3 lessons New Jersey Devils should learn after first month of the season
The New Jersey Devils have officially played hockey for one month on Monday, playing more games than anyone in the NHL. What have we learned about the team so far?
The New Jersey Devils head into the first full week of November after a ho-hum first month of the season. October had its ups and downs, with a four-game losing streak as the low point and an incredible start including two wins in Prague as the high point. It's the first month of Sheldon Keefe's Devils career, and it's clear he's still trying to find the right buttons to push.
For the most part, the Devils come out of October feeling positive. Even by points percentage, the Devils are a playoff team with a 7-5-2 record. They've technically won as many games as they've lost, but the schedule was not easy and they survived.
November doesn't get any easier, so the Devils have to make sure they learned lessons during their first month. They still have 14 games on the docket in November. What should they bring into these matchups?
Lesson #1: Beating bad teams is worth as much as beating good ones
Last season, the Devils clearly did not always take games seriously against lesser opponents. The team went 0-2 against the Ducks, 0-1-1 against the Coyotes, and they added losses to the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and the Calgary Flames. The Devils knew these losses would crush them at the end of the season. It was one of the many reasons the Devils were in the spot they were in.
This season, we’re not seeing those losses. The Devils have five regulation losses, and only the Detroit Red Wings loss is to a team currently outside of the playoff picture. Even their overtime losses came from the Islanders in a strange game (a non-playoff team that has fallen off a cliff), and the Capitals (who are the surprise of the NHL season, and the Devils are one of their three losses).
The Devils have a very hard schedule in November. They only have six games against non-playoff teams. They have two games against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, another matchup with the Lightning, and three intra-division games versus the Capitals and Hurricanes. That’s just some example of the schedule moving forward. They cannot lose the games against the San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, or the re-match against the Islanders.
Lesson #2: Lean on Nico Hischier
The captain has been acting exactly how he should to start the season. While star players like Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton are coming back from major injuries, the team needed a star to step up as they got moving. Nico Hischier was that star.
As of this writing, Hischier is in a four-way tie for the league lead in goals with 10. Last season, Hischier didn’t put up his 15th point until December 19th and didn’t score his 10th goal until after the New Year. It’s the start of November, and Hischier has already hit both of these numbers.
He’s playing incredibly well offensively, but he’s also still holding his great position as a defensive center. He’s averaging more than 20 minutes per game, which would be the first time in his career if it held until the end of the season. Hischier has been on the ice for under two goals per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. He’s also on the ice for around 9.6 high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
However, Hischier leads all forwards in high-danger chances for per 60 minutes (outside of one game from Justin Dowling) with 13.5. He’s been able to play against top lines while also creating a ton of offense.
Lesson #3: Lean on defense, not goaltending
The biggest move the Devils made this offseason was upgrading the goaltending. They’ve officially moved on from the previous era of goaltendings, sending away Vitek Vanecek in a move for Kaapo Kahkonen at the deadline last year, then trading for Jacob Markstrom this offseason. Many thought the Devils, with Markstrom and Allen in net, could rely on them when they don’t have their best efforts in front of them.
Outside of the game against the Lightning, both Allen and Markstrom have been relatively good. The numbers don’t always bear out, but for the most part, they are both serviceable. However, it’s the nights where the defense isn’t at its best where the goalies are falling down. In games where the Devils have allowed 10 or more high-danger chances against, they are 1-4. This includes against the Islanders, where they beat them 20-12 in HDCF. They still lost because they gave up too many high-danger chances.
The Devils did have to rely on some replacements on the defensive side, but the reinforcements have returned. Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce are back in the lineup, and Seamus Casey and Simon Nemec are now growing outside of the daily NHL lineup. Both Hughes and Pesce are leading the team (again, outside of one Dowling game) in HDCF%. They are dominating as far as the highest chances are concerned when they are on the ice.
Relying on defense to stop chances entirely is much more important than relying on a goaltender to stop them. That’s how the Devils will win, especially with the difficult schedule ahead of them.
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