Devils Report Card: Tomas Tatar, Third Line Excels; Power Play Struggles Continue

The Washington Capitals debuted a new-look lineup against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night in their home opener. Over the summer, the Caps got busy acquiring names such as Pierre Luc-Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, and Andrew Mangiapane.

And although the Capitals got off to a hot start, taking a 1-0 lead on the stick of John Carlson via the power play, the Devils weathered the storm created by the fan base, created by their excitement for the first game of the regular season.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Devils got the two points they came for and are going home with back in the win column following Thursday’s debacle.

Remember, good teams win ugly hockey games.

Let’s get to some report card grades from the Devils’ 5-3 victory over the Capitals.

Devils Special Teams: C

The Devils’ special teams really weren’t all that good on Saturday. At one point, it looked like the Devils’ power play was actually a power kill for the Capitals. On multiple shifts while shorthanded, the Caps pressured Jacob Markstrom in the Devils’ end of the ice as New Jersey struggled to move the puck toward Charlie Lindgren.

The first power play for the Devils was stagnant. After the initial power lay, the Devils looked slightly better in their following three by showcasing quicker decision-making, crisp passes, and throwing chances on net. Yet, they still failed to register a goal. In fact, Keefe opted to start the second unit as opposed to the first who seemingly aren’t gelling right now.

“It’s just the individuals. They need to make some play,” Keefe said, displeased. “They have to find their way through pressure. We’ve got to give it some time. It’s not structure-based, it’s personnel-based. We got a lot of talent on that ice, those guys gotta find their way.”

As for the penalty kill, 2/3 isn’t bad. Especially against the Capitals, who have power play merchants in Alexander Ovechkin and John Carlson.

5-on-5 Defense: D

It was better than the previous game, but it still wasn’t great. The Devils were able to outscore their mistakes, but the defense at 5-on-5 had some pretty thoughtless mistakes.

When Dylan Strome scored Washington’s second goal of the game, New Jersey had three Devils puck watching below the goal line, which opened an opportunity for Strome to slip into a high-danger area and he converted. Later, not only was the defense’s attention below the goal line, but three Devils defenders were literally playing behind their own net, once again creating too much room for Tom Wilson to gain ice in front of him and score.

They’ll need to clean that up.

“I don’t like the 5-on-5 goals we gave up. I thought we could have managed those situations better,” Keefe explained.

Seamus Casey: B-

Seamus Casey had a bit of a rough start against the Capitals. The veteran heavy lineup took advantage of the rookie, forcing him to play out of position on a handful of occasions. In fact, he indirectly cost the Devils the first goal of the game by being out of position. As a result, Timo Meier attempted to compensate, yet took a penalty, and John Carlson quickly opened the scoring.

Still, the moment wasn’t too big for Casey. He stayed poised and confident in his strengths and ultimately scored a huge goal to help cut Washington’s momentum and tie the game. I almost went a full letter grade lower (C-), but his timely goal and ability to settle in for the rest of the game brought Casey back up a bit.

“He’s got a lot of confidence in his ability on offense. That’s why we trust him in those situations on the power play and such,” Keefe explained. “That’s a big goal for us to get us going like that. It shows that he has that ability. That’s two [power play goals] now, which is essentially the same kind of move to get into that space, but he mixes up his shots to different areas of the net. Big goal, big moment for us.”

Cotter-Haula-Noesen: A+

Cotter scored twice, both coming in huge moments. Stefan Noesen dished three primary assists, and they were all distributed as if he were an elite playmaker. And, Erik Haula picked up three secondary helpers. This line was the reason for a victory.

Keefe proved he’s pushing the right buttons early, swapping Cotter with Ondrej Palat who is now on the fourth line.

Devils Notebook: Lineup Tweak in Washington, Keefe Explains Palat Demotion

The Devils’ new-look third line was dangerous on nearly every shift.

Cotter’s arrival certainly provided a necessary boost, and perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised if he’s moved up the lineup again in the future.

“Yeah, he’s feeling it for sure. I liked his game in each of the games we’ve played and whichever line we’ve had him on,” Keefe said. “Sometimes his minutes, I’ll leave a game and think maybe I should have given him a little more. He’s just coming through on opportunities when they present themselves.”

Tomas Tatar: A+

Saturday night felt like Tomas Tatar‘s welcome back party. He’s been consistently good reunited with Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer, but against the Capitals, Tatar was great.

This is exactly what general manager Tom Fitzgerald had in mind when he brought Tatar back. He’s one third of a two way line that both creates and limits scoring chances. He was the Devils’ best player in CF% (64%) and was a threat while on the ice for most of the night.

Tatar ended the night with a goal and an assist, scoring when the Devils needed to regain a lead, and assisting on the dagger goal that secured the Devils’ victory.

More of that from the 33-year-old is certainly welcomed.

For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.

Follow us on 𝕏:

@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL, @NickNatale10

And on Threads:

@JamesNicholsNHL