Devils' 3-1 Loss to Golden Knights: Regressing

The New Jersey Devils appear no closer to the coach bump, as the team is regressing under interim coach Travis Green.

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If that wasn't the final nail in the coffin of the New Jersey Devils' season, it's only a matter of time. Despite another excellent performance from Jake Allen, the Devils once again struggled to score goals, something that's becoming a common occurrence under interim head coach Travis Green. Here are three takeaways from the 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Devils Offense Regressing Under Green

The Devils got a bit unlucky against the Arizona Coyotes, at least offensively. They generated 2.75 expected goals at five-on-five and hit the post three times. That kind of offensive performance has been a rarity under Green, though, especially against teams ahead of them in the standings. 

Yes, they scored six goals against the Dallas Stars, but that's because Jake Oettinger has been struggling and gave up nearly three goals above expected. They only fired 21 shots on goal that game, which has also become a common theme under Green. 

Let's look at the seven games under Green for the Devils and how many shots on goal they've finished with:

• Florida Panthers: 24 

• St. Louis Blues: 33

• Carolina Hurricanes: 25

• New York Rangers: 20

• Stars: 20

• Coyotes: 38

• Golden Knights: 21

What's most concerning about the Devils' play under Green is not only is the quantity lacking, but the quality has also gone down. Under Lindy Ruff, the Devils were generating 2.92 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five. Under Green, that number has dropped to 2.44. 

Ruff was without Dougie Hamilton for the majority of this season. Perhaps trading Colin Miller has had some effect on the Devils' regression offensively, but I'm not sure it's enough for there to be that much of a dropoff. 

You can argue roster construction, which probably has some merit, but it's not like Green is missing any more puck-moving defensemen than Ruff was. The only regular defenseman, other than Hamilton, who's missing is Jonas Siegenthaler. And he's been a turnover machine this season.