New Jersey Devils: 3 Positives from Win Over Sabres to Build Upon
The New Jersey Devils have been in a tough skid, losing seven out of nine games prior to their matchup with the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. Throughout November, the Devils have dropped lower and lower in the standings, eventually landing just above the bottom team in the Metropolitan Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets. A painful 2-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on Friday night felt like rock bottom.
Saturday was a whole different game, one the Devils can build off of. They turned on the firepower during their captain’s return to the lineup and steamrolled over the Sabres 7-2. The Devils held the Sabres to just 12 shots the entire night. The Sabres scored two goals, making Vitek Vanecek’s SV% for the night an .833. To be fair, both were power-play goals, but the win won’t do his SV% any favors.
This was the Devils’ most dominant victory of the season, one that the team and fans hope will right the ship and send them off on a tear. The Devils have an awful lot of ground to make up in the standings, but Saturday night’s win chipped away at the mountain. Here are three positives from the win over the Sabres that the Devils can build upon.
1. Nico Hischier brings balance to the lineup
Nico Hischier is the captain of the Devils for a reason. It was abundantly clear that his presence helped get his team back on track after a miserable stretch. He missed 11 games following an illegal check by Buffalo’s Connor Clifton that left Hischier with an upper-body injury. Ironically, it was Buffalo that New Jersey played again in Hischier’s return to play.
Hischier looked comfortable and locked in on both sides of the ice. He collected a goal and an assist in his first game back. Hischier won 64% of his faceoffs. He centered Ondrej Palat and Jesper Bratt, and their line produced six points collectively.
The Devils looked lost without Hischier and were a much stronger team with him back. Having Hischier center a line allowed not only his line but other lines to return to familiar pairings that worked. The team looked more energized, more aggressive, and more focused. “When we play four lines, bring the effort, that intensity, then we play Devils hockey,” Hischier said after the game. With Hischier back, the Devils can now focus on playing a more balanced game.
2. The win was a complete game/complete team effort
The Devils haven’t played many complete games this season. Often, they look like two or three different teams throughout the game. They have a tendency to fall behind early (a holdover from last season) and not show up until it’s too late. Saturday night was different.
The team showed up and played hard from start to finish. The Devils were the better team for the whole game. Their four goals in the first period tied a season-high for the Devils. Their 5v5 play was the strongest it’s been all season. The defense looked the best it has all season, holding the Sabres to just three shots in the first period. The Devils outshot the Sabres 38-12.
For sixty minutes, the whole team found ways to get involved, whether it was on offense or defense, or both. Eight different players had a multi-point game, including Dougie Hamilton, Nico Hischier, Alexander Holtz, Jesper Bratt, Tyler Toffoli, Dawson Mercer, and Luke Hughes. The Devils didn’t have to rely on one player or one line. Everyone pitched in to come away with a huge win. Now, the key is maintaining consistency in playing a complete game.
3. Brendan Smith earned respect with scuffle and winger role
Brendan Smith has taken a lot of heat this season for his hand in the Devils’ struggling defense. He’s seen a regular starting role on the blueline this season but has recently been moved to left wing. Switching positions is difficult, but Smith is handling it well. In his second consecutive game as a winger on Saturday night, Smith shined for more reasons than one.
First, he earned respect by dropping the gloves with Connor Clifton, the Sabres defenseman responsible for Nico Hischier missing 11 games. Smith took Clifton down to the ice with 1:30 remaining in the first period and the Devils up 4-0. Devils fans cheered for Smith’s defense of his captain. Message sent.
Smith and Clifton go at it after the Devils take a 4-0 lead over the Sabres 😳 pic.twitter.com/R0KYR1MsDd
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 26, 2023
Smith has flipped the script in his role filling in as a forward. He earned his first assist of the season on a goal by Tyler Toffoli. He won puck battles and contributed to getting the puck to the offensive zone. Is he better as a forward than a defenseman? He shouldn’t necessarily stay at forward forever, but he should at the moment with Timo Meier, Curtis Lazar, and Tomas Nosek out. Erik Haula is also questionable after exiting the game with an injury. Right now, Smith is more valuable as a forward than a defenseman.
Next. Timo Meier Doesn’t Deserve The Hate He Receives. dark
The Devils look to keep things rolling in a divisional matchup against the New York Islanders on Tuesday at The Rock.