New Jersey by the Numbers: Week 1

THIS IS THE NUMBERS WE ALL HOPED FOR TO START THE SEASON, 2-0-0!! The Devils ruined two home openers this week in route to finishing week one with a perfect record.

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Week 1
10/9: New Jersey Devils 6 @ 4 Philadelphia Flyers
10/11: New Jersey Devils 5 @ 1 Florida Panthers

New Jersey started the season with a rocky 6-4 win over a divisional opponent in the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils lost a 3-0, and a 4-3 lead while in Philadelphia, but the Devils managed to regain the lead thanks to a Zubrus goal and sealed the win with a Mike Cammalleri empty netter. The Devils then traveled south to Florida, and continue their offensive dominance. New Jersey was able to knock Roberto Luongo out in the second period, after putting 5 goals past him in 23 minutes.

This season is young, but the Devils are showing us a side which we have never seen before, an offensive juggernaut. In 2 games, New Jersey has scored 11 goals, which is 5.5 goals a game. As nice as an average as that is, we know they cannot hold this pace all season. Two games is too small a sample size to predict off of, however it does make for a hopeful start to the season.

Line Evaluations
Line 1: Mike Cammalleri (GP: 2, G: 3, A: 0), Travis Zajac (GP: 2, G: 0, A: 0), Jaromir Jagr (GP: 2, G: 0, A: 2)
The Devils’ top line has looked as nice as we imagined it would. Mike Cammalleri has excelled so far in New Jersey as he has now leads New Jersey in goals after two games with three. Jaromir Jagr has also started the season well, averaging a point a game, and looked to be showing no signs of slowing down. the only negative has been a lack of production from Travis Zajac. Just because the numbers are not their yet, the opportunities have been. Once all three players begin to click together, we may be looking at one of the most productive top lines in all of Hockey.

Line 2: Dainius Zubrus (GP: 2, G: 1, A: 0), Patrik Elias (GP: 2, G: 1, A: 1), Martin Havlat (GP: 2, G: 1, A: 1)

Oct 9, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Patrik Elias (26) celebrates his goal with defenseman Marek Zidlicky (2) during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. The Devils defeated the Flyers, 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Just like we have seen all pre-season, the pairing of Patrik Elias and Martin Havlat works well together on the ice. Both have a goal and an assist, and are averaging a point a game. Zubrus has also looked decent to start the year, especially since his goal put the Devils ahead for good Thursday against the Flyers.

Line 3: Ryane Clowe (GP: 2, G: 1, A: 1), Adam Henrique (GP: 2, G: 1, A: 2), Michael Ryder (GP: 2, G: 1, A: 3)
Although the firs power on the first line would lead you to think they will lead the team in points, it was the third line this week which owns that title. Between Ryane Clowe, Adam Henrique and Michael Ryder, the line has tallied three goals and six assists. Adam Henrique will be Adam Henrique, a young scorer who is only getting better and better each game he plays. It will be fun to see him grow this season, especially if this line can stay productive. New Jersey will have to keep Clowe healthy, as well as keep the streaky Ryder hot, but together this line will create a tremendous advantage over opposing third lines in the league.

Line 4: Tuomo Ruutu (GP: 2, G: 1, A: 0), Stephen Gionta (GP: 2, G: 0, A: 0), Jordin Tootoo (GP: 2, G: 0, A: 0)
Unfortunately, this is the only line which has caused the Devils problems. The offensive production is awful and in two games has only registered a goal between the three of them. However, they do the team in one category, amount of penalties called on them. Tootoo had three, Ruutu had two and Gionta only had one. Six penalties is a problem since the Devils have allowed three power play goals in 2 games. the Lack of production makes you have to ask, when will Damien Brunner and Jacob Josefson will be called upon to play!

Defense

Oct 9, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Andy Greene (6) and Philadelphia Flyers left wing R.J. Umberger (18) battle for the puck in front of goalie Cory Schneider (35) during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Pairing 1: Andy Greene & Damon Severson
The 20 year old rookie was thrown straight into the fire opening night as he was put on the top line to face the Flyers’ best. Opening night we saw a few rookie moments put overall played a decent game in a harsh environment. In his second game, he flourished, scoring a goal, grabbing an assist, and being named 2nd start of the Night! Andy Greene is Andy Greene. No worries on his play, and will be relied on to be cornerstone of this Devils’ defense.

Pairing 2: Marek Zidlicky & Bryce Salvador
One pairing which had completely different weeks was this combination. Salvador totaled 0 points in two games while Zidlicky leads New Jerseys’ Defensive unit with 3 points on 3 assists. Zidlicky also led the defense last year in offensive production and will look to do the same for the second consecutive season. As captain of this team, its hard to lead the team on the ice with zero production, so Salvador will need to turn it around if he wants to stay on the ice.

