The New Jersey Devils: Unluckiest Team in the NHL

[Devilsfan118]

The New Jersey Devils are, I believe, suffering from some sort of curse by the hockey gods. Many of their key advanced stats show that the Devils should be quite a good team. However, right now they’re sixth in the Metropolitan Division; five points out of the Eastern Conference’s last wildcard spot. So, what’s wrong? For some reason, New Jersey just aren't having as much success as perhaps they could be.

  

Article

 

More of the same for those of you who follow advanced stats I'm sure, but it blows my mind that the Devils are the 6th best PDO team in the league.  Coupled with the fact that the Devils have a top-10 powerplay (I believe) and one of the best PKs in the league..hard to believe they're as far back as they are now.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Devilsfan118

[DevsMan84]

You never know.  Maybe this is retribution for the nice 2012 playoff run or this is a precursor to back to back cups in a couple of years.

[Daniel]

The problem is is that we were one of the unluckiest teams in the league last year too if I recall correctly.  Eventually we might have to come up with some explanation as to why the planes aren't landing.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

0-8 in shootouts, inconsistent goaltending overall, Ryder not scoring in forever (though he's not that far under his career shooting% on the year)...that'll do it. 

 

Those shootouts are a bitch when it goes the other way...if the Devils are 5-3 or 6-2 this thread probably doesn't happen.    

Edited March 18, 2014 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Devilsfan118]

Here's another interesting site where you can compare shots taken by teams throughout the season:

 

http://www.sportingcharts.com/nhl/icetrack/?r1Id=4964&r1Year=2013&r1eventType=%27SHOT%27%2C+%27GOAL%27&r1type=1&r1strength=EV&r2Id=4974&r2Year=2013&r2eventType=%27SHOT%27%2C+%27GOAL%27&r2type=1&r2strength=EV

 

In the above link, you can see the Devils and Leafs (for example) have very similar shooting patterns, yet Toronto has almost 30 more goals thus far this season.  And, outside of Kessel, I wouldn't say that team is loaded with sharpshooters.

[Colin226]

You never know.  Maybe this is retribution for the nice 2012 playoff run or this is a precursor to back to back cups in a couple of years.

 

I want this so bad

[Jerzey]

Maybe they should start growing their goatees in October.

[Beezer34]

We won 13 shootout games in 2012 (and still managed to lose 34 games) before being 1 OT goal away from possible 1st round elimination come playoffs.

Bad karma and "good fortune" are variable exploits in sports.

['7']

It's mostly shootouts. 0-8. If we were even 4-4...discounting everything else this team would have 75 points and everything would be different. However, dating back how many months the team itself is like 1-30 in shootout attempts. That's incalculably, almost impossibly bad. And probably a mix of just not having the physical talent to succeed at shootouts plus the psychological weight of it (something that can't be measured in corsiwick)

 

Factor in all the points we've lost due to last second goals allowed (montreal, trashville, colorado) factor in Brodeur blowing a 3-0 3rd period lead to the oilers, and looking like hot garbage against columbus and losing points

 

The Devils should could be right around 80 points right now. 

Edited March 18, 2014 by '7'

['7']

You never know.  Maybe this is retribution for the nice 2012 playoff run or this is a precursor to back to back cups in a couple of years.

 

The Devils thoroughly outplayed Florida. The only reason that series went 7 is Brodeur

[Marshall]

OT/SO changes perception a ton. This team struggles to score, simple as. 

[2ELIAS6]

im almost already over this season i have about an ounce of hope left ..but realistically i know its over for us another year down the toilet.. i really hope next season we have a little more to be excited about.. i really miss that feeling through the playoffs of 12'.. life was good

[Triumph]

NJ has bad PDO luck because they start Martin Brodeur, one of the worst goalies in the league.  The shooting, eh.  They've gotten tons of shooting luck in all situations that aren't 5 on 5 and so their shooting percentage overall is around average IIRC, plus they've scored lots of goals with their net empty (have had lots scored on them too though)

Edited March 18, 2014 by Triumph

[peteyvegas51]

I think we did great with this team.  A bunch of rookies on the blueline (sadly, better than the veterans), a hodgepodge of forwards, spanning from 2 oldies who can still play and a sniper-type (Ryder), who stopped scoring to a vast majority of 4th liners and only one emerging, offensive star (Henrique).  We should be LAST with this mess--and yet, we're over .500.  Unlucky, yes but tell me we were unlucky in 2012!!

