Devils vs. Kraken Preview: Crunch Time

The New Jersey Devils take on the Seattle Kraken tonight to begin a crucial week for their playoff hopes. Here are three keys to victory

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This is it for the New Jersey Devils. Well, kind of. Though their playoff hopes won't be completely dead if they fail to get results this week, it'll be incredibly difficult for them to make up ground. Their first of four games this week starts tonight against the Seattle Kraken. Here are three keys to victory. 

Daccord Vulnerable on High-Danger Shots

While Joey Daccord has been a revelation for the Kraken, he's not without his flaws. Sure, his .921 save percentage is excellent, and he ranks 16th in the NHL in goals saved above expected. But he's not unbeatable, and the Devils have ways to get to him. 

Daccord has only stopped .768 percent of the high-danger shots he's faced at all strengths. That ranks seventh-worst in the NHL for goalies with at least 500 minutes logged. 

The catch here is the Kraken do a great job of limiting quality opportunities. They've allowed just 2.36 expected goals and 9.95 high-danger chances per 60 minutes, both top-10 rates league-wide for the season. 

That'll be a key for the Devils tonight, getting shots from high-danger areas. If they do, Daccord will give up some goals. There's reason to believe the Devils can get enough grade-A opportunities on him, too. They're averaging 2.99 expected goals per 60 minutes across their last ten games; only the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers have averaged more. 

Part of that is because of how well the line of Ondřej Palat, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt has played. They have an expected goals share (xG%) of just under 60 percent this season and a goal differential of plus-5. If they get going, they can help lead the Devils to a win. 

Building on Saturday's Defensive Performance