Devils' 4-0 Loss to Red Wings: No-Show Effort
The New Jersey Devils didn't show up in their 4-0 loss to the Red Wings, which was only made worse by a poor outing from Vitek Vanecek
The New Jersey Devils needed a good effort against the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, they got the exact opposite of that. The Devils put forth an abysmal performance and got worked by the Red Wings en route to a 4-0 loss. Here are three takeaways.
Devils Didn’t Show Up
The Devils did not look sharp out of the gate, and it did not take long for the game to unravel. It started when John Marino made a bad read in the neutral zone with about three minutes left in the first period. That led to a Red Wings 2-on-1, which they capitalized on for a 1-0 lead.
Things went from bad to worse moments later when Dylan Larkin scored a goal that Vitek Vanecek absolutely should have stopped (more on his performance in a bit).
Hindsight is 20/20, but that felt like a back-breaking goal for the Devils. You could feel the air come out of the Devils' game after that, and it soon turned to a 3-0 deficit that they had no chance of overcoming.
Vanecek was awful last night. There is no doubt about that, but the Devils' skaters were just as bad. Their puck management was terrible. They couldn't complete a pass and were turning over the puck in the neutral and defensive zones, which led to them not generating any offense at five-on-five.
The Devils ended up firing 16 shots on goal against Alex Lyon, who was making just his second appearance of the 2023-24 season. That's inexcusable, especially since the Red Wings spent a week in Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series.
Devils coach Lindy Ruff took the blame in his presser, stating:
"We didn't skate, we didn't compete. Our puck play wasn't good. It wasn't crisp. It's on me to get them in a better place. It's on me. I don't care what the situation is. We've got to play a lot better than that." (via Amanda Stein)
That's all good and well, but the Devils need to figure it out soon. They cannot lose tomorrow's tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets, so hopefully, Ruff gets his message across after last night's effort.
Vanecek Is Unplayable Right Now
The Devils did not play well last night, but Vanecek made that loss much worse than it needed to be. The Red Wings' first goal was not on him, but the second one was inexcusable. An NHL goalie cannot allow those types of goals to find the back of the net.
You could argue whether Vanecek should have stopped the third goal, but it did take an unfortunate bounce off Jonas Siegenthaler's skate. However, Seider's point shot on the power play was an inexcusable goal, too.
Seider finished with 0.21 individual expected goals for the game, meaning that goal had no business finding the back of the net. It may have taken a slight touch off Colin Miller, but it was minimal, if that. Vanecek has to make a save on that shot.
Vanecek finished the night giving up 2.15 goals above expected, which matches the eye test. The Devils' skater group is more than good enough to make the playoffs. But they won't get to the postseason if Vanecek keeps having nights like that.
Mercer at Center Experiment Needs to End
My guess is this will happen whenever Nico Hischier returns to the lineup, but Dawson Mercer is not a top-nine center. Obviously, the loss wasn't on him, but he did not have a good game against the Red Wings by any stretch.
Mercer was arguably the Devils' worst skater, finishing with an expected goals percentage (xG%) of 0.49 percent. No, that is not a typo, either. The problem with him is he is not a play driver, which becomes a problem when playing down the middle.
With the Devils needing more five-on-five scoring, I'd expect Mercer to find his way back on the wing whenever Hischier returns. And he should stay there once Ruff makes the change.
Mercer's best games last season came when he was on the wing alongside Hischier and Tomáš Tatar. I don't know what's the solution or right line combo to get Mercer going this season. But giving him a chance with Jack Hughes or Hischier is something Ruff should consider once the latter returns.
Devils Need to Regroup Quickly
I usually like to include something positive about a game, even if it's a loss. But I don't have anything to add after that performance. There weren't any positives to take away, at least nothing substantial.
Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian had solid games, but it didn't make any difference. Luke Hughes and Colin Miller couldn't build on their previous two outings as a defense pair, so there's nothing to mention there.
The bottom line is the Devils have to regroup quickly and put that performance behind them. The Blue Jackets are coming off an impressive win against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. It's been a tumultuous start for Columbus, so they want to right the ship.
They aren't going to lay down and let the Devils walk them 7-1. At least, I don't think that'll be the case. That's why the Devils have to play their sharpest game and come out like Game 7 against the New York Rangers last spring.
I think it's too early to say it's a must-win game, but it sure feels like the Devils have to have this one. If they don't, who knows how much longer this could snowball before they begin to right the ship. And that could end up costing them their season.
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