Devils 3, Kings 1: Another defensive clinic

The Devils beat the Kings at their own game, putting forth a stellar defensive performance in a bounce-back win.

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A few observations from New Jersey’s 3-1 victory over Los Angeles:

Another defensive clinic

It is often said defense wins championships. In that case, the Devils should be in good shape! Their team defense is as good as it gets right now and they put forth yet another masterclass against the Kings.

The Devils once again came out flying from the word go. They had a lot of the puck against the Kings and relied on their elite closing speed, and team structure, to quickly get it back any time they gave it up.

Much like against the Maple Leafs, the Devils absolutely smothered the Kings. They gave them no room to breathe or string together passes – there was always pressure in their face and seemingly no escape.

There were a couple of hiccups but the Devils allowed just one shot on target over the first 20 minutes. To come out and hold a high-end team to just one shot in 20 minutes after doing so against another high-end team the game prior is remarkable. I’ve honestly never seen that before. Ever. And it was just a sign of things to come.

While the Devils obviously couldn’t sustain their one-shot allowed per period pace, they were as sound as realistically can be asked.

Their puck management was great, they rarely had players caught out of position, there was always support where needed, and the defense as a whole was so stable.

Johnathan Kovacevic and Jonas Siegenthaler were as sound as ever, giving Kings forwards no space to operate and leaning on them every chance they could.

Dougie Hamilton was throwing his weight around, Brenden Dillon was on the ice for just one high-danger chance against, and the Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce pairing – once again – barely spent a second in the defensive zone. It was a terrific showing top to bottom.

Essentially the entire game was spent at 5v5 and the Devils conceded just 1.93 expected goals. It’s not an exaggeration to say that’s par for the course as, at 5v5, they’ve allowed a league-low 1.91 xGA per 60 minutes over the last 10 games.

Sheldon Keefe has to be over the moon with the caliber of defensive play, and buy-in, he is getting from this roster. It’s championship-level.

Jack Hughes is inevitable