All About The Jersey - New Jersey Devils vs. Arizona Coyotes: Game Stream #60A world class blog for Jersey's team: the New Jersey Devilshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47083/lou-fave.png2015-02-24T00:00:13-05:00http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/rss/stream/78488462015-02-24T00:00:13-05:002015-02-24T00:00:13-05:00Schneider Starred in Devils 3-0 Shutout of Coyotes
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<img alt="This goal pretty much sucked a lot of wind out of Arizona's sails. Murphy being on the ground and Smith getting beaten like this is a good picture for Arizona's season." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eVCOwxXBEOJmBZ_Iww8zeCTSFL8=/0x0:3727x2485/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45759178/usa-today-8402031.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>This goal pretty much sucked a lot of wind out of Arizona's sails. Murphy being on the ground and Smith getting beaten like this is a good picture for Arizona's season. | Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Cory Schneider made 38 saves as the New Jersey Devils shutout the Arizona Coyotes 3-0. This game recap praises Schneider, criticizes two-thirds of the blueline that conceded 38 shots, and has many more observations of the Devils' fourth straight win.</p> <p>Tonight was another night where the best player for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a> wore #35 on his back. <span>Cory Schneider</span> has proven to be the brightest silver lining in this dark grey cloud of a season. His latest accomplishment was shutting out the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fiveforhowling.com/">Arizona Coyotes</a> in a 3-0 victory. Arizona is one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. However, they made Schneider earn this shutout the hard way with a whopping 38 shots on net. Schneider stopped them all from everywhere, sometimes even with the help of his skaters. It wasn't a large crowd at The Rock and it was even smaller as people left early for one reason or another, but those who remained gave Schneider the standing ovation he deserved.</p>
<p>Witnessing a goaltender make a lot of saves in a winning effort is always deserving of praise - for the goalie. For the rest of the team, not so much. The Devils got beaten in the possession department for two periods, including a second period performance more reminiscent of the abysmal hockey they played for two weeks after the All Star Game. The neutral zone was seemingly an optional area for both teams to freely skate through. Alas, Arizona took New Jersey's offensive turnovers and defensive struggles and turned it into offense. The first wasn't as bad as the second and the third was better in that the Devils actually kept Arizona honest or at least stopped them from doing as they wished. Say what you want about score effects, but conceding 38 to the third worst team in hockey is worthy of at least a little wince.</p>
<p>A deeper dive into who took the shots does dull some of that pain. Nineteen of those thirty-eight shots came from the Coyotes' defensmen. <span>Keith Yandle</span> and <span>Oliver Ekman-Larsson</span> were Arizona's leading shooters in terms of volume, but it means that Schneider had to stop a lot of shots from distance, which aren't that difficult. Arizona would try to crash the net a few times, but they didn't get many shots from the middle of the ice. As poor as the Devils looked on defense at times, they were consistently good at cleaning up rebounds (and in one case, clearing a puck from the crease - thank you, <span>Marek Zidlicky</span>) so Schneider didn't have to deal with too many second-chance attempts. It's still a lot of work and Schneider was great in stopping all of them. Arizona had a handful of excellent opportunities but just only a handful. It is not to say that it was a massive one-against-all game like some of those periods and games from that horrid two-week span. Though parts of the second period made it feel that way.</p>
<p>It also helped that Schneider had goals to work with. The Devils offense wavered between looking strong and conceding pucks away for Arizona to take advantage of. They still put up 28 shots on net, which is better than average for them. Some of those twenty eight shots forced massive glove saves, such as two robberies by <span>Mike Smith</span> on <span>Mike Cammalleri</span>. I can easily say that Smith had the saves of the night. I can also easily say that Smith gave up two bad goals. <span>Scott Gomez</span> beat him five-hole (!) with a backhander (!!) in a one-on-one started by stealing the puck from <span>Jordan Martinook</span> for the game's first goal. As the Coyotes were searching for an equalizer, Cammalleri torched <span>Michael Stone</span> and <span>Connor Murphy</span> took a bad angle, essentially another one-on-one. Smith was beaten high by a sweet backhander. He knew it was a bad goal to allow, especially when his team was banging on the door, hoping for a friend named Opportunity. Smith can't score goals, but he doesn't help his team when he gives up goals like the ones he did tonight. I'd like to think the Arizona fans watching him from afar were chanting "You suck" at him after those goals too. In a big contrast, Schneider was just too good to be beaten much less by such goals, Cammalleri tacked on an empty netter, and that's the game.</p>
