Devils Drop More Points in 4-3 Shootout Loss to Canucks
Between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks losses, the New Jersey Devils have dropped three valuable points.
Follow us on Twitter: @AlexC_NJD, @NJD_OnTheRush
Follow me on Bluesky
The New Jersey Devils are dropping points too often this late into the season. First, it was the epic third-period meltdown against the Calgary Flames last week. Last night, it was giving up two separate leads in the third period, one of which tied the game with about 30 seconds left.
If the Devils had snagged two points against the Flames and the Vancouver Canucks, the playoffs would be close to a certainty. Perhaps they still are, but they're making things more difficult than they need to be.
Devils Finding Too Many Ways to Lose
I'm honestly not sure what to say after that loss. The Devils played a pretty solid game but found a way to lose again. You can't blame Jacob Markström for that one. That was arguably his best start since he returned from his MCL sprain.
Timo Meier put the Devils on his back and scored two more goals to give their offense some life. Erik Haula scored a massive goal again to give the Devils a 3-2 lead, but the team hasn't been able to capitalize on these moments.
Granted, they got a point, and that's obviously much better than losing in regulation at this time of the season. But that should have been two points for the Devils.
After taking a 2-1 lead on Meier's second goal of the night, the Devils gave up the tying goal 45 seconds later. Haula gave them the lead back about two minutes later, and at that point, you thought the Devils would come away with two points.
But on Conor Garland's tying goal, Brett Pesce failed to get the puck out, Ondřej Palát got absolutely walked by Quinn Hughes at the blue line, and the team couldn't clear the puck from the ensuing Hughes shot that got through traffic, allowing Garland to tie the game with almost 30 seconds left in regulation.
It's not just the players, though. Why did Sheldon Keefe have Brenden Dillon, Palát and Dawson Mercer out for the faceoff that led to the tying goal? Mercer didn't do anything wrong, but Palát's defense of Hughes was poor, to put it mildly.
Palát's reputation precedes him at this point. He's not the player he used to be and is not someone I would have on the ice in high-leverage situations with the season he's having.
Throwing Haula, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt over the boards for that faceoff would have been perfectly acceptable. You'd have to think that with Bratt's skating, he could have defended Hughes better. Little things like these are adding up and costing the Devils points.
Despite the Loss, There Were Some Positives
Even though the Devils lost again, there were some positives. They won't make it to the playoffs relying solely on Jake Allen. Markström needs to get going, and yesterday was a step in the right direction.
The Canucks didn't generate much in volume, but there was plenty of quality. They had 14 high-danger chances at five-on-five, which isn't all that surprising when you look at the goals they scored.
Pius Suter's tally came from the slot via a great pass from Marcus Pettersson, but he was basically uncovered. Jonathan Lekkerimaki's goal that made it 2-2 was essentially the same. Mercer and Palát failed to cover the slot, leaving him wide open.
Markström couldn't have done anything about either goal, but he made plenty of quality saves throughout the night. He stopped 0.38 goals above expected and gave the Devils a chance in the shootout; it's not his fault that only Bratt scored.
Meier continued his hot March. He has four goals in his last five games and now has 22 goals for the season. He's stepped up since Jack Hughes' injury and needs to keep it up over the final four weeks of the regular season.
Haula deserves credit for his play lately, too. He was rightfully the subject of plenty of criticism for going nearly three months without a goal, but he's turned it up a notch since scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers a couple of weeks ago.
There are things to build on from last night's loss, and they have to get the job done against the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow night. Two points are a must, or things will really begin getting dicey.
Noesen, Glass & Bratt Struggled
The Haula, Hischier and Meier line played a great game, totaling a 61.01 expected goals percentage (xG%). Unfortunately, it was a rough night for the Stefan Noesen, Cody Glass and Jesper Bratt trio. They struggled mightily, finishing with an xG% of 13.27 percent.
Keefe has struggled to find a unit that's worked consistently after whatever combination he has with Meier and Hischier. Keeping Glass and Bratt together makes sense, but who fills the left-wing spot if Haula stays with Hischier and Meier?
Noesen has not played well since Christmas (that goes for plenty of players). Perhaps a line of Tomáš Tatar, Glass and Bratt could work? Or maybe Daniel Sprong should get a shot there? I'm unsure what the solution is, but Noesen has not been a top-six-caliber winger for weeks. Keefe has to find something that gels if Haula remains on the top line.
Quick Hits
Is Šimon Nemec playing well? No. Is he a better option than Dennis Cholowski? Probably. Cholowski has struggled mightily since the Devils acquired him at the trade deadline; he has an xG% below 40 percent. Granted, Nemec's numbers are a bit worse, but at least he can move the puck. Cholowski struggled mightily with some of his breakouts last night, especially early in the game. If Cholowski is going to play this way, you might as well live with Nemec's growing pains.
No Curtis Lazar or Nathan Bastian, and the Devils' fourth line had a solid game. Nolan Foote and Justin Dowling joined Paul Cotter on the fourth line, finishing with a 51.04 xG% as a unit. They even generated some offense, which this shift did not do with Lazar and Bastian. This line doesn't need to score every game, but they can't be the liability they were, either. Foote, Dowling and Cotter showed they might be an improvement.
Game Score Chart
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
I started the "Devils giving away points" clock from the Dallas game, when we gave up the game winning goal with less than 5 seconds on the clock.