[redruM]

You can give me all the advacned stats that you want, This team has had no life the last few games, and 2 years w/ no playoffs is not unlucky.. its bad.. LL & PDB need to be held responsible!

The off season acquisitions have not panned out, Ryder is awful, no goals in 22 games?? and he still plays every night?? really?? Give anyone else a chacne, Defenseman go that long not TOP 6 forwards! Its disgraceful, and he's useless if he is not scoring!! Clowe & Brunner have not been as bad, but certainly have not lived upto their cntracts! If not for Jagr this team would be in last!!

and WTF is PDB doing? its 1 thing to mix lines, its another to play Gionta as if he was a star!! ELias and Henrique were killing it together and he broke them up, now he cannot find a combination to score!! So let put Gionta on with a top 6 group, really? But we cannot find room for LArsson on this team? Yet Gelinas keeps getting more & more opportunites, even though he seems to be on the ice for 75% of the goals against!!

I know LL built this organization, brought us 3 cups, and a huge anount of credability and he should have card blanche, but clearly this league has passed him by, every single night we face teams that skate so much better than the Devils, its has been happeneing for years, and LL has yet to figure out he need to get younger & faster.

NJ is not only the oldest team in the NHL, they are the OLDEST by over 1 year!!! After NJ there are 6 teasm within 6 months of each other, if anyone thinks that the age is not affecting this team they are crazy!! Especially in a season w/ an Olympic break, they back to backs & the 3 games in 4 nights will beat older players down!! and last night we had 3 days off, yet the effort was pathetic!! Plain and simple this team is tired ( and being old does not help!!)

Yes Pitt is also old, 3rd oldest team, but their best player is 26 & their 2nd best player is 27.. ours is 42! 7 of Pitts top 10 scoreres are 28 or under, and 6 are under 26

Of NJ top 10 scorers 4 are under 28, 2 are under 26!! HUGE difference!!

I have been saying this for 2 years, this team is old & needs to get young legs.. MAJOR FAILURE on LLs part!!

[msweet]

You can give me all the advacned stats that you want, This team has had no life the last few games, and 2 years w/ no playoffs is not unlucky.. its bad.. LL & PDB need to be held responsible!

The off season acquisitions have not panned out, Ryder is awful, no goals in 22 games?? and he still plays every night?? really?? Give anyone else a chacne, Defenseman go that long not TOP 6 forwards! Its disgraceful, and he's useless if he is not scoring!! Clowe & Brunner have not been as bad, but certainly have not lived upto their cntracts! If not for Jagr this team would be in last!!

and WTF is PDB doing? its 1 thing to mix lines, its another to play Gionta as if he was a star!! ELias and Henrique were killing it together and he broke them up, now he cannot find a combination to score!! So let put Gionta on with a top 6 group, really? But we cannot find room for LArsson on this team? Yet Gelinas keeps getting more & more opportunites, even though he seems to be on the ice for 75% of the goals against!!

I know LL built this organization, brought us 3 cups, and a huge anount of credability and he should have card blanche, but clearly this league has passed him by, every single night we face teams that skate so much better than the Devils, its has been happeneing for years, and LL has yet to figure out he need to get younger & faster.

NJ is not only the oldest team in the NHL, they are the OLDEST by over 1 year!!! After NJ there are 6 teasm within 6 months of each other, if anyone thinks that the age is not affecting this team they are crazy!! Especially in a season w/ an Olympic break, they back to backs & the 3 games in 4 nights will beat older players down!! and last night we had 3 days off, yet the effort was pathetic!! Plain and simple this team is tired ( and being old does not help!!)

Yes Pitt is also old, 3rd oldest team, but their best player is 26 & their 2nd best player is 27.. ours is 42! 7 of Pitts top 10 scoreres are 28 or under, and 6 are under 26

Of NJ top 10 scorers 4 are under 28, 2 are under 26!! HUGE difference!!

I have been saying this for 2 years, this team is old & needs to get young legs.. MAJOR FAILURE on LLs part!!

 BINGO! Exactly right

[LucifersDog]

You can give me all the advacned stats that you want, This team has had no life the last few games, and 2 years w/ no playoffs is not unlucky.. its bad.. LL & PDB need to be held responsible!

