The New Jersey Devils have undergone a complete defensive transformation from last season, in both personnel and system. They’ve cut down on goals against per 60 minutes (GA/60) by over 19%. Especially lately, they’ve been as stifling as ever.
We’re talking about unprecedented territory here. In their last two contests, they held the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings to a combined 30 shots. That’s their lowest combined two-game total since 2013.
On three separate occasions over the last two weeks, they’ve held an opponent to just one single shot in a period. Prior to that, the last time they did it even once was Feb. 13, 2011, against the Florida Panthers.
Devils Exuding Confidence
Based on just numbers, it’s easy to say that a team has bought into a system. But sometimes numbers, especially in a shortened sample, don’t tell the full story. In talking to some members of the team, it became clear that this is the full story. The Devils have fully bought into head coach Sheldon Keefe, and they’re going out of their way to talk about how exciting it is.
“It’s really easy to play and fun to watch,” Luke Hughes told The Hockey Writers. He’s arguably the one who’s benefitted the most from Keefe’s defensive overhaul, jumping from the 32nd to the 91st percentile in league defense (via Rono Hockey).
Keefe told THW, “A major priority when I was coming here was to get this team to defend. And we’re really starting to figure that out. It’s been exciting.”
“Fun” and “exciting” aren’t just words from an analyst or a reporter, but rather straight from the team itself. It’s no surprise that they’d be jubilant after seeing these results.
Related: Devils Have Ideal Defense Pairing With Hughes and Pesce
Jack Hughes has been challenged to take over larger defensive roles, even those on the penalty kill. He earned his first shorthanded point on Brett Pesce’s goal versus the Kings. When he was asked about it, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He was barely even able to get words out while fighting a large grin.
“I don’t think I, uh, I don’t know, I mean, I didn’t expect that to be my game (coming in), but I’m happy they are giving me that chance…every team we play, I see really good players around the league penalty kill. Two of the best PK guys I’ve seen are (Jesper) Bratt and (Mitch) Marner.”
Neither Bratt nor Marner were penalty kill specialists when they came into the league. But they eventually latched onto those roles and excelled. For Marner, that happened under Keefe, so it’s no surprise that the same is happening for J. Hughes. Obviously, Bratt is his teammate, so he watched and learned from him in the past two seasons as well.
Keefe also told THW, “(Jack) has the skill set to do whatever the game requires when it’s time to defend. He’s got great instincts, he’s got a great stick. His ability to win puck battles – coming in at the appropriate angle and the timing is great. It takes work, it takes commitment…it takes battling. It has to be important to you, and I think it has been important to not only him, but the rest of our team.”
Keefe’s “never satisfied” attitude has certainly rubbed off on the team, as he’s continued to push them to places they haven’t previously gone. It’s not a bonus…it’s what’s expected.
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom told THW, “We’re playing good hockey right now and we gotta keep this train going. When we play like this, we’re a tough team to play against.”
Sure, it hasn’t been perfect. But the numbers don’t lie: the Devils are top five in both expected goals for and against this season (via Natural Stat Trick). Their .641 points percentage is sixth in the NHL. They’re a gritty, confident bunch and as long as they remain healthy, the sky is the limit.
