Lessons Learned | THREE THINGS

The New Jersey Devils are in the groove of their 2021-22 NHL season. On this Friday, the team is coming off two major wins against strong opponents and it couldn't have come at a better time. The games against Florida and the New York Islanders felt like major identity-building, confidence-growing performances. And it's not just because of the W in the win column, it's because it feels as though the identity of the team is starting to come together. And together in the absence of two major pieces of the Devils' puzzle in Jack Hughes and Miles Wood.
This week's Three Things presented by Geico, Amanda Stein highlights the lessons learned about your Devils team through the opening 12 games of the year.

1. Speedster

The key element to Devils' hockey is speed. Obviously, other elements such as compete, defensive responsibility, etc. are important as well. But the foundation on which the Devils want to play is built around speed.
The team's speed took a blow with the loss of forwards Jack Hughes (left dislocated shoulder) and Miles Wood (hip surgery) early in the season. Suddenly, New Jersey wasn't creating as much off the rush or with its transition attack. So, the team was looking at other ways to create offense - such as activating defensemen.
But something happened over the past two games, and it's been noticeable. It sure seems like something clicked with the callups of forwards Jesper Boqvist and Tyce Thompson. The Devils' speed matched (or exceeded) that of the highly touted Panthers. And New Jersey's speed overwhelmed the normally unflappable New York Islanders. The Devils created off the rush, generated odd-man breaks and were relentless in transition.
While speed has always been a part of the Devils' identity under coach Ruff, the additions of Boqvist and Thompson, two speedy players themselves, gave each of the four lines an element of speed and balance. The addition of Boqvist seems to have ignited a chemistry between he and linemates Tomas Tatar and Janne Kuokkanen. Thompson brings his speed along with his grit and energy to the fourth line with Mike McLeod, which has shades of last year's BMW fourth line identity.
(It's important to note that it's not necessarily adding these players in particular, but it's about what it's done to the team as a whole. Balance. Speed with balance.)
Ruff explained after the game against Florida, how rekindling this kind of balanced speed can impact the lineup as a whole.
"Sometimes speed can drag other people into the fire. I thought it did," he said. "We got some outside speed, we got our defense joining the rush, which I thought was really important. Once we got the puck we were on the move, it was easy to make a lot of good plays."
The Devils are fortunate to have a defensive core that also has a knack for that speed and with the defense joining the rush, the transition game becomes even more dangerous considering a number of defensemen for the Devils - Dougie Hamilton, Damon Severson, Ty Smith, P.K. Subban - are no strangers to contributing on the offensive side of the game.
These last two games are an indication at how lethal the Devils can be with their speed.

2. Compete Isn't Just a Buzz Word

You hear it a lot, the need to compete harder, out compete the opponent, win those 50-50 battles. And while the Devils may say it a lot, they're not just buzz words used at a media podium. They are intricate parts of the game which are the integral to long-term success: the launching pad to the other parts of a player's game, the team's game. Upping the compete in those areas is a focus every game, and it's certainly understandable that not everyone is going to have it in them every night, we are all human. But the game against Florida and the game against the Islanders are two performances the Devils can look back on and say to a man they had the compete, and they hung with the best of them in the league.
Here's how Lindy Ruff outlined the intricate details of compete.
"Our focus has been on speed through the neutral zone and then winning the 50-50 battles when you're around the puck," he said Thursday night after the Devils shutout victory over the Islanders. "I think we've had guys that are digging in even harder. Some of those compete battles are with two hands on your stick and you're trying to win the battle versus one hand and trying to bat the puck somewhere. The small parts of our game have gotten better, and the compete has been at a very high level."

3. The Backbone

Islanders forward Matt Barzal came streaking down center ice just 90 seconds into the first period against New Jersey Thursday night. Barzal, no stranger to scoring big goals, was being stared down by Mackenzie Blackwood. And not just Mackenzie Blackwood, but a healthy, focused and annoyingly calm (to his opponents) Mackenzie Blackwood.
The 24-year-old goaltender made the save. Suddenly the tide turned early.
We've seen this story before.
A healthy goaltending duo can reshape this team. It's been over a year since the team has had a tandem like that of Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier. And it's a huge weapon to start the beginning of the year. While the team waited for Blackwood to continue recovering from his off-season heel procedure, Bernier held down the fort (also helped by a win from rookie Nico Daws). Bernier has looked as solid as they come, giving up so few rebounds and second opportunities for the opposition. And once Blackwood got back into the lineup, it was the Blackwood of old that the fan base so quickly fell in love with.
Having a tandem that so far has worked out the way it has for these two, just breeds confidence throughout the lineup. You simply cannot discount the mental side of the game for all those in front of the goaltender when they are putting together performances like they have so far. Which truly feels like the backbone to success. If the goaltending tandem is in sync, all the other details, the compete, the 50-50 battles, it all feeds off one another. In concert, it all plays like a beautiful symphony, as described here by Blackwood after his 42-save shutout performance against the Islanders.
"I think our team did a good job not giving up the seam," Blackwood said. "It wasn't a lot of backdoor. It was a lot of straight line, same side of the ice. It gives me a chance to always be in position. I thought they did a good job of making my life easier."