Devils' 4-2 Win vs. Predators: All-Around Contributions
The New Jersey Devils' top players had big games, but almost everyone made a positive contribution in the win over the Predators.
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The New Jersey Devils are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at the moment.
Unfortunately, it probably won’t matter in the standings. There’s just too much ground to make up and too little time to do it. But they’re playing arguably the best hockey that they have in Sheldon Keefe’s two seasons as head coach.
With last night’s 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators, the Devils have won nine of their last 12 games. They’ve also scored three or more goals in ten of their last 12 games. Their star players led the way in extending that streak in Nashville, but almost everyone contributed positively.
Devils Star Players Had Another Big Game
The Predators are far from the best team in the NHL, but they’ve been playing good hockey for a while now. They came into last night’s game on a five-game winning streak and in the second wild-card position in the West.
That game meant much more to the Predators than it did to the Devils in the standings, but the Devils came to play. It started with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, who teamed up to give the team a 1-0 lead.
At first, it looked like Hughes beat Justus Annunen clean with a one-timer. But replay showed that Bratt redirected the puck past Annunen.
Later, in the second period, Bratt fired what looked like a shot that beat Annunen clean from a sharp angle. But replay also showed that Nico Hischier redirected it in and past Annunen.
The Devils got leaky in the second period after going up 2-0, allowing the Predators to score two unanswered goals to tie the game at 2-2. But their star players took over in the third and put the game away.
Third periods have been a problem for the Devils this season, but they’ve been much better over their last 12 games. They were the aggressor over the final 20 minutes, controlling 73.91 percent of the expected goals (xG%).
The result was Hischier scoring his second of the night when he redirected a Jack Hughes wicked wrister past Annunen.
When all was said and done, Hischier finished with two goals, Hughes with two assists, and Bratt with a goal and two assists. What could have been had they played like this from the start of the season, but health and the change in style of play have certainly helped them get going. At least it’s something to build on heading into the offseason.
Offensive Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler
One of the most noticeable differences in the Devils since the Olympics is how active their defensemen have been in the offensive zone.
Sometimes, it’s hurt them the other way. Take Reid Schaefer’s breakaway goal that made it a 2-1 game last night. Jonas Siegenthaler got caught below the dots, and Dougie Hamilton pinched too aggressively.
That left Lenni Hämeenaho and Nick Bjugstad, the latter of whom was coming off the bench, to try and prevent the breakaway. But on the flip side, it’s helping the Devils create more goals.
Siegenthaler had a strong game in the 6-4 win over the Dallas Stars 48 hours previously, totaling two assists. He followed that up with another two-assist performance against the Predators yesterday.
Siegenthaler’s first apple came on Bratt’s goal. He made a great shot fake, then fed Hughes for the one-timer that Bratt redirected. His second was collecting the secondary helper on Timo Meier’s empty-net goal, but it came on a good high flip out of the defensive zone.
No one will mistake Siegenthaler for an offensive dynamo, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen him this active offensively during the Keefe era. Perhaps he was a bit like this when Lindy Ruff was head coach, because that’s how they played under Ruff, but it’s been a long time since then.
Siegenthaler finished the game with the best game score among Devils defensemen, and he had a strong overall game, not just offensively. He finished with an xG% of 75.16 percent and was not on the ice for a single high-danger chance against.
It hasn’t been a great season for Siegenthaler (or many Devils), but he has been playing much better since the Olympics.
Markström Was Solid
I didn’t love the second goal Jacob Markström gave up. But he also made some key stops, like when he made a glove save on a Luke Evangelista breakaway before the Predators got on the board.
There was another sequence in the second where the Predators had an odd-man rush, but Markström made a sliding pad save on Erik Haula, who didn’t get all of the shot.
Fortunately, the Devils played a solid game in front of Markström, so he didn’t face a ton of quality looks. They allowed just 18 shots on goal, and the Predators had just eight high-danger chances at all strengths.
In total, Markström allowed two goals on 1.73 expected goals, so he essentially stopped what he needed to. As I said after the 6-4 win over the Stars, your goalies don’t need to be perfect when the goal support is there, and Markström got the support he needed.
Quick Hits
Luke Hughes continues to play some good hockey since returning to the lineup from an injury on Feb. 28. He finished with an xG% of 54.77 percent and had arguably the save of the game when he blocked a Steven Stamkos shot that would have surely given the Predators the lead. Hughes was solid defensively and was only on the ice for one high-danger against. He’s continuing to trend in the right direction to close the season.
Hämeenaho hasn’t scored much since he was called up to the NHL, but he does not look out of place. He had a couple of chances to score in the first period, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The process is there, though. He finished with an xG% of 64.82 percent and has been one of the Devils’ best five-on-five players since getting called up. There should be some more opportunities for him with Arseny Gritsyuk out with an injury for at least the next few games.
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
I thought the second Preds goal was bullshit. First, Stamkos slashed Nemec's stick out of his hands, then someone else tripped Hughes as he was about to skate the puck up ice. Either or both of those should have been called. And then they score immediately after getting the puck from Hughes.