New Jersey Devils: Overtime Woes Come Down To Confidence
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils lost another overtime game on Friday, this time to the New York Islanders. Their issues with the 3-on-3 overtime come down to one thing; confidence.
The New Jersey Devils forced the game to go to overtime against the New York Islanders with just ten seconds left in the game. It was an amazing comeback, their third time erasing a lead in the game. It was a rough game to watch, but one where the Devils continued to battle. They eventually went to overtime on the stick of Marcus Johansson, who recorded the most important point of his early Devils career. He batted the puck out of the air and past Thomas Greiss.
This sent the game into overtime, where the Devils have not been good. They’ve had stretches where they dominate zone play, but when it comes time to shoot they pass instead. That did not change today.
The Devils spent most of the overtime in their own zone, but when they got to the Islanders zone, they weren’t without chances. They just didn’t turn those chances into actual shots. In fact, in 3:40 of 3-on-3 play, they didn’t register a shot the entire time.
Nico Hischier had the best opportunity of the overtime period, and he didn’t even attempt a shot. He was standing alone in front of the net, and instead of taking the shot, he went for the pass.
Well, if he would just take the shot instead of going for the perfect play, then the Devils might come out with a win.
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The same thing that’s hurting the Devils on the power play is killing them in overtime. They pass and pass and pass until they get the perfect shot, and if they don’t get it they just fire it from the point. That’s not how you win in those situations.
So, why were the Devils so much better in overtime last season? It has to be more than John Moore, right? Well, Moore did believe he was scoring every time he was on the ice in the extra session. That confidence might have oozed off of the now Bruins defenseman, and onto the rest of the Devils.
No matter what the problem, the solution is confidence. It’s literally that easy. When you have a shot, take it. Don’t take a chance trying to find the perfect shot when you already have a really, really good shot. Take the shot when you have a shot. Especially in overtime, with so much open ice.
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The Devils will get another opportunity soon. Teams play between 15-20 overtime games per season. The Devils are behind schedule. They will likely have opportunities to practice their confidence in the extra frame. When they do, they need to shoot the puck.