Capitals 4, Devils 2: Too little too late

The Devils were very slow out of the gate and unable to make up for it over the final 40 minutes.

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By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)

Here are a few observations from the New Jersey Devils’ 4-2 loss vs. the Washington Capitals:

Yet another slow start

The first period was one of the ugliest periods of recent Devils hockey that I can remember. They were outshot 12-2, out-attempted 22-8, out-chanced 8-6, took three penalties, and looked outclassed for just about the entire frame. Their poor start resulted in a 2-0 Capitals lead.

At 5v5, the stats are a bit more forgiving. Despite being out-attempted 11-7, the Devils actually held the SCF advantage (6-4) and HDCF advantage (2-1), culminating in a 5v5 xG% of 48.16%. Still, it was a bad, bad period. 

The Devils picked it up in the second and third, controlling 60.31% and 56.47% of the expected goals at 5v5, respectively. The third period was one of the more eventful periods of the young season, with the Devils scoring twice in 1:59 to give fans hope of a late comeback.

Jesper Bratt had what looked to be a surefire game-tying goal shortly after Mercer potted the second, but the puck rolled off his stick at the last second of his wraparound attempt. It was that kind of night.

Schmid’s solid play continues

Vitek Vanecek struggled early, getting pulled 10 minutes into the period after allowing two goals in 15 seconds on consecutive shots.

The first one was ugly but, to be fair to Vitek, the second goal was redirected by a Luke Hughes block attempt. Still, he finished the game with a GSAx of -1.82 in just 10:37.

Enter Akira Schmid, who was just about as solid as you can hope for a goaltender coming in cold. He remained cool, calm, and collected for just about the entire game, giving up one goal on a partial 2-on-0 where he really had no chance to stop the puck. 

On the night, Schmid ended with a GSAx of 1.04, marking his second straight solid performance and bringing his GSAx into the green on the year – something that Vanecek has cemented himself on the wrong side of.

I would expect Schmid to get the start on Tuesday against the Jets considering Vanecek’s recent struggles. 

Mercer and Meier shine

The play of the Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier duo was one of the only positives for the Devils.

Dawson had a genuinely incredible game. He was all over the ice at 5v5, playing at a pace fans haven’t seen out of him all year. He looked comfortable and calm while being the incessant, annoying grinder that the team needs to see more of.

He ended the night tied for the Devils’ lead in shots (5), expected goals (0.72), scoring chances (5), and high-danger scoring chances (4) – all of which came at 5v5. He finished the night with a 5v5 xG of over 72%. He was rewarded with a hardworking goal, the Devils’ second of the night.

I think his success came from a lack of passivity. His game is at its best when he’s being a pest, getting in board battles, generating chances right in the crease, and demonstrating his non-stop motor. He’s been very unassertive at times, but certainly not last night.

Moving on to Meier, he added to his string of strong performances with another solid outing last night. He was second on the team to Toffoli in shot attempts (9) while tying Mercer for the team lead in shots and posting a xG% of over 68%. He also opened up the Devils’ scoring with a dirty goal that you’d expect to see from a player like Meier.

It was a vintage Timo performance – shooting a ton, hitting a ton, getting under the opponents’ skin, all the while driving play at an elite level. He drew a Tom Wilson penalty at the end, presumably irking Wilson enough to warrant Wilson quasi-jumping him. 

If the Devils want to get back on track, they need Timo to continue this stretch of play where he’s looked like himself. 

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