<p>The Devils have now won four in a row. This makes their homestand a mathematical success as they won more than half of their potential games. Unfortunately, they'll be playing some better teams next, which should bring them back down to some kind of reality. For now, fans should appreciate and celebrate Schneider's shutout performance. He can be considered elite, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/2/20/8072767/cory-schneider-is-elite">as CJ would state.</a> He can be considered the best Devils player in 2014-15. Tonight was just another example.</p>
<p><b>The Game Stats: </b>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/GS020892.HTM">NHL.com Game Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/ES020892.HTM">NHL.com Event Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/PL020892.HTM">NHL.com Play By Play Log</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/SS020892.HTM">NHL.com Shot Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH020892.HTM">NHL.com Devils Time on Ice Report</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20142015&game=20892">Natural Stat Trick Corsi Charts</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/game2.html?seasongcode=2014201520892">War on Ice Game Stats</a></p>
<p><b>The Opposition Opinion: </b>The Coyotes lost their sixth game in a row. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fiveforhowling.com/2015/2/23/8095143/arizona-vs-new-jersey-devils-coyotes-final-box-score-recap">Jason Bartel has this recap of it at Five for Howling.</a></p>
<p><b>The Game Highlights: </b>There were highlights tonight per this video from NHL.com. Cammalleri's goal was especially nice:</p>
<p align="center"><iframe height="395" width="640" frameborder="0" src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=2014020892-X-h"></iframe></p>
<p><b>The Best Forward: </b>Mike Cammalleri made his presence felt. He had five shots on net, nearly scored on two of them only to be denied at the last moment by Smith's glove, and did score on two of them. While he spent more time defending than otherwise, he was on the prowl when the play did go forward. Cammalleri is one of New Jersey's top shooters and when he's able to find the target, his importance is clear. I'd say he was the best forward on the Devils tonight, even as he notched another ENG to boost his goal total. That's not a criticism, it's important to get the empty netter than risk the opposition attempt a desperate comeback.</p>
<p><b>The Best Defenseman: </b>For those wondering why fans have been so gush with praise for <span>Adam Larsson</span>, tonight's game would serve as a fine example. Larsson brought it from the offensive end with four shots out of eight attempts. Granted, three attempts being blocked doesn't help much but Larsson firing them away is a good thing. Arizona's defense made a point of it to go hard in the corners and stop an attack with a simple outlet pass down low to get out of traffic and hopefully catch three Devils in deep as the play goes away. The pointmen weren't so heavily defended, so Larsson picking up on that and using that is a good thing helps. He did pick up a secondary assist on the empty netter, though his assist was a poke of the puck off the glass that Gionta turned to an open Cammalleri for the score. Not an actual pass. No matter, it is a point.</p>
<p>Defensively, Larsson was very good. He was in good positions to make plays. He didn't get caught out on many (or any?) rushes against the Devils. He didn't take any penalties or put himself in a position where he had to foul. He didn't even take all that many hits. In a game where the Coyotes out-attempted the Devils 38-49 at evens, it was even at 19 when Larsson was on the ice. And, as usual with <span>Andy Greene</span>, he didn't face weak competition; they went up against Arizona's top line of <span>Antoine Vermette</span>, <span>Shane Doan</span>, and <span>Lucas Lessio</span> as well as Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Keith Yandle. Coming out even in a game where the opposition tilted the ice quite a bit is big for a defender. Overall, Larsson had a very good night. It's not just simple confidence; I think he's figured it out.</p>
<p><b>The Defensive Struggles: </b>If this game was a great example of Larsson playing well, then it was also a great example of some other defenders having some terrible games. <span>Peter Harrold</span> and <span>Eric Gelinas</span> was a constant adventure as a pairing, especially in the second period. Seeing Gelinas take the wrong side of an on-coming defender, approach an attacker Harrold already had, missing easy passes, and reacting slowly to what was going around him was just a sore sight for eyes. Gelinas only registered one shot on net. He was benched for most of the third period after a bizarre decision to rush up ice to join an attack that didn't need him, only to wipe out to not help the attack except to help Arizona end said attack. <a href="https://twitter.com/TGfireandice/status/570058024318078977" target="_blank">He may have his tweaked his ankle per this Tweet by Tom Gulitti</a>, but his performance warranted limited ice time.</p>
<p>Harrold demonstrated why he gets so much flack from the fans. He's either too slow to react or he tends to hesitate on the puck. This causes opponents to get to him or at least force him to make a dubious mistake. Like making a D-to-D pass across the slot with two Coyotes lunging forward. Or facing the goal on a shot, such that it rebounded off him - thankfully away from the net. He even came close to pulling a Lyle Odelien. All that and he generated very little to go forward. He was less of a basketcase on the ice when he wasn't with Gelinas in the third period, which may be a clue.</p>
<p>As for the pairing of <span>Jon Merrill</span> and Marek Zidlicky, well, they were underwhelming. Zidlicky showed off to the Rock (and <a href="https://twitter.com/TGfireandice/status/569965125551173633" target="_blank">the many scouts that attended this game</a>) that he's more than willing to take a terrible penalty (hauling down Joe Vitale. Joe Vitale!) to follow a bad moment (a bouncing puck going past him to start a power play). He's also willing to not shoot after a few games where he was doing just that. He wasn't all that strong in his own end either. When Zidlicky isn't doing well, Merrill isn't also going to do as well. He gave up a heinous turnover early in the first period that yielded a big stop from Schneider, his passes were all over the place, and he was pinned back a lot so trying to play out of it didn't help. It was a night where I wonder what some people see in Merrill. In any case, the Coyotes loved the 2-7 pairing tonight; a reason as to why the Coyotes put 38 shots on net.</p>
<p><b>Special Teams No's & Woes: </b>The power play was woeful. The first one did nothing but garner deserved boos. The second one ended quickly thanks to Zidlicky. They had no shots on net. The penalty kill wasn't so woeful. While the Coyotes got seven shots on net (and a post) out of three advantages, the Devils would hit back with some shorthanded rushes, got one on net, and got plenty of clearances beyond the first one. Schneider was clearly important on the PK, but the Devils defense cleaned up well enough and the forwards were smart to go forward as needed - especially on the third kill.</p>
<p><b>The Wave: </b>Yes, there was a wave going on in the arena. It wasn't a big crowd, but something about the Cammalleri goal got them warm. And the wave really got everyone going. It went around seven times, even through breaks in the action and through part of the third penalty kill. This is where I'm supposed to say how lame that is and it's dumb but that would be stupid. The Devils are a bad team, they didn't play a particularly strong game against the third-worst team in hockey, ticket prices are expected to rise, and the season is lost. So the crowd had some fun anyway. Wave on.</p>
<p><b>Invisible 68: </b>No shots and not much done by <span>Jaromir Jagr</span> tonight. I know he was moved down and his minutes was reduced, but seriously, nothing from #68 is a bit sad to see. I know he can make a real impact in a game. I know other teams probably would like to some sign of that from him should they want him in less than a week.</p>
<p><b>Pest: </b><span>Stephen Gionta</span> didn't make a huge mark on the game, but they got under somebody's skin. Gionta was in plenty of physical encounters and drew an inteference call by <span>Brandon Gormley</span> in an attempt to break on through to goal in the second period. The fourth line was a bit better tonight. Gionta getting back to drawing a call or two is a good thing in terms of getting back to his old form.</p>
<p><b>Lastly: </b>That second goal really took some wind out of the Coyotes and the Devils defended their two goal lead better than they defended their one goal lead. It was as if the Devils became able to deny Arizona advances early. Able to make things a little more difficult in the middle of the ice. Able to keep them honest with shots against Smith. I would have liked more of the latter, but the Devils should emulate that more than how they played only up 1-0. That won't work against better teams.</p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>The Devils have won their fourth straight, largely on the back of Schneider. The goals Gomez and Cammalleri scored were nice and very nice, respectively. The third period was good enough, especially after the bad second period. What was your take on the game overall? Do you agree with my choices for the best Devils forward and defenseman in this game? What do you make of the struggles of the other defenders? What else did you notice? If you were there, did you take part of the wave? Please leave your answers and other thoughts on tonight's game in the comments.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who commented in the Gamethread and followed <a href="http://www.twitter.com/inlouwetrust" target="_blank">@InLouWeTrust</a> on Twitter. Thank you for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/2/24/8097655/cory-schneider-starred-new-jersey-devils-3-0-shutout-over-arizona-coyotesJohn Fischer2015-02-23T18:00:02-05:002015-02-23T18:00:02-05:00Devils vs Coyotes: Gamethread #60
