The Devils were resilient, bent but didn’t break, and pulled out a massive 2 PTS in WSH. What was most encouraging is that they showed us a hard, gritty, and determined effort to get the job done!
Subtle Line Tweaks = RESULTS
How nice is it to see that the Devils have some real depth this year?! I know it’s only a small sample set of games, but nonetheless, this bottom-six group is the real deal.
Keefe’s swapping of Palat and Cotter paid immediate dividends in more ways than just on the score sheet. To me, the Palat-Lazar-Bastian line was the best line coming out of the gates and pulled the team into the fight with their tenancious compete and work ethic. They were the line that was able to match the energy of the Capitals, who were feeding off their fans’ home-opener support.
Cotter-Haula-Noesen
Then, midway through the first period, we saw the Cotter-Haula-Noesen line start to find life and ultimately take over the game for the Devils. Noesen was a primary assist machine, Haula was a workhorse, and Cotter was continuing to show off his “Mitts” for the fourth straight game. What was impressive to watch were the goals Noesen set up, which were off of elite passes that he made. These were not fluke passes that ricocheted off of sticks or off bodies; nope, these were highlight-worthy passes that made you go, WOW.
Ondrej Palat
As for the storyline regarding Palat’s lineup placement, well, yes, on paper, he was playing on the “4th line” in WSH. I want to reiterate what HC Keefe has been prefacing, that his lines are not meant to be labeled like that.
Because of Palat’s cap hit, people can be quick to attack the obvious narratives at hand, which I understand at face value. But, for me, Palat is a true pro and knows that he has reached the part of his career where he’ll be on board to fill any role this team needs of him, or to as Fitzy says, “turn himself over to the team."
The bottom line is that these two lines were the driving force of the Devils that allowed them to pull 2 PTS out of a critical divisional game and set the tone for the next three games against the Capitals, which all take place before December.
Our Captain, Nico
No words do this play any more justice than Mr Devil’s, Ken Daneyko! Just watch and listen to how this play developed to see what being a captain is all about.
Yes, the Devils pulled away with the crucial 2 PTS at the end of the night, but this W certainly wasn’t “perfect” like the ones in Prague.
Jack & Dougie still “off”
In my first article of the regular season, I talked about giving Jack and Dougie some leeway at the start of the season.
“The reality is that both Jack and Dougie might have slow starts. Coming back from a major surgery involves more than just the physical aspect. There is also the adjustment period of dealing with the emotional and mental moments when you “tweak” that injury and have a panic moment—only to realize you are 100% fine. (I’ve been there, and those moments take years off your life!)”
As fans, we want everything to be going perfectly at all times, but the fact of the matter is that is never the case, and these two guys are having sluggish starts. Look, this is the first time since the 2016-17 season that Dougie has gone 4 games without a point to start off the season, and when looking at the start of Jack’s last two seasons, he is typically averaging 1.24 PTS/GP through the first 4 GP.
Luckily for the Devils, their secondary scoring has been so lethal early on that NJD#86 & NJD#7’s relatively low impact isn’t direr for the team just yet. Yes, guys like Dougie and Jack, as ultra-competitive as they are, have to be frustrated right now. But what goes a long way for them mentally is that they’re seeing guys step up and put pucks in the back of the net, which buys them time to, as we say, “find their game” without feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders had the Devils gone, say, 1-3-0 up to this point.
PP1 Struggling
Following my points on Jack and Dougie, this leads directly to what I am most concerned about from a team standpoint, and that is the Devils’ PP1 unit. It can be very easy to jump all over the PP, considering it is converting at 13.3% with only 2 PPGs on 15 opportunities.
However, to be brutally fair, they have had enough Grade-A chances that they could easily have 2-5 more PPGs. Until Jack and Dougie feel good about their games, though, the PP will struggle.
And, no, the Devils don’t need to blow things up on the PP. HC Keefe even stated postgame that it isn’t a structure or personnel-based issue, rather, it’s about individuals finding their way through pressure and making plays. We just need to let things breathe when it comes to Jack, Dougie, and the PP.
Young D-Pairing
Look, it would be very easy to come on here and criticize the Casey-Nemec pairing. Shoot, I even pointed out in the first period that Casey was having a rough night, as was Nemec throughout the game. But in reality, the Devils are asking a lot of them, and we all know that things will change once Pesce and Luke are ready to return to the lineup. So, I think the reps these guys are getting need to be viewed as a tremendous learning experience and important NHL experience. As long as Casey can continue to produce offense, and Nemec ultimately learns how to come out of “bad” individual stretches of hockey, you honestly cannot ask for anything more from each of their development growth paths. Gain everything possible out of these games that you are currently playing in!
Be sure to join Rachel and me for our pregame show this afternoon as I chat with “The Mitts” Paul Cotter about his hot start, break down the success of the NJD depth, and preview the Devils’ first-ever game against the (3-0-0!) Utah HC. It all starts at 12:30 p.m. on MSGSN!
Let’s Go Devils!
-Sal
Here are some graphics from Saturday night's broadcast!
