Timo Meier brought up a great point in the New Jersey Devils‘ postgame scrums.
When the Devils struggle to score goals like they have all season long, they move away from their process, and the focus becomes to just score goals.
“The thought of, ‘Now we have to score.’ We’re thinking, ‘Score a goal,’ instead of all the little things that lead to a goal. That’s kind of what happened. We have to adjust that, fix that,” Meier explained.
That results in sloppy plays and defensive breakdowns, just as it did in the Devils’ 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
In three of four meetings, the Devils are now 0-3-0 against their division rival and have yet to jump that hurdle that they continually trip over.
Six points separate the Devils from playoff position. If they somehow, miraculously, squeak their way into the postseason, the Devils are just going to meet the Hurricanes again.
I think we all know how that’s going to end.
Let’s get to some observations from tonight.
Observations
- I mean, far and away, the Devils’ most daunting issue is scoring. You might say it’s defense. You could say it’s goaltending. However, like Meier explained, when the Devils aren’t scoring, they get away from their process. They’re built to be a high puck possession team with plus defending. When that wanes, they’re supposed to be bailed out by goaltending. Yet, that hasn’t been the case.
- Part of that puck possession is supposed to result in goals. That’s not happening either. ESPECIALLY on the power play. Before Meier scored tonight, the Devils were on a 0/27 run against Carolina while on the man advantage in their last 10 games. They’re now 1/28. Their power play has been dreadful. And against the Hurricanes, it’s an all-time low.
- The most discouraging part about this game was that the process was actually working through the first 33-plus minutes. The Devils held the Hurricanes shotless through the first 10 minutes and ended the opening frame with a 1-4 shot advantage. In the first 10 minutes of the second, they kept the pressure up on Carolina. And then they crumbled after Andre Svechnikov capitalized on the Devils’ first mistake. It’s shocking how their self-inflicted wounds completely remove their confidence and their process.
- Speaking of mistakes, it’s just a shame how Luke Hughes made the first one because he was playing SO well before he did. A turnover in the neutral zone sent Sebastian Aho to the Devils’ end on an odd-man rush, and Svechnikov buried the opening goal. After the last meeting with the Hurricanes ended the way it did, Luke didn’t need that added to his low-light reel.
- And while we’re talking about blunders, Jacob Markstrom is another case of a player who unravels when the pressure turns up. The first goal wasn’t on him; however, the second absolutely was. He was square to Svechnikov and decently high in the crease. There was no screen, and he was able to see the puck all the way. It just snuck through his five-hole. Had he made that stop, when Meier scores later, it’s a tie game and we’re talking about a different kind of game. Alas…
- It cannot be stressed enough how badly the Devils need a finisher. The Devils wound up losing the scoring chance differential by a decent margin. However, they won the high-danger chance differential 11-10. Jack Hughes got in alone on Frederick Andersen. Then Jesper Bratt. In fact, they each got a handful of opportunities. And when the top guys are not scoring, no one else is.
- At this point, I’m not sure what form that finisher comes in. Do you mortgage the future for a 35-year-old Steven Stamkos? Or do you throw in the towel on the season and target someone like Jason Robertson in the summer? Tom Fitzgerald explained he’s buying, and the goal is to get to the playoffs. However, that could derail the Devils for years to come. It’s actually a terrifying thought for a Devils fan.
- Lastly, what I think hindered the Devils’ ability to create more chances throughout the game was at both blue lines. The Devils’ breakouts were awful. And their zone entries were no better. New Jersey folded under the pressure of the forecheck. They couldn’t get pucks in the offensive zone—especially on the power play—to create more chances. Yes, they had 11 at high danger. Yet, they could have had even more if they were able to cleanly enter and exit zones with the puck. They wound up resorting to dump and chase, losing those puck battles too, and completely lost their identity as the game progressed. They’ve officially become unrecognizable from the team they once were.
