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New Jersey Devils October in Review

New Jersey Devils October in Review

It’s hard to believe we’re already a month through the regular season. October was a strange month for the New Jersey Devils. Their play was inconsistent, yet their record shows otherwise. Their 5-2-1 record paints a picture of a team flourishing early on. However, there are a few causes for concern throughout the first month. That being said, they’re still winning games despite some poor performances, leaving room to believe that once they string together more complete 60-minute efforts, the sky is the limit.

New Jersey Devils October in Review

The Devils opened their season with a three-game homestand against the Detroit Red Wings, Arizona Coyotes, and Florida Panthers. Each game was highlighted by extremely sloppy first periods. However, against both Detroit and Arizona, the star power of Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt helped pull them out of potential losses. They combined for four goals and seven assists in their first back-to-back of the season. Their first meeting against the Eastern Conference Champs was an ugly one. They found themselves down 4-0 early in the third, and despite a valiant three-goal third period, the comeback fell short.

In their first two road games of the year, they took down the New York Islanders in overtime, followed by a win in Montreal. Both games were yet again highlighted by elite Jack Hughes performances. Against New York, Hughes scored two goals (one of which was the OT winner), and two assists. Four nights later they put in arguably their best performance of the young season against Montreal. A four-primary assist night for Hughes and a Tyler Toffoli hat trick propelled them to a 5-2 victory.

Their second three-game homestand of the month saw them go 2-1, with wins against the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild, and a loss against the Washington Capitals. The Devils put forth a putrid effort against Washington despite erasing a 3-0 deficit in the second period. Defensive breakdown after defensive breakdown rightfully earned them their second regulation loss of the season. Luckily, they turned things around over their next two games. The offence and Vitek Vanecek continued to carry them to victories against Buffalo and Minnesota, with 5-4 and 4-3 victories.

Highlights

The Power Play’s Humming

The Devils are coming off a 2022-23 season in which their power play ranked 13th at 21.8%. Through the first eight games, they rank first. The Devils 42.4% powerplay is currently a full 8% better than the second-place New York Rangers. Their current percentage is 12% better than last year’s league leaders, the Edmonton Oilers. Their in-zone passing on the power play has been crisp, and the cross-ice passes between Hughes and Bratt have been open. Add to that the shooting threat of Toffoli, the net-front presence from Nico Hischier, and a composed power play quarterbacking from Luke Hughes, have allowed their power play to be so dangerous. That being said, the season is still just eight games old, and this number is almost certain to come back down to earth.

The Second Period Surge

A running theme early on has been the Devils needing to come from behind. They let in the first goal for the first seven games to start the season. However, all their come-from-behind efforts have led to big second periods. Half of the 32 goals the Devils scored in October were scored in the second period. In most games, they are slow out of the gates but have an incredible ability to blitz teams with goals in a matter of minutes. In their 6-4 loss to Washington, they erased a 3-0 deficit in the second period in just a little over five minutes.

Lowlights

First Period Struggles

Unfortunately, the Devils amazing second periods come with a price. The biggest issue early on this year has been incredibly slow starts. In addition to giving up the first goal in seven of eight games, three of them were multiple-goal deficits. There hasn’t been any one thing contributing to it other than being slower to react to everything. Teams are out-skating and out-hustling them early in games. For the first time in a while the Devils are a force in the league, and teams are coming with their A-game every night, something they’ll have to get used to as the season rolls on.

Shaky Goaltending

The goaltending was a question mark entering the season. Vanecek had a good 2022-23 regular season, but a poor playoff showing, and Akira Schmid had a solid regular season and great postseason but was yet to take on a full workload. Early on the performances and numbers leave a lot to be desired. Vanecek has a 3.24 GAA and a 0.895 SV% to start the year, although he has come up with timely saves in games. As for Schmid, it’s worse. Through three games he’s posted a 4.07 GAA and a 0.863 SV%, including being pulled after the first period of the Washington game. Vanecek has come up with moments of brilliance, but Schmid has looked off his angles and a step behind. Hopefully, these are simply slow starts that are hurting them and not a trend for the season.

October Superlatives

MVP – Jack Hughes

There’s no other correct answer. Jesper Bratt has gotten off to a fast start, and Tyler Toffoli has had as good of a first month as a Devil as you could ask, but Hughes is playing at an MVP level. And not just Devils MVP, but league MVP. Through the first month of the season, he’s recorded 18 points in just eight games. This includes five multipoint games, a seven-game point streak to start the season, and 17 primary points. In addition, Hughes leads the NHL in both points and assists.

Unsung Hero – Michael McLeod

The stat sheet might not say it, but McLeod has been a difference-maker for the Devils. His elite faceoff ability has carried over from last year as he currently sits at 59.2%. His goal and assist don’t paint the full picture of what he does on the ice. He is their go-to penalty killer and faceoff taker, and with recent injuries to Erik Haula and Nico Hischier, they’ve asked him to play a bigger role. McLeod has been fast and tenacious on pucks. He is always the first in on puck battles and gets to the dirty areas on the ice. His stats will never wow you, but he does all the little things you need from a role player to win hockey games.

Needs to Improve – Dawson Mercer

Dawson Mercer has been a fan favourite ever since he entered the league two years ago. He is like a dog on a bone out on the ice, chasing down the puck and getting in on the forecheck. Mercer’s style of play is similar to McLeod’s, except for the fact that he usually contributes offence. However, through eight games Mercer has a total of zero points. There has been a lack of shot attempts which has led to this, but more concerningly, he’s not getting to the net at the same frequency he usually does. On a positive note, Mercer doesn’t seem like the type of kid to go into a shell when he isn’t scoring, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he puts together a big month in November.

What’s Coming Up

The Devils open the month of November on a four-game road trip against Western Conference opponents. This includes the first meeting between the Devils and Connor Bedard. November is also the month of division rivalry games. They will play six Metropolitan Division rivals, including their first Hudson River Rivalry game since the playoffs against the New York Rangers.

Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

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