Summary
Last night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks was a sigh of relief for the New Jersey Devils. On a night filled with dread and booing, New Jersey managed to turn the game and potentially their season around with a decisive 4-2 victory.
Coming into the night, there were questions surrounding the goaltending situation and head coach Lindy Ruff’s job. While these questions may not have been completely answered, we do have responses from both.
First Period
To put it frankly, the first period was an unmitigated disaster. Mackenzke Blackwood looked extremely uncomfortable, letting up two Jakob Silfverberg goals midway through the period that should have been relatively routine saves. He let up rebound after rebound, threatening to bury the Devils in a hole they could not climb out of.
As for the skaters, New Jersey dominated possession with a 66.67 Corsi-for percentage (CF%), but once again failed to finish on any of their chances despite some good looks on goalie Anthony Stolarz. At the end of the period, the boos rained down and it looked like it would be a repeat of the first two games of the season.
Second Period
In the face of all this frustration and confusion, the Devils came roaring into the second period with one mission: score a goal. Ondrej Palat did just that, potting his first goal as a Devil by plucking a rebound off his skate and chipping it past Stolarz.
Later in the frame, Nico Hischier tucked one in from in tight to make it a 2-2 game. Blackwood also picked himself up this period, making key save after key save, including a beautiful one on an Isac Lundestrom shot. His saves really turned the momentum in Jersey’s favor. The Devils were once again dominant in the possession stats, putting up a 70.44 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%), but, for the first time this season, they actually finished those chances off.
Third Period
The Devils just kept on rolling in the third. Dougie Hamilton put one in the net off a beautiful feed from Jesper Bratt to set him up for a powerful one-timer. New Jersey then did take a couple of bad penalties, with Miles Wood serving two for a head-scratcher of an interference penalty that he committed in Anaheim’s crease.
No matter, because they killed the penalties and Dawson Mercer lobbed a shot over Stolarz’s shoulder. After a frenzied empty-net attempt by the Ducks, the Devils walked away with a 4-2 win.
Wrap Up
The pressure to win was building at the Prudential Center, and it had to happen sometime. Might as well have been tonight. Despite falling into their old habits in the first period, the Devils managed to break the cycle and play quality hockey for much of the game. This is a huge weight off of the players’ shoulders, and now they can simply focus on playing good, fun hockey.
The Devils now hold a 1-2-0 record and sit in seventh in the Metropolitan Division. The Ducks are 1-3-0 and are in sixth place in the Pacific Division.
Game Notes
Blackwood Turns it Around
Mackenzke Blackwood hasn’t been on his game this season, plain and simple. That was a fact until the end of the first period when he turned it up a few notches. Blackwood let a couple of stoppable shots pass him in the first. He looked shaky, giving up rebounds and failing to track the puck.
That all changed in the second when the team around him helped him get comfortable. He made sprawling stops on great chances from Anaheim, and his team returned the favor with four unanswered goals. In the end, Blackwood stopped 18 of 20 shots, good for a .900 SV%. Although not impressive on the surface, he did post a much-needed positive goals saved above expected. Something he has not done much the past two season.
How Safe is Lindy Ruff?
One of the big questions coming into last night was whether or not Lindy Ruff would be fired if the Devils fell apart in an embarrassing fashion. That question doesn’t need an answer yet as the Devils may have saved their coach’s job for now.
Looking at the larger picture, however, Lindy Ruff is still very much on the hot seat. His flawed system was on full display in the first period, leading to his goalie being exposed and his team looking out of sync. Ruff won’t be gone tomorrow, but general manager Tom Fitzgerald is surely keeping a close eye on him.
Up Next
The Devils will take on the Islanders Thursday at 7:30 P.M. ET.