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Hurricanes 2, Devils 1: Shots there, goals not as losses continue piling up

November 19, 2018, 11:40 AM ET [34 Comments]
Todd Cordell
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Five observations from New Jersey vs Carolina:

1. Cory Schneider held up

Schneider responded nicely following the worst start imaginable. With the way things have gone for him over the last year – he is 0-14-2 in his last 16 starts – it would have been easy to get rattled and allow the bleeding to continue. That didn't happen. The Devils settling down in front of Schneider helped, of course, but he made the saves he had to and kept them in the game until the final buzzer. Schneider posted a .920SV% playing behind a banged-up team in a road back-to-back. Realistically speaking, you couldn't ask for anything more from a struggling goaltender. Schneider did his part; the Devils didn't do theirs.

2. Empty calorie offense

The Devils did their best impression of the Hurricanes last night. They generated a lot in terms of volume (34 shots on goal) and little in terms of substance (nine high-danger chances). There's a reason a journeyman goaltender who entered play with a sub .900SV% on the year was able to post the numbers he did. The Devils did little to test him, which is becoming a common theme – especially with Nico Hischier out of the lineup. They desperately need him back.

3. Another strong effort from Pavel Zacha

On a positive note, Zacha is finally starting to contribute offensively. He scored for the second game in a row and was arguably the biggest scoring threat throughout. Zacha finished 2nd on the team with six shot attempts and led the way with four scoring chances, all of which came at 5v5. He's using his size effectively while taking the puck into dangerous areas of the ice *and* actually shooting when the opportunity arises. This is what John Hynes and the coaching staff have been on him about for years. If he can become a more consistent offensively without sacrificing on the defensive side of things – he hasn't thus far – the Devils will be much better for it.

4. The 4th line was strong again

Miles Wood, J.S. Dea, and Stefan Noesen played very well against Detroit. They caused all kinds of problems on the forecheck and the wingers, in particular, generated quite a few good looks while dominating territorially. It was more of the same vs the Hurricanes.

With Wood and Noesen on the ice at 5v5, the Devils out-attempted the Hurricanes 13-3 and out-chanced them 5-0. Once again, they were probably unlucky not to get rewarded.

5. The Devils are surviving without Sami Vatanen

Two games is two games but, for the most part, the defense didn't look bad without Vatanen. In fact, it has mostly looked good. The Devils gave up 13 high-danger chances in a little more than 100 minutes at 5v5. That equates to just 7.57 per 60. For perspective, Boston (8.19 high-danger chances against/60) is the only team that allows fewer than 9.18 HDCA/60. I'm not suggesting Vatanen isn't a useful player or the Devils are better without him; only that it may not be necessary for the coaching staff to ride him into the ground as much as they tend to.

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