Coyotes 4, Devils 1: Stick a fork in 'em

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Five observations from New Jersey’s disappointing loss to the Arizona Coyotes:

1. Blackwood bested again

Mackenzie Blackwood has struggled mightily this season. Forget stringing together quality performances; it’s hard to expect one on any given night – regardless of the opponent the Devils are going up against.

One would think a matchup vs the Arizona Coyotes could be an exception. Apparently not.

Blackwood still managed to perform well under expectation. Shocking, I know. At one point – well into the 3rd period! – the Coyotes had just 14 shots on goal yet found themselves sitting on a 4-1 lead.

Were there some breakdowns and sloppy plays from the defense? Sure. But there always will be, no matter if they have six all-stars on the backend.

Blackwood is there to clean up the messes made in front of him. There weren’t that many and yet he was still bested four times.

I mean, the Devils conceded five high-danger chances in the game. Five. For fun, let’s say all four goals were scored on high-danger opportunities. That’d mean Blackwood posted a .200 save percentage vs HD shots. Philipp Grubauer, the worst goaltender in the NHL this season, owns a .750 save percentage vs HD shots. Even if all the goals were scored on Grade A looks, you could *still* argue Blackwood needs to do more.

Quite frankly, I have zero time for any excuses made. Not when this is the case every single night. It’s not like Blackwood is a forward setting up teammates for backdoor tap-ins and his teammate continues to miss the net and hurt him. Blackwood’s sole job is to stop a puck. And he just can’t do it.

Save the ‘only one goal was his fault!’ or ‘there was traffic in front!’ arguments because it’s going to fall on deaf ears.

Why?

Blackwood’s counterpart, Karel Vejmelka, had no problem making save after save under less than ideal circumstances. One timer in the slot? Saved. Backdoor pass for Grade A look on top of the crease? Save. Shot through a bunch of traffic? Save; and no rebound to pounce on.

Vejmelka’s workload was much, much, more difficult than Blackwood’s. He stopped 35-36 and stole a win. Blackwood stopped 13-17 and handed over a win.

Put simply, we’re talking about how many shots Vejmelka saved that he shouldn’t have while the debate about Blackwood is how many saves he should have made. That, my friends, is the difference.