Devils 4, Predators 2: No more playing around

The Devils made a statement in Nashville: they are back.

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A few notes following another much-needed Devils win:

The Devils are back

Is it too early to say that? Doesn’t matter, I am going to declare it anyway.

They have looked like a completely different team since Jack Hughes returned to the lineup (and they made adjustments to their defensive zone coverage).

They have more balance in their lines, they’re playing more simple and predictable hockey in the defensive zone, they’re skating teams into the ground, and they just have their swagger back. More than anything, it feels completely different.

So much of this season has been spent waiting for something bad to happen. Waiting for the opponent to score the first goal and take the wind out of the team’s sails. Waiting for a lead to evaporate with multiple goals against in quick succession. Waiting for the backbreaking blown coverage at the worst possible time. Waiting for the Devils to fall apart in the latter half of a back-to-back. You get the point.

In the span of just a few games, that vibe has completely changed. The Devils are showing they can play with anybody and be downright dominant when at their best.

The Predators are not world beaters but they’re certainly not pushovers. They rank 11th in expected goal share at 5v5 this season and, if not for inconsistent goaltending from Juuse Saros (go figure), they’d probably be holding onto a playoff spot right now.

New Jersey went into their building in a back-to-back situation and took it to them. They showed no sign of fatigue throughout and spent nearly the entirety of the game on the front foot – even if things weren’t going their way at the time.

The Devils generated 87 shot attempts at 5v5 alone. That’s the highest output they’ve managed dating back to the beginning of last season.

They also generated 5.05 expected goals and 23 high-danger chances. For perspective, the Devils cleared 4.0 xG and 20 HD chances only one other time over the last 1.6 seasons.

For the Devils to do that on the road in a B2B situation – while still missing both members of the top defense pairing – says a lot about just how good this team can be.

As frustrating as this season has been, the Devils are only two points back of a playoff spot with 30 games to play. There is no reason they can’t still accomplish great things; especially if they can get a goalie.

Giving Timo his flowers