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Flyers 4, Devils 0: Five observations from yet another disaster

October 10, 2019, 10:32 AM ET [95 Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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Five observations from New Jersey vs Philadelphia:

1. Progress was made

Lost in last night’s disaster was the positive step we saw from Jack Hughes. His on-ice numbers were solid across the board. That was far from the case over the first two games. Hughes also tied Taylor Hall for the lead in shot contributions (6), finished in sole possession of 1st in shot assists (5), and on special teams set up Hall for the best Devils chance of the night. He wasn't perfect but he made plays, which is more than I can say about most other Devils. Now the key is carrying it forward tonight against Edmonton.



2. The Devils’ top duo was overmatched

Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier are generally good together. Very good, in fact. They were quite the opposite against Philadelphia. They drew one of the toughest matchups you can find in Sean Couturier’s line – and it certainly showed. In 13:24 together at 5v5, Hall + Hischier posted a 20.69 CF% (6 CF, 23 CA), 5.89 xGF% (yes, you read that correctly), and were out-scored by a pair of goals. Most of their ice came against Couturier but two stars of their caliber playing *that* poorly is inexcusable. With that kind of performance, the Devils weren’t going to have much of a chance regardless of what anyone else on the roster did. They need to be much, much, much better.

3. Cory Schneider held his own

Given the concerns about goaltending heading into the season, it’d probably be a little unsettling glancing at the score and seeing Schneider conceded four times. It really wasn’t his fault, though. The Devils were hot garbage for the vast majority of the game. They allowed the Flyers to generate sustained zone time over and over. The chances flowed as a result. Philadelphia actually ended up generating 40 (12 high-danger) and 3.68 expected goals, per NaturalStatTrick. Allowing four goals was hardly egregious, especially considering Kyle Palmieri legitimately put one on a platter for Travis Konecy in the 3rd period. Goaltending was the least of the team’s concerns vs Philadelphia.

4. Time to play smart

Miles Wood, my dude, use your noggin. Connor Carrick steered the Flyers forward gently into Schneider. There was hardly any contact and, again, Carrick was responsible it. You don’t need to lose your mind, rough him up, and take a penalty. The Devils didn’t end up conceding (shocker!) but they easily could have, and the team would have been behind the 8-ball on the road early if they had.

I don’t want to single out Wood, though, because the Devils as a whole are taking too many dumb penalties. In the Buffalo game after things started to go south, Blake Coleman was darting around the ice and slashing/chopping at everyone in the most obvious way possible. Then he acted disgusted when called for a penalty. I know it’s hard to stay level-headed when it feels like everything is going the other team’s way but this kind of stuff only makes things worse.

5. Optimize the lineup

Yes. Hello. Pavel Zacha is the best penalty killer on the team by a country mile. His numbers since entering the league have rivalled the league’s best. The sample is very small but his PK prowess has carried over into this season. Among the seven Devils who have played 4+ minutes on the PK thus far, Zacha ranks 1st in Corsi Against per minute and Expected Goals Against per minute. He was on for a couple of goals against (Buffalo game), however, that was more due to goaltending than breakdowns or anything he was responsible for. I mean, he was on for one chance against and two goals. Do the math on that one. With the PK struggling early, perhaps scratching the team’s ace in that situation is not ideal.

OTHER



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