Devils Establish Defensive Identity on Western Canada Swing; Can They Maintain It?
Nemec In Unnecessary Limbo
There is a “D” in the Devils when they choose to fully commit to it.
For evidence, look no further than their just completed Western Canada swing, when New Jersey came within one ugly 139-second span of hockey late in Friday’s third period in Calgary of posting three consecutive shutouts. Still, the Devils had to be pleased on their flight home with four of the six possible points in their pocket after Monday night’s 3-0 whitewashing of Connor McDavid-less Edmonton.
New Jersey had everyone buy in to their defensive zone coverage on this trip. On the first two lines, wings Dawson Mercer and Ondrej Palat were menaces in breaking up opposition plays with their stick and body work. Captain Nico Hischier, whose 10 goals are tied for the NHL lead (Note: New Jersey has played at least two more games than the rest of the league), is back to his Selke Trophy contending ways with solid two-way play versus opponents’ top threats.
The penalty kill, which hemorrhaged five goals in 12 times shorthanded during New Jersey’s four-game losing streak before their 6-2 getaway victory over Anaheim on October 27, has snuffed its last 11 kill situations. The return and increased comfortability of defenseman Brett Pesce, the Devils top free agent acquisition this offseason who missed the first nine games of the season while recovering from a fractured fibula from the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, certainly contributed to the turnaround. But even much-maligned defenseman Brenden Dillon has been a beast in the Devils zone, hitting everyone in sight.
And when the Devils defensemen struggled with puck management, which might, unfortunately, be a season-long issue with this team, the previously shaky goaltenders actually bailed them out. Jake Allen posted a ridiculous plus-3.11 goals saves above expected just on Monday night, stopping all of Edmonton’s 11 high danger shots on goal, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
The Devils have an opportunity to build on this newfound identity as their next three contests are against three of the worst six teams in the league this season. After hosting Montreal on Thursday, they’ll take a bus to Long Island for Saturday’s game against a hurting Islanders squad before coming back to the Rock for Sunday’s tilt versus San Jose, the NHL’s bottom feeder.
Of course, as I’ve written several times over the past few years, it’s in these types of games, especially at home, where the Devils tend to stray from their discipline. Head Coach Sheldon Keefe was brought in this season to demand consistent efforts that previous iterations couldn’t deliver; it’s still early, but Devils fans are waiting for that to click in.
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A quick word about defenseman Simon Nemec, who hasn’t seen action since an 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay on October 22.
That’s six consecutive healthy scratches, which isn’t ideal for a highly-regarded prospect in his second pro season.
I can do the math—the Devils have six defensemen performing better than Nemec, including the three right-handed shot backliners. As long as they were healthy, high-priced Pesce and Dougie Hamilton weren’t ever taking a back seat to a kid and few expected Jonathan Kovacevic to prove himself this indispensable, as he was acquired this offseason simply to provide depth.
That begs the question: What is Nemec, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, actually doing here? So he can practice a couple of times with NHLers? What’s that worth versus playing real games? Sending a 20-year old down to AHL Utica to get reps and confidence would by no means be a give-up signal. It happens all the time in organizations developing young defensemen.
If the Devils, who are banged up on the fourth line, don’t want to mess with Nemec by giving him ice time up front (I personally think he’d do well there, but I can see the argument against it), then demote him and let Nick DeSimone, who turns 30 in about two weeks, watch games in the press box.
Let’s not make Nemec the defense’s version of 2020 Draft bust Alexander Holtz.