My Expectations Going into the Road Trip: I know that some people believe in a Stanley Cup or bust attitude to open every season, but I’m more inclined to try to set standards that are high but realistically attainable, so my goal for the season was just to see the Devils make the playoffs, and, if they did so, then we could start planning the parade. As a Devils fan who endured the agony of watching the team fail to qualify for the playoffs for two consecutive years after our Cinderella Stanley Cup Final run, where instead of marrying a prince, we got to lose to the Kings in six games if you can bear to remember the pain and haven’t blocked it from your mind owing to trauma, my high hopes for the season were just to see the team make the playoffs. Even if they got bounced in the first round, I’d be a content fan, since that would constitute progress.
Therefore, I was a very happy and proud Devils fan when the Devils briefly were on top of the league standings before they lost to the Capitals and fell to second place in the Metropolitan Division. I didn’t expect them to remain there forever because any pragmatic Devils fan would know that there are plenty of better rosters in the league, but just reading their name up there was a tribute to the tenacity that was supposed to be a calling card of Devils hockey. It was like we were trolling the whole NHL for a short time there, and we were all like:
Obviously, as yesterday evening’s spanking by the Capitals illustrates, this team still has some holes that the coaching staff and players need to figure out how to fill, but I have a lot more optimisim at the start of this season than I did at the beginning of last year, which opened with a glamorous losing streak.
What Engines are Firing with Our Offense: After the Devils scored six goals in Philadelphia and thrashed the Panthers 5-1, the team somehow attracted the moniker of being high-scoring. Given that the team then proceeded to only score a pair of goals in each of the next two games, it’s fair to say that adjective might have been a slight exaggeration, but it’s still true that the Devils have done a better job finishing on their scoring chances than they did last year. Michael Cammalleri has been a particular gem in that department of capitalizing the opportunities that Jagr gives him and he has been able to find the empty net when the other team has pulled the goaltender, which is something the Devils team failed to do last year. The blue line has contributed to the offensive production by doing a much better job of moving the puck up to the forwards than our defensemen did last season, and our power play is much more effective with Damon’s sharp shot from the point actually making it through traffic to land in the back of the opposition’s net.
What’s Stalled with Our Offense: Our leading scorer from last season, Jaromir Jagr, has yet to notch a goal, so that’s a bit discouraging, especially because when Jagr isn’t going, the leech that is Travis Zajac can’t produce much for himself either. Hopefully Jagr realizes soon that the season has started and pots a few.
Where Our Defense has been a Rock: Merrill is strong in his own end, bringing a physical edge and a shutdown side that is very useful in the top four and has been helpful on the penalty kill. Gelinas still has a nice offensive skill set, and he perceives the ice well. This season there also have been some promising signs like Gelinas taking a hit against the boards to make a play that he is focused on improving his responsibility in his own end, which can only be a positive for the Devils.
The biggest stud and standout for me, though, has been Damon Severson. Severson has put up four points (three goals and one assist) in four games without needing to be sheltered, and he’s dependable in his own zone, reading the game well. With only four NHL games under his belt, it’s remarkable how poised he is, and he manages to be a bright spot even in embarrassing loses by scoring the Devils’ only two goals. Just seeing what he can do on the backend for our team has made me a lot more optimistic about not only this season but also the entire future of the Devils organization. He’s only played four games in a Devils’ sweater, but I love him already, and I have a lot of confidence in what he can do with and without the puck in the offensive and defensive zone, but I’m going to write a whole post in tribute to him, so you can read that to get your fill of Severson gushing.
Where Our Defense has been Chipping: Andy Greene, while still being mostly reliable, has seemed rather pedestrian by his typical standards, and he will need to improve if the Devils want to remain in a playoff position has the season continues. Gelinas also still has a tendency to take some boneheaded penalties that can cost the team, and Merrill can become a bit unsettled and panicky when things start to go awry. Severson, as a rookie, is also prone to the errors (though so far he’s made few of them and the things he does well are uncommon in a young defenseman, so he’s still a very promising prospect) that are to be expected of inexperienced defensemen, and by that I mean that he’s had some turnovers and been caught in the wrong spot a handful of times. These things are growing pains, and they will ultimately make our blue line stronger and wiser. I think that these young defensemen can become the Devils’ core and backbone for years of we make a commitment to them and they make a commitment to us, so I like seeing the team get a little less old and gray.
When our Goalie has been a Wall: Schneider withstood some onslaughts during the Flyers game, and, although he gave up four goals, he was hardly a sieve the whole game. He was brilliant in the Tampa game, and, in fact, was a major reason why we were able to steal those two points. If Schneider can be a presence for us in the net and help us win games that we shouldn’t, he’ll be worth every penny of his shiny new contract, and fans will love him.
When Our Goalie has Caved: During the Flyer’s game, Schneider gave up a goal right after the Devils had scored, and he did the same thing in the Captials game after Severson tied it at two. Those tallies are momentum changers, and if he had been able to make those saves, the team’s energy level would have been more positive. Schneider’s performance in the Captials game was pitiful, but at least he acknowledged in his post-game interview that one of the goals was entirely on him. I approve of him taking responsibility for his own errors, and I’m not going to flip out at him for having one poor game at the end of a long road trip especially when goaltenders like Lundqvist, Quick, and Price have all had rather shaky starts to their seasons.
My Overall Verdict: The team still needs to tighten up defensively, learn how to stop surrendering leads, and figure out how to generate some consistent offense, but we have a lot of promising young defenseman who are being able to shine in the spotlight this year, and we’re a hard-working team that has been able to finish more scoring chances than last season and generate more puck movement from the blue line. Devils fans should be optimistic about our season and the franchise’s future, but we can temper those expectations with realism.
If the Season Ended Today, Would We Make the Playoffs? Yep. We’re second in the Metropolitan Division, so we’d currently make the playoffs and face off against the Capitals, who are presently ranked third in our division.
Should Pete DeBoer be Canned? I’ve never been a fan of this guy, but as long as the wins keep rolling in, he can stick around. At the end of the season, if Babcock hasn’t re-signed with Detroit, I wouldn’t mind Lou writing him a blank check if that’s what it takes to woo Babcock here, because Babcock is about twenty times the coach that DeBoer is, and that’s being generous to DeBoer since he hasn’t sucked as much this year as he did last one.
The Bottom Line: The New Jersey Devils went 3-1 on their opening road trip. If I’d been told at the beginning of the season that we’d earn six points out of a possible eight on our opening road trip, I’d be quite pleased, especially, since, by way of comparison, Tampa—regarded by many analysts as being a legitimate Cup contender this season—came away with the same amount of points points from an opening home stand. Now that the Devils are returning to home ice, let’s hope that they can keep winning at a respectable clip and remain in a playoff spot. That’s all I want my team to be right now: a solid playoff team. Please don’t disappoint me again, Devils, and if you could continue to remain ahead of the Rangers in the standings as an added bonus, that’d be great.
glimpsesfromanivorytower 