The New Jersey Devils were shut out by the Boston Bruins by a score of 3-0 in Monday's afternoon Slate. They had a tough time generating offense against the Bruins stifling defense, as they were not able to create that many scoring chances in this game. Goaltender Nico Daws stood on his head throughout this one as he made 33 saves on 35 shots. He gave the Devils a chance to win this game, but the Devils had no answer offensively against Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman. This is a bitter loss for the Devils as they were coming off a monumental win against the Panthers on Saturday night.
In other news, defenseman Brendan Smith left the game during the 1st Period and never returned. He suffered a leg injury according to head coach, Lindy Ruff. Smith collided knee-to-knee with Boston's Charlie McAvoy. He will be evaluated. In Smith's absence, defenseman Luke Hughes stepped up and finished Monday's game with 28:10 minutes of ice time which was the most in his career. This is not good news for the Devils as they have already been battling with a lot of injuries on the blue line this season.
Nico Daws Has Looked Special
Daws has made a name for himself since being called up from Utica. He had missed a large portion of the season for the Utica Comets as he needed hip surgery in the off-season. Daws recently returned to action in December and was called up to the Devils on December 27th.
Daws has looked impressive in his short time with the Devils, especially in his last two starts. Over his last two starts, he has put up a .958 Save Percentage and a 1.50 Goals Against Average against two of the best teams in the NHL. In those two starts, Daws averaged a +2.54 Goals Saved Above Expected according to, MoneyPuck.
Daws has shown confidence, poise, and determination. Daws had to make a lot of big saves in Monday's game against Boston. The score could've easily been 8-0 if it wasn't for the countless remarkable saves Daws had to make.
Two things that come to notice about Daws are his strong rebound control and the ability to use his stick. A big problem with Devils goaltenders this season has been the lack of rebound control, which has led to many goals by the opposing team. Daws has shown the ability to control the puck well. Daws has also used his stick very often in high-danger scoring opportunities. He has been able to eliminate countless scoring chances by using his stick to poke-check the puck away from opposing players.
Nico Daws has surely looked special so far for the Devils. They may have found their goaltender if he keeps playing like this. Look for the Devils to keep starting Daws until he gives them a reason not to.
The Bruins Have Been The Devils Kryptonite
It is no secret the Devils have had their struggles throughout the last three seasons against the Boston Bruins. They are 1-8-0 against the Bruins in the last three seasons, which is not a pretty stat. The Bruins have been a great team for a long time now, but it is a question of why the Devils can't figure out the Killer B's.
A common theme the Devils have faced when going against the Boston Bruins over the last three years is scoring goals. In the nine games the Devils have faced off against the Bruins in the last 3 seasons, they have averaged only 1.66 goals a game. They seem to always have a tough time getting pucks in the net against the Bruins.
The Devils use their speed to generate offense, but the Bruins can shut that down. Every time these two teams meet, the Bruins are always well-positioned, they are strong on the puck, and they bring the physicality that makes it hard for the Devils to use their speed much. It also doesn't help that the Bruins have arguably had the best goaltender tandem in the league with Ullmark and Swayman during most of that 9-Game Stretch.
The Devils better hope they don't run into the Bruins if they make the playoffs. Otherwise, it may be a rough outing for them come playoff time.
Time To Make A Trade
The Devils have already lost Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, and potentially Brendan Smith all indefinitely to injury. They may have the forward depth to overcome injuries, but their depth on the blue line is in question.
If Smith is out for a while, the Devils could slot in Cal Foote who they signed to a one-year contract during the off-season. They could also resort to a call-up from Utica with someone like Santeri Hatakka, who showed a lot of promise during Devils training camp leading up to this season.
It may not be a smart decision to resort to another one of these young defensemen who have little to no NHL experience. The Devils already have two rookie defensemen with Hughes and Simon Nemec who have both shown a lot of promise, but they have had their handful of struggles adjusting to the NHL. Adding another young defenseman would only make this Devils' blue line more inexperienced.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald should look into a trade for an experienced and proven defenseman. The Devils could use someone who has experience, who can play big minutes every game, and someone who can give you a nice balance of strong defensive and offensive play.
A few defensemen the Devils may want to target are, Chris Tanev of the Calgary Flames, Noah Hanifin of the Calgary Flames, and Mike Matheson of the Montreal Canadiens. All three defensemen have proven themselves in the NHL and would be a great addition to the Devils. Both the Flames and Canadiens are playing subpar hockey and may look to move some players at the trade deadline.
The Devils have been surviving through these injuries, but how much more can they take? A trade for a defenseman could be beneficial.
The Devils are back home Wednesday night as they take on the Montreal Canadiens.
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