New Jersey Devils notes: On a struggling power play, Boqvist, and more

Can Dawson Mercer help cure the team's recent power play woes? Plus, thoughts on Boqvist unlocking Sharangovich and Holtz.

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A few New Jersey Devils notes on this off-day:

Can Dawson Mercer unlock the power play?

Although there have been more hiccups of late, the Devils have continued to pile up the wins on a nightly basis. That has sort of masked the fact the power play has really hit a wall.

The Devils rank 18th in expected goals, 21st in shot attempts, and 24th in high-danger chances per 60 over the last 10 games. Unsurprisingly, their struggles generating shots and quality looks have resulted in poor scoring rates; they sit 22nd in goals per minute during that stretch.

New Jersey remains a very strong 5v5 team but they aren’t dominating opponents the way they were in the early going of the season. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still playing very well; they’re near the top of the league in most metrics over the last 10. But they’re not lapping the field.

That makes the power play even more important. If they can’t expect to win the 5v5 battle each night (that’s not really reasonable for any team), they need the power play to pick up the slack.

It just so happens the Devils might have stumbled into the solution. With Nathan Bastian out of the lineup, the Devils have shifted Dawson Mercer up to the top unit.

Among the 10 Devils who have logged at least 20 minutes on the man advantage this season, Mercer ranks 1st – by far – in on-ice expected goals and high-danger chance generation.

Bastian deserves credit for playing that net-front role well. The Devils were at their best with someone in that spot as opposed to a second shooter (a la Fabian Zetterlund). It makes sense, though, that they’d be even better with Mercer.

He has the dogged mentality to battle for and win loose pucks back. He also has better hands around the net and, importantly, is a much more dangerous passer than Bastian; and that shows in the numbers.

Mercer has picked up more than four assists per 60 minutes on the PP, slotting him only behind Jesper Bratt.

In comparison, Bastian has not picked up a single power play assist this season. He did his job winning pucks and creating havoc around the net but he didn’t create for others.

Mercer can do both. I think his versatility as a passer or a shooter could be just what the Devils need to get the top unit back on track.

Two birds, one stone