The New Jersey Devils returned to action on Black Friday in dire need of two points. They took on the Columbus Blue Jackets, a last-place squad that was winless in their last eight road games. Unfortunately for the Devils, they disappointed the Prudential Center crowd, dropping their sixth out of seven contests and falling by a score of 2-1.
Hamilton’s Woes Continue
In the recent edition of Devils Stock Market, I broke down how Dougie Hamilton has been a complete liability, despite what the analytics say.
It could be argued that the Blue Jackets’ only two goals of the game were the fault of Hamilton. On the first goal, he drifted way out of position and followed Jonas Siegenthaler in pursuit of Johnny Gaudreau, leaving his man (Boone Jenner) wide open to stuff it in the net.
On the second goal, he let recent AHL call-up Eric Robinson slip in behind him alone on a breakaway, which was converted. It’s inexcusable regardless, but even worse when it’s in the final minute of a period in a tie game.
This is a perfect example of where analytics don’t back up Hamilton’s on-ice effort. Both goals had a combined “expected goals” of 0.27. (via Natural Stat Trick) But the actual goals on the scoreboard (what truly matters) were two, and it was the difference in the game.
The result was one of the first times head coach Lindy Ruff called out Hamilton’s defensive play:
“(Hamilton’s) play was really not good…the mistake on both goals…a 2-on-2 rush (on the first) and let a guy in behind him on the second one. Those are the plays we’re trying to eliminate.”
Hamilton now has a minus-10 rating, with 16 penalty minutes to boot. In the past, Ruff has often praised his ability to know when to get himself involved offensively. This year, it’s gotten them burned time and time again.
Another Slow Start…
It’s beating a dead horse at this point, but there’s no sugarcoating it: the Devils have been horrendous in the first period. Jenner’s opening goal for Columbus marked the 15th time in 18 contests that the Devils gave up the first goal.
The Blue Jackets outshot the Devils 11-6 in the frame and outscored them 2-1.
Related: Devils’ 2023-24 In-Season Awards: Poor Performances Pile Up
After a closed-door meeting on Thanksgiving, the fact that the team came out flat out of the gate was pretty surprising…especially considering it was at home and against a team that is as lackluster as Columbus.
On MSG Network’s postgame show, analyst and former Devils captain Bryce Salvador was “flabbergasted to see how the team came out in the first period.”
It’s been a complete mystery as to why the team is so bad at the start of games, and it’s a theme that was prevalent all of last season as well. However, when looking deeper, it appears that it’s mostly an issue at home. On the road, they’ve at least matched the other team’s tempo.
At home, the Devils have been outscored 15-6 and outshot 102-66 in the opening frame. The players are more than aware that it’s an issue, but it appears that they continue to press early on regardless.
Execution Continues to Be Poor
A common catchphrase around the Devils has been the word “execution,” or really the lack thereof.
The Devils’ Corsi-for percentage at even-strength is currently fourth-best in the league, as they’ve generated 186 more shot attempts than their opponents. Their actual goals-for percentage is instead 38.89% (44-28), which only bests the terrible San Jose Sharks.
This contest was no different than most games have been. After a terrible start to the game, they turned on the jets and dominated play the rest of the way. At one point, they had an incredible 22 consecutive shots on goal without Columbus having one. It still didn’t matter, as none of them found twine.
Their second-to-league worst shooting percentage (6.32%) certainly has something to do with it, but their shooting luck on the power play has masked it thus far.
Now that the power play is coming back down to Earth a little bit (0-for-2 tonight), the issue is really coming to fruition.
The Devils put an impressive 38 shots on Elvis Merzlikins, a goaltender who came into the evening with a sub-.900 save percentage. He stopped 37 of those 38 (.973 SV%).
Surely, the absences of Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and (for a while) Jack Hughes have something to do with it. But there are still plenty of other teammates capable of more and haven’t yet shown it.
From the eye test, they just look sloppy. They aren’t playing as a cohesive team but rather as a bunch of individuals.
Devils Need to Bounce Back
With only 18 of 82 games played thus far, it’s tough to label any game a must-win. But the Devils went 3-0-0 against the Blue Jackets last season, outscoring them 18-4. They have not been a good team by any stretch. Games like these should be won, but they haven’t been, and that could be a huge regret come March.
The Devils have an important matchup against an equally struggling Buffalo Sabres team tomorrow night, Nov. 25. It’s not a must-win, but let’s just say no win means things could get ugly.
They’re now seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 8-9-1 (17 points). With how bunched up these teams are, they’re only five points behind the Washington Capitals in second place.
There’s no better time to right the ship than the present.