G25 New Jersey Devils @ Calgary Flames: Stay hot

The Devils are 5-1, and lead the league in 5v5 scoring efficiency, since Nico Hischier returned to the lineup.

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A few notes to get you set for New Jersey vs. Calgary:

Turning the corner

Don’t look now but the Devils finally appear to be making some traction. Not only are they winning games at a high clip – they are dominating territorially on most nights.

The Devils are 5-1 since captain Nico Hischier returned to the lineup. They have controlled 59.57% of the expected goal share at 5v5 during that span, which is the 3rd highest mark in the NHL.

They have spent less time in the defensive zone, more time on attack, and finally – finally! – started converting on their chances at a rate that’s reflective of how much talent is on the roster.

The Devils lead the league in 5v5 goals per 60 minutes over the past six games. Small sample size, sure, but it’s no coincidence they kicked things into high gear as soon as they got healthy (at least up front).

There are a couple reasons I expect the Devils to continue their recent success against the Flames.

For one, the Flames don’t hold a candle to the Devils at 5v5. They rank 20th in expected goal share over the past month and aren’t better than average at generating or preventing chances.

They also have a bit of a goalie problem. Jacob Markstrom is sidelined with an injury and, to this point, he has performed drastically better than backup Dan Vladar or future starter Dustin Wolf.

As you can see, Markstrom has saved more goals than expected while Wolf (small sample) and Vladar have been among the worst goalies in the league on a per-game basis.

Subpar goaltending is a recipe for disaster against a Devils team that is a) generating a lot of chances and; b) now healthy, converting on a lot of chances.

Attack on the PK