The New Jersey Devils special teams numbers look good on paper, but when looking further it’s not so pretty. If the team can’t turn it around, this could put their season in a tailspin.
Right now, the New Jersey Devils rank 7th in power play with a 21.8%. This team also ranks 11th in penalty kill with a 82.2%. Those look like great numbers for a team that was near the bottom of the league in both last season.
However, numbers can be very deceiving.
The Devils power play is a ridiculous 30.9% in wins, while a paltry 10.8% in losses. That’s insane when you really look at it. In the Devils 20 losses, they are 7 for 65 with the man advantage. It makes it look even worse when two of those goals came Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers when they got seven chances. As fans can attest to, it wasn’t pretty.
This power play should be a powerhouse. The fact that you have Taylor Hall should give this team an advantage every time. He can skate through a defense easily when they are at full strength, but when there’s one less guy on the ice? This should be a no brainer.
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
Add in the immense skills on Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson, and this could be the one of the best units in the league. Unfortunately, it isn’t working out that way.
Then there’s the penalty kill. They stop opponents 84.1% of the time while on the penalty kill. That would be good for third in the NHL. However, in losses the team is at 79.3%. It seems like a pretty small difference, especially compared to the the power play disparity, but it’s the difference between third in the league and 22nd.
The Devils will continue to live and die on special teams. This team is so good at drawing penalties, but at the same time takes a ton themselves. That means that a good part of the game is played on special teams one way or the other. A big penalty kill stop can give the Devils momentum almost as much as a power play goal. Either way, the Devils need to get better.
Next: New Jersey Devils Must Take Responsibility For Losing Streak
Head coach John Hynes needs to really study the tape and see why the power play and penalty kill have such a disparity in wins and losses. If he can find the issues, that could change the entire outlook of the season.