Devils Offense Breaks Out in 5-0 Thumping of Predators
The New Jersey Devils' goal-scorers came alive in a needed win against the Nashville Predators.
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The New Jersey Devils needed a goal outburst like that. After playing well against the Dallas Stars but falling 4-2 just 24 hours earlier, the Devils made no mistake about it against the Nashville Predators, defeating them 5-0.
Nico Daws was outstanding, making 29 saves for his first-career NHL shutout, but the Devils' top players led the way in helping the team move to 32-21-6 for the season.
Devils Scored in a Variety of Ways
The lack of finish was the story in the Devils' 4-2 loss to the Stars, but there were no concerns about finishing last night, and that's with the Devils getting denied on three breakaways.
The Devils scored in a variety of ways. Ondřej Palát opened up the scoring after Luke Hughes made a great play to feed Palát, who had an open net. That play resulted from the Devils getting toward the net and creating havoc, something they need to do more of.
In the second period, the Devils got snipes from Dougie Hamilton and Seamus Casey to extend their leads to 2-0 and 3-0. Hamilton picked a corner from a sharp angle and scored on one of the prettiest shots you'll see this season.
Meanwhile, Casey used his high-end hockey sense to look over his options (and look off Jack Hughes) then sniped a shot from long range to give the Devils a 3-0 lead.
In the third period, Stefan Noesen added some insurance with a goal from the bumper on the power play, and Tomáš Tatar capped off the night by throwing a puck toward the net and getting a lucky bounce off a Predators skater to make it a 5-0 game.
It'd be unfair to expect snipes like Hamilton's very often, but the Devils did well to score in different ways. If they can do that more often, they can relieve some of their scoring concerns until they make a trade or two before next week's deadline.
Daws Was Outstanding
Jacob Markström's injury would have been a death sentence for the Devils a season or two ago, but Daws has shown the organization has three NHL-caliber goaltenders in their system.
Sheldon Keefe alluded to it after the game, but the Devils weren't as crisp or sharp as they were against the Stars the previous night. They didn't play poorly, but Daws did face some quality chances, especially early in the second period.
The Devils got off to a slow start in the second, specifically on a shift where the fourth line got hemmed in for nearly three minutes, but Daws stood tall. He capped off that shift by making a confident glove save on Filip Forsberg to freeze the puck and help the Devils make a line change.
Daws also stopped a couple of breakaways, one on Gustav Nyquist and another on Colton Sissons. Had it not been for some of his timely stops, the Predators could have tied the game at 1-1 or made it more competitive at 2-1.
Overall, Daws finished the night saving 3.72 goals above expected. That was the eighth shutout by a Devils goalie this season, the most they've had since the 2010-11 season. Goaltending has not been an issue this season, no matter who's been in net. Now, if they can add some more goal-scoring...watch out.
Devils’ Big Guns Showed Up
Don't get me wrong. The Devils need to improve their depth ahead of the trade deadline. Even last night, their fourth line had a really rough go of it. Fortunately, the team's star players made the difference.
Jack Hughes only totaled a secondary assist, but he was buzzing all night, as he created two breakaways but was denied on each of them. He finished with seven shots on goal, six scoring chances and two high-danger chances, and that was just at five-on-five.
Nico Hischier finished with three assists in his second game back since suffering an oblique injury a couple of weeks before the 4 Nations Break. He did it on a line with Tatar and Stefan Noesen, with the three of them totaling an expected goals share (xG%) of 73.42 percent as a unit.
Jesper Bratt continued his torrid scoring rate with two more assists, bringing him to 51 helpers in 59 games. At this rate, he will break Scott Stevens' franchise record for most assists in a single season.
After dominating against the Stars, Hamilton followed it up with another solid performance. He fired five shots on goal and finished with a goal and an assist. While the Devils need to improve their depth, your star players need to be your star players. That was certainly a step in the right direction toward more consistent performances.
Quick Hits
Casey still needs to improve his defensive game, but that's not a shock for an undersized 20-year-old defender. Otherwise, I see the vision. His hockey sense and skating are better than Šimon Nemec's, and maybe comfortably so. He was solid on his breakouts, and though he and Luke Hughes got hemmed in a couple of times, Casey did have some decent moments defensively. He's the better option than Nemec right now, so don't be surprised if he's in the lineup again versus the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
Keefe does seem to know when to push the right buttons. Not only did Tatar score, but he finished with a team-best 81.1 xG% last night. He's always played well alongside Hischier, so we'll see if that can stick for a little bit until the Devils make some moves ahead of the trade deadline.
The one downer on last night's win was the fourth line. All three players — Paul Cotter, Erik Haula and Nathan Bastian — finished with xG percentages below 25 percent. The Cotter and Haula combo has not worked this season, as they have a 47.27 xG% as linemates. This may be a hot take, but I would scratch Haula in favor of Curtis Lazar against the Avalanche. Haula has struggled mightily for months, and there aren't any signs that will improve soon.
Game Score Chart
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
Not a hot take at all. I liked Lazar’s game against the Stars.