Pairing 3: Eric Gelinas & Jon Merrill
This is one of the most exciting pairings to watch. Eric Gelinas has one of the best slap shots on the team, and watching him fire on net is a thing of beauty. At one point tonight he had two goals, but after officials reviewed the goals, both were credited to other players. Jon Merrill has been consistant and has also been seen placing quite a few hits. Although Merrill was caught on the ice once for one of the Flyers goals, together the pairing has not been on the ice together for a goal against.

Goaltending – Cory Schneider (2-0-0)
This is the first time in Cory Schneider’s career that he has been the sole number on goalie on an NHL team. In his first two games, he has allowed 5 goals, averaging 2.5 goals allowed per game. Out of the 68 shots he faced, he saved 63 giving him a save percentage of 92.6%, 0.5% higher than last season’s average.

Schneider has had a great start, but the only part of his game which he has struggled at has been on the penalty kill. In 5v5 play, he has stopped 51 of 53 shots while on 4v5 play, he blocked 10 of 13. The difference between full strength save percentage (96.2%) verse 4v5 save percentage (76.9%), is extreme although the sample size is small, it is still a cause for concern.

Statistics worth noting this Week
The Good

Sep 25, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Mike Cammalleri (23) and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (53) battle for position during the third period at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers defeated the Devils, 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Devils 5v5 Offense – In the 2 games the Devils have played, New Jersey has scored 9 even strength goals. In an average 60 minutes of play, New Jersey is averaging 6.19 goals per 5v5 play. Again this is a terribly small sample size, but a great way to start the season.
The “Newest” Devils – Both Mike Cammalleri and Martin Havlat where brought in to ignite the offense and have done just that. Cammalleri leads the team with 3 goals in two games while Havlat has registered a goal and an assist in the same time span. Martin Havlat has been extremely efficient, owning a 33% shooting percentage, scoring on one of his three shots. Cammalleri shooting percentage is also worth noting at 30%, since he has converted three of ten shots in 2 games, posting a 30% shooting percentage.

The Bad

The Penalty Kill – The Devils were one of a few teams which finished among the top ten in both the Power Play and Penalty Kill. The power play has been off to a strong start, converting on 2 of 8 attempts for a 25% success rate, while the penalty kill has failed to remain dominant. New Jersey has been down a man 13 times this season and 3 of those have lead to a goal. The success rate of 76.9% is almost 10% lower than the season average the Devils posted last year.
The Penalties – In two games, the Devils have posted a shocking 15 penalties called upon them. It looks like the PK is not at their best to start the season, and the more New Jersey puts them on the ice, the more they will suffer. 2 of the 3 penalty goals allowed where in the second period of the Devils Flyers game, which tied the score at three. This could have cost the Devils a game and needs to be clean up if the Devils want to stay competitive. The Devils will face 3 great power play teams in Tampa, Washington and San Jose, and if the Devils give them the opportunities, these opponents will certainly make them pay.

The Ugly

Sep 25, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers left wing Jay Rosehill (37) checks New Jersey Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador (24) during the third period at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers defeated the Devils, 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Bryce Salvador – Yikes. Salvador had a rough week to start the season on both sides of the ice. Salvador was the only of the Devils’ 6 defenders not to register a point in the opening two games. He was also on the ice for 4 out of the 5 goals the Devils have allowed all season. Also, for all of the three penalty goals the Devils allowed, he has been on the ice for all of them. He should not be on the ice for a PK and if he keeps us his awful play he does not deserve to be on the ice at all.
The fourth line – This was mentioned above, but this line has generated 6 penalties between the three of them. Out of the three, by far Jordin Tootoo has been the worst. The Devils signed Tootoo out of camp and in return has given the Devils 3 penalties, 0 points and 2 shots in four games. With New Jersey set to face 3 great offenses next week, DeBoer should look to put healthy scratches Damien Brunner and Jacob Josefson in on the bottom line for a chance to get some sort of offensive output out of that unit.

Looking Ahead: Week 2

10/14: New Jersey Devils @ Tampa Bay Lightening (0-0-0)
10/16: New Jersey Devils @ Washington Capitals (0-0-0)
10/18: San Jose Sharks (0-0-0) @ New Jersey Devils

The Devils will look to continue their hot into week two of the season. The Devils have two games left on their road trip in Tampa Bay and Washington, and will end the week at home against the San Jose Sharks. Playing 2 former playoff teams, it should be a great early test to see how the Devils size up.

Cannot wait to see you back here next week, and of course LETS GO DEVILS!?!

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