What We Learned From Devils’ Road Trip
The Devils completed a four-games-in-six-days trip out West with a 4-1 loss in Edmonton on Sunday. Still, taking six of the eight available points isn’t too shabby, and the same goes for their current 6-2 stretch in their last eight games since Captain Nico Hischier returned to the lineup from a presumed concussion.
Devils Head Coach Lindy Ruff is always looking past the results. So what did we really learn about this team from the trip? Here are three things:
1) Even with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier back, something still isn’t right
The Devils aren’t exactly at full strength—top-pair defenseman Dougie Hamilton (torn pectoral muscle) and forward Tomas Nosek (foot) are out indefinitely while glue guy forward Erik Haula (upper body) missed Sunday’s contest—nor might they ever be. But the injuries aren’t an excuse for why they were outplayed for large portions of every game on the trip. In total, the Devils trailed their four opponents in shot attempts and scoring chances at five-on-five, despite their 11-8 actual goal advantage. The special teams weren’t very special either, with the power play (1-for-11) and penalty kill (7-for-9) ranking in the bottom ten of the NHL in that span. The goaltending? Just ok, with a .912 save percentage. Whereas the Devils’ speed advantages was front-and-center on most nights last season, it’s only been apparent in select games so far this year. I deduced that Ruff implored upon his players to stick to a safer game, minimizing the turnover and odd-man rush against risk.
So, how did they come up with the three wins? Some grittiness and a lot of puck luck. Give the players credit for driving hard to the net, but they still needed those fortuitous bounces off bodies or into their wheelhouses to score.
Of the four opponents, only Vancouver is in a playoff slot, though the Oilers are on a seven-game heater. New Jersey’s next game, on Wednesday against the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins at Prudential Center, will be an interesting test to see which Devils club shows up.
2) Simon Nemec looks like the real deal
The Devils’ selection of the 19-year old Slovakian defenseman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft was a head-scratcher for me. I wasn’t so sure he was the best at his position on the board, never mind the best available player.
Since he only has five NHL games under his belt, I’ll give it plenty more time before rendering further judgement. However, the initial tests have been aced, with Nemec producing three points, including his first goal in Seattle on Thursday. On that play midway through the second period, you could see why Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was likely enthralled with Nemec’s hockey sense, as he smoothly skated into an open area in the slot to receive Jesper Bratt’s pass from behind the net. With one quick swipe, Nemec potted the game-winner in New Jersey’s 2-1 victory.
Ruff already has Nemec playing over 20 minutes per game in all situations. It hasn’t been easy with mate Jonas Siegenthaler coughing the puck up all over the ice. His passes on this trip may have had a lower completion percentage than Zach Wilson’s (before Sunday’s Jets game).
As a result, the Nemec/Siegenthaler pair posted poor Corsi and scoring chance numbers, per NaturalStatTrick.com, over the four games. However, they were only scored upon twice in 54:12 at five-on-five action.
If you want to get your interest really piqued, check out NST’s five-on-five numbers (small sample size disclaimer) from when Nemec played next to Luke Hughes, the team’s No. 4 overall pick from the year prior: A 21-5 advantage in shot attempts, a 67.78% expected goals for percentage, and 1-0 in actual goals for and against.
It’s not hard to imagine those two patrolling the Devils blue line for the next decade or so.
3) Help Wanted: A Goalie
An obvious take, as the position has gone unfilled by a legitimate netminder since Cory Schneider’s heyday about eight years ago. The current duo, Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, each had some spectacular moments as they alternated games during the trip. Unfortunately, those also came with a side order of plays they should want to take back.
Vanecek’s poor rebound control nearly cost the Devils the Vancouver game while Schmid…I mean, I don’t know if Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, only the best player in the world, will ever get an easier five-on-five goal than when Schmid decided to engage in a puck battle behind the net instead of at least trying to scurry back to the cage. Of course, the puck found its way to McDavid in front for the tap-in and a 3-0 Oilers lead 4:23 into the third period.
Fitzgerald simply can’t let the season get too far ahead with this subpar level of goaltending. For the season, Schmid ranks 31st among the 59 goalies in the league who have played at least seven games in goals saved above average, while Vanecek is a putrid 58th at minus-10.41, per NST.
Nico Daws, a third-round pick in 2020, made his season debut for AHL Utica on Friday night following offseason hip surgery and allowed just one goal in a Comets victory. He went 10-11-1 for New Jersey in 2021-22, but it was clear that he wasn’t ready then to handle the heavy lifting and I doubt he’d be ready now.
That leaves the trade market for Fitzgerald to peruse in the next two months. He shouldn’t dally; even after the successful road trip, New Jersey remains on the outside of a playoff picture that could come into clearer focus before goalie help is on the way.