jersey vs Anaheim:

1. The Devils can't get out of their own way

Nothing is going right for them these days. Nothing. Even when they play well, they find a way to lose. Though the Devils were outshot last night, they won the high-danger chance battle 17-9. They did a really good job of breaking down Anaheim's defense and generating quality looks, as evidenced by NaturalStatTrick's heatmap. There's a reason arguably the NHL's best goaltending duo conceded five goals on 35 shots.



Unfortunately, those five goals weren't enough to get the team back in the win column. Why? Own goals. Yes, that's plural. The Devils scored not one, not two, but three(!) goals on their own net. Three! I've never seen something like that before and I doubt I ever will again. At a time when the Devils are desperate for wins, they're continually finding depressing new ways to ensure they don't get them.

2. The top line was dominant

Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, and Kyle Palmieri are really starting to heat up following a quiet stretch. They accounted for two of three goals and eight of 13 high-danger chances at 5v5. The Devils' top trio also caved the Ducks in possession-wise.



As has often been the case over the last year and change, they didn't get much help. No other forward on the roster finished with a Corsi above 50% and Miles Wood (2) was the only bottom-9 forward to record more than one high-danger look.

3. Cory Schneider fought hard

If you take away the own goals, which Schneider really couldn't do much about, he stopped 33 of 35 shots. That's a very solid .942 save percentage. I know I'm cherry-picking, and it's tough to make excuses for a guy who hasn't won a regular season game in a year, but I really don't think he deserves much blame for what happened. If anything, he deserves credit for hanging in following another disastrous start to the night. Much like Keith Kinkaid a season ago, Schneider tends to allow a couple early goals before finding his footing.

4. High-danger opportunities were limited

The Devils gave up 38 shots and five goals, three of which they scored on their own net. It feels like a stretch to say the defense was anything other than a disaster. I'm going to make the case anyway. Fluke plays aside, it wasn't all that bad. The Devils gave up just seven high-danger chances in regulation. I'm sure they'd be happy to sign up for that every single time out. It really was tough for the Ducks to break down the defense and get the puck in tight. The problem is any time they did, the puck was aided into the net. In that regard, the defense was bad. In terms of giving up Grade A looks, they did do a good job. It's was just yet another night where anything that could go wrong did go wrong.

5. Marcus Johansson is coming alive

Don't look now but No. 90 is finally starting to create offense *and* get rewarded on a consistent basis. Last night he recorded a goal, an assist, four shots, and five chances. Though a lot of that came during opportune offensive situations (6v5, 3v3, etc.), it's still encouraging to see him producing. He now has seven points, 26 shots on goal, and a team-leading 30 chances over his last eight games. Whether the Devils wish to keep him around for the long haul or trade him at the deadline, they'll certainly benefit greatly from him playing like this.

Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com

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