New Jersey Devils fans are getting slightly restless. For the first time in a long time, the Devils headed into the season with sky-high expectations. The general consensus was that they are Stanley Cup contenders this season, which of course comes with increased pressure.
Through three games, the early results have been as mediocre as it gets: a 1-1-1 record, three out of a possible six points. Aside from Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, the rest of the team has been littered with inconsistent efforts and subpar play. There’s also been the theme of waiting until the third period to start dominating play, which is a theme that took precedence most of last season as well.
Head coach Lindy Ruff was not thrilled whatsoever after a recent 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.
“Players, coaches, everyone should be angry.”
– Lindy Ruff
Throughout the preseason, the Devils were clicking on all cylinders. Breakouts were smooth, passes were tape-to-tape, and they were fully controlling even-strength play. Once the calendar flipped to the regular season, though, that magic seemed to fade.
Uncharacteristic Poor Play
The surprising part is that the main storylines from camp aren’t the reasons for their mediocrity so far. Alexander Holtz has held his own and goaltending has been above average – Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid have combined for 2.3 goals saved above expected (via MoneyPuck).
In a shocking twist, it’s been three very good hockey players who have been single-handedly bringing the offense down: Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer. That trio combined for 98 goals and 202 points last season.
None of them have a single point yet. And it’s not just the typical early-season lack of finishing that’s holding them back – they’ve genuinely been bad together. Meier, Hischier, and Mercer are the three worst on the team so far in Corsi percentage, with 34%, 41%, and 45% respectively. The only ones on the team generating fewer chances than they’re giving up. The next closest is John Marino at 52%.
Meier ended up getting benched for a majority of the third period versus Florida, only taking one shift. It proved to be an immense statement by Ruff, sitting the $70 million man in just the third game since he put pen to paper.
It’s a mystery as to why three players of that stature were unable to generate any offense and instead, consistently got caved in their own zone.
On Tuesday morning, the practice following the Panthers game, Ruff channeled his inner Herb Brooks by making the team do suicide drills. One would imagine you could hear the echoes of “Again!” mixed with heavy, laborious breathing throughout the RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House. Many players spoke about how difficult of a practice it was afterward.
He then debuted some line changes, which he altered slightly on Thursday (Oct. 19) in anticipation of Friday’s game versus the New York Islanders. As of Thursday morning, here’s what the new lines looked like:
Tyler Toffoli – Jack Hughes – Timo Meier
Ondrej Palat – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt
Dawson Mercer – Michael McLeod – Alexander Holtz
Chris Tierney – Curtis Lazar – Nathan Bastian
Evenly Distributing the Hot Hands
The line of Toffoli, Hughes, and Bratt has been phenomenal so far. They’ve dominated 5v5 play with a Corsi percentage of 63.29%. The trio has combined for 13 points in those three games.
With how poorly Meier has played, it makes a lot of sense to move him alongside Hughes. If there’s anything that can help get a player going, it’s the superstar ability of Hughes, who has averaged two points per game so far.
Related: The Three Biggest Issues Facing the Devils After the First Week
Meier has typically gotten off to slow starts in his career, before turning on the jets in October/November.
Assuming Hughes can help him get back on the right foot, Meier can hit his stride earlier than normal and become the dynamite force that the organization knows he can be.
That line could potentially be one of the best in hockey if they’re able to form chemistry. Based upon last season’s numbers, Toffoli had the lowest goal total of the trio, with 34. Hughes had 43 and Meier had 40.
The second line features a promotion of Palat, who has looked great thus far. While he’s only tallied one point in three games, he currently sits fourth on the team with a Corsi of 64.4%. He’s been driving offense consistently while holding the opposition at bay with their chances. With his injury troubles behind him, he looks to take on a bigger role this season.
Centering that line is Nico Hischier, who has looked lost following a season where he scored 80 points and finished second (behind Patrice Bergeron) in Selke voting. It’s only a matter of time before Hischier returns to his norm, and doing so with a red-hot Bratt by his side will make it a heck of a lot easier. While splitting up Bratt and Hughes may be a tough decision, Bratt has shown he can drive play himself while being responsible in his own end. This trio of Palat, Hischier, and Bratt is a perfect mix of some offense-first mentality without sacrificing defense.
Bottom Lines Set for Success
Mercer has been slotted down to the third line, which doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. Yes, he’s started off slow, but he scored 27 goals and 56 points last season. He’ll be able to find his footing on the third line while playing against slightly lesser competition.
Haula is currently injured and without a current timetable, which means McLeod will have to slot up to the third center position. That shouldn’t be too much of an issue; McLeod has been excellent ever since the playoffs unlocked a different gear of his. His Corsi of 66% ranks third on the team and he was rewarded with a goal versus Florida for his efforts. He’s one of the best faceoff men in the league, which means more time with the puck for offensive-minded players in Mercer and Holtz.
That third line could be sneaky good on the offensive side, while McLeod and Mercer should be able to handle defensive responsibilities well. Holtz himself has certainly held his own, with a Corsi of 55%. He generated some grade-A scoring chances in their last game, so he’ll be a good breakout candidate.
With Nosek also injured, Tierney will slot in on the left wing. Tierney formerly scored as many as 17 goals and 48 points in a season, and is only 29 years old. While injuries have slightly plagued him, he had a good training camp and made the team for a reason. The fourth line has been arguably the Devils’ second-best line thus far, behind the Bratt, Hughes, and Toffoli line. With Lazar and Bastian to round it out, the Devils will continue to have a hard-working, NHL-caliber fourth line.
Big Islanders Matchup
With all these early changes, the Devils will have a great opportunity to put an end to the negative talks and control the pace against the Islanders at UBS Arena. The Devils were the second-best road team in the NHL last season with a 28-9-4 record.
With Hughes and Bratt being split up, the Devils are distributing their hot hands evenly which should hopefully rejuvenate some slumping players. Remember: it’s still very early on and small sample size numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. So, while there may be some slightly alarming trends, the recent mixing of the lines should help the Devils get back to their dominant selves.
