New Jersey Devils notes: On Hischier's absence, goaltending, and Bahl's recall

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

Nico Hischier’s absence will be felt

With the way people talk about Nico Hischier on social media you’d think he’s a mediocre middle-6 forward providing little value in any aspect of the game. That’s far from reality.

Despite the perception Hischier is doing next to nothing offensively, he’s averaging 1.92 points per 60 at 5v5. That’s top line efficiency.

David Pastrnak, William Nylander, Sidney Crosby, Matthew Tkachuk, and Auston Matthews are a few of the many superstars producing 5v5 points at a less efficient rate than Nico. Let that sink in for a second.

Would it be great to see Hischier convert on his chances at a higher rate? Absolutely! But his ‘lack’ of production does not stem from an inability to create offense.

One major problem is he’s scoring on only 6.7% of his shots (he has never converted on fewer than 10.6% of his shots). That unsustainably low shooting percentage, coupled with no power play production, prevents his totals from really popping off the page.