The New Jersey Devils haven’t been the same team since Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton suffered season-ending injuries. They certainly haven’t been the same team offensively, averaging only 2.73 goals per game in the last 15 games. The Devils will make the playoffs and will likely be the third seed in the Metropolitan Division, and it will be on the backs of great defense and goaltending.
Yet, the recent games suggest the Devils have found something on the offensive end of the ice. They scored five goals on March 26 against the Chicago Blackhawks, five goals against the Minnesota Wild on March 29, and three at home on March 31 against the Wild.
Related: Devils’ Jesper Bratt Has Turned into a Hitting Machine
It’s hard to make any judgments on the small sample size, one that has a 4-0 shutout on March 28 against the Winnipeg Jets in it as well. That said, the Devils are showing the blueprint for how they can win with offense, a key for this team to make a deep playoff run.
Devils Defense Still Leads the Way
After the March 22 loss to the Ottawa Senators, head coach Sheldon Keefe called out Johnathan Kovacevic, stating that he needed to play better. Kovacevic is the stay-at-home defenseman for the Devils and has been the anchor of the defense, with 4.9 defensive point shares, and since the call-out, he’s stepped up to allow the team to win low-scoring games.
Kovacevic was brought in this offseason to shore up the defense along with Brenden Dillon and Brett Pesce. Fast-forward to the home stretch, and the trio is leading the unit and playing a strong shutdown style of defense. In Keefe’s system, the Devils have become a team that can win with defense to a team that relies on it with the offense struggling.
It’s also been a big plus that the goaltending has been great all season. Jacob Markstrom has led the way all season and taken on the majority of the workload, starting 46 games. While his numbers are underwhelming, he raised the floor after last season’s mess, where the position single-handedly let them down. Then there’s Jake Allen, who has stepped up in recent games, allowing only four goals in three starts to lead the Devils to three victories. The duo has allowed the Devils, who haven’t been a great team down the stretch, to avoid falling into any slumps and remain the third-best team in the division. A solid duo is also a great quality to have for a playoff series, as Keefe can ride the hot hand to an upset.
Bratt & Hischier Leading the Top Six
The Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier duo has been great in recent games. The two skaters have scored four goals in the last four games while also adding six assists to the offense. The two have played on the same line in recent games, and it’s allowed them to not only win in space but find the back of the net when the game slows down.
With Hughes out of the lineup, the Devils needed their forwards to prove they could both step up and create offense in multiple ways. Bratt is still the speed-skating winger who will make his biggest impact on the rush, but his playmaking has also stood out as he’s found open skaters throughout the recent stretch. Hischier, meanwhile, is doing it all, from his passing to his scoring to his defense, proving that he might not be Hughes, but he’s still one of the best players in the game.
Throw in a line that has Timo Meier and Erik Haula on it and the Devils are suddenly winning with offense while also playing physical hockey. The recent numbers might be inflated by facing the Blackhawks and a Wild team that’s struggled lately. However, the way they’ve played on the offensive end of the ice is proof that they can go toe-to-toe with any other team offensively.
Luke Hughes Emerging As a Two-Way Defenseman
My colleague Donnah Campbell took a deep dive into Luke Hughes and how he has made the most of his increased role. When Hamilton went down, the defense needed someone to step up, not just as a number-one defenseman, but also as a defenseman who could operate the offense from the point.
It’s what Hughes did. The Devils turned to him to become the playmaker, and in 17 games, he scored two goals while distributing 17 assists. His puck handling and passing have stood out, and it’s provided a much-needed boost to the offense as he can join the rush and set up quick scoring chances while also finding open skaters in the offensive zone.
Hughes is still far from the same caliber player that his older brother, Quinn Hughes, who won the Norris Trophy last season and is carrying the Vancouver Canucks this season. That said, there are some parallels considering how both started their careers. The brothers entered the league as great passers and skaters who could help out the offense, but their shooting didn’t stand out, and their defense wasn’t great either. The older Hughes rounded out his game over the years to become one of the best defensemen in the league, and the younger version is on the same trajectory. For now, the Devils don’t need Hughes to be a Norris-caliber defenseman. They just needed him to add a spark to the offense, and he has.
The playoffs are where teams need a playmaker at the point to create offense where there wouldn’t be any otherwise. The Edmonton Oilers saw Evan Bouchard make an impact last season, and the Florida Panthers had multiple blueliners get the job done to help them win the Stanley Cup. The Devils will lean on Hughes to be that player while the rest of the defense struggles to generate offense. The only question is if he can do it.
Sizing Their Offense Up With the Hurricanes
The Devils are on track to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, and barring a dramatic collapse from the Washington Capitals, the two teams will meet. The Devils will be at a disadvantage. The Hurricanes have the scoring depth and the star power in their forward unit to take over games, and it will be a tall task for Bratt and Hischier to keep up with Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov.
The Hurricanes also have the firepower from the blue line to find a few extra goals in the playoffs. Brent Burns is known as one of the best playmakers at the point, while Shayne Gostisbehere has seven goals and 36 assists this season. Hughes can set up a few goals, but otherwise, the Devils lack presence at the point.
The Devils are at a disadvantage, but they can at least keep up with the Hurricanes. The recent games have shown that, and if the Hurricanes want to make a series a high-scoring one, the Devils can keep it close. This series will likely be a low-scoring one with both defenses standing out, but the few games with a lot of offense won’t be lopsided contests.
