The New Jersey Devils headed 27 miles northeast to face the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday evening. Despite playing pretty well, some common issues re-occurred en route to a heartbreaking 2-1 regulation loss.
Related: Islanders Snap Losing Streak With 2-1 Victory Over Devils
Struggle to Draw Penalties Hinders Devils
It has now been 118 minutes and 16 seconds since the Devils drew a penalty. After their recent game against Buffalo, Jack Hughes said, “We’ve got to find a way to draw more power plays and allow our power play to get into it and build [momentum].”
Since Dec. 3, the Devils’ 8.3% success rate on the man advantage trails only the Toronto Maple Leafs (7.7%). It should also be no surprise that during that span, they have the fifth fewest power play opportunities per game (2.40).
As Jack said, the best way to get a power play going is to consistently garner opportunities — and that’s especially relevant now with so many new bodies having recently re-entered the lineup. It might take a bit to fully re-gain chemistry, but for reference, the worst power play percentage of all-time goes to the 2020-21 Anaheim Ducks (8.9%). The Devils are way too talented to be converting at a similar clip lately.
“Drawing more penalties would help … a lot of times it ends up being the power play that comes first, you know, the power play gets a couple and [the rest of the team follows],” said head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Markstrom’s Strong Night Overshadowed by *Big* Mistake
Coming into the night, Jacob Markstrom’s minus-1.6 goals saved above expected (GSAx) ranked 52nd out of 61 goaltenders to play 10+ games this season. (via Moneypuck)
Oftentimes this season, it had been one step forward and 3-4 steps back for Markstrom. Slowly, though, it looked as if he was coming out of his rut. He was dominant in Utah, stopping 32 of 33 (.970%) to steal a win for the Devils. Tonight, Markstrom looked locked in right out of the gate, stopping the first 13 shots he faced.
Then came a step backward in the form of a self-inflicted wound: Markstrom made an ill-advised decision to come way out and play the puck. His clearing attempt went off Jonas Siegenthaler and right on the tape of Simon Holmstrom, who buried one of the easiest goals he’ll score in his career.
Markstrom did buckle down and stopped the following 12 shots…but then a quick shot from Adam Pelech with 1:15 to go in the third got by him, giving the Islanders a 2-1 win. The shot — from 24.2 feet out at a 51.7 degree angle — had just a 6.2% chance of scoring. But at the end of the day, Markstrom still stopped more than expected (+0.98 GSAx) and has a .948 save percentage over his last two.
“Obviously, the first goal is on me and the second one, [I’ve] got to come up with a big save and I couldn’t,” said Markstrom postgame.
Regardless, the Devils need to score more than two goals in a game to regularly churn out victories. Including tonight, it’s been five games since they accomplished that feat.
Finishing Struggles of Stars a Microcosm of Huge Finishing Issue
Two things can be true: 1) Jesper Bratt is an uber-talented skater who consistently makes an impact even when he’s not scoring goals…and 2) Bratt has immensely struggled to finish his chances this season — especially lately.
Including tonight, for the whole season, Bratt has scored one single 5v5 goal. That’s 5.20 goals below expected, according to Natural Stat Trick. While that’s the worst mark on the team, many players have also struggled to find twine based on the chances they’ve generated, including another star in Nico Hischier, who has failed to score in his previous 11 games.
As a whole, the Devils have scored 14.39 goals below expected at 5v5 since Nov. 1. They aren’t even creating all that much to begin with; they’ve generated the 24th-most expected goals per 60 minutes during that span. That, in combination with a lack of finishing on the chances they do get, is the opposite of a recipe for success.
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 20-16-1 — will get a few days off to enjoy their Holiday Break before returning home on Saturday to face the Washington Capitals (7:00 PM EST).
