The New Jersey Devils’ season has not met up to their very high preseason expectations. They have officially moved into moral victory territory – where playoffs are likely out of the equation and any remaining positive storylines offer a glimmer of hope amid their challenges.
While there’s certainly reason for frustration, the bottom line is that the team still possesses a young and promising core. That’s been evident in their recent dominant victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. Here are some storylines to look forward to throughout the home stretch of the season.
Allen Brings Goaltending Hope
As it stands, the Devils rank 28th in the NHL with a .895 save percentage (SV%). Most of that “damage” was done by the trio of Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid and Nico Daws.
Since completely revamping their goaltending department at the deadline, they’ve stopped 174 of 186 – good for a .935 SV%. Jake Allen, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens, has been the catalyst for that sudden uptick. General manager Tom Fitzgerald made it clear that Allen is slated to be the backup next season and it’s easy to see why. His 101 saves (.946 SV%) set a franchise record for most over their first three starts.
The 33-year-old Allen has a track record of being a solid, reliable NHL goaltender, but his play had taken a dip with the Canadiens. He himself has written that off as an inability to get consistent starts as part of a three-man rotation with Sam Montembault and Cayden Primeau there.
Luke Hughes commended his recent performance: “He’s playing unreal. He’s making massive saves for us. We need him to keep doing that for us…we have full confidence in him,” Hughes said.
His most recent outing against Winnipeg was another stellar one: his fourth quality start in as many games. Prior to the deadline, no other Devils goalie had a quality start percentage upwards of 50%.
Is Travis Green the Answer?
Travis Green took over as interim head coach on March 4 following the firing of Lindy Ruff. He has since coached to a 4-5-0 record, and questions loom as to whether he’s the answer for next season as well.
One thing is for sure: Green has emphasized transparency and honesty with the media when discussing storylines around the team. While that hasn’t always translated into results, there’s certainly reason to respect that.
For example, when The Hockey…
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