Dougie Hamilton's Return Proved He Could Be Game-Changer vs. Hurricanes
Dougie Hamilton returned from a lengthy absence and had a vintage Dougie Hamilton performance in the New Jersey Devils' final regular-season game.
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The New Jersey Devils had one final regular-season game last night, a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. All things considered, they played well, given the lineup they iced, but we're not going to do a traditional recap of that game. Instead, let's talk about Dougie Hamilton.
Hamilton made his first appearance in nearly six weeks yesterday after he suffered a knee injury in a game against the Dallas Stars in early March. He was the biggest takeaway, as he had a vintage Dougie performance, and that's why he could be so valuable against the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1.
Hamilton vs. the Red Wings
The Devils did a decent enough job managing without Hamilton for six weeks. Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce took on more significant roles and filled in admirably, but yesterday's game showed why Hamilton is still such a valuable part of the team's blue line.
You wouldn't have necessarily known the Devils iced a watered-down lineup by looking at the box score or advanced stats. The Devils out-attempted the Red Wings 52-36 at five-on-five and out-xG'd them 2.36 to 1.07.
A significant reason for that was because of Hamilton. With him on the ice at five-on-five, the Devils out-attempted the Red Wings 30-11 and had an expected goals share (xG%) of 89.11 percent. Scoring chances were also 13-4, while high-danger chances were 5-0.
Hamilton hasn't had as many of those vintage games this season, but he is still very much capable of them, as he showed last night. Yes, the Red Wings are not the best team, but they played decent hockey down the stretch. They totaled a 50.9 xG% over their final 25 games, so they weren't a doormat to close the season.
The Devils also rested Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Luke Hughes and Timo Meier, so it was far from their best lineup. For Hamilton to perform the way he did with half of the Utica Comets filling in for the Devils' rested players says plenty about the impact he could have in the playoffs.
Obviously, the Hurricanes are a much stiffer opponent than the Red Wings. I wouldn't expect the Devils to out-attempt the Hurricanes 3:1 with Hamilton on the ice all that often, if at all, but he can be a game-changer.
Hamilton Is a Big Upgrade Over Casey & Nemec
With Hamilton out, the Devils had to rely on a couple of young defensemen — Seamus Casey and Šimon Nemec — to fill the void. Nemec got the bulk of the work, but most of it wasn't pretty until the last two to three games of the regular season.
Casey played a bit in April and looked more comfortable as the season wound down, but you still wouldn't want him or Nemec playing against the Hurricanes. They would get eaten alive by the Hurricanes' forecheck.
Granted, Hamilton is not the best on puck retrievals, but that's not where I think he can assist the Devils. Last night's game was a perfect example of what he can do to help the team pull off the upset.
When you think about the Hurricanes, you probably think of them as a heavy forechecking team that dominates in possession. They'll still possess the puck. That's just what they do, but Hamilton can offset that by helping the Devils keep the puck in the offensive zone.
Hamilton is one of the best shooting defensemen in the NHL, but he's an intelligent shooter, too. His shots get through traffic, resulting in chances for his teammates, whether for redirects or rebound opportunities.
However, what Hamilton does particularly well is help keep plays alive in the offensive zone. He is prone to the occasional poor pinch, but he usually does a great job making reads at the blue line and helping keep the puck in the offensive zone.
Sometimes, that's through his shot. Sometimes, that's with him just chipping the puck back in and keeping the play onside. And it’s worth noting that he’s generally very good in transition.
That's crucial against the Hurricanes because, though they're not the best rush team in the NHL, their defensemen are mobile and great puck-movers. They help their forwards break out and start transitioning quickly the other way.
If they don't face some resistance in trying to break out and transition quickly, it'll be a short series. But Hamilton, being the play driver that he is, can help neutralize that.
Hamilton & the Trickle-Down Effect
It's probably not a coincidence that Brenden Dillon had his best game since before Hamilton's injury, and Dillon noted how important it was to get a game with Hamilton before the playoffs (via Amanda Stein):
"It was big for me. I've been all over the map with my D partners the last 15-20 games here (...) I thought from the first shift we were communicating, some great reads, some O zone stuff. When Dougie is shooting the rock, he's at his best."
Dillon finished second in xG% to Hamilton last night, and his other five-on-five metrics were just about as good or even better than Hamilton's in some cases.
It's also probably not a coincidence that the Devils had one of their best team efforts at five-on-five since Hamilton's injury. They did cross an xG% above 60 percent against the Boston Bruins just 24 hours earlier, but the only other time they did in 18 games without Hamilton was a 5-3 win over the lowly Chicago Blackhawks.
The Hurricanes are one of the best five-on-five teams in the NHL, but they lack a game-breaking scorer, and their goaltending has been suspect.
If the Devils can take some of the game back at five-on-five, it could be a more interesting series than we first thought. They wouldn't have been able to do so without Hamilton, but his return last night showed it may be possible.
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
Ya, it was great seeing Dougie back last night! He shoots the puck like no other defenseman we have! There's a presence about him! Regardless of what people say, we do have a chance against the Canes! If the goaltending can steal us a couple of games, watch out!