Three ways the New Jersey Devils could improve down the stretch

The unofficial first half of the season went extremely well for the Devils. Even so, there are some things they can do to become even more dangerous.

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The unofficial first half of the 2022-23 season realistically couldn’t have gone much better for the New Jersey Devils.

They own a 32-13-4 record, are 4th in points, and tied for 2nd in both wins and goal differential. Oh, and their playoff chances sit above 97%.

It is safe to say everybody – fans, players, coaches, management, etc. – would’ve happily signed up to be where the team sits as they enter the All-Star break.

That doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement; and not just in terms of bringing in outside personnel to help patch areas of weakness with the team.

Let’s take a look at a few problem spots that, if can be improved upon, will raise the floor and ceiling of what the Devils can accomplish this season.

Better starts

In the first couple years of Lindy Ruff’s tenure, the Devils were horrible – yes, horrible – at erasing early deficits and turning them into points. Sometimes the Devils would make things interesting but they were among the worst at actually closing games out and finishing the job. That’s not the case this season.

The Devils regularly find themselves playing from behind – especially of late – but have shown the ability to consistently erase multi-goal leads and grind out victories.

While coming from behind to win games is a great trait to have, it’s concerning if you’re forced to do it all the time. That’s not a recipe for success over the long haul; especially against high quality teams in the playoffs.

One favor the Devils could really do for themselves is finding a way to start on time. As one of four teams with more than 60 goals for in the 2nd *and* 3rd periods, the Devils have the final 40 down pat. But there is clearly room for improvement with their starts.

Just 10 teams have scored fewer 1st period goals than the Devils this season. Of that group, only three are holding down playoff spots – and one of them (the New York Rangers) owns a better goal differential in the opening frame.

The Devils are unbelievably good when playing from ahead. They need to find a way to get off the ground early and get in position to flex those muscles.

The power play