Comeback wins are nothing new for the New Jersey Devils this season. They’ve done it continuously and did so against the Winnipeg Jets — one of the top teams in the Western Conference — last night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, they rallied for three goals, including an empty-netter, to pick up the 4-2 win to move to 37-14-5. Here are four takeaways and some quick hits.
Devils’ Depth Scorers Step Up
For good stretches of the season since Jan. 1, the Devils have had to rely on their top-six to score. While Dawson Mercer did pot two yesterday, the team’s depth scorers led the comeback in the third period. Down 2-1, Erik Haula forced a turnover behind the net and fed Fabian Zetterlund in a prime shooting position in the slot, where he one-timed the game-tying goal.
About two minutes later, Miles Wood scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal to give the Devils a 3-2 lead. The play started with Michael McLeod getting in on the forecheck and knocking the puck off Dylan DeMelo’s stick. Jesper Boqvist kept pursuit on the forecheck and knocked the puck to McLeod, who fed Wood in the slot for the goal:
Though this was the Devils’ fourth line against the Jets, they caused havoc all night. They were quick to the puck and controlled play at five-on-five, finishing with an 82.35 expected goals percentage (xG%). Wood, in particular, had a much-needed strong outing, as he led Devils skaters in xG% at 82.16 percent. After only playing five minutes the night before in a 5-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was quite the response from Wood.
With the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, and Devils all in a battle for top-3 positioning in the Metropolitan Division, New Jersey will need to keep getting contributions from their fourth line to help keep pace.
Blackwood Responds After Tough Start
Mackenzie Blackwood did not get off to a good start last night. He allowed two goals on his first four shots on goal, and both tallies were ones he’d like to have back. But to his credit, Blackwood didn’t allow anything to get past him after those two goals. He finished the night making 23 saves on 25 shots and faced quite a bit of quality, especially in the third period.
Once the final horn sounded, Blackwood had given up two goals on 3.02 expected goals. Since returning from an MCL sprain just before Christmas, he’s 4-3-2 to go along with a .910 save percentage and a goals saved above expected of 4.67. While there have been some rocky moments, he’s been an above-average 1B to Vitek Vanecek over that stretch. That’s all the Devils need from him the rest of the way, given Vanecek has been a top-10 netminder in the NHL this season.
Ruff Has Found a New Top Line
Head coach Lindy Ruff went to some different line combos ahead of the Penguins game on Saturday evening (Feb. 18), with one of those new units being Tomáš Tatar, Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer. Tatar and Hischier have always played well together, but placing Mercer alongside them was a new wrinkle Ruff hadn’t used in the past. So far, it’s hard to argue with the results.
Mercer scored a goal, collected an assist, and had eight shots on goal in the win against the Penguins, and that strong performance carried over right into yesterday’s tilt against the Jets. Mercer got a bit of puck luck on his first goal after it redirected off Jets defender Nate Schmidt’s stick, but that’s how it unfolds when things are going your way. Mercer also added the empty-net goal after outhustling Cole Perfetti to cap off a two-goal night.
Related: Takeaways From Devils’ 5-2 Victory vs. Penguins
It wasn’t just Mercer carrying that line, either. They finished the night with an 89.44 xG% and out-chanced the Jets 5-2 when they were on the ice. Hischier had the primary assist on Mercer’s goal, bringing him up to five points in his last two games with Tatar and Mercer as his wingers. It’s still a small sample size, but it sure looks like Ruff has found some magic with this trio.
Siegenthaler & Severson Back Together
In an eye-opening move, Jonas Siegenthaler was a healthy scratch against the Penguins the night before. He had been struggling for a while, but it was a surprise seeing him sit for a game. He found his way back into the lineup against the Jets and was paired alongside Damon Severson, a change from having Dougie Hamilton as his partner for most of the season.
Though Siegenthaler didn’t light the world on fire, he had a solid game, finishing with a 56.83 xG% at five-on-five. It’s not as if Ruff kept his ice time limited, either. Siegenthaler finished second in five-on-five ice time to Severson, and most of his minutes came against Jets second-line center Mark Scheifele.
Yesterday’s game was the first time Ruff had paired them together from the opening faceoff in 2022-23, but it was a wise decision. Dating back to last season, Siegenthaler and Severson have played quite well together. In 618 minutes as a duo a season ago, they posted a 55.26 xG% while playing against tough competition in a top-pair role. It’s worth seeing if they still have the chemistry they did a year ago to complement the Ryan Graves and John Marino pair as a two-way threat.
Devils Quick Hits
- With Jack Hughes returning from an upper-body injury against the Penguins, Ruff broke up the Yegor Sharangovich, Haula and Zetterlund line that had been playing so well, placing Ondrej Palát in Sharangovich’s spot with those two. While Palát, Haula and Zetterlund did team up for the game-tying goal, that trio finished with an 8.91 xG%. Ruff isn’t going to break them up, but they didn’t have a great weekend. The Devils have struggled to find a viable third line this season, so it’ll be interesting to see if Palát gels with Haula and Zetterlund as he gets more reps with them.
- Though the Sharangovich, Hughes and Jesper Bratt line didn’t score, it certainly wasn’t for the lack of chances. Hughes hit iron twice in one shift, and Bratt hit the crossbar on a breakaway a few shifts later in the second period. They did struggle defensively against the Jets, but there’s no doubting their offensive upside moving forward.
- Metropolitan Division snapshot entering the new week: the Devils are four points ahead of the Rangers for second place in the division, with both teams at 56 games played. They trail the Hurricanes by three points for first place, though Carolina has a game in hand on both the Devils and Rangers. New York and New Jersey are 12 points clear of the Penguins for fourth place, a very comfortable margin at this point in the season.
The Devils have another busy week ahead of them, with games against the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers. The trade deadline is also less than two weeks away, with the Devils seemingly quite active on the market. Make sure to stay tuned to The Hockey Writers for the latest coverage.
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