Lichtenstein: Devils' Offense Still A Struggle At Even Strength

By Steve Lichtenstein
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Where are the goals?

In the run-up to the regular season, the Devils promised to turn the Prudential Center into a figurative red-light district.

After a last-place finish in goals per game and shots on goal per game, the Devils' attack was beefed up by the summer acquisition of star left wing Taylor Hall, the ascendency of gifted 19-year-old center Pavel Zacha, and the return to health of veteran left wing Mike Cammalleri. Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri also came back after each netted 30 goals last season.

Though the season is only in its toddler stage, the Devils were in familiar territory going into Tuesday's home game against Arizona -- last in the NHL with eight goals scored (and only four while playing 5-on-5) in their first five games.

It's tough to win when you haven't put the puck in the net more than two times in any of the games. I shudder to think where they'd have been if not for the beastly performances of Hall, who notched the overtime winner against the Wild on Saturday to bring the Devils' record up to 2-2-1.

Hall won't be able to carry the team on his back over the long term, however. Only four of New Jersey's 20 skaters registered a goal prior to Tuesday.

Thank goodness for the Coyotes, a ragtag group limping into its fifth straight road game in a week.

Hall and Travis Zajac each scored twice while Henrique became the fifth Devil to light the lamp this season as New Jersey prevailed 5-3, the team's third consecutive win at home.

The outburst came at an opportune moment. The Devils were two minutes away from overtime after coughing up a 3-1 third-period lead when Zajac potted his pair, one on a relatively soft power play wrister and the other into an empty net.

Which is why Tuesday's game shouldn't be taken as anything more than a one-off. The underlying issues haven't evaporated like fall fog.

The Devils' next four contests will prove to be tougher tests. New Jersey hosts a back-to-back against Chicago and Tampa Bay over the weekend before making its second Florida trip of the season to face the Panthers and Lightning.

Two goals per game probably won't cut it. It's up to coach John Hynes to fix the team's chemistry problems that appear to stem from both the normal meshing of a half dozen new faces into the team's core and his constant line juggling that has made it difficult for the individual players to sync with each other.

For example, Zacha, the Devils' 2015 first-round draft choice who has been one of the team's most creative forces on the ice, has been all over the place. It wasn't Zacha's fault that neither Beau Bennett nor Devante Smith-Pelly could cash in on several glorious set-ups in prior games.

I applauded Hynes for recognizing Zacha's dynamism by promoting him to the top line with Hall and Palmieri. Against Arizona, Zacha had primary assists on Hall's two goals.

Midway through the first period, Zacha stood up Arizona's 6-foot-6 mountain of a man Martin Hanzal at the right faceoff circle and adroitly kicked the puck to Hall behind him. Hall took a quick step to the middle of the ice and beat goaltender Justin Peters with a high wrist shot to tie the score at 1.

On Hall's second goal, Zacha made the pass to the left wing, where Hall first tipped the puck past defenseman Luke Schenn before swatting it past Peters.

The line was generating chances galore, but maybe Hynes thought he needed to spread the wealth. So by the third period Zacha was bumped in favor of Henrique and what should have been a coast to the finish line turned into a dogfight, decided by an iffy penalty called on Arizona defenseman Connor Murphy with 2:40 to go.

Fortunately, Hynes kept Zacha on the first power play unit. While it was Hall's crisp pass across the ice that set up the winner, Zajac would not have been that open were it not for Zacha driving hard to the net, taking Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson with him.

Like last season, I find it odd that New Jersey's power play is again ranked in the league's top 10 given the team's difficulties scoring in all other situations. The Devils went 2-for-3 with the man advantage against the Coyotes to increase their efficiency to 23.8 percent.

Defenseman Damon Severson has four power play assists on the season, but has not produced a point at even strength. The five other defensemen have combined to contribute a grand total of three points (all assists) so far this year.

It's not just the d-men's ineffectiveness in the offensive zone that is holding the Devils back. They haven't been sharp with their breakout passes, a key stimulant to any team's transition game, either.

Severson, Ben Lovejoy, John Moore, Kyle Quincey and even captain Andy Greene have all had trouble clearing the puck out of danger, never mind threading needles to ignite counter rushes. Rookie Yohann Auvitu, the sixth defenseman, may be the Devils' best passer from the back end.

Rookie Steve Santini has not yet cracked the lineup (he is expected to be sent down to Albany on Wednesday for the second time in a week), but Hynes may want to give him a shot soon to determine his fitness as a puck-mover.

With Hall and goaltender Cory Schneider, who again is playing at an All-Star level, leading the way, the Devils have gotten off to an acceptable start. Every game has been winnable. If they can just figure out a way to bolster their offense, they'll produce more favorable outcomes.

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