Power Play is a Main Focus in Devils Practices | FEATURE

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said his practice on Tuesday would dig deeper in system play, battles and other elements New Jersey needs to improve. Part of that was gaining valuable reps going through the power play and penalty kill.
The Devils power play is currently 30th in the league with a 12.9% success rate while the penalty kill is better - ranked 15th out of all 32 teams, and successful at killing penalties 80.4% of the time. As the team looks to use this pause as an opportunity to reset and regroup, special teams success will be a key part of that.
"Good quick puck movement, we're trying to attack in a timely fashion where three or four passes and then we're attacking the net," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said following Tuesday's practice. "I thought both units moved the puck (at practice), both scored some goals. We'll just continue to work on it day after day."
"We've had a couple (power -play) goals in the last games and we just want to make sure that we go out there that we're making the plays, we know all our routes and outs, and just building on that," forward Dawson Mercer said on the power play work in practice. "The more practices we put into it the better, we'll feel comfortable. I like it out there, we want to compete, we want to do good, and what we do in practice we'll do in the game, and I think that's important for us right now."

As the season continues, the Devils have mixed around the power play units, not only trying to find the right chemistry to score, but to balance things out. Tuesday's practice saw the first unit consist of Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Nathan Bastian and Dougie Hamilton. The second had Ty Smith, Damon Severson, Pavel Zacha, Dawson Mercer and Andreas Johnsson.
"It's good to get touches," Ty Smith said on getting time to focus on the power play. "Things change, we've changed a few guys with sicknesses and all that stuff, so it's good to get a feel for how guys play, the guys I'm playing with now. Just develop a little bit of chemistry and work on a few things. So I think it went well."
"With us adding Bastian as a net-front guy it kind of pushed some pieces around," Ruff explained on the changes. "Making the other team's goaltender fight to see through a bigger player is maybe an aspect that we've been missing. The fact that he's a right-handed shot allows a little bit more playmaking down with our left-handed players on that side of the ice."
On the other power play unit, Mercer has played that net-front presence role.
"It's important and I want to have good sticks when I can give the guys an option down low, and also tip pucks and screen the goalie and be around there," Mercer said. "I like being near the net, that's where all the pucks (go), that's where you got to score, I'm happy to be there. I'm just trying to do my job there and give the guys an option, a screen for them to shoot or pass."
Having time to focus on the power play gives the Devils more opportunities to find the recipe for power play success in the second half of their season.
"We're pulling out all the strings to try to find what's going to work," Ruff said. "Whether one guy has to shift from one unit to another but we're going to find something that works, and works on a consistent basis."