Hey everyone,
That was a big win from the Devils on Friday night, not just because of the two points, but because of the team's composure and resilience that were on display throughout the entire game. The Devils battled back not once, but twice in the first period, then protected their lead in the third period. This was after the unconscious second-period performance by Double V in net. Unfortunately, during the game, the Devils lost Captain Nico to an upper-body injury after sustaining multiple big hits that will ultimately hold him out of tonight's game. I will dive deeper into Captain Nico's injury later in this article, but for now, I want to highlight how the team stepped up in the absence of their captain. Their ability to find a way to win in a game that had so many ups and downs showed a lot about the maturity and character of this group.
Again, yes, the Devils conceded the first goal of the game for the seventh consecutive time to open the season, marking a new franchise high, for that matter (not a stat I want to mention again!). So, tonight, we all look for the Devils to get that first, first goal of a game out of the way to prevent this trend from lingering any longer. That being said, if they don't score first in these games against the Wild, there shouldn't be too much reason for panic in their game, as Minnesota has blown leads in four of their five losses so far this season. Moreover, the Wild scored the first goal of the game in both outings against NJD last season and allowed the Devils to hang around to tie it and come away with a point in both games. On the Devils' side of things, they've come back and gotten points in five of seven games this season, and since the start of last season, have the most comeback wins in the league (30). These stats do make up for the earlier one I mentioned above!
With all that being said, though, the Devils can't continue chasing games. Yes, we can all make the argument that the Devils still finished with the third-best record last season in the NHL. Still, psychologically, it will start to catch up to them; trust me on this one, especially with a key player out of the lineup in Captain Nico. Tonight's focus needs to be setting the tone for this home-and-home with the Wild by getting that much-needed first, first goal of the season and then steamrolling them for an entire 60 minutes.
It's not every day that general managers come across players who want to play on your team as badly as Erik Haula wanted to play on the Devils. Haula's passion and pride in playing for this organization have been evident since his arrival via trade with Boston, but especially when we learned that Haula barged into GM Tom Fitzgerald's office post-locker room cleanout, practically demanding a contract extension as an expiring UFA. (Yes, I added some hyperbole to this for fun!) On a serious note, Haula made it clear that he didn't want to play anywhere else but in New Jersey, and I love that his passionate play has reflected that through his first 6 games. 
Haula pays the price, gets to the hard areas, and will, as Tom Fitzgerald wants of his players, “turn himself over to the team.” It’s been fantastic watching him get rewarded with some big-time performances early on. Even though his stick broke(!) on the empty netter for what would have been his first hatty, Haula's two tallies included his eighth career shorthanded goal and his team-leading second game-winner of the season. Last season, Haula had zero GWGs, and it took him a total of 45 games to notch his first four goals in a Devils uniform. This season, he’s already reached that four-goal feat in only six games. Now, he'll look to stay hot heading into back-to-back clashes with MIN, the team that drafted him in the seventh round in 2009. For me, if Captain Nico were to miss some extended time with his injury, Haula would be the guy to fill his void in the '2C' position; he continues to raise the bar as a player and leader for this group!
Speaking of guys that are getting to the hard areas this season, both of Alex Holtz’s first two goals this season have come from a rebound, cleaning up at the net front. And well, no, Devils fans, the reason the Devils drafted him seventh overall in 2020 was not for goals like this. It was for his deadly shot that we all want to see weaponized on Jack or Nico's wing, eventually, as a consistent goal-scorer at 5v5 and on the power play with that deadly one-timer.
What we have to understand here, though, is that this is all an essential part of the process for Holtz to grow into a successful player at the highest level of pro hockey. This is a 21-year-old who lost a year of development due to COVID, and a guy Fitzgerald took "full responsibility" for being behind schedule, that being due to his lack of playing time last season. Now, we're seeing tremendous improvements in the parts of his game that coach Ruff values so much in the Devils’ system. In fact, his line with Bastain & McLeod generated 75% of the SATs (9-3) and outshot their competition (5-2). Individually, this season, 5v5 per 20 mins of ice time, Holtz is creating the third highest rate of forechecking chances and the highest rate of rebound chances of all NJD forwards. These games playing a gritty role on the third and fourth line is not the Devils' way of writing him off; it's all part of his path to that top-six role that both he and management are ultimately craving. So, Devils fans, continue to be patient with #10's development.
I'm sure we've all watched several times now the scary hit Sabres' D Connor Clifton delivered to the head of Captain Nico. In today's game, there is no place for these types of hits. The game is so much faster than when I played that hits to the head cannot be tolerated. The league responded appropriately and suspended the 1st time offender, Clifton, for two games.
A scarier trend I'm starting to see is that the Captain's increasing hits suffered rate of 2 Hits/GP is at a level that is tied for the #4 highest this season in the NHL. Since the '21-'22 season, his 1.55 hits suffered rate ranks #52, and his overall total hits suffered of 245 is tied for 38th of all active FWs with 82+ games played (397 total players).
Now, I preface this by saying that this stat is highly subjective and inconsistent from arena to arena; nonetheless, the fact of the matter is that opposing teams ensure they finish hits on the Devils' Captain whenever there is a chance. Yes, a lot of this is partly because of how aggressive and competitive the Captain is when going into puck battles, and that is what makes Nico, Nico - and what we all have grown to love about him. This part of his game will unlikely change, but he must make a conservative effort to realize that he is being targeted and might forego trying to win 100% of the battles. Easier said than done!
Back to this evening's game, I'm looking forward to chatting with Haula during warmups to kick off our pregame show, starting at 4:30 PM. Erika and I will discuss the much better home effort from Friday night vs. BUF, the play of Haula & Holtz, the PK syncin' up, and PP importance with some award-winning paced numbers by Jack Hughes. Below is a look at my Pre-Scout for MIN.
-Sal
