How About Haula | 10 TAKEAWAYS

Just a few days ago I saturated my 10 Takeaways with Akira Schmid stats. It was inevitable after the team made the swtich to the rookie goaltender in Game 3 and they've been on a run ever since.
In this edition, I'll start with Akira, but there have been other players also making some pretty extraordinary waves as we get further into this first round series. That is, afterall what playoff success is all about. It won't just be your stars carrying you, it's the full-on, full-out team success that carries a team through the grind. Unlikely heros, wiley vets, you name it. That's how this group is going to get it done.
Before Saturday's Game 6, please enjoy this latest edition of 10 Takeaways, presented by Ticketmaster!

2.

Earlier this week, when Lindy Ruff was asked about Ondrej Palat, and Palat being a man of few words, Ruff took a quick beat and smiled.
"He might not like talking to you guys, but he's pretty good around us," he quipped, the 'you guys' referring to the media contingent.
At the end of the day, it's the 'around us' part that really matters, because he was brought in for this very moment. He might be a man of few words, but he knows when the time is right to say something.
That couldn't be more evident than when captain Nico Hischier mentioned after Game 5 he had already talked to Palat about how difficult it can be to win the fourth game of a series. Those conversations already started before the celebrations of Game 5 even finished. That's focus for you.

3.

For all the tough puck luck that Erik Haula had during the regular season… it's all coming to him now. Haula has been an absolute power house in the first five games of the series, he's everywhere on the ice and has gone into some extra sort of beast-mode.
Haula had really been gearing up in March, you could see it all coming together and in these first five games, he's arrived with a vengeance.
And it's not just goals. Look at that play he made in Game 4, indirectly leading to Ondrej Palat sealing with win with the Devils third goal.
He took a lungewith his stick to fend off a Ranger in the neutral zone, while the Rangers had the 6-on-5, advantage. The thwarted the Rangers play and the puck ended up on Jesper Bratt's stick whose shot missed the empty net, but Palat wired it home off the rebound.
It's those mini, desperate - in the best sense of the word - plays that makes a player like Haula such a gamer. He currently leads the team as a point-per-game player with five points in five games, and is tied for the lead in goals with three.

4.

Only once in his 10 year career has Haula missed the playoffs in his career. It's pretty remarkable to think about, the playoffs being his every-year expectation. He's appeared in playoff games with Minnesota, Vegas, Florida, Nashville, Boston and now New Jersey. He's scored in the post-season for each franchise as well, bringing his total to six different teams. That puts him as part of a unique group of players who have scored at least one playoff goal with six different franchises, and the first European player to do so.
He joins Jason Arnott, Matt Cullen, Doug Gilmour, Mike Sillinger and Bryan Smolinski

5.

Make that 13 straight effective penalty kills by the Devils. It's pretty wild to think about when Chris Kreider was out there scoring goals on the Rangers power play like a mad man in the opening two games. But good teams adjust, and that's what the Devils did.
"We've dug deep on the penalty kill," Haula said, "The respect we have for their power play, they're one of the best power plays in the league. Every time we take a penalty we need to be our best to get the job done and give credit to all the guys. We've gotten better."
To get a better sense of what has happened with the Devils PK, check out
this article by Sam Kasan
. He's an X's and O's guy and lays it out so well.

6.

The third period in Game 5 was something to behold. The Rangers, with their backs against the wall, were held to just two (2!!!) shots on Akira Schmid, when their desperation level should have been at it's highest.
And give all the credit to New Jersey, who not for one second took its foot off the gas. In fact, they registered nearly as many shots in the third period as the Rangers had all game.
The Devils third period shot total: 20
The Rangers 60-minute shot total: 23

7.

Can we take a moment to appreciate the enthusiasm brought by former captain Andy Greene as the Game 5 towel waver? I mean, Andy is as even keeled a person you will ever meet.
I knew he was doing this towel waving, but I wasn't sure what to expect.
The guy went all out and you have to love it.

It's been great to have Greene in and around the team. He's been around for most morning skates and he's here for several practices too.

8.

In Game 5 the Devils had an even-strength, power-play, shorthanded and an empty net goal against the Rangers. The last time they did all four in a playoff game was the lone win against Tampa Bay in 2018. When I checked in on this research, I thought maybe the stat would have taken me further back than 2018, but it did get me thinking just how quickly that post-season fled from memory. It was exciting because there was that little taste, but it all hapened so quickly. It was gone in a flash. It's crazy think how different this post-season has felt right from the get-go. I've said it before, but this time it really didn't feel like luck at all, it felt like it was time.

9.

Just going to leave this stat here from NHL PR:
When a best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 holds an all-time series record of 224-61 (.786), including a 5-3 mark in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs (4-2 in R1).

10.

Watching Haula and Dawson Mercer connect on the penalty kill was something special. Their shorthanded play on the 2-on-1 that led to Mercer's first playoff goal was perfectly executed.

Mercer became the youngest player in franchise history to score a shorthanded goal at 21 years, 182 days, and the youngest player in the league to score shorthanded since Connor McDavid (20 years, 91 days) in 2017. (Per NHL PR)