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“Get your sh*t together”: Sheldon Keefe in heated word exchange with player after 5-3 loss to Detroit Red Wing

The New Jersey Devils registered 40 shots on goal tonight. The Detroit Red Wings registered 20 shots on goal tonight. But the Devils received a .789 Save% from Jacob Markstrom, while the Red Wings received a .925 Save% from Cam Talbot, and that made all the difference in the Devils’ 5-3 loss to the Red Wings.

 

After an embarrassing and alarming 8-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, the Devils flipped the script and dominated this game from the word go. New Jersey put up double digit shots on goal in each period tonight, with their fewest being 11 shots in the third period. On the other side, the most amount of shots they allowed in a period was eight. According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5 the Devils completely suffocated the Red Wings this evening, recording a 71.91% Expected Goals For%. That is utter domination.

I was disgusted at New Jersey’s effort (or lack thereof) on Tuesday. I cannot be mad about the way they played tonight. The Red Wings’ top line of Lucas Raymond-Dylan Larkin-Alex DeBrincat was the only thing that went right for Detroit, as that trio finished the game with five combined points (two goals, three assists), six shots on goal, and at 5-on-5 an xGF% of 81.53%. But other than that, the Devils bulldozed every Red Wing that stood before them this evening.

Nico Hischier in particular was once again a force of nature. The captain scored two power play goals tonight, and finished with a 5-on-5 xGF% of 77.01%. Hischier is now up to seven goals and 10 points through 10 games this season. The scoring touch will cool off, but Hischier will start collecting more helpers as the season goes on. A point per game pace is certainly within Hischier’s capabilities, and when you add in his territorial dominance, he’s been one of the best players in the entire league through the first 10 contests.

As you would imagine, there were plenty of other skaters that had themselves superb nights. Jack Hughes looked like Jack Hughes to me. Maybe not 100% back to what we expect out of him, but he skated with confidence, made some magic with the puck, dominated the run of play, and ended up with an assist for his troubles.

 

Timo Meier also looked good, as he has since being reunited with Hischier on a line. Jesper Bratt was dangerous all night long. The pairing of Jonas Siegenthaler-Johnathan Kovacevic once again handily won the territorial battle. I can go up and down the lineup and talk about how any given skater looked good tonight.

And as if that weren’t enough, the Devils also welcomed back not one, but two key defensemen to the lineup: Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce. We’ll discuss them in-depth later on, but adding an entire defense pairing of that caliber (and in the process pushing Simon Nemec and Daniil Misyul out of the lineup) should’ve been a huge boost to the club.

 

But of course, the one Devil that had a truly terrible game tonight was the one Devil the team could not afford to have a terrible game tonight: Jacob Markstrom. Tom Fitzgerald’s Big Game Acquisition sunk New Jersey. Four goals allowed on 19 shots (the final Red Wings goal came on an empty-netter) is completely unacceptable. He gave up not one, but two backbreaking power play goals in the third period. The first of those, a redirection off the stick of Larkin, is the only one that I have a hard time saying he needed to have. Every other goal had to either be stopped or never happen in the first place. The first goal allowed came on a horrific rebound that Christian Fischer had little trouble finishing off. The second goal allowed was a good shot by a good shooter in DeBrincat, but was still entirely stoppable. And I’m sorry, but the final goal allowed, a floater from a mile away off the stick of Patrick Kane, is a save that any given NCAA goalie could have made. How that one snuck through Markstrom I have no idea.

And as I alluded to at the very beginning, the goaltending frustrations for New Jersey weren’t limited to just their own crease. Cam Talbot turned into prime Martin Brodeur tonight. He stopped 37 of 40 shots, and per NST he saved 1.1 Goals Above Expected. If this was Igor Shesterkin or Connor Hellebuyck in net tonight, I’d be frustrated but I’d tip my cap to an excellent goaltender and move on. The fact that Cam bleeping Talbot of all people picked tonight to stand on his head is maddening. Between tonight and Detroit’s last game, in which they were outshot 30-11(!) and yet somehow won 1-0 against the New York Islanders, the Red Wings have been outshot 70-31 in their last two games and yet have two regulation wins to show for it. Truly amazing to see what good goaltending can do for a team.

For the one millionth time over the past few seasons, the Devils outplayed their opponent but still lost because their goaltending let them down. This has been a few clunkers in the early going from Markstrom now. To be fair he has had a few very strong games as well, but the Devils need more consistency out of their top goalie. I am very pleased at how the skaters responded to Tuesday’s disgrace. I am very upset with how Markstrom lit the game on fire and cost the Devils two points.

Oh, and the Devils have to play the second half of a back-to-back tomorrow. We all know how well those have gone for them lately. What an immensely frustrating missed opportunity tonight’s game was.

 

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