Relentless Devils Spreading Wealth Around Lineup During 12-Game Win Streak
Want to know how relentless the Devils have been during their winning streak that reached 12 games, the second-longest in club history and 11th-longest in NHL history, with a 5-1 rout over Ottawa on Saturday afternoon?
Despite putting up five markers, New Jersey’s top five point producers in this stretch (and on the season)—Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Tomas Tatar—were nearly shut out on Saturday’s scoresheet save for one Hischier assist.
The damage was almost solely done by the bottom-six forwards, with the “designated” fourth line of Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, and Miles Wood amassing six points. Even Erik Haula broke his season-long drought (you could see him mouth, “Finally”, when he went to the bench), whipping in a goal while on the second power play unit to open the scoring.
Devils Head Coach Lindy Ruff has used the same skaters for the last 11 games of the streak, rolling four lines and trusting all three defense pairs to play in any situation. Thirteen of the 18 are averaging at least a half a point per game. Every player has a role on one of the special teams. Even the 20th man Akira Schmid, forced into action due to the MCL injury to starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, has stepped up when called upon. Schmid stopped 25 of 26 Ottawa shots to earn his third straight victory after going 0-4 last season.
The reliable depth is relatively new to the organization. It wasn’t that long ago when prior General Manager Ray Shero used to bemoan that he had to play a bunch of young players who weren’t ready for prime time when injuries took a heavy toll. It turns out many of the forwards are the same guys, but now the prospects are actually producing. After Haula, who took a neat feed from 2017 third-rounder Fabian Zetterlund, the next four goal scorers were all Devils draft picks between 2016-2018. Again, none of them were Hughes, Hischier, or Bratt.
Waiting their turn in the press box are two other highly-regarded young players, wing Alexander Holtz and defenseman Kevin Bahl. Simon Nemec, another defenseman who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2022 Draft, is developing in AHL Utica while a pair of University of Michigan defensemen, Luke Hughes and Seamus Casey, are lighting up the NCAA field.
It’s true that outside of Blackwood, injuries haven’t been nearly as devastating this season to date. Still, Ondrej Palat, for whom the Devils are paying an AAV of $6 million over five seasons after signing him in free agency this past offseason, is recovering from groin surgery after suiting up for just six games. Imagine adding a player with his Stanley Cup pedigree to this mix if he can return in the season’s second half.
This team has been coming at their opponents in waves with relentless puck pressure and a dynamic transition game. Usually you attribute such an aggressive nature to a team who plays fire-wagon pond hockey, with chances galore at both ends every game. Well, the Devils are not only leading the league in high danger scoring chances for, they’re also giving up the fewest, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
With the win, the Devils (15-3) became the first team to ever sweep a three-game Western Canada road trip and then a three-game Eastern Canada swing in the same season. Though they still haven’t seen many of the Eastern Conference’s heaviest hitters, like Boston, Carolina, Tampa Bay, or the Rangers, this streak included quality wins over Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary (twice), and, most recently, a 3-2 overtime win in Thursday’s marquee matchup in Toronto. The Devils will have to beat Edmonton and Toronto at The Rock this week if they are to set a new team consecutive wins record.
The schedule will toughen severely next month, particularly during a stretch around the holidays where the Devils will face a seven-game gauntlet that includes two games each against Florida, Carolina, and Boston before finishing with a solo match at Pittsburgh.
A lot can happen between now and then and we must remember that the season isn’t even a quarter old. Obviously, a deluge of injuries would alter expectations. However, the Devils, a club that has qualified for the postseason just once in the past 10 years, are getting their due, and it’s because they’ve been spreading the wealth around the lineup so that their template for success can be sustainable.