The New Jersey Devils are actually getting a little bit of hype going into the 2021-22 season. Some national analysts and advanced stats mavens are predicting the team are even going to fight for a playoff spot. Dougie Hamilton’s arrival along with a few savvy moves by GM Tom Fitzgerald have this team in a really good spot.
There is one stat the Devils are focused on this season; wins. However, to get to wins, other statistics have to follow. Goals will lead to wins, but goals also lead to assists. Goals also lead to +/-, although we don’t talk about that one anymore. The advanced stats are usually how we see what leads to goals. There are stats on stats to see how a team is really doing.
The New Jersey Devils will have much better statistics during the 2021-22 season.
Looking at the Devils, it could be very hard to predict who is going to do what. There are very specific lines, and the four lines could swap top minutes each and every night. Michael McLeod’s line was getting a lot of 5v5 minutes at times last season despite technically being the fourth line. The same thing could happen this year, but with Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Dawson Mercer down the middle, there is an insane amount of skill in the middle of the ice.
This will lead to more points. The Devils scored 2.63 goals per game last season. They were around 20th in the league in most offensive statistical categories. It’s obvious the Devils hope they can take a step forward. They have the depth on offense and defense to put those stats up, and it starts on game one on Friday night.