LONG ISLAND — There’s absolutely no doubt about it. The New Jersey Devils are a tougher team than they have been in a long time. Whereas they were primarily a skill and speed team last season who could be easily knocked off pucks and taken advantage of between the whistles, those days are behind them as of this season.
The Devils play the New York Islanders on Saturday night. It’s their second meeting of the season, and in the first at the Prudential Center–a 4-3 overtime win for the Isles–things got physical.
Ever since then, it’s felt like there’s been a lot of tough, physical play from the Devils and defenseman Brendan Dillon pinpointed exactly what changed the teams’ mentality.
“You know, the thing that happened against Detroit at the end of the game, that was a big wake-up call for our team,” Dillon explained to New Jersey Hockey Now. “Things that maybe in the past where we haven’t stuck up for each other, we haven’t been there. You want to show that you’ve got that brotherhood, and you got each other’s back, especially in the Islanders-Devils, rivalry games, inter-division games, physical games, which are a ‘man’s game per se.’”
Of course, Dillon is referring to when Jack Hughes took a reverse hit from Michael Rasmussen while depositing the empty-net dagger, then stood over the Devils’ superstar like a warrior claiming victory in the arena.
Since then, the Devils have made sure to band together and defend each other. There’s now rarely a night where you won’t see a between the whistle’s scrum, something that wasn’t so common in seasons previous.
“I think it’s just other teams are bringing it. I mean, I don’t think that we’re necessarily the ones to start it. But you know, if you mess with one of our guys, we’re tight team in here,” Paul Cotter explained. “So maybe a guy that isn’t the biggest or strongest, if he gets a little whack, or especially if our captain gets something, like, we’re all bringing it. [Leon] Draisaitl slashed Nico [Hischier] last game, and I think our whole bench was barking at him the entire time & finishing hits. You know, I’m sure he didn’t love that. It makes it harder on him to play, right? So, I think just that just creates us to be like, alright, well, now we’re bringing it too. So, yeah, I don’t think we really start it, but we’ll finish it.”
General manager Tom Fitzgerald intended for things to be this way. He went into the summer knowing his team lacked the toughness necessary to battle through an 82-game season and come out on the other side. It was evident when teams would take advantage of New Jersey’s size last season, but now that’s no longer.
“First, it comes from [Fitzgerald], right? And some of the changes that he made, people that he brought in, I think all have an element of that,” Sheldon Keefe explained. “Whether if it’s outward toughness, or just size and physicality that way, that started there. But certainly from my perspective, a lot of our structure and system without the puck requires physicality. Whether it’s closing, fast, finishing plays, a four check, a track to the neutral zone or in the defensive zone. In Toronto last year it was very similar. We added some guys that allowed us to do that a little bit differently, but I think we’re right near the top of the league in the physicality pieces, and we are here again in Jersey.”
Guys like Paul Cotter and Brendan Dillon certainly help. Cotter is top-five in the NHL with 49 hits and Dillon isn’t far behind with 41. Stefan Noesen rounds out the Devils’ top-three with 37 hits. So the new guys have brought the elbow grease.
Yet, Keefe went on to explain that the physical mentality has become contagious.
“Even those who maybe weren’t doing it as much, or didn’t feel like it was as important to their game, they’ve bought into it as well in their own way,” Keefe said. “And sometimes it rattles the glass, and you really notice it. Sometimes it’s just getting in somebody’s way and slowing them down. So every single one of our players has a responsibility to commit to physicality, even though it might look a little different for each guy.”
Perhaps Keefe is referring to Jesper Bratt who is over a hit/game with 23 hits this season.
Cotter has certainly been the vocal leader in the Devils’ locker room in regard to the team’s physicality. His presence at the top of the league in the hit category speaks for itself. Yet, the 24-year-old consistently reiterates his determination to finish his checks.
“I think physicality is the thing that needs to be consistent,” Cotter explained. “And, I mean, that doesn’t really take much to finish a hit. So I always like to think I kind of run in there and finish my hit, and pucks kind of create chaos. And from there we can kind of use our skill to create those little mini plays that some other teams aren’t able to do.”
For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.
Follow us on :
@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL, @NickNatale10
And on Threads:
