All About The Jersey - New Jersey Devils vs. St. Louis Blues: Game Stream #12A world class blog for Jersey's team: the New Jersey Devilshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47083/lou-fave.png2014-11-04T23:53:48-05:00http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/rss/stream/69173262014-11-04T23:53:48-05:002014-11-04T23:53:48-05:00Devils Shut Out by Blues, 0-1
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<img alt="The crucial penalty call that led to the game's only goal. Thanks, Zidlicky, I guess." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/37XuiasYpdZUQ5P7ygSia2zfiTM=/0x200:4000x2867/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/43457894/20141104_ads_se8_141.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The crucial penalty call that led to the game's only goal. Thanks, Zidlicky, I guess. | Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>For the first time this season, the New Jersey Devils were shut out; they lost 0-1 to the St. Louis Blues. This recap covers how it was an even game for two periods, what led to the Devils' offense failing in the third, and other observations.</p> <p>It happens to nearly every team every season: the shut out loss. Losing a game is one thing. There are surprising losses, losses despite playing well, losses that are fully deserved, close losses, shootout losses, overtime losses, blowout losses, and some others in between all of that. The shut out loss stands alone for the obvious: the losing team did not score. Scoring does come at a premium in hockey but to go a whole 60 minutes in a game where a deflection, a bounce, a carom, an error, or just a well-placed shot can make the difference between a goal or not a goal is not at all common. Yet, for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a>, a team that has had trouble scoring goals in recent (and beyond recent) history, it doesn't feel that way. That all said, the 0-1 loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">St. Louis Blues</a> was the first such instance in the 2014-15 season. And I'm not considerably unhappy about it.</p>
<p>Sure, the St. Louis Blues were finishing off a road trip and played 65 minutes the night prior. They were still missing <span>Paul Stastny</span> among others. But they're still a quality team featuring one of the hottest scorers in the NHL in <span>Vladimir Tarasenko</span>. Tarasenko nearly made his mark early on, with a couple of glorious shooting opportunities. <span>Cory Schneider</span> made sure that did not happen. Yet, the winger did make his mark in the third period. He beat Schneider shortside from the left circle past <span>Bryce Salvador</span>, who inadvertently screened his goalie. Salvador was essentially in no man's land. Nonetheless, it was still a power play goal and it was enough to decide the game. Goaltender Jake Allen was unflappable in net and the Blues clamped down on the Devils almost like the Devils did in their heyday. Prior to the goal, the game was fairly even - which speaks well to New Jersey given that the Blues' level of talent.</p>
<p>The first two periods featured two teams nearly paying dearly for their turnovers. Whether it was in their end of the rink or in the neutral zone, both teams managed to create offense coming off lost pucks. Bad passes, errant bounces, and straight-up steals were not uncommon. The Devils' line of <span>Patrik Elias</span>, <span>Adam Henrique</span>, and <span>Michael Ryder</span> were especially effective in that regard. Ryder got 7 shots on net, primarily because that line - namely Elias - surprised the Blues with early interceptions and stops that gave the line space to work with. It was working well enough for two periods.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that died in the third. The third was more reminiscent of what was seen in recent games by the Devils. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2014/11/3/7145667/a-look-at-the-new-jersey-devils-zone-exits-and-entries">Ryan's post on zone exits and entries is required reading</a> for those who want a better understanding of how poor performance there undercuts the team's play overall. After the Blues scored, they drifted back into playing rather conservative hockey. Clogging their blueline, dropping back into the middle to pick up attempted passes to or across that area, and fewer attacking shifts. The Devils helped this cause out. I don't think they weren't playing with enough urgency. I think they knew they needed to be more urgent with time running out. They were being <i>too</i> urgent. With so many Devils whiffing on shots, firing shots right into Blues instead of at Allen, and stretching out to make and/or receive passes to no avail, the team looked out of sync. In retrospect, I think they would have been better served to just keep up the pace they did have instead of forcing as many plays as they did. I'm not saying it would have necessarily yielded a goal, but it would have been superior to what they attempted on the ice.</p>
<p>Still, the Devils played a very good St. Louis team featuring one of the league's hottest scorers and lost by only a single goal. I felt they played well enough to warrant extra time, but they didn't get there - nor did St. Louis play them off the ice. That's my overall takeaway and while I don't like it, I'm not at all irate or hateful of it. The first two periods saw improvement over what we've been seeing recently and it's something to build on. I don't think the Blues will be so fortunate as to shut out the Devils again on Thursday. The problem may be keeping the Blues from scoring so many, but that's a concern for another night later this week. At least it took a month before it happened to the Devils.</p>
<p><b>The Game Stats: </b>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/GS020173.HTM">NHL.com Game Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/ES020173.HTM">NHL.com Event Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/PL020173.HTM">NHL.com Play by Play Log</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/SS020173.HTM">NHL.com Shot Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH020173.HTM">NHL.com Devils Time on Ice Report</a> | The <a href="http://hockeystats.ca/game/2014020173" target="_blank">HockeyStats.ca Corsi Charts</a></p>
<p><b>The Opposition Opinion: </b>Check out <a href="http://www.stlouisgametime.com/">St. Louis Game Time</a> for St. Louis coverage.</p>
<p><b>The Game Highlights: </b>A lot of saves and one goal. Here's the video from NHL.com:</p>
<p align="center"><iframe height="395" width="640" frameborder="0" src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=2014020173-X-h"></iframe></p>
<p><b>Goalie Showcase: </b>Despite the offense dropping off in the third for both teams, both goalies really had good nights. Allen was very good in his two earlier appearances this season and he was very good tonight. He didn't cough up many rebounds, he squared up well for shots, and his footwork was solid. He also had a nice highlight robbing Michael Ryder early in the game with his glove. Schneider played as well as anyone could have expected. He denied Tarasenko early on two glorious chances and made all kinds of stops. The only one that beat him was the one he didn't see. If you're looking for positives regardless of which team you supported tonight, then look to the net first. They were the top players tonight.</p>
<p><b>Return of the Truth: </b><span>Jon Merrill</span> was out tonight with an apparent injury. This meant <span>Eric Gelinas</span> stepped right into the lineup to play alongside <span>Adam Larsson</span>. This pairing did quite well. They were strong in possession and contributed on offense. Larsson had two shots and Gelinas had three out of eight attempts. Defensively, they didn't make too many errors. While Larsson took a penalty due to firing a shot into <span>Joakim Lindstrom</span> and impeding him to prevent him from going out to the races, there weren't many bad moments for the pairing. Maybe we'll see them more often? I wouldn't mind.</p>
<p><b>Return of Bernier: </b><span>Steve Bernier</span> played the sort of game one would expect from Bernier. As with the CBGB line of the last two seasons, the goal wasn't necessarily to do really well but to make the opposition doesn't do really well. I'd say he, <span>Stephen Gionta</span>, and <span>Tuomo Ruutu</span> accomplished that. Bernier played a little over eight minutes, threw some hits, got the puck in deep and helped working it around, and even got a shot on net. Not bad and far better than <span>Jordin Tootoo</span>.</p>
<p><b>Excelling Early, Fading Late: </b> The unit of Patrik Elias, Michael Ryder, and Adam Henrique were dangerous for two periods and just faded in the third period. For two periods, that trio won plenty of pucks, caught the Blues by surprise by forcing and taking advantage of turnovers, and generated nine of the 26 shots on net the team had. Again, Ryder had 7 as he was able to get into pockets of space with a clear lane to the net. The issue was that some of those seven shots weren't as well taken as he would have liked.</p>
<p>Yet, in the third, they just became out of sync. Again, I think they were trying to play too fast. Surprise passes out of the cycle, guys misfiring passes as they just came over the Blues' blueline, and so forth. The evidence was that Ryder had three shots in the first, three shots in the second, and only one in the third. That last bit stands out in a bad way. Still, I think they did well enough to warrant a few more games as a combination. Whether the rest of the lineup will allow that is another question.</p>
<p><b>Shotless: </b>The unit of <span>Ryane Clowe</span>, <span>Jacob Josefson</span>, and <span>Damien Brunner</span> did not have a good night. The three forwards put up zero shots on net in any situation. For a guy like Josefson, that's not necessarily a huge deal. For Clowe and Brunner, who both feature on the power play even, that's a disappointment. It's not like either were credited for many shooting attempts. That's namely because they were forced to play quite a bit of defense, notably against Patrik Berglund's unit. It obviously didn't cost the team anything on the scoreboard, but they didn't help the cause.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, <span>Jaromir Jagr</span> ended up with no shots on net either. That's more forgiveable given his play on the puck was strong and he was setting up others - namely <span>Travis Zajac</span> - for shots. It'd be more effective if there was a big shooting winger who isn't necessarily big opposite of the strong Jagr and effective Zajac. I'll even take <span>Martin Havlat</span> at this point.</p>
<p><b>Pinned: </b>The Devils really made <span>Alex Pietrangelo</span> and <span>Jay Bouwmeester</span> earn their defensive dollars tonight. They were constantly in their own end of the rink at even strength. That's a good way as any to limit their effectiveness. The duo didn't do much on offense. Unfortunately, both weren't so bad in their own end when it came to making stops and getting exits. They played half of the third period and were a key reason why the Devils' offense was shut down.</p>
<p><b>The Hottest in the League: </b>I want to highlight a few of the Blues' skaters. Vladimir Tarasenko is more than just a guy with a hot stick. He pounced on loose pucks like a tiger on freely available meat from the get-go. I was surprised to see he only had three shots on net, it felt like much more given how #91 was buzzing around the Devils' end. He was limited in the second period, thanks in part to the Blues' own issues at moving the puck forward and the Devils sub-sequentially turning that into offense.</p>
<p><b>Another Night Where Special Teams Made the Difference:</b> Well, the Blues' power play got a goal against one of the least successful penalty killing units in the league. And it decided the game. Adding insult to injury, the PK actually did quite well prior to the goal. They killed two penalties against the Blues without much drama except for a weird bounce off the end-boards that sent the puck into the crease by an unaware Schneider. Even then, the Devils coolly made a clearance. Alas, there was another PPGA so that good work went down the drain, so to speak.</p>
<p>As for the power play, the Devils could have done better. They were able to get set up more than a couple times, which was one of my concerns with the power play in general. They didn't entirely squander two minutes for any of the three of them. Despite some decent puck movement, they struggled to find and, more importantly, utilize any shooting lanes. They had three power play shots; they could have had more with a little less thinking and little more reaction. I got the sense that they tried to find the perfect shot, which is one way to go about using a man advantage; but they rarely got that all together for a shot.</p>
<p><b>Regarding Business: </b>A Devils-Blues game on a Tuesday night in November outsold a Devils-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/">Rangers</a> game on a Tuesday night in October. Why? No, it wasn't because it was on national television; resulting in a later start (and finish). It's because the game wasn't ridiculously priced. Will the current management learn that lesson? We'll see.</p>
<p><b>Dearest Zidlicky: </b>SHOOT.</p>
<p>No, seriously, he should be less afraid to shoot. Zidlicky had one of those weird nights where he'll turn the puck over on one shift, make some great passes on the next shift, make some bad ones following that, and then skate into space or jump up on offense and then decide to not shoot. Officially, he had none on net even though he was in positions to do so. So while he continued to be the straw that stirred the drink at points, he didn't do it enough to justify the lack of shooting, where he could have contributed further to the attack. I repeat: SHOOT. (And I wish he didn't grab <span>Alexander Steen</span> in the third.)</p>
<p><b>Lastly: </b><span>Jori Lehtera</span> didn't exactly set the game on fire tonight, but I did see why Blues fans aren't so mad about <span>Vladimir Sobotka</span> leaving. He's going to be a useful player for them.</p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>The New Jersey Devils lost 0-1 to St. Louis. What did you learn from tonight's game? What do you think the team should adjust before they play St. Louis again on Thursday night? Who impressed you the most on each team? Who impressed you the least from each team? Can Tarasenko cool off by Thursday? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about this loss in the comments.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who followed along in the Gamethread and the sparse tweets with <a href="http://www.twitter.com/inlouwetrust" target="_blank">@InLouWeTrust</a>. Thank you for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2014/11/4/7158983/new-jersey-devils-shut-out-by-st-louis-blues-0-1John Fischer2014-11-04T07:00:02-05:002014-11-04T07:00:02-05:00Devils vs. Blues: Game Preview #12
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<img alt="This goal is from last year's massive blowout win. A similar blowout is highly unlikely to happen again." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HIhX09i7_EHaC5lEmiQ9he6g_1I=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/43378338/20140121_mje_se8_696.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>This goal is from last year's massive blowout win. A similar blowout is highly unlikely to happen again. | Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>In front of a nationally televised audience, the New Jersey Devils will begin three games in four nights by hosting the St. Louis Blues. This preview highlights the Blues' hottest player, what else makes them good, and forward changes for the Devils among other points. </p> <p>The first of three games in four nights this week for the home team, and it's nationally televised.</p>
<p><b>The Time: </b>7:30 PM EST</p>
<p><b>The Broadcast: </b>TV - NBCSN; Radio - 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN</p>
<p><b>The Matchup: </b>The <a href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Jersey Devils</a> (6-3-2) vs. the <a href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Blues</a> (7-3-1, SBN Blog: <a href="http://www.stlouisgametime.com/">St. Louis Game Time</a>)</p>
<p><b>The Last Devils Game: </b>On Saturday night, the Devils hosted a depleted and skidding <a href="https://www.jacketscannon.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> team. The visitors got on the board early as a Ryane Clowe turnover turned into a 2-on-1, finished off by <span>Jack Skille</span>. The Devils would eventually respond. <span>Marek Zidlicky</span> was found in space shortly after a power play draw in the second period, and he beat NHL debuting goaltender <span>Anton Forsberg</span> clean. The Blue Jackets would respond with a PPG of their own. <span>Nick Foligno</span> got behind and into inside position on <span>Andy Greene</span>; <span>Jack Johnson</span> saw that; and a saucer pass quickly became 2-1 by Foligno. However, the Devils' power play was not done yet. They converted an third period power play quickly when Forsberg couldn't find the rebound of a Jaromir Jagr shot, the Blue Jackets couldn't help him, and the puck eventually got to <span>Adam Henrique</span> who put it in the net amid the chaos. Minutes later, <span>Adam Larsson</span> blasted a shot past a screening <span>Dainius Zubrus</span> and the shortside of the goalie to make it 3-2. Cory Schneider stopped everything else and the Devils hung on to win, handing Columbus their fifth straight loss. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2014/11/2/7144847/adam-larsson-blast-propels-new-jersey-devils-win-over-columbus-blue-jackets">It wasn't pretty, but I noted how the Devils got the job done in my recap.</a></p>
<p><b>The Last Blues Game: </b> The Blues played in <a href="https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rangers</a>town on Monday night against New York's Currently Second Best Team. The home side got the scoring going with a PPG by <span>Chris Kreider</span> and proceeded to tilt the ice against <span>Brian Elliott</span> by leading in shots 15-4. St. Louis would respond with a PPG of their own. <span>Vladimir Tarasenko</span> continued his torrid scoring with a beautiful goal against <span>Cam Talbot</span>. They tilted the ice against Talbot 17-8 in shots. The third period saw a more even period and more goals. <span>Patrik Berglund</span> scored his first of the season early on. <span>Martin St. Louis</span> answered back with a goal of his own and gave his squad a 3-2 lead at the 13:17 mark. Less than a minute later, Jay Bouwmeester's wrist shot hit home to tie it up at 3-3. New York pressed the issue in OT but couldn't break the game, so a shootout was necessary. Lee Stempiak scored for the home team, <span>Alexander Steen</span> and Tarasenko scored for St. Louis, and so St. Louis wins their fifth straight 4-3 via a shootout.</p>
<p><b>The Goal: </b>Make the most of the power play. On most nights, this is something to strive for. For St. Louis, the penalty kill is arguably their biggest weakness. Their success rate isn't as low as New Jersey's but <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=penaltyKillPercentage&viewName=penaltyKill">it's still below league median and hovering around 75-76%.</a> To put it in perspective, the Blues headed into Rangerstown conceding as many power play goals as they have gave up even strength goals. It's the one area where Brian Elliott and <span>Jake Allen</span> haven't been amazing. <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=4&scoresit=1&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=4&xaxis=1&yaxis=5&saxis=46&caxis=2&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2014-11-04&splitseasons=1&tablegroup=4">The Blues haven't been leaky in terms of shots allowed according to War on Ice</a>, but power plays end when the shot goes into the net. For the Devils to try to get something out of tonight's game, they need to be effective at gaining the zone and setting up shooting lanes. Fortunately, the Devils have been effective so far this season <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=powerPlayPercentage&viewName=powerPlay">with a power play success rate of 26.3%.</a> I think that has to continue.</p>
<p><b>Seriously, the State of Their Goalies: </b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?season=20142015&gameType=2&team=STL&position=G&country=&status=&viewName=specialTeamSaves#">Look at the splits at NHL.com:</a> Elliott and Allen have been sensational at even strength in this still-early 2014-15 season. Neither one is a "better" choice, ugly shorthanded save percentages aside. The team doesn't have to score a lot of goals because the masked men certainly aren't letting too many in. <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/tomtimm/status/529416788467912704">Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweeted that Allen will start tonight's game.</a> That only makes sense since he's done well in his first few games and Elliott played at Rangerstown last night.</p>
<p><b>The Hottest Blue: </b>If there is one Blue skater you need to know, it's Vladimir Tarasenko. In his last four games, he's had a hat trick and an assist at Dallas, put up a brace against Colorado, and equalized the Rangers with a beautiful move in Rangerstown. Tarasenko is St. Louis' leading scorer and shooter. The shots are especially notable as he has 48 in 11 games. As you may expect, <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=1&homeawaysit=1&shotattsit=1&names=&team=STL&pos=1&xaxis=1&yaxis=16&caxis=6&saxis=4&panel=&usedaterange=0&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2014-11-04&splitseasons=0">he's driving the play at evens</a> as well as the scoresheet. He's excellent on the puck and downright dangerous when he gets a lot of opportunities to shoot.</p>
<p>Credit for that also goes to his linemates, Alexander Steen and <span>Jori Lehtera</span>. Steen, you may know already as a very good player with few real weaknesses. Lehtera is a new face to the team. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20152STLSASALL&sort=faceOffWinPctg&viewName=faceOffPercentageAll">He's been winning a lot of faceoffs</a> and feeding Tarasenko. Unsurprisingly, Lehtera and Steen are in the upper end of the scoring leaders for the Blues. I would expect the Andy Greene and Damon Severson pairing to see a lot of these three. I wish them plenty of luck and hope that the forwards are prepared to help - or at least cover Tarasenko tightly.</p>
<p><b>Rock in the Back: </b><span>Alex Pietrangelo</span> is one of the league's best defensemen. He has averaged over 25 minutes per game for St. Louis. Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester have taken on tough competition and <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=1&homeawaysit=1&shotattsit=1&names=&team=STL&pos=6&xaxis=1&yaxis=16&caxis=6&saxis=4&panel=&usedaterange=0&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2014-11-04&splitseasons=0">often has come out ahead in terms of possession per War on Ice.</a> He plays in all situations, and he's been fairly productive with six points in eleven games. The only downside to his start to this season is a negative relative Corsi%. I think that has to do with having <span>Kevin Shattenkirk</span> - who has been St. Louis' most productive blueliner - and his partner (now Carl Gunnarson) doing so well in their matchups. Whoever draws this pairing should be prepared to have a battle on their hands.</p>
<p><b>The Frightening Thing is that The Blues Can Be Better: </b>The Blues play in a tough Central Division and have a very strong roster on paper. What surprised me almost as much as their low success rate on penalty killing was who <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?season=20142015&gameType=2&team=STL&position=S&country=&status=&viewName=summary">I didn't see with a lot of points.</a> <span>David Backes</span> hasn't been bad but only has three goals so far. <span>T.J. Oshie</span> has been out with a concussion but he's had no goals and only one assist in eight games before then. Patrik Berglund scored his first of the season last night and also had only one assist. In spite of a potent power play, Jay Bouwemeester had zero points before finally getting one (a goal) in New York.</p>
<p>The Blues simply haven't scored a lot of goals. They only have scored 27, which puts them well into the lower third of the league right now. Once you get past Tarasenko's hotness and <span>Jaden Schwartz</span> with five goals, the goal scoring is spread pretty thin. Thanks to the goaltending (and the defense), it hasn't prevented them from getting results. My point is that this team absolutely can put up more; I just think their sticks are relatively cold. That should be the fear if you're a fan of another Central Division team. When they start scoring - <span>Paul Stastny</span> returning would be a big help (<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/tomtimm/status/529327810830434304">and it may not be tonight</a>) - and improve that PK, they're going to be a remarkably difficult opponent. As for the Devils, well, I'm glad they get their two games against them right out of the way now.</p>
<p><b>Welcome Back, Bernier: </b>Enough touting of a really good Blues team. Let's focus on the Devils. Their big moves today involved Albany. The Devils sent <span>Reid Boucher</span> down and has recalled Steve Bernier. As Bernier lined up on <a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/bernier-recalled-tootoo-back-at-practice-cammalleri-havlat-still-out-clemmensen-to-go-on-waivers-1.1125392">the fourth line in Monday's practice per Tom Gulitti's report at Fire & Ice</a>, I would expect him to appear at the Rock tonight. This is supposed to be the part where I go on and on about this kind of move. Truthfully, I'm unmoved. Boucher wasn't doing much in his call up. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/boxscore?id=2014020157">He played 6:44 against Columbus</a> and didn't really do too much outside of a few shooting attempts. Bernier will likely play about that much, maybe a bit more, and if he fires a few pucks, then nothing is lost. Furthermore, if the choice is between Bernier or Jordin Tootoo, who did return to practice, then I'd rather have Bernier at this moment. Tootoo has been a net negative on the ice; Bernier has shown he can at least not cause the team damage in past games. Besides, it's not like the fourth line is likely going to be the difference maker tonight. So I'm fine with this move.</p>
<p><b>More Forward Switching: </b>More curious was what Peter DeBoer did within the top nine. With Mike Cammalleri and <span>Martin Havlat</span> still out, two new combinations were tried out. Fans of <span>Jacob Josefson</span> should be thrilled that he was centering a line of Ryane Clowe and <span>Damien Brunner</span>. Going from a line that plays about 7-10 minutes to a line that will likely play 11-13 is a step up. I'm concerned about that line's defensive capabilities. Clowe isn't fast, Brunner isn't defensively sound, and Josefson can only do so much with that. But since it's a home game, Peter DeBoer can and likely will try to protect them as much as possible.</p>
<p>That move was made because Adam Henrique was moved up to play with Patrik Elias and <span>Michael Ryder</span>. In practice, Gulitti noted that Elias and Henrique switched off at wing. Perhaps this is a move to have Elias "get going," as he only has the one goal, five assists, and seventeen shots. I don't think that's bad production, per se, but I would like to see a bit more offense from #26. Henrique has been quite productive, as he currently leads the team in scoring. So that's a possibility. I would really like to see the move help Ryder out more. He's got a fantastic release on his shot, so much so that I'd like him put up more than the fifteen shots on net he currently has in eleven games.</p>
<p><b>Schneider is #1, But Who is #2?: </b>To the surprise of nobody, Cory Schneider will start tonight's game with the same defense in front of him. (Go Adam Larsson.) <a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/deboer-won-t-commit-to-when-he-ll-use-devils-backup-clemmensen-understands-demotion-1.1125598">Gulitti confirmed it in this Fire & Ice post.</a> However, that post notes that Scott Clemmensen was put on waivers on Monday. Should he clear, he could be re-assigned to Albany. (Not immediately, but New Jersey has the option for thirty days or ten games, if I recall correctly) That would open up a spot for <span>Keith Kinkaid</span> to be called up. Kinkaid has been excellent so far with the A-Devs, <a target="_blank" href="http://theahl.com/stats/player.php?id=4221">posting a 93.1% overall save percentage in six games.</a> I think this move will happen, but just before the road back-to-back on Thursday and Friday. There, I would think Kinkaid will get the first non-Schneider start of the season for New Jersey.</p>
<p><b>Still Concerned About the PK: </b>While I said the Devils' goal should be to make the most out of their power play, the converse may be true for St. Louis. The penalty kill only got beaten once on Saturday and I didn't think that wasn't that bad overall compared to previous efforts this season. Yet, it's still vulnerable. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=powerPlayPercentage&viewName=powerPlay">St. Louis' power play had a success rate of 20.5% prior to Monday's game</a>; they can and have done some damage with the man advantage. So I'm hoping the skaters don't take any stupid fouls. One to deny someone a scoring chance is one thing, it's the ones that come from someone being lazy or lost their cool that worry me.</p>
<p><b>Lastly: </b>The Blues' Fenwick% in close-score 5-on-5 play last season<a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=2&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&xaxis=1&yaxis=5&saxis=46&caxis=2&start0=20132014&end0=20132014&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2014-11-04&splitseasons=1&tablegroup=1"> was 53.12% per War on Ice.</a> This was one of the better possession rates in the league. Before Monday's game, <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=2&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&xaxis=1&yaxis=5&saxis=46&caxis=2&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2014-11-04&splitseasons=1&tablegroup=1">the Blues are at 53.15% per War on Ice.</a> It doesn't currently rate as high, but it's still mark representative of a truly solid team. Keep this in mind if the Devils do struggle with generating clean exits into the neutral zone and entries from the neutral zone. I would expect the Blues to continue to give the Devils problems on that front, given their strong possession percentages.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2014/11/3/7145667/a-look-at-the-new-jersey-devils-zone-exits-and-entries">And if you don't know much about the Devils' issues with exits and entries</a>, then I implore you to read up what Ryan wrote yesterday about them. There's a lot to learn and understand. I highly recommend it.</p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>The Devils certainly don't have an easy game or an easy time this week as it's the first of three games in four nights this week. The Blues may be a good team, but they played 65 minutes last night. Can the Devils take advantage? Is there an advantage? What do you think the Devils can do, if anything, against Tarasenko? Can the Devils somehow find a way to get</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2014/11/4/7152931/new-jersey-devils-st-louis-blues-game-preview-12John Fischer