The New Jersey Devils are growing up right before our very eyes. It’s not polished yet, but the signs of maturation are certainly encouraging.
The defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, limped into the Prudential Center on Thursday with key injuries, and coming off a loss in a back-to-back situation.
In years past, that would have given the opposition all the reason in the world to come up empty-handed. Yet, we’ve seen the Devils let those opportunities slip through their fingers.
They did not allow that to happen on Thursday, defeating the Panthers 3-1.
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Say what you will about the Panthers being without their best players in Sasha Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. That hasn’t stopped many from predicting them to still contend for a third straight Stanley Cup. And it’s not unjustified. The Cats can still ice players such as Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and have Sergei Bobrovsky in net.
In fact, Marchand got things going on Monday. He drove the Devils’ zone with the puck on his stick early in the first period. Jake Allen was forced to make a save, but Evan Rodrigues deposited the rebound.
That’s one area of the game head coach Sheldon Keefe is adamant about that needs to be cleaned up.
“I look at how we started the game [on Thursday], I mean, the number one focus of the game tonight for us defensively was to protect our net and stop at the net,” Keefe explained. “The first goal against is exactly the opposite of everything that was talked about and shown. So that’s not maturity. That has to get fixed, you know? And that has to be consistent and solid every time you protect that space.”
In years past, the opening goal the Panthers scored in the home opener would have sucked all the oxygen out of the building. The crowd was buzzing in the Devils’ first home game of the season, right until they allowed that goal against. Despite the change in tone from the fans, the Devils weren’t phased.
New Jersey kept the pressure on in the ensuing shifts, breathing life back into their building. No, they didn’t score in the first period, but they controlled the pace of play. There were no signs of panic in their game, and they outshot the opposition 12-6 by the end of the opening frame, despite trailing.
Asked if he thought it showed signs of maturity that the Devils didn’t fall flat after forking over the lead, Jack Hughes concurred.
“Yeah, I think we’re an older group, every year we’re getting older,” Hughes explained. “I think that even though we give up the first one early, we want to bring our game and keep the crowd in it. Just find our way, work our way. And it’s a 60-minute hockey game. So the good teams find a way to break teams down over the course of a game. And we want to be one of those teams.”
Keefe concurred with Jack, although explained the maturation of the team is still a work in progress.
“We’re seeing signs of it. We’re not there yet, but we’re seeing signs of it, we’re growing. And Jack is the leader of the growth,” Keefe explained. “I think it kind of trickles down from there. Obviously adding more and more veterans, experienced players that have been around the league and played deep in the playoffs, all that kind of stuff helps it. Rubbing shoulders with those guys every day helps the young guys grow. That’s what we talk about every single day. That’s what we talked about the in day one of training camp. So that’s really positive, and that’s what you need to do.”
The Devils know who to look to in the NHL as the standard. On Thursday, all they had to do was look across the ice, and there the defending champs were. One of the key factors in maturing for the Devils is consistency. It’s something the Devils reference the best teams in the NHL maintain every day.
“That’s how you go from being a team that’s all over the place, not sure what you’re going to get day to day or season to season, to just being a consistent, solid team like the one we played tonight,” said Keefe. “Or like the Carolina team we played, the Tampa team that we played. Those teams show up every day kind of knowing who they are, and even if it doesn’t go their way on a particular night, they’re confident to go out the next day. Then at the end of the season, they’re in the playoffs, and they’re competing. That’s what you want to be as a team. That’s what you want to be as a player. So it’s a work in progress, but we’re definitely taking steps.”
The Devils want to form that same identity. Hard to play against every night. No free passes. It’s something they’re making positive progress towards.
“I think that’s still building, for sure, I really do. We’re four games in now, and we’re progressing,” Allen explained. “I think the guys in the group has talked a lot about just getting a little bit better each game, finding ways to improve our game, and that identity is definitely coming. I think guys are getting a little bit cohesive together. You know, a few new bodies in our lineup, obviously some injuries, so guys are moving around. But, guys are playing committed right now. And it’s really good to see from my vantage point.”
Jake Allen secured his first win of the season on Thursday. Really, he should have two already, but cramping pulled him out of Monday’s contest after he made 23 saves on 24 shots against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The veteran goaltender was brought in for stability. He’s been on several successful teams, including the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues, who he won a Stanley Cup with.
Asked about the Devils staying up in front of him after the initial Panthers goal, and the veteran goaltender was impressed.
“It was good. Shows maturity, shows a little bit of poise,” Allen explained. “The game can go many ways all the time. Some you deserve to win, you lose, and sometimes it goes the other way. But I just thought we stuck with it. They got a little bit better as the game went on. In the second period, we started to take over. When we got those two in the third, I was most impressed with just the way that we composed our game. We didn’t try to get another one. We just tried to play a mature game, and that’s what it takes to win, especially in the regular season, and the playoffs. Kudos to the guys for that.”
Keefe walked away from Thursday night’s game pleased with their effort. The penalty kill was superb once again. Their ability to build on themselves each period was an indicator that New Jersey is taking all the right steps. And if they get off track by any means, Keefe and his associates won’t stay quiet about it.
“You see how we handled the rest of the game,” Keefe said. “Aside from the penalties, I thought we showed a fairly mature and disciplined, committed group. We took the penalties, and the penalty kill just went out and did an unbelievable job. So it’s right there for us. We just gotta keep with it, and they’re gonna keep hearing it from myself and our coaching staff until we get it right.”