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<p>This is the gamethread for today's game between the New Jersey Devils and the Arizona Coyotes. This is a post where users can discuss what happens before, during, and after the game until the recap is up.</p> <p><strong>The Time:</strong> 7:00 PM EST</p>
<p><strong>The Broadcast:</strong> TV: MSG+ , Radio: 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN</p>
<p><strong>The Matchup:</strong> The <a href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link" style="background-color: #ffffff;">New Jersey Devils</a> (24-26-9) vs. The <a href="https://www.fiveforhowling.com/?_ga=1.3327472.1749005384.1424711927">Arizona Coyotes</a> (20-32-7) SBN Blog: <a href="http://www.fiveforhowling.com/?_ga=1.8129138.1749005384.1424711927">Five for Howling.</a></p>
<p><strong>The Game Previews: </strong> John's preview from earlier <a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/2/23/8083037/new-jersey-devils-vs-arizona-coyotes-game-preview-59">is right here.</a> For the opposition's point of view, feel free to drop by <a href="http://www.fiveforhowling.com/?_ga=1.8129138.1749005384.1424711927">Five for Howling.</a></p>
<p><strong>The Song for Tonight: </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eeVU256e4U">"Coping with the Urban Coyote" by Unida.</a> Bonus full album for tonight! Think of it as a "how to" when it comes to dealing with the Canis Latrans and his gang when they show up in Newark.</p>
<p><strong>Gameday Info:</strong> <span>Cory Schneider</span> will get the start in net for the Devils tonight. <span>Martin Havlat</span>, <span>Michael Ryder</span> and <span>Mark Fraser</span> will be scratched for the game. <a href="http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/fireice/" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Check in</a> with Tom Gulitti for this and all the latest NJ Devils news.</p>
<p><strong>The Reminder of Rules: </strong>This is a place where you can comment about this game before, during, and after it's played before the recap is up. This is a place where we <em>primarily</em> discuss the Devils game. An odd mention of other NHL games is OK, but it shouldn't dominate discussion. All comments will be clean, respectful of each other, relevant to the game, and legal (read: no streams). Please refrain from super-big pictures (640 x 480 max) and NO .GIFs whatsoever to keep the gamethread moving for everyone. If you do post pictures make sure to post a title in the comment. Go Devils.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/2/23/8091723/new-jersey-devils-vs-arizona-coyotes-gamethread-60JT Sroka2015-02-23T07:04:02-05:002015-02-23T07:04:02-05:00Devils vs. Coyotes: Game Preview #60
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<img alt="Connor Murphy broke his stick on this shot. Bummer." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RFMIbmryF6pkx-vrHDgsfwqpvjw=/0x0:2485x1657/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45742220/usa-today-8384687.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Connor Murphy broke his stick on this shot. Bummer. | Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The New Jersey Devils will look to get a fourth win in a row when they host another bad hockey team: the Arizona Coyotes. This game preview points out what's bad about Arizona and who the Devils should target for match-ups among other points.</p> <p>Rise like an Arizona from the ashes...no that's not it. Nevermind.</p>
<p><b>The Time: </b>7:00 PM EST</p>
<p><b>The Broadcast: </b>TV - MSG+; 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> (24-26-9) vs. the <a href="https://www.fiveforhowling.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Coyotes</a> (20-32-7; SBN Blog: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fiveforhowling.com">Five for Howling</a>)</p>
