Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils: Lacking Offense In A Loss

By David Holliday

Mar 20, 2021; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) makes a save while Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and New Jersey Devils defenseman Ty Smith (24) battle in from of the net during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2021; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) makes a save while Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and New Jersey Devils defenseman Ty Smith (24) battle in from of the net during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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On the first half of a back-to-back versus the Pittsburg Penguins, the Devils came up short in a 3-1 loss. The effort was mediocre at best and they will need to step it up in tomorrow’s game. Mackenzie Blackwood is still out but according to the team it is only short-term and he was working through a nagging lower-body injury which could explain some of the mediocre play lately. Hopefully, he can return soon but it would be better for him to get 100% healthy over rush back to help a team that is, in reality, battling for a bottom 5-10 finish. The Devils’ other recent injury, Nathan Bastian, is, unfortunately, more long-term and he has been given the tag of the week to week by head coach Lindy Ruff. While he is only a fourth-liner what he brings is hard to replace and the Devils will need to play tough and not let themselves get pushed around as they have in previous years.

The Good

Merkley had a rather solid game after a long time sitting in the press box. While he did not get a point he put up 5 shots and was given some time with Wood and Zacha which would probably be a confidence boost despite playing only 10 minutes. If he manages to stay in the lineup, which he should, maybe giving a guy willing to fire the puck a few more minutes could be beneficial.

The Bad

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There were a lot of soft defensive plays with people reaching in for the puck versus actually going in hard for it or playing the body. On the first two goals, the Penguins players walked by and just drove hard past players like Smith, Vatanen, Severson, and Johnsson. This is not acceptable in the NHL and they need to be way harder on the puck.

On the third goal that really sealed the deal for the team, the Devils made some more soft and poor choices that led to it. Wedgewood did not play the puck well and the team around him, especially Subban who was right on it, need to just get the puck if they are unsure. Letting the other team get right on it for a scoring chance and then firing the puck for icing is just not good hockey and with a stronger play before that, the situation for the goal after the faceoff never would have happened.

The lineup changes suggested by yours truly with putting Goose and Johnsson together was a good move to stop the damage to other lines with having an offensive black hole on them but pulling out Mcleod for a bad game is still ridiculous. He is young and plays hard which is what the Devils were desperate for so let him get out there and play his game while finding his way in the league. With Bastian out they need the physicality even more so, he brings far more to the table than Gusev, Johnsson or Merkley will.

Puck control as a whole was rather poor and with low shots, for most of the game, it never looked too good. This is compounded by the massive amount of giveaways by the Devils’ who had 22 versus the Penguins six. The passing was off and even with the puck on the stick they just did not play with enough intensity. They almost looked like they were playing pond hockey with it on their sticks for a good part of the game and had no interest in trying to push through or make the hard play.

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