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New Jersey Devils: How To Fix Team’s Power Play Unit

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 18: Kyle Palmieri #21 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his first period power play goal with Travis Zajac #19 in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Prudential Center on April 18, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 18: Kyle Palmieri #21 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his first period power play goal with Travis Zajac #19 in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Prudential Center on April 18, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils power play has been inept for weeks now. What’s wrong with the unit, and how to change their fortunes on the next one?

The New Jersey Devils are awful on the power play. The overall stats don’t look terrible. On the season, the Devils have converted on 21.2 percent of their power play opportunities. That’s good for 13th in the league. That is not bad for the Devils, although it could be better.

Now, let’s take a look at the Devils power play lately. The Devils are 0 for their last 18 opportunities. That’s right, 18 out of 18 power plays this team failed to score. Not only is the power play failing to score, but it’s looking terrible in the process.

There are a few things really hurting the Devils power play. One thing is injuries and the other is philosophy. Let’s start with the injuries, because that’s something that will eventually fix itself.

The Devils are currently missing Nico Hischier, Brian Boyle and Sami Vatanen. They aren’t Taylor Hall or Kyle Palmieri, so it shouldn’t hurt the power play, right? Well, actually, those three players are responsible for seven of the Devils 14 power play goals this season. In one fell swoop, the Devils lost half of their power play production and replaced it with the likes of Stefan Noesen. No offense to him, but he’s not getting the job done.

The loss of Boyle is especially hard. He’s been amazing on the power play this season. It sounds like it makes zero sense, but it is true. He has four power play goals this season. He’s really secured his role on the top power play unit. The fact that you throw Boyle in front like that, and just leave him there was a real asset. The Devils are really trying to replace him on that unit with Stephan Noesen. Boyle is 6’7 and close to 250 lbs. Noesen is six inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter.

When the Devils lost Boyle, fans didn’t realize the power play would come to a halt.

Now, with those injuries lingering, the Devils need to look at their philosophy on the power play. With those injuries, the power play unit looks much different. Hall, Palmieri, Will Butcher, Noesen and Travis Zajac. It’s fine. That’s about it. It’s better than the second unit, but it’s not good.

The issue with that power play unit without Hischier and Boyle is everything about it is now obvious. Hall does the same thing where he tries to run through all four players to make a play happen. Palmieri will sit at or near the wall, and will wait for a chance to make a play towards the net. Lately, those opportunities are not coming. Noesen and Zajac kind of overlap roles, and Butcher has not been as good this season as he was last season.

The second unit consists of Miles Wood, Jesper Bratt, Marcus Johansson, Jean-Sebastien Dea and Damon Severson. I was really happy the Devils decided to replace Vatanen with a forward, but it hasn’t created more opportunities. This unit has only created three goals on the season, and two came from defensemen.

So, how can they fix it? Well, for one, players have to get healthy. However, the Devils can’t do anything to change that right now. So, how can they fix it right now?

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The Devils need to stop the back passing they do on the power play. It’s one of those things in sports that don’t make sense on paper, but you try anyway. Well, the Devils tried it and it doesn’t work. We understand why they think it could work. The thought is it would help the Devils gain speed into the zone. However, the opposing teams are just waiting on the blue line. That makes it near impossible to enter the zone.

It’s not helping Hall on the power play lately. He has 10 power play assists, but only two this month. He had a power play assist in every October game except two. This month, he doesn’t have one in eight games. It’s a problem. It’s also a problem he has no power play goals this season. He needs to find a way to get open on the power play more often. It was working where he would draw two players to him, then pass to the open man. It’s not working anymore.

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What the Devils need is a process that allows them to set up. The Devils power play does its best work when it is making multiple passes in the zone. Most teams have it the same way. Multiple passes move the defenders around, and eventually puts them out of position. This gives the extra player an open shot on the goalie.

Now that Pavel Zacha finally found his scoring stroke, I can see him taking Dea’s spot on the second power play unit. His recent chemistry with Bratt will help that second unit. Also, putting a big forward with his speed and skill will only help a floundering unit. A little change in what’s important on the man advantage will end this terrible run. Zero for 18 is hard to do if your tried, the Devils need to make thing happen.

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