The Stanley Cup Final kicked off on Wednesday night with a barnburner. The Edmonton Oilers came back from down 3-1 early in the second period to force overtime. With seconds to go in the first overtime period, Leon Draisaitl completed the comeback with his second goal of the night. Watching these two teams compete for hockey's ultimate prize gives the New Jersey Devils plenty of lessons on becoming a true Cup contender. Here are three that stand out.
1. Success scoring at even strength is vitally important
While the Devils were able to generate a lot of scoring 5v5 during the regular season (11th best team in the NHL), their success in that area decreased a bunch in just five games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They finished the postseason ranked 14th out of the 16 teams with a success rate of just 45.69%. Granted, not having guys like Jack Hughes in the lineup certainly played a factor. However, the team's lack of depth scoring and over-reliability on the man advantage were bigger reasons things faltered offensively. When you look at the Oilers and the Panthers, even-strength scoring has been a major strength.
Both final participants are currently in the top three best teams at even-strength scoring. The Oilers are at two with a 55.18% success rate. The defending champion Panthers are at three with a 53.42 success rate. Devils' general manager Tom Fitzgerald knows that he has to reshape the offense, especially in the bottom six. He should be looking for players that produce well at even-strength and make the Devils a tougher team to slow down, regardless of the situation on the ice