After last night’s 5-3 lose against the Vegas Golden Knights, the New Jersey Devils are 10-13-5. The team has lost four in a row, eight of their last nine, ten of their last 12, and 13 of their last 16. New Jersey is six points out of a playoff spot. To put it simply, it’s very bad right now and last night escalated everything.
Match Overview
The Start
New Jersey played an okay first period. Jack Hughes got the scoring going after he put home a Dougie Hamilton-created rebound. The main blemish was a 5-on-3 that lasted longer than a minute and skewed the shot total, among other things during the period. It ultimately led to a Vegas tying the game at one, where the score would stand at the end of the period.
The Devils actually played a solid second, as they controlled the 65% of the expected goal share at five-on-five. However, all that resulted was a 2-1 deficit for New Jersey. As has been the case for most of the season.
The Wild Third Period
The third period featured five goals and is where everything came to a head. Vegas got two goals under a minute a part. A bad pinch led to a partial breakaway goal after Ty Smith got out-skated going the other way and a Mason Geertsen meaningless pinch and hit led to a two-on-one goal. The Devils trailed 4-1 with roughly 12-minutes left in the period.
New Jersey made it interesting as Tomas Tatar scored a power play goal via a nice wrist-shot from the slot. It was set up by a nice passing by Ty Smith and Damon Severson. New Jersey would score just two minutes later, this time a man down to make it 4-3 with under eight minutes left. The third Devils’ goal came as Jimmy Vesey was hit with the puck and it deflected past Robin Lehner.
Vegas iced the game with MacKenzie Blackwood pulled. It looked like the Devils were able to make it 5-4 via a Jack Hughes goal set up by pretty passing by Dougie Hamilton and Severon. However, the play was reviewed and ruled offsides.
This one was not over yet, as Geertsen was put on the ice. This was most likely a response to a very clean, solid hit by Zach Whitecloud on Hughes just a couple minutes earlier. Geertsen hit Alex Pietrengelo and started a five-on-five skirmish that resulted in Lehner even getting involved.
Nonetheless, the Devils lost 5-3. Blackwood only saved 25 of 29. He gave up a goal and a half more than expected as that worrying trend continues. Tatar was the only Devil with a multi-point game.
What’s Next?
Changes to the Coaching Staff
The Head Coach
It has been readily apparent over this 3-10-13 stretch that head coach Lindy Ruff is not the long-term solution. This is the first year he has had any type of expectations and he has failed miserably. Usually, only so much blame can be shouldered on a head coach of any team. However, watching the team on a nightly basis, it is easy to see Ruff deserves a lot of criticism.
An easy example is his system. Several instances throughout the night the Devils show the characteristics of being too aggressive. Whether it be bad defensemen pinches or three-to-four Devils in a board battle with only two opposition, the system is faulty.
Additionally, his ice time allocation has been poor this season. Michael McLeod, due to his faceoff prowess has been relied on way too much, and in some circumstances other players are not being relied on enough. The worst part is false Ruff’s beliefs that players are playing well who are clearly not playing well. A prime example is the above quote. The McLeod line was the team’s worst. They were out-shot attempted six to 12 and only controlled 43.64% of the expected goals share. It was a struggle start to finish, yet afterwards they are receiving praise from the team’s head coach.
Lastly, the below tweet should tell you all you need to know about Ruff’s ineptitude.
What About the Rest of the Staff?
Alain Nasreddine, Mark Recchi, and Chris Taylor make up the rest of the Devils’ coaching staff. Nasreddine, who reportedly coaches the team’s penalty kill, has done a good job with such, especially recently. The below team chart shows exactly that, the penalty kill is very effective when it is receiving good goaltending. Despite all the criticism, Nasreddine has not been the issue this season.
Recchi, on the other had, is reportedly responsible for coaching the league’s worst power play. As the team chart shows, which you do not need to tell you, the team’s power play is historically bad. His system in New Jersey has simply not worked.
Chris Taylor is an intriguing option to be first in line to be the Devils’ interim head coach if the team choses to dismiss Ruff. Our friend, Alex Chauvancy of The Hockey Writers, explains all you need to know via the short tweet above.
Must Act Fast
Bottom-line, general manager Tom Fitzgerald needs to act fast. If not, the season, which is already spiraling, can be all but over before December even ends. For a franchise trying to finally win and get rid of the installed, since 2012, losing culture, this season is the direct opposite of what New Jersey needed. Making a coaching change is the first step in trying to stop this mess from growing.
Next Up: Devils travel to Detroit for a 8:00 PM ET start on Friday night.