Devils' Slow Start vs. Maple Leafs Too Much to Overcome
The New Jersey Devils couldn't recover from a slow start en route to a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs
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No, the New Jersey Devils are not going 82-0-0 this season. The Toronto Maple Leafs handed them their first loss of the 2024-25 campaign last night, as they got off to a fast start and didn't look back, winning 4-2.
The Devils did some things well in spurts, but it was a mostly uninspiring performance. They'll have to regroup and put together a better effort against the Washington Capitals tomorrow night. Here are three takeaways from yesterday's loss.
Devils & Markström Started Slow
Bryce Salvador mentioned on yesterday's post-game show that teams returning from Europe have only won something like nine of 33 games when back on North American ice. Is that an excuse? No, but the Devils didn't buck that trend.
It was pretty clear early on the Devils weren't as sharp as they were in their two games against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague. The Devils actually controlled the expected goals battle in the first period, but you wouldn't have known it from the score or their play.
Their puck management was not as sharp, and the Maple Leafs were doing a good job preventing the Devils from breaking out of their own end. That helped the Maple Leafs sustain offensive zone time, and they capitalized with three first-period goals.
Jacob Markström didn't help the cause, though. I'm not sure what happened on Max Pacioretty's goal that opened the scoring. It doesn't look like Pacioretty bumped into Markström, but it's hard to tell. Whatever the case was, Markström got pulled out of position on a mad scramble in front, leaving Pacioretty with plenty of space to score.
That goal was forgivable, but Markström surely wants back Bobby McCann's goal that made it a 2-0 game. Seamus Casey may have gotten in front of Markström and screened him, but I still think he'd tell you he needs to save that one.
Markström gave up 2.35 goals above expected in the first period alone, though he did settle down after that. Combined with the Devils' overall sloppy and slow play in the first period, it was a perfect storm that led to them falling behind against what looked like an improved Maple Leafs defense.
Should Keefe Spread the Wealth in the Top 6?
I liked what I saw from the Timo Meier, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt line last night, but I also didn't? On one hand, they controlled 60 percent of the expected goals (xG%). But when you look closer, they didn't generate much offensively, only creating 0.33 expected goals.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned it in his post-game press conference, but no one played all that well last night. And that was particularly true at five-on-five, as they only generated 1.48 expected goals as a team.
Of course, it's just one game. And these line combos did look quite good against the Sabres in Prague. However, I wonder if the Devils would benefit from spreading the wealth in the top six to help out the Nico Hischier line.
The Tomáš Tatar, Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer combo was the Devils' worst yesterday, finishing with an xG% of only 35.9 percent. And even though the Hughes line had OK results, Jack did not have a good game. Aside from drawing a power play late in the third, he seemed off, whether it was bobbling the puck, missing passes or just a general lack of creating chances.
Keeping Bratt and Hughes together makes sense, given their track record. But Keefe might want to keep moving Meier to a line with Tatar and Hischier in his back pocket, with Mercer sliding in with Bratt and Hughes.
Right now, I just don't see it with the Tatar, Hischier and Mercer line as we did in 2022-23, and I think Hischier could use more support on his wings. Meier has played very well with Hischier since the Devils acquired him in 2022-23, and Bratt and Hughes are probably more likely to get Mercer going than Tatar and Hischier.
Keefe will and probably should keep the same line combos together to start tomorrow's game against the Capitals. But if the lack of five-on-five offense is a problem again, he might want to consider these changes.
Kovacevic Looks Legit
Even in a loss, I always try and look for something positive. One of those positives, and even in the two games in Prague, was Johnathan Kovacevic.
Though the Maple Leafs scored four times, Kovacevic was not on the ice for a goal against. He finished with an xG% of 51.1 percent and was only on the ice for 0.35 expected goals against. He even led Devils skaters in Game Score:
The Devils need Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce back in the lineup sooner rather than later. But even when they return, it'll be hard to take Kovacevic out of the lineup if he continues this play.
He's been the Devils' most defensively sound blueliner, and Jonas Siegenthaler looks comfortable with him as his defense partner; they're also putting up excellent results at five-on-five as a pair. They've been a solid defense unit and could be a high-end third pair once everyone is healthy.
Quick Hits
Dougie Hamilton is still searching for his first point, but it'll come if he plays as he did last night. He had 13 shot attempts, six scoring chances and four shots on goal at all strengths. He finished with a 59.34 xG%, and though I don't particularly care about Hamilton playing a physical game, he threw the body around last night. Though, hopefully, that doesn't come at the expense of offense.
I'm cautiously optimistic the Devils' power play will be improved from last season's, at least when their first unit is on the ice. Bratt scored a power-play goal in the first period, and the chances were there all the game. The Devils had a whopping 18 shot attempts, 13 scoring chances, four high-danger chances and seven shots on goal on five power plays. The puck movement is much more crisp, and at least to the naked eye, players are interchanging positions much more than they did a season ago. A power play needs reps to get to where it needs to be, but it seems like it's trending in that direction.
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