<p><b>The Last Devils Game: </b>On Saturday night, the Devils continued their six game homestand by hosting Carolina. The Devils weren't perfect, but the <a href="https://www.canescountry.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Hurricanes</a> out-shined the Devils with their own perfection. In the first period, they were turnover happy and defensively sad. The Devils made them suffer. Adam Larsson kicked things off with a blast that <span>Tuomo Ruutu</span> got a piece of for the game's first goal. <span>Adam Henrique</span> torched <span>John-Michael Liles</span> to get a bouncing puck and he beat <span>Anton Khudobin</span> one-on-one to make it 2-0. In the final minute, a three-on-two rush paid off big when <span>Jordin Tootoo</span> rounded the net and found a wide-open <span>Andy Greene</span> cutting to the middle for a one-timer to make it 3-0. The Canes sharpened up their game at that point to avoid the blowout, though the Devils kept them honest in the second period. In the third, the Devils hung back as the Canes got opportunities to attack over and over. An open <span>Jeff Skinner</span> in the slot would get Carolina on the board. But that would be it, despite New Jersey's struggles at defending a 5-on-6 situation for over three and a half minutes. The Devils won their third in a row by a 3-1 score. <a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/2/22/8084201/first-period-flurry-new-jersey-devils-enough-stop-carolina-hurricanes" target="_blank">Here's my recap of the victory.</a></p>
<p><b>The Last Coyotes Game: </b>While the Devils were beating Carolina on the strength of a strong first period, the Coyotes hosted Tampa Bay. Would the Coyotes avoid a fifth straight loss? The home team got off to a decent enough start and finished the first period 1-0 due to a blast from <span>Michael Stone</span>. The <a href="https://www.rawcharge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lightning</a> struck back in the second period, though. Ondrej Palat got open during a four-minute power play and he ended the second minor to make it 1-1. Arizona was a mess in the second period with only three shots on net, which gave the Lightning more time to attack and take the lead. They did just that when <span>Ryan Callahan</span> got a fortunate backhander past <span>Mike Smith</span>. Early in the third, the Lightning appeared to begin to close out the game when Palat took the puck into the zone himself, warded off a defender, and scored to make it 1-3. But the Coyotes would fight back and turn it into a one-shot game. Mark Acrobello stole a puck from <span>Steven Stamkos</span>, went in on a breakaway, and scored to make it 2-3. Alas, the Coyotes couldn't get one more past <span>Ben Bishop</span>, <span>Keith Yandle</span> took a costly tripping penalty, and Stamkos put home a power play empty-netter to seal a win for Tampa Bay. Arizona did indeed lose their fifth straight game. <a href="http://www.fiveforhowling.com/2015/2/21/8083649/tampa-bay-lightning-arizona-coyotes-game-recap-no-shock" target="_blank">Seth Juneac at Five for Howling has this recap of the loss.</a></p>
<p><b>The Goal: </b>Fire away and keep firing away. One of the reasons why Arizona is so low in the standings is that the goaltending has been dire. <a href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&xaxis=3&yaxis=27&saxis=41&caxis=4&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2015-02-22&splitseasons=1&usedaterange=0&tablegroup=1" target="_blank">According to War on Ice</a>, the team's save percentage at even strength is one of the lowest in the league at 90.7%. Mike Smith has been the main man for the Coyotes and, per the NHL, <a href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?season=20142015&gameType=2&team=ARI&position=G&country=&status=&viewName=summary#" target="_blank">he has one of the lowest overall save percentages for a starting goaltender at 89.5%.</a> <span>Devan Dubnyk</span> was doing better but he has since been traded, leaving Arizona even weaker at the #2 spot. Considering that <a href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html" target="_blank">Arizona has a poor CF% according to War on Ice</a> and <a href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/team?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=avgShotsAgainstPerGame&viewName=summary" target="_blank">they're in the bottom third in average shots against per game</a>, the poor play of Smith has undercut the Coyotes' season dramatically. The Devils should strive to make Smith work hard just as they made Anton Khudobin work hard for two periods on Saturday. Goals can be had and then the Devils can be in a position to cruise as opposed to scramble for a result. This means dumping the puck in less and taking shots when they're open instead of making an additional pass or move for what may not really be available. This will lead to the goals they so desire and the ones that Washington will likely concede.</p>
<p><b>You Know What Goes Great With a Bad Save Percentage & a Bad Corsi For Percentage?: </b>A bad shooting percentage! The Coyotes are just below Carolina for the league's lowest shooting percentage at even strength <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&xaxis=3&yaxis=27&saxis=41&caxis=4&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2015-02-22&splitseasons=1&usedaterange=0&tablegroup=1">according to War on Ice:</a> 6.2%. If we include all situations, <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&xaxis=3&yaxis=27&saxis=41&caxis=4&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2015-02-22&splitseasons=1&usedaterange=0&tablegroup=1">then Arizona moves past Carolina and only Carolina in shooting percentage</a> with 7.5%. Even the Devils have a superior shooting percentage than that - their lack of goals come from the lack of shots. The short summary of why the Coyotes are where they are is that they aren't good in possession and even worse in the percentages. That's a recipe for a lot of losses and so the Coyotes faithful are already wondering who would be good at third or fourth overall.</p>
