Devils' 5-3 Win vs. Wild: Power Play Cooks Again
The New Jersey Devils' power play continues to remain white hot, as they led the Devils to a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild to sweep the season series
The New Jersey Devils seem to be firing on all cylinders to start the 2023-24 season. After defeating the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Sunday, they followed that up with an impressive 5-3 victory over the Wild in Minnesota last night, powered by three power-play goals. Here are three takeaways and a quick look ahead to tonight's tilt against the St. Louis Blues.
Devils Power Play Is Unstoppable
The Wild's penalty kill isn't slightly below average or mediocre. It's downright terrible. It came into last night's game killing off just 67.9 percent of the power plays they've faced, and it did not get much better after the Devils scored three power-play tallies.
We saw it in the team's first matchup a few days ago. The Wild were leaving plenty of passing lanes open for Devils skaters, and they made them pay. That was largely the case last night, as the Devils had their way with the Wild's penalty killers.
On the Devils' first power-play goal, Jack Hughes had a wide-open passing lane to Timo Meier, who was standing near the blue paint. All Meier had to do was tap in the puck past Filip Gustavsson.
On the team's second power-play goal, Tyler Toffoli set up Jesper Bratt for a one-timer with no Wild defender in sight. The same was true of Dougie Hamilton's one-time blast, which salted the game away in the final minutes.
The Devils' power play was in an advantageous spot against a faltering Wild penalty kill, but they've been doing this to about every team this season. After going 3/5 last night, the Devils' power play is 17/38, a success rate of 44.7 percent.
It will come down to Earth at some point, but there's so much firepower on the Devils' man advantage that it wouldn't be a surprise if it hangs around 30 percent as the season progresses.
Devils Getting the Hang of 1st Periods
It may have gotten lost in the weeds because of the Devils' success on the power play, but they played one of their best first periods of the season. They looked sharp from puck drop and were soon rewarded when Alexander Holtz scored his third goal of the season to make it 1-0.
The Devils got a couple of chances and took advantage of it, leading 2-0 heading into the first intermission. But what was most impressive about their first period was the defensive effort, specifically at five-on-five.
New Jersey allowed just 0.17 expected goals at five-on-five and zero high-danger chances. I thought their puck management, for the most part, was solid in the first period. When they play like that, it makes it difficult for opposing teams to generate anything offensively, which was the case last night.
Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said in his post-game media scrum that his team plays a simpler game on the road, and it's noticeable in some of their starts, as evidenced last night and when they played the New York Islanders just a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps that's a sign of things to come on this four-game road trip.
Bratt, McLeod and Palát Stepping Up in Hischier's Absence
When the Devils announced Nico Hischier wouldn't be making the trip out west, there was definitely reason to be a bit concerned. But at least so far, Michael McLeod has erased any concerns in two games in Hischier's spot alongside Bratt and Ondrej Palát.
McLeod scored the second goal of the game and finished second in Game Score to Bratt. But as you may have suspected, it's obviously not just McLeod who's getting the job done on this line.
Jesper Bratt had the first four-point game of his career, and though three of those points came on the power play, his zone entry helped spark the quick tic-tac-toe passing that led to McLeod's goal at five-on-five.
Palát may be a bit snakebitten shooting-wise, but he's having a very good start to the season. He got robbed by Gustavsson early in the first after a perfect setup on a cross-ice pass from Bratt, but he did end up getting the primary assist on McLeod's tally. Eventually, Palát will get a goal or two if he keeps creating chances at the rate he is.
It does help that the Devils have a favorable schedule for the next couple of games, but it does appear this line of Bratt, McLeod and Palát will get the job done until Hischier returns from his injury.
Devils Quick Hits
Alex Holtz didn't play a ton last night, and his on-ice metrics weren't great, but I thought he had a solid game. His goal came on a shot many of us expected to see from him when the Devils drafted him seventh overall in 2020. He was in on the forecheck and made mostly good decisions in the neutral zone and with the puck on his stick. Holtz is making the most of his minutes, and eventually, he'll get rewarded with more ice time.
Ruff shuffled his defense pairs in the third period, moving Luke Hughes alongside John Marino. Once he did, it seemed like the Devils settled in defensively after a shaky first five to six minutes in the final frame. Hughes had another impressive performance, finishing with an assist and expected goals percentage (xG%) of 70.59 percent. I'm not sure Ruff is ready to make it a permanent switch, but given that Marino has been up-and-down to start 2023-24, it may be time to move Hughes up to Marino's unit.
I know it's early in the season, but it is time to be a bit concerned about Dawson Mercer. His on-ice metrics were fine last night; he finished with a 53.73 xG%, but he still doesn't look the player he was in his first two seasons. He did have one high-danger chance that Gustavsson made a quality save with his pad, but the Devils need to find a way to get him going.
Game Score Charts (via Hockey Stat Cards)
Devils vs. Blues Preview/Bullets
The Blues have only played seven games, but their numbers are concerning to say the least. They have a 41.7 xG%, the second-worst rate in the league at five-on-five; only the San Jose Sharks have a worse number. Not only are the Blues bleeding chances (2.78 expected goals per 60), but they've been a complete black hole offensively, averaging 1.99 xG/60 at five-on-five. That's worse than Sharks, and it's actually not close; San Jose is at 2.34 xG/60. The Devils should have a significant advantage at five-on-five.
I wouldn't recommend taking penalties, but the Blues' power play shouldn't pose too many problems for the Devils' penalty kill. The Blues are averaging just 6.11 xG/60 on the man advantage, the second-worst rate in the NHL. The Devils' PK has been getting better, but this should be a good spot for them to build their confidence before playing some stiffer competition over the next couple of weeks.
Aside from the Wild's third goal last night, Vitek Vanecek was solid. Still, the Devils need a quality start from Akira Schmid tonight. He's done well to stop high-danger shots this season (.917 SV%). He's just not stopping the easy shots. Given how ineffective the Blues' offense has been to start 2023-24, this could be a get-right spot for Schmid.
* * *
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick