Devils 5, Rangers 2: Blackwood, middle-6 lead the charge in return to action

Todd Cordell

Feb 17, 2021

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Five observations from New Jersey vs New York:

The Devils showed up

It was the team’s first game in approximately two and a half weeks. The Devils very clearly didn’t have their timing down and, at times, looked out of sync while trying to make any sort of skill play. Understandably so. Those struggles didn’t matter, though, because they were determined not to let it.

From the word go the Devils were balls to the wall every shift. They relentlessly pursued the puck, finished every check possible, and worked their tails off to get to their spots.

The Devils generated 37 shots on goal and 16 high-danger chances. Both totals either matched season highs or were within striking distance. And, let me tell you, they didn’t generate all of that offense because of elite skill level and precision passing.

They were simply determined. Determined to win board battles. Determined to win races for loose pucks. Determined to fight through contact on their way to the net. They put the work in and were constantly rewarded for that.

You can’t work your way to a win every night. Talent is too important. But, when the playing field is relatively even, it can be the difference. I think it was last night.

Mackenzie Blackwood was excellent

While I believe the Devils were the better team, it’s not like they played a squeaky clean game. There was definitely some rust with the puck, and they gave up too many chances without it. Luckily, as per usual, Mackenzie Blackwood was up to the task.

Outside of the Pavel Buchnevich goal, which he’d probably want back, I thought Blackwood was nothing short of spectacular. He tracked pucks so well and did not look like somebody who hasn’t seen game action in nearly a month.

He wasn’t coughing out big rebounds. Outside of maybe one occasion, he was not overcommitting or taking himself out of position. He was dialled in technically and seemingly always in the perfect spot to take away as much of the net as possible.

When all was said and done, Blackwood posted a .949 save percentage and stopped a full goal more than expected, which is becoming a regular occurrence for him.

I don’t care if it is ‘too soon.’ I’m perfectly comfortable calling him a top-10 goaltender in the league. I think you could even argue he belongs in the top-5.

Janne made a statement

Not too long ago Janne Kuokkanen seemed like one of the obvious candidates to sit when the Devils had a fully healthy lineup. He has been playing his way out of that conversation, with last night serving as the best case to prove he belongs.

Janne played on a makeshift line with Pavel Zacha and Nick Merkley that was surprisingly dominant throughout.

Attempts were 14-6, and chances were 9-5, with that trio on the ice at 5v5. They were rewarded for their efforts with a pair of goals. Even against an undermanned Rangers team, that sort of dominance was impressive; especially from a trio that had spent *checks notes* zero games together prior.

I thought all three players pulled their weight. Janne was the guy who stood out to me the most, though. His passing was good; very good.

He led Devils forwards in shot assists at 5v5 and was rewarded with a pair of helpers. Kuokkanen also picked up an assist on a rare power play marker for the Devils.

While a couple of Kuokkanen’s assists were secondary, that helps illustrate just how involved he was in the offense. Again, he led Devils forwards in 5v5 shot assists; and there were cases (such as Will Butcher’s goal) where he picked up a real assist despite getting nothing on his shot assist count.

Zooming out, Kuokkanen has posted strong on-ice numbers this season (53 xGF%, 66 GF%) while also creating a lot of offense. Among Devils forwards with 5+ GP, only Jack Hughes and Michael McLeod are averaging more shot assists per game.

The middle-6 stepped up

I want to tip my cap to the middle-6. It was kind of just thrown together in hopes of something sticking (Lindy Ruff understandably didn’t want to break up L1 or L4). As fate would have it, the middle two lines were the driving force behind the team’s win.

Yegor Sharangovich recorded seven shot attempts at 5v5; he had just 13 in eight games prior. Mikhail Maltsev(!) was a two-way force, getting to the net offensively while ensuring New York generated nothing dangerous at the other end. Kyle Palmieri…moving along.

Kuokkanen recorded three assists and was putting the puck on the tape for teammates all night long. Nick Merkley was tenacious and seemingly had a chance every time he touched the ice. Pavel Zacha, of all people, was able to get New Jersey’s woeful power play back on track with a goal. Top-to-bottom the middle-6 was littered with quality showings.

The Jack Hughes line didn’t have its fast ball, which isn’t necessarily surprising (timing and being in sync is more important to the skill guys). The 4th line, while alright, wasn’t as dominant as in previous games. And it didn’t really matter.

While the Devils are littered with players that would be unfamiliar to most casual fans, many of those players are proving they can hang in the NHL. The Devils might not be loaded with stars, but the team sure looks deep.

As we’ve learned quickly, depth is imperative in a season such as this.

The 3rd pairing was a disaster

Three defenders (Ryan Murray, Sami Vatanen, Dmitry Kulikov) were unable to play vs the Rangers. A Matt Tennyson - Connor Carrick pairing was formed as a result. Things went about as well as expected.

They spent a lot of time running around in the defensive zone which, naturally, led to plenty of breakdowns. NYR out-shot NJ nearly 2:1 with that pairing on the ice and dinged 'em up for both goals.

While Ruff seems to have a strange affinity for Tennyson, the Devils will soon have seven every-day NHLers at his disposal.

There is no justifiable reason to play Tennyson with any sort of regularity. Even if Ruff prefers him to Carrick (you can debate whether he should, but it seems he does), Tennyson should be nothing more than the team’s No. 8.

Hopefully his usage reflects that moving forward.