<p><b>The Exception: </b>Arizona does have one team stat that demands awareness: their power play. Arizona actually has the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/team?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=powerPlayPercentage&viewName=summary">fifth most successful conversion rate in the league</a> prior to Sunday night's games. Their 22.1% success rate is an anomaly since the Coyotes don't score a lot at all. <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=4&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=5&xaxis=3&yaxis=27&saxis=41&caxis=4&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2015-02-22&splitseasons=1&usedaterange=0&tablegroup=5">After looking a bit deeper at War on Ice</a>, it's not just the fact that Arizona actually has a decent shooting percentage in man-advantage situations. They're third in the league in shots for per sixty minutes (59.4), right behind the amazing and terrifying Washington and San Jose power plays. This means that their personnel understands their formation and runs it very well. Their <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/game?season=20142015&gameType=2&team=ARI&viewName=gameSummary">power play has been scoreless in their last three games</a>, but prior to that a PPG was a common occurrence by the Coyotes. If the Devils want to help themselves, then avoiding unnecessary fouls to keep their strong man advantage off the ice is key.</p>
<p><b>A Small Plea: </b>By the way, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/team?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAALL&sort=timesShort&viewName=penaltyKill">the Arizona PK is, well, awful and they're on it a lot more than the power play. </a> Please, please, please, Mr. Oates, tell the players to not waste breakouts and zone entries on hard dump-ins around the boards. Tell them not to shoot with killers right in their respective grills. Tell them to keep it simple. The Arizona penalty kill has conceded a lot of goals, nothing exotic or outside of the box will be necessary.</p>
<p><b>Add in Some Injuries and a Bad Team is Worse: </b> Arizona has been missing the services of <span>Mikkel Boedker</span>, <span>Martin Hanzal</span>, and Zybnek Michalek among others. The latter is questionable <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.azcentral.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnhl%2Fcoyotes%2F2015%2F02%2F21%2Fcoyotes-gearing-up-for-throwback-night%2F23815473%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.allaboutthejersey.com%2F2015%2F2%2F23%2F8083037%2Fnew-jersey-devils-vs-arizona-coyotes-game-preview-59" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">according to this post at the Arizona Central by Sarah McLellan</a>; Hanzal has had season-ending surgery, and Boedker has just been out. The loss of Michalek on defense is large. With him, the Coyotes had two defenders who could and did take on tough minutes and come out ahead: <span>Oliver Ekman-Larsson</span> (who's very good and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?season=20142015&gameType=2&team=ARI&position=S&country=&status=&viewName=summary">remarkably active offensively with 192 shots on net</a>) and Michalek. Being down to one only hurts. Hanzal has been a forward who could take on tough competition and come out ahead. His absence has hurt. Boedker hasn't done as well against the tough competition but a team as low-scoring as Arizona misses his 14 goals and 14 assists (in 45 games). Devils fans know that when a team is playing poorly, missing players that could at least contribute positively can have a huge effect. And so Arizona remains near the bottom of the league. (Note: Don't get into a tank battle with Edmonton).</p>
<p><b>So What Should the Devils Do In Light of All of This Other Than Bombing Away on Smith / Other Goalie?: </b>Michalek possibly returning tonight can help stem the bleeding on defense. In general, the strategy would be to have which ever line that doesn't get Ekman-Larsson or Michalek needs to go hard at the defense. Those two are the only ones above 50% CF on Arizona's blueline. Keith Yandle has the points (and the shots, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?season=20142015&gameType=2&team=ARI&position=S&country=&status=&viewName=summary">he's got 170</a>, Arizona loves it's shots from distance) but he's on for points against. <span>Andrew Campbell</span>, Connor Murphy, and Michael Stone hasn't been good in terms of possession. Those are the four to go against, and it may be five should Michalek is out and <span>Brandon Gormley</span> is involved.</p>
