New Jersey Devils Second Hitting Key To Their Success – Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

When was the last time the New Jersey Devils managed a team without a goal from Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, or Jesper Bratt? If one game showed anything other than that general manager Tom Fitzgerald was wise in choosing a coach to shape his system for his players, it’s that if the Devils get consistent second goals, they have a challenge to score. Last season, the team failed to get consistent secondary goals from the forward team and finished the season 22nd in defensive goals percentage.

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Every player in the top 12 this season can score double-digit goals. Everyone in the top nine had a 20-goal season, and most had 30-goal seasons. Scoring should not be a problem, and the best way to deal with injuries to the top players is for the bottom players to score. As they showed in the first game on Friday (Oct. 4), the talent is there to beat teams solidly if the Devils don’t get scoring from Hughes, Bratt, and/or Meier.

New Style Will Lead to Opportunity

It has been clear since the first half of the first pre-season game that this team is not the same as last season. While most of the personnel is back, they play a relentless, three-zone, high-pressure system that is expected to react aggressively and attack with speed. With all four lines playing comfortably under the goal line and using size and speed to create turnovers in the offensive zone, the Devils should have plenty of opportunity for quick and dirty goals from net turnovers. Each of the Devils’ first three goals of the season started with pressure from the offensive zone.

The new style of play eliminates the need to rely solely on rush attacks and individual play, making scoring opportunities more democratic. If they can continue to roll out four lines that provide pressure, the high-danger scoring opportunities should be spread more freely across the range rather than sticking to the top six.

The key to this success is the tonal play of the third line, which includes Stefan Noesen, Erik Haula, and Ondrej Palat. The trio of grinders have more than 1,800 games of experience heading into the season. As a team, they had over 900 points at the time and should have been able to supply New Jersey’s needs for second points.

Likewise, the fourth line should be able to provide some support. With Curtis Lazar joining Nathan Bastian and Paul Cotter, the line will boast a tough forecheck and more speed than any other fourth line in the NHL. The fourth goal on Friday showed how line strength, speed, and skill will translate into goals. Bastian got distracted in the defense, stole the puck, and dished it out to Cotter, who lofted it in the air and stepped in to put it into an empty net.

Cotter has impressed in camp and the preseason. When they acquired him in the Akira Schmid trade, Fitzgerald indicated that the Devils believed he had a higher ceiling than the fourth line. Cotter flashed sticky handling skills and a quick and accurate shot, making him a dangerous player for New Jersey. With Cotter on top in the season opener, the Devils had an expected field goal percentage of over 70 percent; they didn’t miss a big chance when they hired two of them. All are good signs that Cotter’s presence will lead to New Jersey’s offensive opportunities to increase the scoring spread.

Turning on the Light on the Green Line

Another way to survive injury and get a drought on your stars is to get points from defenders. Last season, with Dougie Hamilton’s injury, none of the remaining defenders, except Luke Hughes, could score consistently. That changed quickly in the first game, Jonathan Kovacevic got on the board with two points. The Devils have improved their defense so much that they should be able to rack up points on all three pairings.

Players like Brenden Dillon, Jonas Siegenthaler, Kovacevic, and Brett Pesce are not on the team primarily because of their offense, but each has a history of being able to contribute. Dillon showed off his shot in the first preseason game and had a hand in Nico Hischier’s goal on Friday. With Hamilton, Hughes, Simon Nemec, and even Seamus Casey, the rest of the defense won’t be called upon to score many points. Still, the team can stretch the points, which is important during the long regular season and playoffs if New Jersey wants to make a deep run.

The Devils are built with an eye to having multiple secondary scoring lanes. In their first game against the Buffalo Sabres, they showed just how valuable that depth can be, winning a close game without giving up any points to either the Hughes brothers, Hamilton, Meier, or Bratt. If this continues, it will be a good one for the Devils this season.