Message Delivered From Captain Leads Devils To Win Over Avs
Hatakka’s Steadiness A Pleasant Surprise
A little over a minute into New Jersey’s first game following its 10-day All-Star break, Devils center Nico Hischier mishandled a puck in the defensive zone corner and it was basically teed up at the left circle for Colorado sniper Mikko Rantanen, who did not miss to give the Avalanche a quick 1-0 lead.
It was the type of egregious mistake that was usually reserved for one of the Devils young players like Kevin Bahl or Luke Hughes. For Hischier, New Jersey’s captain who called out his club for an “embarrassing” performance after its last game, a 6-3 loss at Tampa Bay, this wasn’t how he wanted to lead by example.
When the night was over, however, I would rate Hischier’s game as one of his best of the season. Thanks to his two primary assists and 200-foot efforts, the Devils got off on their stretch run on the right foot by defeating the Western Conference’s second-best team at the break, 5-3.
After the Devils blew a two-goal lead in 29 seconds of four-on-four action midway through the third period, Hischier set up defenseman John Marino’s game-winner with 2:17 remaining with a deft extra pass across the slot. Early in the second period, Hischier succeeded with another that had “one pass too many” written all over the two-on-one with Jesper Bratt, but the give-and-go feed connected and Bratt buried his shot by Avs goalie Justus Annunen, who was making just his second start of the season, to give New Jersey a 2-1 lead.
The two points gave Hischier 10 in the 11 games since All-Star center Jack Hughes was sidelined with an upper body injury. Of course, with Hischier, offense is only half the battle. Devils Head Coach Lindy Ruff did his best to match Hischier up with Colorado superstar Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL’s leader in points. Along with New Jersey’s defense pair of Marino and rookie Luke Hughes, Mackinnon’s 14-game point streak came to an end.
Not that MacKinnon didn’t have his chances. With his powerful skating, he was a threat every time he touched the puck. He had a couple of looks at the net front, one of which was after winning one of the year’s best puck races against Luke Hughes down the right wing before cutting across the crease of Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek, who somehow kept the puck out of the net.
Hischier, though, mostly kept MacKinnon to the outside, with Ruff praising him in his postgame comments about all the wall battles he won during the 13:21 they shared the ice, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Thanks to factors beyond his control (injuries, error-prone defensemen, inconsistent goaltending, etc.), Hischier probably isn’t going to inherit the Selke Trophy mantle that used to belong to Boston’s retired defensive ace Patrice Bergeron. Hischier’s advanced metrics are fine, just not elite like last season, when he finished 14th in the league in expected goals for percentage among forwards (700 minutes minimum), per NST.
Still, Hischier is going to continue to be Ruff’s go-to guy when it comes to drawing the toughest opponent assignments, especially now that Michael McLeod is on leave following his arrest in Canada on two charges of sexual assault. Even after Jack Hughes returns, hopefully on Thursday against Calgary, this is Hischier’s ship in which the Devils (25-20-3) will either sink or stay afloat in their Wild Card pursuit.
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Thanks to the deluge of injuries, so many unexpected names have infiltrated the Devils’ lineup this season. Many of them have been either journeymen who belonged at AHL Utica or young players not listed among New Jersey’s top prospects. Outside of rare occasions, these fill-ins have performed as expected, as in, not impactful in a good way.
One relatively unknown quantity has been defenseman Santeri Hatakka, a former sixth round pick by San Jose in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft who was a throw-in by the Sharks in the blockbuster trade that brought 40-goal scorer Timo Meier to New Jersey nearly a year ago.
Hatakka, 23 and with only nine games of NHL experience coming into the season, has been exactly what the Devils have needed in the wake of all their broken down bodies. In his four games, totaling about 64 minutes of ice time, he has been steady, making the simple plays.
Some of them are subtle, like his diligence in tying opponents’ sticks up in front or using his body to end plays in the Devils’ defensive zone. He’s not going to skate pucks out like Luke Hughes, but he has been making the right passes with accuracy.
Ruff can be hesitant to play some young players, but if you can consistently come off the ice without allowing a goal against, you can incrementally gain his trust. The Devils have outscored the opposition, 9-3, at all strengths during Hatakka’s minutes, so he was rewarded with regular third period shifts in a tight game on Tuesday night with partner Colin Miller.
The one goal the Devils allowed on Tuesday with Hatakka on the ice was more the fault of Devils forward Ondrej Palat, who was caught in no man’s land as his assignment, Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard, blasted in a slapper that Vanecek might have wanted back. Hatakka was also whistled for a dubious penalty, a tripping call during a wall battle that happens 100 times a game without a stoppage.
Otherwise, Hatakka’s outings (in this small sample) have been impressive enough to make me wonder what will happen if any of the wounded, like Brendan Smith and/or Jonas Siegenthaler, make their way off the injured list. All three are left-handed d-men, and a healthy Luke Hughes certainly isn’t coming out of the lineup.
But is Kevin Bahl safe? Better question, because he isn’t waivers exempt: Should he be?
Bahl, 23, is still a young defenseman and his size (6-foot 6, 230 pounds) has always made him a tantalizing prospect worthy of extra looks. However, there’s no denying that this season has been a bit of a disappointment. Besides the puck management gaffes, he has this annoying tendency to watch the game play out in front of him instead of engaging open scoring threats. On one Colorado power play on Tuesday night, I was perplexed about why he spent a good chunk of it standing just outside the crease as if it was his intention to screen Vanecek with his extra-large frame. Um, the Devils already have a goalie, so maybe find a body to take out instead of trying to block a shot a few feet from the goal.
Of course, there is a better chance that the Devils will add another defenseman through a trade than there is of Bahl hitting the waiver wire any time soon. However, in a season where precious few things have gone right, Hatakka’s development has been a pleasant surprise for the Devils and their anxious fans.