New Jersey Devils Play Two Different Games With Very Different Results
Off of a back-to-back to open up the season, the New Jersey Devils find themselves with three points, sitting at 1-0-1. The team has started each game slow, which has been uninspiring. The forecheck has given the Devils issues, and the defense has looked lost at times.
With all of that said, we sit here seeing how no matter how bad it looks for New Jersey, with the talent and speed that the Devils have, they will always be in it. Execution and technicality have to be talking points over the weekend for Lindy Ruff. Before we get to our thoughts, stick taps to Vitek Vanecek.
Oh Ondrej!!! Devils over Red Wings 4-3
We can speak about a plethora of things from Game 1, but the main thought of the game pertains to Ondrej Palat. Palat missed a good chunk of last season after coming over from the Tampa Bay Lightning on a five-year deal. We expected Palat to be a guy who brought veteran leadership along with that “clutch gene” we saw in Tampa, where he had the most game-winning goals during the playoffs for Tampa Bay.
He is the type of guy who turns the heat on when it matters most. Boy did give us a nice little show on Thursday night versus the Red Wings. On the power play right after falling down 1-0, Palat started off the play with a simple pass that led to an insane Jack Hughes goal. While it was just a simple pass, it’s the concept and understanding that whenever Palat is on the ice in that situation, good things happen! Although he played only 14 minutes, whenever Palat touched the ice, you knew he was there. He also had the 3rd highest power play time on ice at 4 minutes, which was only second to Hughes and Bratt.
The biggest play came when the Devils were in a stalemate with Detroit. Ondrej Palat had a hard drive to the net, leaving Jeff Petry with no choice but to take the penalty by holding Palat (17:20 into the 3rd period). It showed the type of pressure Palat can create when the game is on the line and fully healthy. I don’t think we have bigged up Palat enough for his performance vs Red Wings.
Slow Starts Are a Thing? Devils lose to Coyotes in SO
Game 1, it made sense to have a slow start. First game of the season, with high expectations, opening up at home. All the jitters that come with that is understandable. History shows that players come out flatter more times than not, possibly due to the adrenaline spiking at the wrong time in pre-game. Any professional feels that pressure, including this writing in time with pro rugby teams.
With that said, nobody expected the Devils to come out of the gate as slow as they did in Game 2. The Devils were outshot 14-7 and gave away the puck away four times vs the Coyotes. To say they were sluggish is an understatement.
The previous night we saw Lindy Ruff say that he wanted the Devils to have “five shots in the first five minutes,” which they barely got five shots in 20 minutes. We saw the Devils struggle mightily with the ‘Yotes forecheck and getting the puck out of their own end as Arizona pounded relentlessly.
It was a messy game for the Devils, and it felt like before they realized how to skate again, they were down 2-0. The first Bratt goal woke them back up, and we saw New Jersey get back to playing their brand of hockey, taking over the game. They were outskating the Coyotes for most of the game, forcing Arizona to take horrid penalties just to try and slow the game down.
Next. 5 Things We Learned In Devils First Two Games. dark
It was an ill-timed Brendan Smith penalty and the dreaded shootout that left the Devils walking away with just one point. Unfortunately, the Devils never really got to play their game. If they did, Arizona would’ve had no answer for that.
It’s easy to overreact early in the season, but the Devils can’t let this become a trend. They have shown their ability to overcome, but to play from behind isn’t the answer here. Hopefully, Lindy finds a way to get through the boys before Monday’s game.