Overview
After an embarrassing 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, the Devils are still looking for their first win against the Anaheim Ducks tonight. The first two games were not what the Devils were hoping for, and the pressure is on for New Jersey to prove they aren’t the same team we’ve seen over the past decade.
If, as Ken Daneyko says, this is a “different kind of team”, they will need to show tangible results. The lack of finishing snd lackluster goaltending is not going to cut it. Otherwise, difficult questions are going to be asked of this team.
The Devils are 0-2-0 and sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. The Ducks are 1-1-0, good for fifth in the Pacific Division.
Projected Lines
New Jersey Devils:
Forwards –
Palat-Hischier-Holtz
Sharangovich-Hughes-Bratt
Wood-Haula-Mercer
Tatar-McLeod-Bastian
Defense –
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Graves-Marino
Smith-Severson
Goalies –
Vanecek
Blackwood
Anaheim Ducks:
Forwards –
Henrique-Zegras-Terry
McTavish-Strome-Vatrano
Jones-Lundestrom-Regenda
Comtois-Grant-Leason
Defense –
Fowler-Drysdale
Kulikov-Klingberg
White-Shattenkirk
Goalies –
Stolarz
Gibson
Keys to the Game
Win More Than the Possession Stats
One of the common themes of last season was that the Devils excelling at five-on-five, but falling short due to a lack of finishing, goaltending, and faulty special teams. Last season, they finished with a respectable 50.96 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 49.87 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%).
This theme seems to be reemerging with the current team. Two games into the season, New Jersey currently holds a 63.90 CF% and an xG% of 60.37. They are dominating opponents at fove-on-five.
The culprit? Same old stuff: lack of finishing, poor goaltending, and a poor power play. Additionally, is the system to blame? As Alex Chauvancy over at THW theorizes, this could be due to an aggressive defensive system in front of them.
Finishing shots and getting just average goaltending with dominating possession statistics like New Jersey has been posting will lead the Devils out of their slumber.
Are Jobs on the Line?
As soon as head coach Lindy Ruff was introduced at the first home game, he was booed relentlessly (to his surprise). This booing comes after two horrendous seasons and what seems to be an encore this year. Fans and critics are increasingly blaming him for a structure that exposes the goaltenders and doesn’t emphasize quality chances. In a year where the Devils are expected to be competitive, Ruff could be gone sooner rather than later to save the season.
Over the summer, Tom Fitzgerald brought in former Florida Panther interim head coach Andrew Brunette as an assistant coach. Brunette was nominated for the Jack Adams award for coaching the Florida Panthers to the Presidents’ Trophy. Many viewed this move as Fitzgerald’s “plan B” in the event that Ruff did not live up to expectations. If the head coach does not turn things around soon, maybe even tonight, he could be shown the exit.
Tonight’s game can be seen on MSG at 7:00 P.M. ET.