<p>From a defensive standpoint, the danger men are, well, Yandle and Ekman-Larsson. They both are leaders on the team in shots, Yandle leads in points with three goals and 36 assists, and Ekman-Larsson has an impressive 17 goals for a defender. At forward, it's thin. <span>Antoine Vermette</span> is the leading producer at forward, but <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.azcentral.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnhl%2Fcoyotes%2F2015%2F02%2F21%2Fcoyotes-gearing-up-for-throwback-night%2F23815473%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.allaboutthejersey.com%2F2015%2F2%2F23%2F8083037%2Fnew-jersey-devils-vs-arizona-coyotes-game-preview-59" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">he hasn't been all that productive recently and he's the subject of trade rumors.</a> His <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&shotattsit=1&names=&team=ARI&pos=5&start1=2014-10-01&xaxis=52&yaxis=84&caxis=9&saxis=91&mintoi=0&tab=2&usedaterange=0&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&end1=2015-02-22&splitseasons=0">47.3 CF% is the worst among Coyotes regulars per War on Ice</a>, so he hasn't been all that good in the possession department. While Jordan Martinook and <span>Mark Arcobello</span> haven't played many games with the Coyotes, they have looked good as Sam Gagner's wings from a possession standpoint. Tobias Reider has joined Arcobello and Gagner for quite a bit <a target="_blank" href="http://leftwinglock.com/line-combinations/arizona-coyotes/?team=arizona-coyotes&strength=EV&gametype=1">per Left Wing Lock.</a> Reider and Gagner each have over 100 shots on net but, alas, not so many goals. The team still has <span>Shane Doan</span>, who can power through but he's not getting any younger and like Vermette, he's playing more defense than offense. Provided the Devils don't get stupid and settle for a cycle of shallow-dump-to-defend-back-to-a-shallow-dump or cough up pucks, they should be able to handle Gagner's unit while limiting whatever Vermette can do.</p>
<p><b>No Lines As We Know Of: </b>As of this writing, the Devils' lineup remains uncertain. They had the day off, <a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/jordin-tootoo-enjoying-every-bit-of-his-increased-role-with-devils-1.1276032">according to the end of this post by Tom Gulitti at Fire & Ice. </a> The Devils won their last three games and their last two games featured the team getting three goal leads. I doubt the co-coaches will make any real changes.</p>
<p>The post by Gulitti I linked to two sentences ago focuses on Jordin Tootoo playing significant minutes. It's remarkable that he's handling it well from an offensive standpoint. It's somewhat refreshing to see a Devils forward just pushing forward to try and make a play. He still remains questionable at best on defense and he's not necessarily going to drive plays forward. Nevertheless, he's making the most of his time with <span>Travis Zajac</span> and <span>Mike Cammalleri</span>. Now, if Zajac and Cammalleri are able to make the play go forward a bit more tonight, then Tootoo can perhaps contribute something else amazing - like the goal he set up for Greene on Saturday.</p>
<p><b>Keep it Up: </b>Adam Larsson may have (correctly) received praise from the fans,<b> </b><span>Marek Zidlicky</span> has been playing well in recent games. I hope he keeps it up; he's so much more dangerous on offense when he's not trying to play checkers when the rest of the team is playing chess. That's where he can provide value to the team and perhaps to someone else. I liked what I saw from the <span>Scott Gomez</span> line too on Saturday. I'd like to see them to do better.</p>
<p><b>Please Do Better: </b>The fourth line stunk after a strong Friday night game, so I'd like them to do more positive things. I'd like to see more than just breakaways from Adam Henrique. Like getting the puck on net when he's close to the crease. I'd also like to see <span>Eric Gelinas</span> and <span>Peter Harrold</span> not have so many adventures, though that's about as likely as hoping the Devils dump the dump-and-chase on power plays. And I'd like to see the Devils keep the opposition honest with the lead for more than just a period after building one up.</p>
<p><b>Lastly: </b>I don't think anyone should be surprised if <span>Cory Schneider</span> starts this one. <span>Keith Kinkaid</span> should be his backup <a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/keith-kinkaid-fine-after-leaving-devils-3-1-win-with-lower-leg-injury-expected-to-back-up-monday-1.1275777">per Lou's comments after Saturday's game.</a></p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>The Devils will strive to make it four in a row while the Coyotes strive to avoid losing six straight. A streak is going to end tonight. Which do you want to see happen? Who do you think the Devils have to be concerned about from Arizona? How would you like the Devils to perform tonight? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's game in the comments. Thank you for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/2/23/8083037/new-jersey-devils-vs-arizona-coyotes-game-preview-59John Fischer