Devils' 4-3 Win vs. Senators: Not Always Pretty

The New Jersey Devils nearly squandered another third-period lead but this time managed to hang on for the win over the Ottawa Senators.

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The New Jersey Devils needed a rebound effort after a tough week of games. And though it was more difficult than it needed to be, they came away with a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators to finish the season 12-3-1 in the first half of back-to-backs. Here are three takeaways ahead of their tilt against the Nashville Predators tonight. 

Good Start, Shaky Finish Once Again

If there's one thing that seems to have noticeably improved under interim coach Travis Green, it's that the Devils are starting games with more urgency. They got off to a quick start against the Senators, scoring three first-period goals to go up 3-0. 

It started when Brendan Smith made a crisp pass to Jack Hughes through the neutral zone. Hughes then gained the offensive zone with possession as he does so often and made a beautiful feed to Erik Haula to help the Devils take a 1-0 lead. 

The Devils built off that, with Ondřej Palát scoring his second goal in as many games when he redirected a Luke Hughes point shot to give the Devils a 2-0 lead. Smith capped off the fast start by launching a clapper off the bar and in for a 3-0 advantage. 

It's not like the Devils didn't deserve the early lead, too. They controlled a bit over 62 percent of the expected goals (xG%) in the first period and carried that over into the final two frames, finishing last night with a 64.75 xG%. 

Now for the bad. For as much as the Devils have improved in the first period under Green, third periods have become a problem. I did think this third period was better than the last few, specifically against the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers. They still out xG'd the Senators 1.12 to 0.69 at five-on-five in the third. 

As Green said after the game, he thought the Devils had chances to put the Senators away in the third. They just couldn't convert, and I agree with that assessment. The Devils didn't sit back and try to hold onto a three-goal lead. They were still attacking.