Devils' 3-0 Loss to Bruins: Not Meant to Be
The New Jersey Devils didn't have enough gas left in the tank to conclude their 3-game road trip in a shutout loss to the Boston Bruins.
The New Jersey Devils had done well to come away with three of four points heading into yesterday's tilt against the Boston Bruins. But they ran out of gas in the finale of a three-game road trip in the 3-0 loss to the Bruins. Here are three takeaways from the defeat.
Daws Fantastic Again
Nico Daws was a significant reason the Devils defeated the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. He made 36/37 saves and stopped 2.09 goals above expected in that game, so it was no surprise coach Lindy Ruff turned back to him against the Bruins.
It was quite apparent early on that Daws would face plenty of work against the Bruins, who were firing on all cylinders from the opening faceoff. They were clearly the better team over the Devils in the first period, as they generated 1.89 expected goals at all strengths.
But Daws stood tall to the task, making 17/17 saves and stopping all seven high-danger shots he faced in the opening frame. The Bruins didn't let up after the first, though. They scored about 30 seconds into the second period, and while the Devils played better after the first, the Bruins still got their chances.
By the time the final horn sounded, Daws had made 33 saves on 35 shots while stopping 1.86 goals above expected. Even though he made more saves than expected, Daws still noted in his post-game press conference that he misplayed the Bruins' two goals and that he knows he can stop them.
That's the sign of a confident goalie, which has shown in the few starts he's made for the Devils. His save percentage is now above .920 for the season, and his high-danger SV% is at .912. That latter number is a tad unsustainable, but he's showing he can stop quality shots that Vitek Vaněček and Akira Schmid hadn't been able to this season.
With how well Daws is performing, the Devils need to ride the hot hand and give him the start against the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow and possibly even the Columbus Blue Jackets in the front half of a back-to-back this weekend.
Hischier Quietly Excellent
Nico Hischier didn't find the scoresheet yesterday, but he was one of the Devils' most threatening players offensively on a night where the team had trouble generating quality scoring chances.
Hischier showed off his abilities on the cycle late in the second period, setting up Nathan Bastian for a quality scoring chance that Jeremy Swayman denied with the left pad. It was one of the best scoring opportunities the Devils had yesterday, and it came off the hard work from Hischier.
With the Devils' lineup lacking firepower with Timo Meier and Jack Hughes out for the foreseeable future, the Devils need Hischier to keep facilitating offense like he has for the last few games.
I think it's also worth giving Tyler Toffoli, who's struggling lately, a look alongside Hischier and Dawson Mercer. Yes, Erik Haula, Hischier and Mercer have worked quite well, but the Devils need more than they're getting from Toffoli over this little stretch. And Hischier is the best option to help unlock him.
Devils Leaned on Hughes & Nemec After Smith Injury
With Brendan Smith leaving the game early in the first period with an injury, Ruff had to rely on Šimon Nemec and Luke Hughes to take on more minutes. Nemec handled the ice time admirably and once again showed why he’s been one of the team’s best defensemen this season.
He wasn't afraid to get physical with some of the Bruins' top players, like Brad Marchand, and defended quite well. Ruff had high praise for Nemec in his media scrum after the game, stating, "I thought Šimon gave us one heck of a game. Strong physically. He defended really well."
Nemec was one of only a few Devils skaters who finished above water in expected goals share (xG%) at 51.78 percent. Even when the game was out of reach, he was still giving his all, like when he deflected the puck away from an open net when the Devils had the extra attacker out.
As for Hughes, he did struggle again; Ruff said as much, stating Hughes struggled with the puck early. The Bruins generated 12 high-danger chances when Hughes was on the ice, the most of any Devils skater. He's getting close to playing the most games he has in a season, so perhaps the rookie wall may be hitting him.
It'd make sense to give Hughes a night off, but with all the Devils' injuries, that's not an option right now. He has to play, and the team has to hope he can fight through it. The All-Star break in about two weeks should help him.
Quick Hits
A few people on Twitter were asking me why Alex Holtz got benched later in the game. I'd usually agree and say it wasn't justified, but he was having an off night. Holtz finished with an xG% of 14.31 percent, and high-danger chances were 6-0 in favor of the Bruins with him on the ice. It was a reasonable move by Ruff to demote him to the fourth line.
It does seem like Nathan Bastian is starting to find his game again. As mentioned, he had one of the Devils' best scoring chances off the work from Hischier. His underlying numbers were excellent, as he finished with an 81.01 xG% at five-on-five. The Devils are a better team when Bastian is playing his best, especially with all the injuries they're dealing with right now. And it looks like he's turning a corner.
Toffoli had a great start to the season, but he's struggled lately. He finished yesterday with an 18.57 xG%, and most concerning, he's not getting shots on net. He had just one shot on goal yesterday and only two shot attempts. Ruff needs to find a solution to get him going while the team deals with injuries.
Game Score Chart
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
I understood where Lindy was coming from with switching Bastian and Holtz. Agree Holtz didn’t have a great game but thought that move was more about Bastian playing well (and playing a hard-nosed game that fits better against Boston) than “benching” Holtz. That said, I would like to see Holtz take Toffoli’s spot for a game and maybe light a fire under Toffoli a bit by demoting him