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Five notes from New Jersey vs Nashville:
1. It’s not going to change
Was a coaching swap the right move based on a) how lost the team appeared to be and; b) the fact John Hynes’ message seemed to be lost after four+ seasons behind the bench? I think so.
Could a different voice behind the bench help get more out of the players, particularly offensively? Yes.
But if anyone is expecting the Devils to flip the switch and start piling up the wins, well, I don’t know what to tell you.
Not necessarily because the roster (in terms of skaters) sucks, although there is definitely still work to do. Because the team isn’t getting any goaltending – and they’re not going to.
Mackenzie Blackwood could be good but he’s not yet ready to be much more than an inconsistent platoon guy. He’ll put together a couple solid performances, then follow it up with a couple save percentages in the .800s.
Louis Domingue is a fringe NHL goaltender who tends to allow too many softies. Cory Schneider, unfortunately, looks to be a lost cause.. Evan Cormier is more suspect than prospect and Gilles Senn is not close to ready either.
Put another way, an up and down Blackwood is the team’s best goaltender and there isn’t another option even close to his caliber.
So long as that’s the case, it’s going to be difficult to string together more than the occasional win or two. The Devils just won’t be getting even average goaltending with any consistency and it’s hard to out-score your problems. Losing Taylor Hall will only make it harder.
2. Net-front defense was non-existent
Louis Domingue’s numbers were awful and his performance might have been worse by the eye. It was rough. But I’m not going to throw rocks at the guy as if he’s the only one to blame. The defense, as has so often been the case, didn’t do anything to help the cause.
Nashville has some big names, sure, but they’re not some unstoppable force. I mean, Calle Jarnkrok, Daniel Carr and a vastly declining Kyle Turris ranked 4, 5, and 6 (among forwards) on the Preds in 5v5 ice. Not exactly death row.
It didn’t matter, though. The Predators scored six goals, all at 5v5, and every single one of them came from the hash-marks and in. They had no problem generating Grade A chances in tight, which the big blog on the heatmap just outside Domingue’s crease really hammers home.
If the Devils are going to give up that many dangerous looks, it doesn’t much matter who is between the pipes.
3. L3 continues to play like L1
Blake Coleman, Travis Zajac, and Nikita Gusev are fantastic together. Simply fantastic. Coleman and Zajac have long played strong defense as a duo and Gusev’s presence really makes them dangerous in the final third. They ranked 1, 2, and 3 on the Devils in 5v5 scoring in the 10 games prior to last, and their performance against Nashville was a good reminder why.
Though the puck that went in (Zajac’s flubber) was very fluky, they certainly deserved to be rewarded on the scoreboard. Their on-ice numbers (64 CF%, 71.62 xGF%) were outstanding and they generated some really strong looks around the net. NaturalStatTrick credited the trio for seven scoring chances at 5v5, including three of the six Grade A’s the Devils generated in that game state.
Coleman, in particular, was really teeing off. He had a couple strong one-timers in the slot, and registered five attempts from between the cross-hairs (or just outside). They were really going.
4. Jack Hughes should remain on the ‘top’ line
Let’s be real here: the Devils’ season is over. It has been for some time. There are a ton of games left but they’d have to go on such a ridiculous run to even sniff a playoff spot that it doesn’t really matter.
The rest of the season should be about two things:
a) Player development;
b) Maximizing the return on trade assets
That’s why I think Hughes should remain alongside Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. For one, it’s a great learning experience for him. Not only does he get a lot of ice time with high-end players, but he gets to go up against some stiff competition and learn what it takes to be successful while doing that.
There’s also the fact, for whatever reason, the top line’s numbers with Nico Hischier aren’t as good as in previous years. They have been plenty dangerous with Hughes in that role, though.
While everyone knows what kind of talent Hall is, the Devils should be doing everything in their power to prop him up and help inflate his totals.
From an optics perspective, it may be easier to sell another GM – and their ownership – to part with significant assets for a guy averaging over a point per game, as opposed to one averaging his fewest since 2016-17 and on pace for the lowest goal output of his career.
Inflate those totals!
5. The Devils didn’t fold
I know, I know, they’re professional athletes paid tons of money to perform. The least they could do is work hard from start to finish. It’s easier said than done, though, especially when time after time you’re getting negative results. Props to the Devils for not hanging their heads and playing through the worst start imaginable.
They’re going to lose a ton of games. At this point, that’s probably a good thing. But we still have a lot of hockey left. If the Devils will at least work hard and lose in entertaining fashion, it will make the next few months a lot more enjoyable. I think I speak for everyone when I say we don’t want 50 games of boring hockey where it feels like a chore. At least show some fight, pot a few goals, and make tuning in worthwhile.
Numbers via naturalstattrick.com
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