After a historic season, expectations surrounding the New Jersey Devils were high. Being a basement dweller was no longer a thought or a feeling as a new leaf in the organizational trajectory had been turned over. With the core group locked up long term, sights are set on hoisting the Stanley Cup and being a contender. However, there has been one major theme inhibiting those aspirations thus far. The Devils’ goaltending remains an issue.
The Devils are good up front and have a good enough blue line to beat anyone on any given night. One area that needs to improve is the goaltending. It was a question mark all summer and now is a glaring issue. New Jersey is good enough defensively but goaltending has plagued them in defeats.
Devils’ Team Defense Is Good Enough
On the surface it may not look like it but the Devils team defense is good enough. Losing Ryan Graves and Damon Severson stings but the team has managed to weather the storm and be efficient defensively. When it comes to shot suppression the Devils are doing their job of limiting teams to sustaining chances.
New Jersey has allowed the third-fewest shot attempts per 60 minutes at five on five. Further, the team is allowing the second-fewest scoring chances against per 60 minutes. At the end of the day, they are getting the job done and are playing well enough in front of their goalie. Nothing in this world is perfect and breakdowns are going to happen. Although, when that does happen, the goaltenders have not been able to come up with the key save.
Life of the Devils Goaltending
The Devils goaltending was a question mark coming into the season. Vitek Vanecek had a strong season last year, becoming the first goalie since Martin Brodeur to win 30 games. However, a poor showing in the playoffs raised eyebrows as to whether he can bounce back or not.
As for Akira Schmid, he was the savior the team needed last postseason and it begged the question as to can he handle a larger load full time? The answer is no for both of them, for the time being, and there is a big concern regarding the position.
What do the numbers say? As a tandem, New Jersey has posted the second-worst save percentage in the league at a meager .868 and a high-danger save percentage that is third worst.
Additionally, and further evidence that it’s more of a goaltending issue than defensive issue, the duo has allowed 14 more goals than expected. The 28th-best mark in the league.
Vitek Vanecek has struggled immensely. If the team is to sustain any success going forward, he needs to be better. He has a 3.49 goals against average (GAA) and a .879 save percentage (SV%). It is a step backwards after having a strong showing last season, which was his biggest workload as a starting goaltender. Furthermore, his -9.51 goals saved above expected (GSAx) is the worst mark in the NHL of 74 goalies who have played in a game this season.
Meanwhile, Akira Schmid has had the edge when it comes to the duo, however, not by much. His sample size is small (10 games) but his numbers are slightly better. He has a 3.27 GAA and a .891 SV%. His GSAx is better and as it stands 62nd of 64 goalies.
Final Thoughts
Elliote Friedman has mentioned that even though nothing is imminent, general manager Tom Fitzgerald has poked around the trade market. It would not be the first time, as he was reportedly poking around Connor Hellebuyck before he opted to stay in Winnipeg. If the Devils chose to make a move what options are out there? Rumors at points were swirling about John Gibson, Juuse Saros, among others. But as of now, no one truly knows. The one thing that is certain, the Devils need to do something before it gets too late.