Devils' 6-3 Win vs. Flyers: The Nico Show
Nico Hischier and Nico Daws' big nights helped power the New Jersey Devils to a 6-3 win in their Stadium Series matchup vs. the Philadelphia Flyers
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It was quite the night at MetLife Stadium. With the Detroit Red Wings winning earlier in the day, plus where the Philadelphia Flyers sit in the standings, it was a must-win game for the New Jersey Devils. Fortunately, strong performances from the two Nicos helped the Devils defeat the Flyers 6-3. Here are three takeaways from the win.
Hischier's Big Night
It was apparent from the game's opening shift that it would be Nico Hischier's night. Though it was partly because of a fortunate bounce off the ref, his breakaway goal 32 seconds into the game set the tone for the Devils and how the rest of his night would go.
Hischier and linemates Ondřej Palát and Jesper Bratt were the Devils' most dominant unit last night. The Devils finished with an expected goals share (xG%) of 84.36 percent and a 6-1 edge in high-danger chances with them on the ice. And many of those chances came courtesy of the captain.
Hischier finished with four shots on goal, four scoring chances and two high-danger chances. His second goal of the game was courtesy of a wicked snipe that beat Sam Ersson clean. He also came just inches shy of netting his first career hat trick when he rang a shot off the iron a few shifts after scoring his second goal.
In addition to scoring twice, Hischier set up Brendan Smith's crucial goal that helped give the Devils a 3-1 lead. It's hard to say for sure, but it seemed like Hischier was shooting for a rebound off Ersson's pad, given how low the shot was.
Not only did Hischier contribute offensively, but most of his five-on-five ice time came against the Flyers' top two wingers, Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny. Hischier and his linemates went toe to toe with the Flyers' top line and largely shut them down. Tippett and Konecny accounted for just one high-danger chance when they were on the ice against Hischier.
Hischier's three-point night continues his strong run of play, bringing him up to 23 points in his last 21 games — an 89-point pace over 82 games. With Jack Hughes back in the lineup, the Devils should be able to make a run with Hischier playing as well as he is lately.
Hischier Was Not the Only Nico to Stand Out
Nico Hischier wasn't the only Nico to put on a show under the lights at MetLife. With Vitek Vaněček out with a minor lower-body injury, Nico Daws has taken the reins as the team's starter and has delivered a string of much-needed quality starts.
Hischier and Tyler Toffoli helped Daws by getting the Devils out to a 2-0 lead. But make no mistake, Daws had to make plenty of quality saves en route to the team getting the win.
Even though the Devils took a 1-0 lead via Hischier's breakaway, the Flyers generated plenty of quality chances in the opening frame. The Flyers created 1.23 expected goals at all strengths in the first period while firing nine shots on goal, but Daws turned everything aside.
The second period was particularly dicey for the Devils, as the Flyers fired 25 shots on goal while generating 1.56 expected goals at all strengths. But Daws again came up with numerous timely saves to keep his team ahead.
There were a couple of stops from Daws in the second that stood out, like Sean Walker in tight, then again on Walker when Daws got run over by Walker just seconds later (it probably should have been goalie interference).
Even when the Devils went up 5-2 in the third, the Flyers didn't fold like a cheap tent. They kept up the pressure and had a couple of chances to make it a one-goal game, but Daws slammed the door shut. There was one instance where Garnet Hathaway or Cam Atkinson (I couldn't make out the number) got a shot on Daws that left a rebound, but his positioning allowed him to save the rebound, even though he couldn't see the puck.
Daws finished the night making 45 saves on 48 shots, which set a career-high. He saved 0.90 goals above expected, the fourth consecutive game where he's stopped well above expectation. Do the Devils still need a goalie? Yes, but Daws has bought them some time with the best stretch of goaltending the team has gotten this season.
Devils' Unexpected Contributions
The Devils' top-six was humming yesterday, but they still got some valuable contributions from players you wouldn't expect. Nathan Bastian scored twice, one to give the Devils a 4-1 lead and a second into the empty net to ice the game away.
Brendan Smith scored just his second goal of the season (and as a Devil), and he got it from a place you wouldn't expect him to in front of the net. That's where you'd expect someone like Timo Meier or Dawson Mercer to score from, not Smith. He also added an assist, giving him a rare multi-point night.
Bastian and Smith may not have had the best on-ice results, but they put the puck in the back of the net at a crucial point when the Flyers were tilting the ice and looking poised to tie the game. It shifted the momentum quite a bit, as their goals extended the team's lead to 3-1, then 4-1.
Had Smith and Bastian not scored at that point in the second period, the Flyers could have tied it with how they were playing. As much as you need timely saves, you also need timely goals when things aren't going in your favor. And Smith and Bastian provided that.
Quick Hits
In addition to Hischier, I thought Bratt was the Devils' best player. He was flying on the ice, and even though he only had one assist, he was creating plenty of chances. Bratt helped kill a Flyers power play by driving to the net for a shorthanded chance and forcing Jamie Drysdale to take a penalty to prevent a goal. He also had a partial breakaway that Ersson saved in the second period. Bratt finished with an 82.71 xG%, which led all Devils skaters. Games like last night showed why he’s been the team's best player this season.
Even though the Devils' power play didn't score a goal yesterday, I thought they were a little better in some aspects. They got chances on Ersson, and their puck movement was improved on some man advantages. But they were also a bit sloppy and gave up a couple of high-danger opportunities. They need to clean up their power play because they will need it for the stretch run to secure a playoff spot.
Game Score Chart
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick