Devils' 6-2 Win vs. Stars: Allen Shines in Debut

Jake Allen's excellent team debut helped power the New Jersey Devils to an impressive 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

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A goalie steal from a New Jersey Devils goalie? In this economy? I wouldn't go as far as to say the Devils played poorly, but Jake Allen stole the show in his team debut and helped lead them to an impressive 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars. Here are three takeaways from the victory, which helped bring the Devils within four points of a playoff spot. 

Allen's Stellar Devils Debut

It looked like last night was going to be a typical Devils game. Get scored on first, the goalie gives up a poor goal on the second one against, then the opponent pulls away. The Stars made it "1-0, them" just 15 seconds into the game, and it sure felt like "here we go again."

To make matters worse, Allen gave up a terrible goal a few minutes after Erik Haula tied the game at 1-1. We've seen back-breaking goals against like that from Devils goalies all season. It would have been easy to assume that things would snowball and that the Stars, who are a Cup contender, would've put the Devils to bed. 

But that did not happen. Instead, Allen buckled down, and the Devils capitalized on the shots and chances they generated. We'll get to that in a minute, but let's focus on Allen, who was sensational, particularly over the final 25-30 minutes of the game. 

I thought the Devils were playing a pretty tight defensive game until the Stars received a power play with about five minutes remaining in the second period. Dallas didn't score on that man advantage, but it gave them momentum and helped them start peppering Allen. 

Even to start the third period, Allen made some key stops on Radek Faksa, then later on Johnston and Joe Pavelski to keep the lead at 5-2. He finished the night making 35 saves on 37 shots while stopping 2.39 goals above expected, the second straight game that the Devils have gotten a goalie to save above expectation. 

Because the battle for a playoff spot has been the definition of mid in the Eastern Conference, the Devils may not be out of it just yet. And they certainly might have a chance if Allen and Kaapo Kähkönen provide this type of goaltending over the final 16 games of the regular season. 

Devils' Defensive Effort Was There

The Devils gave up 37 shots and 4.39 expected goals at all strengths, but I did not think they played a poor defensive game, specifically at five-on-five. The five-on-five expected goals battle was about a 50/50 split after two periods, with a slight tilt toward the Devils. 

Interim coach Travis Green mentioned in his post-game media scrum that he thought the Devils did a good job keeping the Stars to the perimeter, and I tend to agree with him. The Stars generated 33 scoring chances at five-on-five, but they had only seven high-danger chances. For what it's worth, the Devils finished with three more high-danger opportunities than their opponent. 

There was also quite the commitment to blocking shots from the Devils; they finished with over 20. Nick DeSimone, who played well after being a healthy scratch for three months, had a couple of important shot blocks in the third period that helped the Devils maintain their 5-2 lead. 

Something that Green also mentioned after the game when asked about it was how the Devils were quick to move the puck out of the defensive zone. The Stars are a heavier team, so you don't want to get caught on their forecheck. But it sure felt like there was a lot of quick passing that helped the Devils break out much more effectively and prevented the Stars from getting in on the forecheck. 

I thought Luke Hughes played one of his best games in some time. He played a simple game and broke out of the defensive zone efficiently, which helped limit the Stars' forecheck. DeSimone defended well and showed some poise in his decision-making. Bahl was physical, sometimes too physical, but he used the body effectively in different situations. 

So, while the Stars may have gotten plenty of shots on net, I thought there was promise in the Devils' defensive game at five-on-five. They kept the Stars to the perimeter, blocked shots, and were more effective on their breakouts. Considering there's no Jonas Siegenthaler, Dougie Hamilton and John Marino for the foreseeable future, that's pretty impressive. Perhaps there's something to build on. 

Devils Offense Still Struggling to Generate Shots

For the second consecutive game, the Devils fired less than 25 shots on goal. They converted on them and took advantage of Jake Oettinger, who is struggling mightily; he's now given up nearly ten goals above expected across his last 11 starts. 

Still, I am a bit concerned about the Devils' offense and the shots and chances they're creating under Green. I think last night was partly score effects taking over in the third period. It didn't seem like there was much urgency from the Devils to attack with a three-goal lead, and I understand that. 

But still, they're not going to score six goals on 2.36 expected goals every game. They got fortunate yesterday because Oettinger has been one of the worst goalies in the NHL over the last month, but that won't be the case every night. 

Jack Hughes still doesn't look 100 percent, so that complicates matters. And when you factor in that there's not a ton of puck-moving ability on the back end with all the injuries, it might remain a challenge to generate offense. Perhaps that changes as the team gets more comfortable with Green, but they will need to create more offense to get a winning streak going. 

Quick Hits

• Playoffs or not, it's good to see Timo Meier looking like his old self. He finished with a goal and an assist and posted a Game Score of 4.25, the second-best Game Score he's had this season. He made a great play to win a puck retrieval on Alexander Holtz's goal by using his skating to get in on the forecheck, and his goal was a vintage Meier one-timer. That's what a healthy Meier looks like, so it's good to see him close to 100 percent again. 

• The Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer line accounted for a goal, but they did struggle quite a bit defensively. Still, Green should stick with them since yesterday was the best Mercer had looked in weeks. He scored what was the game-winning goal and set up Hughes for a great scoring chance, but the puck rolled on Hughes. If this line can unlock Mercer for the final 16 games, that's a plus. 

• Last night was not an easy spot for DeSimone, given how long he hasn't played, but I thought he handled it well. Sure, his on-ice numbers weren't great (he had an expected goals share of 39.1 percent), but he made good decisions with the puck and had some good defensive moments, like when he denied Logan Stankoven on a rush chance. They will need him to contribute with Marino out day-to-day. 

Game Score Chart

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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Stat Cards

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