The New Jersey Devils’ first of three matchups against the Tampa Bay Lightning this week did not go well, as they lost 4-1 on Tuesday, March 14. Though they fell 4-3 via the shootout last night, the Devils were still on their A-game and outplayed the Lightning for good stretches. Andrei Vasilevskiy was the difference, and the Devils will have one more chance to solve him when the two teams wrap up their mini-series on Sunday in Tampa. Here are four takeaways and some quick hits.
Devils Outplayed the Lightning
Last night’s game had a similar feel to Tuesday’s. Even though the Devils lost 4-1, they finished that tilt controlling just over 59 percent of the expected goals (xG%) at five-on-five. They got off to a slower start yesterday, as the Lightning scored about 90 seconds into the game. They also had the better quality chances in the first 20 minutes over the Devils.
But by the time regulation was over, the Devils were the better of the two teams. Over the final 40 minutes, they gave up just 0.69 expected goals to the Lightning at five-on-five while generating 2.55. In all, they totaled a 66.91 xG% in regulation, something they’ve been doing to teams regularly for a month-plus, not just the Lightning.
One reason the Devils controlled play at five-on-five and lit the lamp more often yesterday is they were able to attack the middle of the ice better. Tomáš Tatar’s goal started with a stretch pass from Dougie Hamilton behind his own goal line to Dawson Mercer. That sprung Mercer loose on the rush in the neutral zone, enabling him to gain the offensive zone with a controlled entry. He and Nico Hischier did the rest of the work to set up Tatar:
On Timo Meier’s first goal, Damon Severson made a stretch pass from his own end to Meier along Tampa’s blue line. Meier then passed it to Hischier, who was crashing toward the net. He put a shot on Andrei Vasilevskiy, who left a rebound that Meier cleaned up to tie it at 2-2. Both teams will make further adjustments before they play on Sunday, but the Devils have a blueprint of how to beat a team that doesn’t give up much off the rush.
Meier Settling In
Speaking of Meier, it was arguably the best game he’s had with the Devils since they acquired him from the San Jose Sharks before the trade deadline. Not only did he tie the game at 2-2, but he scored on a rocket of a one-timer on the power play to tie it at 3-3 while the Devils had…
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