The New Jersey Devils‘ power play has struggled all season. Therefore, coach Sheldon Keefe decided that changes were needed.
Heading into Tuesday, the Devils’ power play has converted on 16.67 percent of its chances. Per Hockey-Reference, that number is over five percent below the league average of 21.72 percent.
A lot of this could be pinned on the first unit, according to Primitive Stats. The unit featuring Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Luke Evangelista, and Luke Hughes has scored just twice this season in 33:51 of total ice time.
It isn’t that they haven’t generated chances, with expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) sitting at 10.15. That number approximates 5.73 xGF.
Via Sam Kasan of NewJerseyDevils.com, Keefe recently acknowledged the creativity, saying, “That group has created a lot. We’ve looked at it. I think that group as a unit is sitting third overall in the league in terms of generating scoring opportunities, but haven’t put it in the net. So we’re just going to change that mix a little bit.”
Kasan mentioned, via Amanda Stein, Connor Brown taking reps with the first unit on Monday while Evangelista joined the second unit.
Devils Can Take Scoring To The Next Level If They Capitalize On The Power Play
The Devils are one of the most well-rounded and experienced teams in the NHL offensively, and they have proven that this season. They are currently 12th in the NHL heading into Tuesday, with 48 goals in 14 games. That number is good for 3.43 goals per game.
At 5-on-5, their xGF is an astounding 38.1, over seven expected goals above the league average. They have scored 33 times and are boasting a 58.3 Corsi For Percentage. Meanwhile, their scoring chances for and high-danger percentage chances for sit at 57.6 and 57.2, respectively.
If there is any more room for improvement, it is that the Devils have scored just nine times on their 123 high-danger chances. That is a conversion percentage of just 6.8 percent. Still, from the power play to their high-danger chances for at 5-on-5, a few more adjustments could make this team start finishing.
Should the Devils make the necessary adjustments and improve in those two areas, they may also force their way into the top 10 in scoring.
A High-Octane Devils Team Could Further Challenge Carolina
The Devils were a good team with two missing key ingredients heading into the season: stable goaltending and special teams. They fixed the first problem when they traded for Connor Hellebuyck, who will be in the net on Tuesday night.
Now, they are experimenting with ways to at least fix their power play. That would leave only their penalty-kill unit, but Hellebuyck should help out the cause there.
This makes the Devils a much more well-rounded team as they find themselves in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 18 points. As of Tuesday afternoon, that puts them eight points behind the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, who have 26 points.
Carolina typically forces teams to keep pace with them. So, solving the power-play problem now could go a long way for the Devils if they keep winning and chasing down the Hurricanes. That may be a storyline to watch when the two teams face off four times late in the season.
Devils’ Power-Play Numbers Reveal Problem That Forced A Change