The Battle of the Hudson River has been as advertised. After dropping the first two games, the New Jersey Devils series is evened at 2-2. It now becomes a best of three to advance to the second round.
What New Jersey Needs To Do To Win The Series
Stick To Their Game Plan
As the series started, this team looked like an inexperienced playoff team. However, The New Jersey Devils the last two games of the series have found their identity. After getting whacked two games in a row as Jack Hughes put it, the Devils answered in a big way. They stormed into New York with a rookie goaltender and punched the Rangers back. After getting bullied, they’ve evened up the series. Credit to Lindy Ruff for making the necessary adjustments that he lacked for in Game 2. But what has made them successful?
The Devils are a phenomenal 5v5 team. It is their bread and butter. As the games when on they used speed to their advantage. It appears they have found a way to break through the Rangers defence that had smothered them two games prior. New Jersey was able to generate chances and of high quality. Between Games 3 and 4, New Jersey generated an xGoals for of 5.57 (1st), and out shot the Rangers in the high-danger area (19-9). There are times where the Rangers held then without an attempt, but you are now seeing the Devils true identity.
After getting away from their game in the first two, they have found their identity again. If the Devils want to win this series, continuing their 5v5 dominance is crucial.
Stay Out Of The Penalty Box
This is obvious. One thing the New Jersey Devils need to do the rest of the series is staying out of the penalty box. An area the club thrives in is at 5v5. As mentioned above, the Devils have stuck to their game plan. They have used their speed to their advantage and have been able to generate chances off the rush. It is a recipe to their success. However, for the Devils to stick to their game plan they have to stay out of the box.
The Rangers made life hard for the Devils early on. Whatever penalty trouble the Devils got into, the Rangers had an answer. The first two games saw the Rangers for 4/10 on the power play. That success went out the window as the Devils went perfect on the penalty kill. The Rangers power play got sloppy and the Devils found a way to disrupt their success. But for a powerplay that had success and two days rest to fix it, don’t feed it. A huge key for the Devils the rest of the series is to stay out of the box and play THEIR game.
Other Contributors
One thing that has made the Devils lethal this season is their depth. During the course of the regular season, it shined through and brightly. New Jersey had four 30 goal scorers and four players above 70 point totals. In addition, they had ten players surpass double digit goal totals. However, the playoffs has not been the case.
Welcome to the Jack Hughes show. The Devils superstar centre has carried the team on his back. He has had three goals in this series. The club is starting to see others score, but the Devils need much more than Hughes.
It is not for a lack of trying. In fact, Jesper Bratt, Meier, and Bratt rank near the top in individual expected goals. The chances have been there, but the results have not. Thanks to Igor Shesterkin who has been brilliant this series. His 4.1 goals saved above expected leads the playoffs. With Hughes lighting it up this series, the Devils will need to see contributions come elsewhere. Timo Meier, Tomas Tatar, and Dawson Mercer are still pointless after having great seasons. The Devils will need more than Hughes if they want to advance to the next round.
X-Factors The Rest Of The Way
Schmid
The biggest x-factor for the New Jersey Devils in this series is Akira Schmid. What a story this guy has been and a large reason this series is now tied. No disrespect to Vitek Vanecek, but the crease belongs to Schmid. Vanecek had a fantastic regular season and was also the first Devils goalie to have a 30-win season since Brodeur. But back to Schmid, he has been excellent. Schmid has stopped 57 of 59 shots he’s faced. He has become a brick wall in net and has silenced the rival Rangers. In addition, Schmid has 2.9 goals saved above expected.
To bring your team back down 2-0 and doing it all on the road. It is not easy to go toe to toe with Igor Shesterkin either. However, Schmid has proven to do that two games in a row. He will need to channel his inner Brodeur and continue this level of play the rest of the way.
Hischier
He may not light up the stats sheet, but the captain will be huge down the stretch. Jake Hughes has been living in the spotlight with his goal-scoring, but Nico Hischier has made his impact. Aside from his beautiful assist on the Jonas Siegenthalet goal in Game 4, he has dominated his time on the ice.
Among all skaters in the playoffs, he has the best possession numbers (65.38%). With him on the ice, the Devils are out attempting the Rangers 68-36. In addition, the team’s xGoals for of 3.96 with him on the ice is too of the league. But the biggest impact is the high-danger area of the ice. Hischier has the ability to protect the puck and drive the play down low. It is a huge part of his game and what makes him the player he is. With him on the ice, the Devils out chance the Rangers 19-4 in that area. That ranks him at the top of the league. He may not have the accolades on the point sheet, but he is getting it done in other ways.
Main Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
