Devils' 6-5 OT Win vs. Golden Knights: 2 Points Salvaged
Tyler Toffoli's hat trick helped the New Jersey Devils salvage a crucial two points in a 6-5 OT win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Well, that was a wild affair at the Prudential Center last night. After blowing a 3-1 lead, the New Jersey Devils showed plenty of resilience and scored three unanswered goals to come away with the 6-5 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Here are three takeaways from the victory.
Meier, Hischier & Bratt Caused Problems
It wasn't a surprise to see Devils coach Lindy Ruff stick with Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt as the team's first line. They logged some shifts together in the third period of the blowout loss to the Dallas Stars and looked solid. Given their previous stints as a line, there was reason to be optimistic they'd tilt the ice in their favor, and they did against the Golden Knights.
They only connected for one goal, but it was a beaut. It started with Bratt feeding the puck to an oncoming Meier along the wall. Meier then dove down behind the goal line and made what looked like a no-look pass to Hischier in the slot for the one-timer to tie the game at 1-1.
That was a crucial moment in the game, as the Devils once again gave up the contest's first goal, the 32nd time in 45 games they've done so. It changed the momentum and helped the Devils build a 3-1 lead before things got chaotic in the second period (more on that in a bit).
Even though the Hischier line only finished with one goal, it's easy to see how they can help these next two games before the All-Star break. They finished with a 24-6 shot attempt edge and had a 64.91 expected goals share (xG%) against the Golden Knights.
Meier looked the best he has all season, while Bratt was an absolute force, finishing with ten shots on goal and a 71.41 xG%. He was particularly dominant in overtime, hitting iron twice and helping the Devils tilt the ice in their favor at 3-on-3. If these three play as they did last night, they will give the Devils a chance to build on the win.
Devils Third Line Came Through Too
The Hischier line wasn't the only one that had a positive impact last night. Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian made their presence known, with the latter two having multi-point games.
Lazar got things kicked off for his line when he scored on a rocket of a one-timer to give the Devils a 2-1 lead in the final 27 seconds of the first period. Šimon Nemec made a great read and pinch at the blue line to keep the puck in the offensive zone. It eventually ended up behind the net, where Haula made a great pass to Lazar in the slot.
Lazar's night wasn't finished, either. In typical Lazar fashion, he scored a scrappy goal when a point shot from Nemec took a hard bounce off the wall and right back in front of Thompson. That tally tied the game at 5-5 and helped the Devils get it to OT.
The Haula, Lazar and Bastian line won't beat anyone with blazing speed, but they will provide some physicality and forechecking. They finished with a 90.7 xG% because they allowed no scoring or high-danger chances when they were on the ice.
They'll always provide some solid defense, too, but if they can contribute some offense here and there as they did last night, that can only help the Devils until they get healthy.
Vaněček Remains Unplayable
It is the elephant in the room, so let's address it, but Vitek Vaněček did not do the Devils any favors last night. I thought he got off to a solid start in the first period. He made a few timely saves and helped the Devils take a 2-1 lead into intermission, but it unraveled for him in the second period.
To be clear, defensive miscues from the Devils made matters worse. Kevin Bahl lost coverage on Jonathan Marchessault on Marchessault's first goal of the game. Bahl also failed to pin the puck along the boards on Nicolas Roy's goal that gave the Golden Knights a 5-3 lead.
But there was plenty of bad from Vaněček. Chandler Stephenson's redirect from point-blank range that made it 4-3 cannot end up in the back of the net. I'm not sure what Vaněček was trying to do there. Maybe he was attempting to stick the puck aside before it got to Stephenson, but it left his five-hole wide open.
Vaněček ended up allowing five goals on 2.52 expected goals. You can do the math, but that's not good. His second period was particularly problematic, giving up four goals on 0.85 expected goals (via Natural Stat Trick).
And no matter what model you look at, whether it was Natural Stat Trick, Money Puck or Evolving Hockey, he gave up anywhere from 2.5 to 3 goals above expected in the second period. It doesn't matter which goals he should have saved, but he needs to make a save or two on one of the ones he gave up.
The Devils can't keep trotting Vaněček out there anymore. He has the worst numbers in the NHL among qualified starting netminders. I know Akira Schmid hasn't been great in the AHL since getting sent down, but he sure seems like a better option than Vaněček at this point.
Quick Hits
See, that goal Tyler Toffoli scored at the end of the Stars game did have some meaning. His second hat trick of the season, including the game-winner in OT, helped the Devils get a massive two points. Not only did he score the game-winner, but his second goal with 15 seconds left in the middle frame was just as significant as his winner. The hat trick brings him up to 20 goals in 45 games, putting him on pace for 36 this season. It's safe to say the trade for Toffoli has worked out just fine for the Devils.
Alex Holtz got a few shifts with Michael McLeod and Toffoli during the third period. We'll see if that sticks, but Holtz was impressive during 3-on-3 in OT. He made a good play in the defensive zone along the wall to take the puck away from Alec Martinez and keep possession for the Devils. He also set up Bratt for a grade-A chance that Thompson saved. I still think he's getting wasted away on the fourth line, but if Ruff is going to keep him in the top-six, placing him with McLeod and Toffoli would be the way to go.
Game Score Chart
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick