Devils' 6-4 Win vs. Stars: Goal-Scorers Continue to Thrive
The New Jersey Devils' offense stayed red hot in an impressive 6-4 win over the Dallas Stars.
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The New Jersey Devils have been playing a more exciting brand of hockey since coming out of the Olympic break, and that continued last night in an entertaining 6-4 win over the Dallas Stars.
Sure, the Stars were missing Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen due to injury, but they still have a loaded roster. The Devils went toe to toe with them and then some, highlighted by a four-goal first period.
Devils Outplayed the Stars
First periods have been tough sledding for the Devils for much of this season, but that was not the case in Dallas last night. They exploded for four goals and took a 4-1 lead into the first intermission.
All four of the Devils’ goals were of the highlight-reel variety, too. It started when Šimon Nemec made a great keep at the offensive blue line. He then showed off his vision and threaded a pass to Jack Hughes, who was wide open around the blue paint, and Hughes made no mistake about it.
Shortly after Wyatt Johnston tied the game while it was at four-on-four, Jesper Bratt scored what was arguably his prettiest goal of the season. He dangled around Stars defenders in the offensive zone, then deked around Jake Oettinger to give the Devils a 2-1 lead:
Even Connor Brown got in on the scoring when he sniped one bardown on Oettinger to give the Devils a 3-1 lead. Shortly afterward, Luke Hughes made a great stretch pass to his brother to spring him loose on a breakaway, and that goal resulted in the Stars eventually replacing Oettinger to begin the second period.
You can argue that the Devils are just riding some hot shooting percentages. That isn’t wrong, but they’re also playing some legitimately great hockey. They held a 6-2 edge in high-danger chances over the Stars after the first period while controlling over 80 percent of the expected goals (xG%).
For the game, the Devils finished with an xG% of 62.8 percent at five-on-five, and they generated 4.56 expected goals at all strengths. It’s part of opening up their offense since the Olympic break, and it’s paid dividends.
The Devils have scored three or more goals in nine of their last 11 games. They’ve gone 8-3-0 across that stretch, and they’ve scored six goals four times. A healthy Jack and Luke Hughes have made a difference, but the team is continuing to embrace the rush game since coming out of the break.
Hischier Line Quietly Had a Great Game
The Bratt, Hughes, and Brown line had a strong game, but I thought Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer were quietly the team’s best.
Meier did score a crucial five-on-five goal in the third period to give the Devils some insurance when their lead was only 4-3, but they generally tilted the ice in their favor.
Meier, Hischier, and Mercer finished with an xG% of 92.53 percent, and they did not allow a single scoring chance, holding a 5-0 edge in scoring chances. They also had a couple of more opportunities they didn’t convert on, like in the second period when Hischier forced a turnover. But he couldn’t find a way past Casey DeSmith after Dawson Mercer made a great pass to set up Hischier.
Even though they haven’t been scoring much since being put back together at the start of this stretch, their five-on-five numbers have been quite good. Perhaps the finishing will follow soon because they’re getting their opportunities.
Devils Finally Gave Allen Goal Support
By the numbers, Jake Allen did not have a great night. He allowed four goals on 2.38 expected goals, but he finally got the goal support that he hasn’t been getting for much of this season.
To be fair to Allen, he deserved some goodwill from the team in front of him after that performance against the Washington Capitals on Friday, where he saved 3.34 goals above expected in a loss. The Devils just couldn’t find a way past Logan Thompson, who was excellent.
And even though Allen’s numbers weren’t great, he played quite well in the third period, when the Stars made their biggest push of the game. The Stars generated 1.87 expected goals at all strengths across the final 20 minutes of the game, but Allen gave up just one goal.
It wasn’t Allen’s best start of the season (that was probably the Capitals game, to be honest), but goal support goes a long way. When you score five to six goals a game, your goalies don’t need to be perfect.
Quick Hits
The Devils’ fourth line didn’t score a goal last night, but they won their minutes. The trio of Paul Cotter, Nick Bjugstad, and Maxim Tsyplakov finished with an xG% of 97.49 percent and had a couple of scoring chances. Tsyplakov almost scored on a breakaway of his own shortly after Hughes made it a 4-1 game. Unfortunately, it took this long in the season to find a competent fourth line, but better late than never.
Luke Hughes has been playing his best hockey of the season since returning from injury, and he continued it against the Stars. He finished with an xG% of 67.6 percent and was heavily involved in the Devils’ offensive attack. He needs a strong close to the season, and he’s certainly on pace to do it.
The Arseny Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, and Lenni Hämeenaho line has played quite well as the Devils’ third line, but they had a tough outing against the Stars. They got hemmed in the defensive zone multiple times and finished with an xG% of 27.45 percent. Gritsyuk left the game late with an injury, although Sheldon Keefe seems hopeful that it isn’t too serious. He’s been the driving force on the third line for most of the season, so hopefully he doesn’t miss any time. He’ll be key to helping them bounce back.
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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick