The New Jersey Devils and coach Sheldon Keefe are still looking for the best way to incorporate four new faces into the lineup night after night. That comes with some big changes going into Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Despite logging three shots and two hits in his Devils debut, Daniel Sprong is going to be scratched in favor of Paul Cotter returning to game action, as first reported by Amanda Stein. Jesper Bratt will be taking Sprong's place on the third line alongside Erik Haula and new addition Cody Glass.
"That Glass line was so influential in our previous game, you want to capitalize on that momentum so you don't want that line to take a step back, despite me disrupting and taking Sprong out," Keefe told reporters at the morning skate.
It makes sense to keep Glass on the third line. He's averaged 13:24 TOI per game so far this season, and he did well skating with Haula and Sprong in his first game as a Devil. That trio not only produced a goal, but they also registered a Corsi-for of 62.5% at 5v5 and generated three scoring chances while allowing only one, per Natural Stat Trick.
As Cotter is slotting back in on the fourth line with Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian, it should be noted that those three have not had the most success as a unit. At 5v5, that combination has been outshot 18-11 with a 40.9 CF% in 50:33 spent skating together.
It's worth considering running Glass's line with Cotter on the left wing. When Cotter is separated from his current linemates, the Devils have a shot differential of +37 and have out-chanced the opponents by +27. He has proven to be a more effective skater when given the chance to play with a better supporting cast.
As for Sprong, he spent a good chunk of the season playing for the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds and progressed well in the lower league. He scored 11 goals and 25 total points in 19 games for the Kraken's affiliate. After a solid performance against the Flyers, it makes sense to give him another opportunity and find another skater to sit in the press box.
The defensive picture is harder to paint with Brian Dumoulin and Dennis Cholowski joining the squad. Looking at the numbers, neither player has stood out in a positive way despite the small sample size.
The current pairings of Dumoulin with Johnathan Kovacevic and Cholowski with Brenden Dillon have not impressed out of the gate, but Keefe is keeping those duos together against the Blue Jackets.
Dumoulin and Kovacevic had mixed results against the Flyers. Although the Devils outshot the opponent 7-5 with that pairing on the ice at 5v5, they also recorded a Coris-for of 44.0% and allowed a goal. Cholowski's pairing had a similar performance with a team-wide 40.9 CF% while on the ice and being outshot 4-3.
Where is the right placement for all the New Jersey Devils' newest acquisitions?
It wouldn't necessarily be the right call to let the two new skaters play together, so it makes sense that Keefe would want them each to be anchored by an established Devils D-man who he knows can play to the system. Plus, with the chemistry that Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce have together, it would be the wrong decision to split those guys up on the top pairing.
It's hard to say what pairings would make more sense than the current ones. Simon Nemec has been struggling as of late, and he's the only extra skater available on the back end right now given that he's no longer eligible to finish the season in the AHL. Nemec is certainly capable of playing better than he has in recent games, but getting him back in would likely mean taking Cholowski out. And that would raise the question, why did the Devils acquire a player just to scratch him?
It will take more time to see if Dumolin and Cholowski can prove effective in the Devils lineup with little room for movement on the blueline. The clock is ticking on Keefe to find a winning lineup as the team heads into a crucial stretch with their playoff spot on the line.