It’s been a while since the New Jersey Devils have gotten goalie’d, but that’s what took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, last night. Though they outplayed the Montreal Canadiens for the good stretches of the game, the Devils ran into a red-hot Samuel Montembault, who made 37 saves on 39 shots to help the Canadiens win 5-2. Here are five takeaways and some quick hits as the Devils look to rebound against the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night.
Devils Carried Play at 5-on-5
You wouldn’t know it by the score, but the Devils were largely the better team against the Canadiens, specifically at five-on-five. New Jersey finished with a 67-28 shot attempt advantage and controlled 67.72 percent of the expected goals (xG%) at that game state. They also had 15 high-danger chances as opposed to the Canadiens’ eight and a 29-19 advantage in scoring chances.
The Canadiens did a good job of blocking shots, but Montembault was the story of the night. He allowed only two goals on 5.21 expected goals, a goals saved above expected of 3.21. He was literally making saves when he wasn’t looking; just ask Jesper Bratt about that. Sometimes when a goalie is on, there’s not much you can do about it.
Though that was a game where the Devils would’ve liked to get two points given the Canadiens’ place in the standings, it’s not like they got outplayed. They did have some defensive breakdowns that led to goals against, but they were the better team. They had much more sustained offensive zone time and possession, so there shouldn’t be any concern moving forward.
Vanecek Had a Rare Off Night
Vitek Vanecek has been a revelation for the Devils. They obviously liked his upside for them to acquire him from the Washington Capitals at the draft in the summer, but he’s been better than above average. Coming into yesterday’s tilt, he ranked in the top ten in goals saved above expected among all NHL netminders.
However, he had an off-game against the Canadiens. Vanecek finished the night with 13 saves on only 17 shots on goal, and his advanced metrics weren’t pretty, either, as he gave up 1.8 goals above expected. That matches the eye test, as he should’ve stopped the Canadiens’ first two goals; the first went through his five-hole, and the second squeaked through his seven-hole.
It was a rare night off for Vanecek, who was probably due for a bad start. Coming into yesterday’s matchup, he was 12-0-1 with a .927 save percentage in his previous 13 outings. That’s not exactly sustainable, so he was going to come down to Earth at some point. The hope is he doesn’t fall into a slump, but that hasn’t been too much of an issue for him this season.
Hughes’ Line Struggled
The Devils were the better team at five-on-five, but one line did underperform a bit: the Yegor Sharangovich, Jack Hughes, and Bratt trio. Hughes did collect two assists, and Bratt had one of the team’s two goals, but they were the only line combo to finish underwater in xG% (37.77 percent). They were also on the ice for two of the Canadiens’ four five-on-five goals.
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While I’m not overly concerned about this trio, it was the second game in a row where they struggled to get going at five-on-five. The rest of the Devils’ line combos are playing well, so I don’t think head coach Lindy Ruff will break up the current iteration of the Hughes line, but it is something to watch over the rest of the week.
Bratt and Hughes typically dominate together at five-on-five, but Ruff may need to move another winger onto their line. Perhaps swapping Ondrej Palát alongside them and moving Sharangovich back with Erik Haula and Fabian Zetterlund may be in the cards a bit down the road.
Graves & Marino Pair Still Finding Their Footing
Assessing Ryan Graves and John Marino’s play together last night is tough because Marino was a game-time decision due to illness. He wasn’t 100 percent, and that likely affected their play. They only had a 6.43 xG% as a pair at five-on-five, with the Canadiens having an 8-2 advantage in scoring chances and a 6-0 edge in high-danger chances against those two.
It’s not like it was a one-off, either. The Graves and Marino pair hasn’t yet gotten to where they were before Marino suffered his injury just before Christmas. Since he returned from his absence on Feb. 6, he and Graves have a 48.88 xG% and have only controlled 39.02 percent of the high-danger chances in 96 minutes together. I’d be surprised if Ruff broke them up, but the Devils need them to be better once March rolls around and the schedule really toughens up.
Devils’ Bottom Six Came to Play
One of the bright spots of yesterday’s game was the Devils’ bottom-six. They didn’t score any goals, but they were a big reason the team dominated the Canadiens at five-on-five. The line of Palát, Haula and Zetterlund had a 13-1 shot attempt advantage over the Canadiens to go along with an 87.96 xG%.
The Devils’ fourth line of Miles Wood, Michael McLeod and Jesper Boqvist was equally as good, as they had an 18-4 shot attempt advantage and 55.67 xG%. Wood had a breakaway attempt that could’ve changed the game had he connected (it would’ve been 2-2), but not much was getting past Montembault anyway. Regardless, the Devils need similar performances from their bottom-six since the consistency hasn’t always been there from that group this season.
Devils Quick Hits
- Though Brendan Smith and Dougie Hamilton had a solid performance as the team’s top pair yesterday, I’m not sure how they’ll hold up against better competition. Jonas Siegenthaler has been relegated to third-pair minutes for now, but he led Devils defensemen with an 87.7 xG% against the Canadiens. It’s probably best to leave him on the third pair with Damon Severson for a few contests to let him find his game again, but Ruff and the Devils will want him back alongside Hamilton sooner than later.
- Another game, another goal for Dawson Mercer, who has five in his last four outings. Though the tally came on the power play, he’s meshed with his new linemates, Nico Hischier and Tomáš Tatar, at five-on-five. With the goal, he’s up to 16 on the season and is now suddenly on pace to finish with 23. He’s added some needed depth scoring the Devils have been seeking for the last few weeks.
The Devils will try to rebound against the Kings tomorrow night at the Prudential Center. They defeated the Kings 5-2 in their first meeting this season and have generally fared quite well against the Western Conference.
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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick and Evolving-Hockey