Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
Five observations from New Jersey vs Toronto:
1. Life was easy for Frederik Andersen
The Devils have often generated more than their share of chances, even in losing efforts. That was not the case last night. In 10 games prior, the Maple Leafs gave up an average of 31.8 chances (31st) and 14 high-danger looks (29th) per across all game states. Suffice to say, their defense has been very leaky. That was encouraging considering how well Frederik Andersen has played this season. If the Devils were going to score enough to win, they needed a lot of chances. And there was reason to believe they'd get them. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
The Devils mustered up 23 chances, seven of which were high-danger. The latter was their 2nd lowest output of the year – behind only one of the blowouts to Tampa Bay in which they generated just five high-end chances.
They completely no-showed in the opening frame. While their play over the final 40 improved, they still struggled mightily to get shots off in dangerous locations. That's quite evident when looking at the heatmap.
Given Toronto's recent defensive struggles – and score effects working in New Jersey's favor for almost the entire game – that was an extremely underwhelming offensive showing.
2. Wasted opportunities
What added to the disappointing performance with the puck was all the wasted opportunities. On numerous occasions, the Devils had a legitimate chance to score and elected not to take it. Rather than shooting, Nico Hischier forced a pass that wasn't there on a 2-on-1. It resulted in Toronto taking the puck up ice and immediately scoring. In another instance, Jesper Bratt was racing forward with the puck on an odd-man rush and was in an excellent spot to shoot. He also forced a pass and it resulted in a turnover. Maybe Hischier and/or Bratt wouldn't have converted anyway. But to not even generate a shot attempt on multiple odd-man rushes is extremely deflating, especially when the end result is arguably the league's best offensive team getting great opportunities on the counter-attack. I think it's fair to say John Hynes will be preaching more of a shooting mentality in practice.
3. Net-front defense was awful
There were a ton of red flags in New Jersey's defensive performance. They lost countless races to loose pucks, they struggled to defend in space, there were blown assignments, etc, etc. Perhaps the most alarming aspect was the team's net-front defense. Defenders didn't stay with their man in tight. They didn't box out properly. They didn't tie up sticks. They were also caught puck watching numerous times. Add it all up and it's no surprise Toronto scored five goals – yes, five goals – within a few feet of the net. Their forward group has all the skill in the world. If you let them create chances in close, you've already lost.
4. Nico Hischier was the biggest driver
Besides botching the 2-on-1, I thought Hischier played a pretty solid game. He was tenacious after the puck, as usual. He was also as involved as anyone offensively. He finished tied for the team-lead with eight shot contributions and led the way with six shot assists. His linemates, Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, combined for just two and weren't able to create much. Of the big three, I thought Hischier played the best game.
5. Glass half full
I'm a pretty positive person so I'm going to end things with highlights rather than lowlights. John Quenneville played a solid game. He finished above water in terms of possession and scoring chance differentials. Quenneville also ranked tied for 4th among forwards in 5v5 shot contributions despite playing more than only Brian Boyle. It was certainly a step in the right direction for Q.
I also thought Mackenzie Blackwood looked pretty good. He allowed two goals due to poor team defense, and an unlucky bounce, but he showed off his ridiculous athleticism making a couple really impressive saves. I want to see more of him before Cory Schneider returns. Perhaps a start Friday against Ottawa is in the cards.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
Recent Posts
On Marcus Johansson and finding the optimal top-4
Pavel Zacha's offensive play leaves little room for optimism
Predicting the Metro Division standings in 2018-19
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»