Two key lineup changes the Devils should make vs. the Senators

JP Gambatese dives into a couple of lineup alterations that could help lead to better results against Ottawa.

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By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)

Tonight, the New Jersey Devils will be taking on the Ottawa Senators, who, despite their current two-game losing streak, have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL. 

In order to maximize their chances of taking down the Senators, who have a sub-.500 record on the road, the Devils should adjust a couple of things in their lineup:

Stefan Noesen back on PP1

I’m not entirely sure of the reasoning behind it, but ever since Jack went down with a season-ending injury, the Devils have opted to put Dawson Mercer on the first power-play unit instead of previous PP1 necessity Stefan Noesen.

Maybe the thought process is that they need one more puck carrier to get them over the blue line, but I feel as though that’s an unnecessary endeavour considering Timo Meier is taking Jack’s place. 

The underlying statistics have still been great with Mercer on the first unit, just to be clear – the xGF/60 rates have barely changed since he was added – but Noesen is one of the top net front chaos agents in the league and the Devils are playing one of the leakiest net front PK-defending teams. Take a look at Ottawa’s defensive heatmap when playing a man-down:

Pretty horrid around the net, right? Now look at the isolated impact Noesen provides: 

The Devils would be smart to capitalize on using Noesen against a team that largely struggles to clear the crease on the penalty kill, even if it’s only a temporary solution. Noesen is an asset in exactly the spots Ottawa struggles to defend.

Reunite the “3rd” line