Devils 2, Blue Jackets 1: Jake Allen saves the day
New Jersey's backup netminder came up big once again in a divisional game with serious playoff implications.
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The New Jersey Devils started the week on a winning note, earning a big two points against a desperate Columbus Blue Jackets team.
Here are a few observations from the game:
Jake Allen is a hero 🦸♂️
Not all heroes wear capes and Jake Allen is living proof. With Jacob Markstrom struggling to find his way following injury, Sheldon Keefe turned to Allen in a game of great importance. It paid off.
He was the best player on the ice and stole two points for the Devils.
They did a lot of good things over the first 40 minutes but were completely and utterly dominated in the 3rd period. It was one of the most one-sided frames I can remember seeing.
The Blue Jackets attacked in wave after wave and generated a scoring chance or two (or three) seemingly every shift.
Allen faced such an insane workload that it’d be impossible to isolate one or two big saves as the difference. He made handfuls.
Columbus generated 24 shots, 14 high-danger chances, and 3.75 expected goals in the 3rd period alone.
It’s not an exaggeration to say those would be legitimately strong outputs for an entire game – especially given the way the Devils tend to defend.
Forget a win. Forget turning the game into a coin flip in overtime. The Devils were lucky to get anything out of that one with how badly the Blue Jackets ran them over in the 3rd.
The Blue Jackets relentlessly pressured and the Devils didn’t handle it well, coughing up plenty of pucks and giving up far too many Grade A looks along the way.
Allen stopped 23 of 24, though, and ensured the Devils gained two more points of separation from a fellow Metro Division foe.
Jake Allen now owns a .915 save percentage on the season – league average is .895, by the way – and sits 3rd(!!) in Goals Saved Above Expected, behind only Connor Hellebuyck and Logan Thompson. Incredible.
Let them cook 🧑🍳
If I’m Sheldon Keefe, I’m not tinkering with the Erik Haula - Cody Glass - Jesper Bratt line again unless I’m forced into doing so. That looks like a combination greater than the sum of its parts.
Haula has come alive alongside Glass and, more recently, Bratt. His tenacity on the forecheck and in battles has been noticeable and he’s won a lot of pucks back for his more skilled linemates.
Glass continues to be a great play driver, consistently making smart decisions with the puck and helping get it to a better place than he found it. Simply put, it feels like the play never dies on his stick. He’s always moving it into good spots and making things happen.
Then there’s Bratt, who has gone into God mode since Jack Hughes went down. He does more of the heavy lifting with the puck – there’s more possession time to go around sans Hughes – and is creating goals every single night. He looks unstoppable and is playing like one of the best wingers in the world.
This trio has helped the Devils control 64% of the chances through 30 minutes of work. They somehow managed a +6 differential last night in a game the Devils lost the battle by 14.
If Keefe wants to get Sprong in the lineup again, be my guest. But, in my opinion, this trio should not be messed with.
Cholowski time? ⏰
I like Simon Nemec. For all his flaws, he has skill and I still think he has an NHL career in front of him. I just don’t think it’s going to turn around for him this season. I don’t.
I can appreciate Keefe trying to give him some runway to figure things out but, at this point, it seems pretty clear Nemec is going to harm the Devils more than he helps.
Nemec has played four games since the deadline while newcomer Dennis Cholowski has played two.
Nemec owns a -4 goal differential, a 28 xGF%, and has played fewer than 10 minutes in two of his last three.
Cholowski hasn’t been great by any means but he has logged 13+ minutes in both games, owns a 42.56 xGF%, and his xGA numbers (2.26 per 60) are not nearly as poor as Nemec’s (4.47 per 60). Small sample size, I know, but you can only work with what’s in front of you.
Coaches live in the here and now, no doubt, but it might be worth thinking about what trotting Nemec out there does to the other guys on defense.
I mean, there’s a lot on the plate of the other five if you’re playing someone less than 10 minutes per night.
It’d be far from ideal to overtax the backend heading into a series (likely) against a Hurricanes team that grinds opponents down as much as anybody in the league.
Quick hits 🔨
Big thumbs up to Erik Haula since Cody Glass came into the equation. He’s looked more comfortable and free on the wing and has been a lot more involved in the offense. He has 10 chances at 5v5 through five games while also creating more for linemates. Last night, for example, he recorded more shot assists than all but Jesper Bratt.
I thought Tomas Tatar and Ondrej Palat did some great work grinding in the offensive zone while trying to see the lead through in the 3rd. They were hard on pucks, pinned bodies to the boards, and forced multiple resets that alleviated the pressure (temporarily).
If this is the version of Timo Meier the Devils are going to get for the rest of the season, they’ll be a tough out come playoff time. He’s working his tail off without the puck, he’s getting chances, and they’re really starting to go. Look out.
Charts
numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and MoneyPuck.com
They gotta figure out a way to make Timo a focal point of the offense from Day 1 of the season. Last year he took of right after Toffoli was traded and he was moved to the PP1 full time. This year he starts to take off when Jack gets hurt and they move him to PP1. He's at his best at half wall on his off side where he be a one timer shooting option. Always feels like he's his best when he looked at to be 'The Man' and is fed puck touches. He's always been a volume shooter, never an elite shooter who just needs one shot to be you. Maybe it will never be possible with Jack there, but I feel like the coaching staff always thinks of him as a secondary option, which is odd when he's your highest paid forward.