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Good morning Devils fans. Sorry for the delay but I’ll be making up for it with more of a meaty article today. Friday night, the Devils were handed a rough 4-1 loss, overshadowed by a scary injury moment for stud Jack Hughes, which could have implications down the road for the Devils season for the ensuing weeks. The 1st period started off with strong pressure, particularly from the Mcleod line. Blues netminder Jordan Binnington held his own though, stopping strong chances upfront and from the point. The defining moment for the Devils came as Jack Hughes tried to rush through and get a breakaway goal. His chance was stopped and, through a combination of losing his balance and a stick clipping his path, he fell down, going shoulder first into the boards. He left the game and would not return. More on that later. Despite being dejected, the Devils responded by keeping up the pressure and doing their best to shut down Blues attacks.
The 2nd period saw the game open up with a pair of St. Louis' goals and Curtis Lazar’s first of the year. Defensive breakdowns led to Jake Neighbors beating Akira Schmid 1v1. Not long after, Nick Leddy and Jakup Vrana tried to get it past Schmid with Kevin Hayes finishing up front, following poor clearance attempts from Luke Hughes and Brendan Smith. After some soul searching and a close chance with a Jesper Bratt breakaway, the Devils found the back of the net, courtesy of Curtis Lazar. John Marino grabbed a pressured puck around the board, set up Alexander Holtz for a one timer, and the puck was grabbed by Lazar, who finished backhand up front to cut the lead in half, 2-1 Blues.
The 3rd became a frustrating period for the Devils, who played gritty desperate hockey without a goal to show for it. HC Lindy Ruff, desperate for a win, pulled Schmid for the extra attacker, which would go on to cost him two goals from Kevin Hayes and Robert Thomas with less than 3 minutes left. The Devils would wrap up the game 4-.
After an explosive start to the season, Jack Hughes is on the mend. His collision into the board seems to have led to shoulder damage. I could be mistaken, but this might be the same shoulder injured during his breakout 2021 season. Per Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, it looks like the worst case scenario has been avoided. Hopefully, we can get Jack Hughes back sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here’s to hoping for a quick recovery.
2. Schmid Bouncing Back?
Following a rough start to the year, Akira Schmid looked much better in tonight’s loss. A pair of goals allowed against 31 shots with a save percentage of .939 is dramatically better than previous outings. His reflexes, glove hand, and vision have looked to improve since the season started. Frankly, I blame poor defensive breakdowns for the two goals scored against him.
3. New Lines Coming
With Max WIllman being called up by the Devils from Utica, there’s a chance the Devils shuffle lines going into tonight’s game with Chicago. I would love to see Alexander Holtz pushed up to a top 6 role with Willman filling in on the bottom line. I feel like that would be a better fit for all involved. Also, Holtz frankly has earned it, doubling his point production pace from last season in a bottom 6 role.
The Devils (6-3-1) continue their road trip as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Blackhawks (4-6-0). Puck drops at 7 PM.
Chicago Lines: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/chicago-blackhawks/line-combinations
As promised but delayed, I wanted to take a moment for a complete look at the Devils prospect pool. A highly lauded and ranked group, the Black and Red have some solid players developing in the system. The complete can be found in the link below:
Here are some key takeaways from the stats and overall group:
- Filmon and Case continue to shine
LW Josh Filmon (Swift Current Broncos, WHL) and D Seamus Casey (Univ. of Michigan, NCAA) are having another fine season in their respective development teams. Filmon has gone 5G-11A-16P in 13 games for the Canadian Juniors squad. Casey, looking like another fantastic prospect coming through this batch of Michigan starlets (Power, Hughes, etc.), has put together a great year so far, going 4G-11A-15P in 10 games with a +11 rating. A really balanced two way defenseman, don’t be shocked to see him sign a contract soon with the big club, before his graduation date.
- Finnish Surprise
F Lenni Hämeenaho looks like a steal as a 2nd rounder from last draft. The Finnish forward is putting together a strong campaign for Liiga’s Ässät with 9-5-14 in 18 games with a +8. It’s not just the numbers that are impressive but how he is scoring: everywhere. Upfront, at a distance, slappers, wristers, every which way he’s finding success and making a case for being brought into the fray within the next year or so.
- Willman A Feel Good Story
LW/C Max Willman earned a 2-way contract to play for Utica following a good PTO campaign with the Devils this summer. Since then, he’s put four goals and three assists in seven games, finding chemistry with linemates Justin Dowling and Graeme Clarke. Now with Jack Hughes needing to recover, Willman has earned a callup to the main squad, most likely leading to a bit of line shuffling.
- Goaltending Depth an Issue
While there’s a balanced look to all skaters in the system, the netminders leave much to be desired. Looking at the numbers, nothing pops out as something to write home about. Jakub Malek is having a decent season in Liiga for Ilves (7-2-1, 2.48 GAA, .907 SV%). Nico Daws is still recovering from his early October hip injury. Unless someone like Eric Kallgren or Keith Kinkaid can start improving, we won’t find help in that position from our system.
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