The off season acquisitions have not panned out, Ryder is awful, no goals in 22 games?? and he still plays every night?? really?? Give anyone else a chacne, Defenseman go that long not TOP 6 forwards! Its disgraceful, and he's useless if he is not scoring!! Clowe & Brunner have not been as bad, but certainly have not lived upto their cntracts! If not for Jagr this team would be in last!!

and WTF is PDB doing? its 1 thing to mix lines, its another to play Gionta as if he was a star!! ELias and Henrique were killing it together and he broke them up, now he cannot find a combination to score!! So let put Gionta on with a top 6 group, really? But we cannot find room for LArsson on this team? Yet Gelinas keeps getting more & more opportunites, even though he seems to be on the ice for 75% of the goals against!!

I know LL built this organization, brought us 3 cups, and a huge anount of credability and he should have card blanche, but clearly this league has passed him by, every single night we face teams that skate so much better than the Devils, its has been happeneing for years, and LL has yet to figure out he need to get younger & faster.

NJ is not only the oldest team in the NHL, they are the OLDEST by over 1 year!!! After NJ there are 6 teasm within 6 months of each other, if anyone thinks that the age is not affecting this team they are crazy!! Especially in a season w/ an Olympic break, they back to backs & the 3 games in 4 nights will beat older players down!! and last night we had 3 days off, yet the effort was pathetic!! Plain and simple this team is tired ( and being old does not help!!)

Yes Pitt is also old, 3rd oldest team, but their best player is 26 & their 2nd best player is 27.. ours is 42! 7 of Pitts top 10 scoreres are 28 or under, and 6 are under 26

Of NJ top 10 scorers 4 are under 28, 2 are under 26!! HUGE difference!!

I have been saying this for 2 years, this team is old & needs to get young legs.. MAJOR FAILURE on LLs part!!

 

Lou Lam has to go ASAP

[NJDevs4978]

The problem is is that we were one of the unluckiest teams in the league last year too if I recall correctly.  Eventually we might have to come up with some explanation as to why the planes aren't landing.

 

That's a nicer way of saying I'm tired of all this 'bad luck' bs.  This team doesn't have bad luck, they have bad talent made worse by bizarre personnel decisions.

[Neb00rs]

Bad luck is silly. Over the course of time everyone's luck evens out. Sure, you might have an unluckier season than the rest every here and there but it's hard to say when that is because almost every team's fanbase makes this same complaint.

[capo]

This is because microstats are bullsh!t...  The Devils aren't a very good team, period.   They have some very good young defensemen in the pipe and Adam Henrique + what's left on Cory Schneider's contract.  Other than that, their ain't much on the bone.  Time to rebuild!

[Daniel]

That's a nicer way of saying I'm tired of all this 'bad luck' bs.  This team doesn't have bad luck, they have bad talent made worse by bizarre personnel decisions.

 

Besides starting Marty too much this year, the personnel decisions, at least if you're talking about players in the system, aren't really the issue.  Not having Larsson here, or sitting Josefson too much would not have made the team much better, at least in the short term. 

 

What we are is a team that will be in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket if most things go right.  If most things go wrong, we're comfortably out of the playoffs.  For a team that lost its two best forwards in the past two years, and hasn't been in the lucky sperm club so far as getting a top three draft pick in the right year, it's not that bad. 

[peteyvegas51]

Could we afford to go the Pittsburgh way?  Tank it for a couple of years and get 1st rounders?  Maybe.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Could we afford to go the Pittsburgh way?  Tank it for a couple of years and get 1st rounders?  Maybe.

 

It was more than a couple.  Takes a LOT of tanking to get two #1s and two #2s overall. 

[Neb00rs]

The Pens were also lucky enough to do it at a time when there was a Crosby and Malkin in the draft classes. If you are going to tank, you better be aiming at a prodigy; a team changer.

 

IMO a Nathan MacKinnon quality player is not worth a tank.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Neb00rs

[Devilsfan118]

The Pens were also lucky enough to do it at a time when there was a Crosby and Malkin in the draft classes. If you are going to tank, you better be aiming at a prodigy; a team changer.

 

IMO a Nathan MacKinnon quality player is not worth a tank.

 

Connor McDavid is apparently the real deal.  Do you think he's worth it?