Canadian-Devils clash | Five things to know about the Devils

(New York) The Canadian faces the Devils in Newark on Wednesday. The Press would have liked to attend the Devils’ training on Tuesday, in order to get news from former CH Tyler Toffoli, to check if Jesper Bratt tried colleague Patrick Lagacé’s chicken broth recipe, and to ask Jack Hughes if it is true that its name is a tribute to the incendiary pamphlet by Émile Zola.

But that will be for another time since the Devils were entitled to a training leave the day after a 3-0 defeat in Boston. Here is the Canadian’s next opponent in five points.

1. Renowned absentees

Kent Hughes may regret the injuries to Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, but it’s worse for the Devils. The No. 1 defenseman (Dougie Hamilton) and the best forward (Jack Hughes) are indeed on the sidelines, as is Timo Meier, a disappointment given his heavy salary, but an important element of the first two trios. His Swiss compatriot Jonas Siegenthaler, a defender who gives around twenty minutes per game when healthy, is also missing. These four bipeds have missed a total of 46 matches so far, a figure which is added to the 11 matches missed by another Swiss pillar, Nico Hischier. Here’s what partly explains why this team, expected among the NHL’s powers, finds itself two points from a playoff spot at mid-season.

2. Still in his thirties for Toffoli

If he maintains his pace, Tyler Toffoli will reach the 30-goal mark for a second straight campaign. The former Canadian winger scored 34 goals and 73 points last season in Calgary. Traded to the Devils during the summer, here he is with 16 goals at mid-season. His point production is down, however; he has 29. Still, for $4.25 million under the salary cap, he offers very honest value for money. In February 2022, Kent Hughes traded Toffoli to the Flames for a No. 1 pick^er tour in 2022 (became Filip Mesar), a choice of 5^e tour in 2023 (now Yevgeni Volokhin) and forwards Emil Heineman and Tyler Pitlick. Speaking of former Canadiens, Martin St-Louis’ men will reconnect with good old Chris Tierney, who has participated in 21 games so far, collecting three assists.

3. Get to work, recruits!

Only three defensemen are playing more than 20 minutes per game this season among NHL rookies. Two of the three wear the colors of the Devils: Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes, employed 20:43 and 20:21 respectively on average. They took advantage of the injuries to Hamilton and Siegenthaler to gain ground. Nemec was playing squarely in the American League when Hamilton fell in action. Unsurprisingly, Hughes has impressive offensive statistics (23 points in 41 games), but with 8 points in 20 games, Nemec offers a more than respectable contribution. The fight for the Calder Trophy is shaping up to be a two-horse race between Connor Bedard (Chicago) and Brock Faber (Minnesota), but both Devils guards will garner votes if they continue like this.

4. A misleading sheet

Akira Schmid gave the Devils hope during the last series. He practically eliminated the Rangers single-handedly in the first round, thanks in particular to two shutouts. But the Swiss (seems to be a thing in New Jersey) is 23, an age at which many goalies are still trying to come out of their shells. He therefore started the season in the NHL, but after two unconvincing months, he was transferred to the American League. Veteran Vitek Vanecek stands guard as No. 1, and his 14-7-2 record suggests things are going well. But his .882 efficiency is the worst among 36 NHL goalies who have played at least 20 games this season. According to Moneypuck, he has also allowed 13 more goals than what is normally expected based on the quality of the shots he receives. Vanecek is saved by his attack, which offers him 3.66 goals per game. Only three goalies have better offensive support in the NHL.

5. The eternal Lindy Ruff

Lindy Ruff continues her rise in the NHL record books. The veteran head coach will lead the 1755 on Wednesday^e match of his career. Unless he starts looking at the photos in his players’ phones soon, he should do Joel Quenneville’s hair, 4^e in NHL history with 1,768 games behind the bench. Ruff already occupies 4^e rank for victories (856), but the 914 triumphs of Barry Trotz in 3^e rank will not come until the end of the next season. Regardless, Ruff should still be in office at this time. The man who will turn 64 next month signed a contract extension in October. It remains to be seen if the Devils will offer him what is missing from his list of achievements: a Stanley Cup.