Hey, Devils Fans.
It’s great to be back home at the Rock tonight for Johnny Mac’s Ring of Honor ceremony, and a huge game vs. WPG to follow!
What a special and exciting night we have ahead of us here. Johnny Mac meant so much to this organization. From his clutch, historic GTG & OTG in the final game of the ‘88 regular season that sent the Devils to the playoffs for the first time, to winning a Stanley Cup as a player in ‘95 and as an assistant coach in ‘03, to now standing top-2 in Goals, PTS, Shots, PPGs, and GWGs in franchise history, there is no one more deserving of being the 4th ROH inductee than Johnny Mac. This guy was a true homegrown talent. Drafted 6th overall in 1983, through his 1,000+ regular season & playoff games with the Devils, he evolved into playing a pivotal role in why the franchise was able to establish the outstanding history we all know and love today.
And although I didn’t ever cross paths with him in my playing career, I have only great things to say about him as my assistant coach for a couple of years when I was first traded to NJ, and my head coach briefly in 2010-11, despite being injured that season. He then had a direct impact on me getting the role I’m currently in with MSG, as he previously was in this position before deciding to go back to coaching in 2017. Now, all these years later, I'm so excited that things will come full circle, as we will be at the desk together during the first intermission!
Based on morning skate, it appears Sheldon will be shaking up the top two lines and a couple of the D pairings.
Among the changes, what sticks out to me is Sheldon moving Mercer to Jack’s wing, which makes sense when you consider that, for whatever reason, Timo and Jack do not seem to work well together. Despite all of their process shares being above 50%, they’re being outscored by a 2:1 ratio when on ice together 5v5, which is ultimately all that matters.
Now, Mercer and Jack, on the other hand, have been outstanding together, as in their 65+ minutes together 5v5, the Devils have controlled over 70% of the chances and are outscoring opponents 4-0. Hopefully, we see this duo continue to dominate their minutes tonight alongside Dadonov, who will get another look on Jack’s line.
ANOTHER DANGEROUS GAME: EXCEED & SUSTAIN URGENCY
In my pregame article for the SEA game, I talked about the fact that HC Lane Lambert called the Kraken’s previous game vs. ANA (4-2 L) the “worst first 40 minutes of the year,” and hence, that the Devils were going to have to expect a big response game from them.
Well, regardless of if you want to say the Devils beat themselves in that game, they’re now in a similar, dangerous spot tonight, playing a WPG team with one win in their last five games and expecting a big response game, as they, too, just had their coach publically call them out for a "soft" and "embarrassing" performance in their 5-1 L vs. DET. With all the energy in the building from the pregame ceremony, I not only expect the Devils to match WPG’s urgency, but also to exceed that urgency and sustain it for a full 60-65 minutes.
COME READY TO WIN THE 5v5 BATTLE
Similar to the Devils, the Jets have had a stronger run of play since the last time these teams met, in a desperate attempt to get out of the extreme rut both teams were in at the time. And just like the Devils, special teams are keeping the Jets above water in this stretch, as both teams are in the top-3 in combined PP+PK%, but -1 or even in their respective 5v5 Goal DIFF.
Assuming goaltending (Jaker and Hellebuyck) gives both teams a chance to win tonight, it’s likely going to come down to who can win the 5v5 battle. We will see what Sheldon does with the lines, as postgame in SEA, he alluded that changes might be coming due to the lack of continuity and contribution from more than one line at a time on the trip.
Be sure to join us for a very special pregame show tonight, as Rachel and I will be joined by Lou Lamoriello and Scotty Stevens at the desk before the ceremony! Johnny Mac will join us at intermission!
-Sal
