The New Jersey Devils finished their road trip on a pretty low note with last night’s 6-3 loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. Simply put, there was a lot more bad than good. The Devils were exposed a ton in this one and have a lot of work to do as they continue to survive without Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. Here are three takeaways from Tuesday night’s (Nov. 7) game.
Devils Defense Was Brutal
To say that the Devils’ defense was bad would be an understatement. They have had their struggles since the season started, but the Avalanche exposed their weaknesses early and often. The biggest example is the amount of odd-man rushes they gave up. They finished with an even 10 odd-man rushes against, and several of them led to Colorado goals. Dougie Hamilton, in particular, struggled. Several times, he was very much out of position, and that led to opportunities, including a shorthanded goal from former Devil Miles Wood.
Turnovers were another key factor as the Devils struggled a ton with not only getting the puck out of their zone but keeping it in for opportunities in the offensive zone. After getting off to a fast start and an early lead through the first seven minutes of the game, the team fell back and relied heavily on the defense and Vitek Vanecek. It did not work out, and there are still big questions about both. Changes need to be made or things will only become more of a problem.
Game Got Out of Control in the Second Period
After just 20 minutes of play, the score was only 1-1. Once the second period started, physicality, lack of discipline, and chaos ensued. It started with Wood laying a hit on Jonas Siegenthaler, which led to Hamilton retaliating and getting a penalty. Then, Ross Colton hit Luke Hughes from behind, and Hughes went face-first into the boards. Seconds later, Colton cross-checked Timo Meier in the face. All of that led to Colton receiving seven minutes of penalty time and a game misconduct.
The Devils again lacked discipline, as they finished with six penalties of their own. It has been a problem, as they have now taken 51 penalties through 12 games. For a team that was praised for staying out of the box a lot last year, this season has been the complete opposite of that. Whether it’s because head coach Lindy Ruff is not getting the players to practice discipline or the players themselves have just gotten careless with things, the bottom line is that the team needs to do a much better job of staying out of the sin bin.
Devils Power Play Continues to Excel
The Devils were able to pot three goals in this one, and two of them were on the power play. With those two, the Devils’ man advantage continues to be just that, an advantage. The team now has 20 power-play goals on the year and continues to be the most lethal in the NHL. This also is happening without Hughes and Hischier in the lineup. It also shows that New Jersey has a lot more scoring depth than in years past.
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Players like Tyler Toffoli, Jesper Bratt, and Meier were able to contribute in one way or another offensively, and they will continue to be relied on heavily while their two main centers recover from their respective upper-body injuries. It’s a good sign to see other players ready to step up and carry the load until the team gets to full strength. Power play success will be a big part of the Devils’ games moving forward, and it will be interesting to see how other players step up to keep it the best in the league.
Related: Devils 2023-24 In-Season Awards: Injuries Plague the Top Six
The Devils finished their four-game Central Division road trip with a 2-2 record. There are positives to take away from the trip, but also big things that need to be cleaned up. The team has had much success bouncing back after losses, and they’ll get a chance to do that when they return home for a Friday night matchup vs the Washington Capitals at 7:00 PM EST.
