New Jersey Devils
Boo! 6 Scary New Jersey Devils Trends Through Halloween
Officially through the first calendar month of the 2024-25 season, here are six scary good/bad New Jersey Devils trends by Halloween.
We’re officially through the first calendar month of the 2024-25 season, and the New Jersey Devils appear to be in good shape. As of Halloween, they sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 16 points. Although a week ago, that wouldn’t have meant much in terms of points percentage. The Devils have now rattled off two wins in a row, collected points in their last three, and have a far better outlook with a .615 P%.
Things started well in Prague, dipped off a bit when they returned to North America, and recently have begun to look more convincing on the ice as the playoff team most predicted them to be.
With November upon us, here are four scary good/bad trends through the first month of the season.
Goaltending — Scary Bad
Granted, Jacob Markstrom has played better over the last few games. However, the Devils made life easier on him by lightening his workload.
Markstrom has seen no more than 26 shots over each of the last two games, and only saw 20 against the high-profile Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night. In that span, Markstrom has only allowed one goal and collected two wins, including a shutout vs. Quinn Hughes and Co.
Still, Markstrom sits below the positive line in goals saved above expected (GSAx), ranked 59th overall with a -2.5 GSAx.
Jake Allen has had a smaller sample size, but has allowed 13 goals against over four starts, including eight goals against versus the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 43rd ranked -1.1 GSAx.
The Devils traded for Markstrom to make up for the high-danger save deficit they had previously. He was the best in that category last season, yet hasn’t lived up to that expectation thus far in 2024-25 with a .766 HDSV%. Perhaps he’s turning a corner, but the sample size and the goaltending overall is a bit scary bad to start the season, as Markstrom and Allen have combined for an NHL 29th worst -4.93 GSAx.
Stefan Noesen — Scary Good
When the Devils signed Stefan Noesen to return to New Jersey, surely they didn’t anticipate him to be on the near point per-game pace he’s on currently.
Alas!
Noesen has been exactly what the Devils have needed, providing a middle-six forechecking presence who certainly knows how to chip in on offense.
He does a bit of everything. Excellent defensively, hounds puck carries, plays the agitator role between whistles, and has certainly proven to have a silky set of mitts.
It’s likely Noesen regresses to the mean at some point, but he’s on track for a career year — paced at 32 goals and 76 points by the end of the season — which would blow his previous career high (14g, 37p) out of the water. If it weren’t for the Devils captain, you could argue he’s been their best player.
Scary good!
Breakdowns in Bunches at Home — Scary Bad
Perhaps it’s just learning the new, yet familiar system under Sheldon Keefe, or the Devils needed to get Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce back in the lineup. But, when the Devils break down, they break down bad. Even worse, it’s mostly been on home ice.
Through 13 games thus far, the Devils have allowed four or more goals in six games — four at the Prudential Center — which includes the lashing by Tampa who lit up Allen for eight goals and an in-division sucker punch by the Washington Capitals who scored six.
The Devils aren’t out of the water, yet. Their last game on home ice was encouraging, and Wednesday’s tilt in Vancouver technically puts the Devils on a win-streak. Yet, they’ll still need to prove they’ve shaken the home ice jitters.
Scary bad!
Power Play 1 — Scary Good
Ummm, the Devils’ power play has rocked ever since Noesen was added to the fold.
As of Wednesday morning, the No.1 power play unit has been the NHL’s second best, scoring 5.8 goals per 20.
Then Wednesday night’s matchup happened, and the first unit went to work, again. A goal by Jack Hughes saw the Devils convert on one of their only two chances.
They’ve cycled both the puck and bodies well, which has ultimately forced defenders out of position and is opening up shooting lanes. Quick, crisp decisions have also helped, which has seen the Devils’ power play soar to a fifth-best 33.3% conversion rate.
Scary good!
Ondrej Palat — Scary Bad
At the locker clean out following the 2023-24 season, Ondrej Palat explained he knew he needed to be better and wanted to score more goals in 2024-25.
He got on the board for the first time through 12 games on Wednesday night when the Devils piled six goals onto the Canucks. However, he’s been quite inconsistent this season and head coach Sheldon Keefe has moved him around in search for the best fit in the lineup. Palat’s spent time on the third, fourth, and first lines respectively, and put together his best game of the season in the Devils’ 6-0 win.
However, the overall sample for Palat has been less than encouraging. He’s one of the few who are sitting in the negatives across the board, registering a 48.36 CF%, 41.71 xGF%, negative 28-32 scoring chance differential, and has been on the ice for the second-most high danger goals against among forwards (five). All at even strength.
Scary bad!
Nico Hischier — Frighteningly Good
What else can we say about Nico Hischier? The NHL’s leading goalscorer continued his torrid scoring pace on Wednesday night, potting his 10th goal of the season and collecting three points.
RELATED: Devils Captain Nico Hischier Receives High Praise, ‘He Takes on A Lot’
The Devils captain is already more than halfway to his career high power play goal total (7), netting four thus far. Hischier is converting at an elevated 22.7 shooting percentage and is on pace for 63 goals over 82 games.
Sure, that’s expected to regress to the mean, but Hischier has far and away been the Devils’ best player to begin the season. Not to mention, he’s winning draws at a 54.6% rate.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about Hischier to start this season is the level of success he’s sustaining while — for the most part — starting outside the offensive, taking just 44.59% of draws in the attacking end of the ice.
Frighteningly good!
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