Devils Fall 4-2 to Stars Despite Strong Game
Devils showed offensive life but couldn't get the job done in their first game back off of the Four Nations Tournament break.
The Devils fell to the Dallas Stars Saturday evening by a score of 4-2, taking a loss on their first game since play resumed from the Four Nations break.
Let’s get into some of my observations:
Jack Hughes Masterclass
If ever there was a time to shut the fanbase up about Jack’s play, it was in his first game back after a one-point Four Nations. He was flying practically all night (most notably in the third period), still operating at the speed of the best-on-best tournament but against much lesser opposition.
In the third, he put the Devils on his back with two one-time goals — both from opposite sides of the ice. In the 18:06 with Jack on the ice at 5v5, the Devils controlled 57.24% of the expected goal share (xGF%). They also out-attempted the Stars 37-19, outshot them 17-9, and out-chanced them 15-13.
He had 13 (!!) shot attempts in the game and was a playmaking guru, setting up his linemates with high-danger pass after high-danger pass.
He was again an asset on the penalty kill, preventing the Stars from getting a single shot on goal in his 2:00 of PK time.
Jack ended the night with a team-most total of 24:52 against the Stars. So much for fatigue from the tournament, right?
Dougie Hamilton: Shot Machine
Dougie Hamilton is at his best when he’s pumping shots on net, and this game was no exception. He was noticeably strong at continuing puck possessions, making smart pinches and shooting the puck at will.
Dougie ended the night with a team-leading 16 shot attempts, eight of which were on net and one of which hit the iron. He attempted shots five times on the man-advantage alone, four of which were graded as scoring chances. He also assisted on both Hughes goals, one primary and one secondary.
Dougie’s possession-driving play left him with an xGF% of 55.73%.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe seemingly took notice of Dougie’s strong game, too, as he was finally awarded the time on ice to reflect his play and paycheck. He led all Devils defensemen with 22:58 of ice time.
Quick Notes
The unsportsmanlike conduct call against Brenden Dillon was maybe the worst call I’ve seen all season. Of course, Dallas scored within 30 seconds of the call.
The Devils’ PK was strong otherwise, though, particularly on a four-minute kill in the second period — one in which Nico Hischier was the player serving the double-minor. The Devils allowed just one shot on goal on that penalty kill and five shot attempts, summing up to just 0.28 xG.
Jake Allen once again had a strong outing, stymying the Stars on multiple grade-A chances. He ended the night with +0.04 GSAx, which likely doesn’t do him the justice he deserves. Casey DeSmith, though, stole the show in terms of goaltenders, standing on his head and blanking the Devils on what should have been several no-doubters.
Timo Meier had yet another excellent game despite not coming up on the scoresheet. With him on the ice, the Devils had a masterful 89.46% xGF%, with the Stars mustering just 0.09 xG when 28 was playing. He ended the night with an 18-9 shot attempt share and 8-0 scoring chance share.
Simon Nemec is really struggling. He was the culprit of blown coverage on the first Dallas goal and got hemmed in for practically the entire night.
It was a rough night for the third line of Erik Haula, Dawson Mercer, and Paul Cotter, who were largely unable to do anything in the offensive zone. Cotter had some time apart from the other two where he seemed to play much better, but Mercer and Haula both had xGF%s of sub-15%.
The fourth line, however, was quietly excellent. In particular, Nate Bastian was noticeably good, and the underlying statistics back that up. He ended the night with an 80.60% xGF% in his roughly 10 minutes of 5v5 time.
Brenden Dillon hate followed me the other day on Twitter after seeing that I said he was inept at shooting the puck, and it seems that he really wanted to prove me wrong. He ended the night with the third-most attempts on the team (6). Strong outing from the veteran blueliner.
The Devils play the Nashville Predators tomorrow at 6:00 PM. I’m usually shy of using the term, but it’s practically a must-win game with the Columbus Blue Jackets breathing down their neck for third place in the Metro Division. They’ll be against Justus Annunen in net, so hopefully they’ll be able to find twine a bit more.