Ruff’s Pregame Message Imploring Contributions From Less Likely Sources Proves Prescient In Devils’ Game 4 Victory
Before Monday night’s crucial Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, Devils Head Coach Lindy Ruff talked about the importance of having his best players play their best games. However, he also added that, “at the same time, that secondary group has to chip in too.” By that, I assumed he was referring to his bottom six forward group, which had been held off the scoresheet save for one Michael McLeod assist in the first three games.
I should have known better that Ruff’s defensemen are also integral parts of New Jersey’s offense, for it took an otherwise overlooked source on the back line—stay-at-home d-man Jonas Siegenthaler--to literally save the day for the Devils in their 3-1 victory that tied the best-of-seven first round series at 2-2.
Siegenthaler, who had all of 4 goals and 17 assists in 80 regular season games and had never recorded a single point in 13 previous career playoff contests, produced the game-winning goal in the third period and also sent Jack Hughes on a breakaway to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead in the first period.
A little less than seven minutes after the Rangers knotted the score at 1-1 on a Vincent Trocheck goal from in front, Siegenthaler jumped into the play on an offensive zone entry by fellow Swiss native Nico Hischier and took a circle-to-circle pass before his hard wrister from the left side rang in off the pipe and past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin.
Prior to Hughes’ goal, Siegenthaler alertly skated in from the left wing corner as Rangers defenseman Adam Fox’s right point shot trickled past Devils rookie goalie Akira Schmid and sat in the crease. In one motion, Siegenthaler flicked the puck on his backhand up the middle of the ice, where Hughes tracked it down and showcased an electric backhand-to-forehand move that had Shesterkin tied up in knots.
Siegenthaler, who is signed through the 2027-28 season at an affordable $3.4 million AAV, was a force all game, taking the body while remaining positionally sound. His poke of a dangerous pass intended for New York’s Patrick Kane with the Devils protecting a one-goal lead was another game-saver. He also did his part on the Devis’ revamped penalty kill, as the Rangers mustered only two shot attempts in his nearly two minutes of shorthanded ice time.
Not too shabby for a player who was benched for Game 2. Not that he was awful in New Jersey’s 5-1 loss in the opener—he was on the ice for just one goal against, wasn’t charged with any giveaways, and the Devils owned a 67% expected goals for percentage at even strength, the highest of any Devils defenseman that night, per NatrualStatTrick.com.
Ruff was bothered by something Siegenthaler did to insert mediocre Brendan Smith in his place—or maybe he just wanted to send a message. It took another 5-1 drubbing, but the message was received when Siegenthaler returned to the lineup for Game 3. The Devils have played a vastly more structured game on the road, which is a continuation from their regular season trend, and have prioritized protecting the middle of the ice in front of Schmid, who has stopped 59 of 61 shots since replacing No. 1 goalie Vitek Vanecek for the start of Saturday’s Game 3.
But it’s the commitment to moving up ice as a five-man unit that brings a smile to Ruff’s face. Devils defensemen scored 49 goals during the regular season, tied for the third-most in the league. Not quite half (22, bested only by San Jose’s Erik Karlsson among NHL defensemen) were scored by Dougie Hamilton, the Game 3 hero who beat Shesterkin in overtime by joining the rush to the right circle.
Momentum is a funny thing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Rangers thought they held a firm grip on the series after dominating the Devils in the first two games at The Rock, only to be wondering how they let a pair of games slip away on their wretched home ice. But now that the series will return to New Jersey for Thursday’s Game 5, the Devils can’t forget what brought them success on the road, or else they’ll be on the brink of elimination in short order.
Yes, you need focused defensive zone diligence, you need rock solid goaltending, and you need your stars like Hughes, Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Hamilton (though it would be nice to get marquee trade deadline acquisition Timo Meier going) to produce.
But you also need the unsung heroes, whether it’s Siegenthaler or a struggling bottom-six forward source, to contribute as well.