Back-To-Back Sets Crush Devils As They Earn .250 Point Percentage in Second Game
New Jersey finished their final back-to-back set, earning a 3-11-2 in second-half games played this season.
Apr 7, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) and Nashville Predators left wing Jason Zucker (16) collide during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports - Back-To-Back Sets Crush Devils As They Earn .250 Point Percentage in Second GameThe New Jersey Devils concluded their league-leading 16th back-to-back set of the 2023-24 campaign on Sunday night.
The club was handed a 3-2 shootout loss for a final record of 3-11-2 in second-half games played this season.
As MSGN play-by-play announcer Bill Spaulding reported, the Devils end back-halves of back-to-backs with a deplorable .250-point percentage.
It is one of many reasons why the Devils are in the sixth wild-card spot and seventh in the Metropolitan Division.
After Sunday's game against the Predators, interim head coach Travis Green was asked about his team's struggles in the second half of back-to-back games.
"We've talked about consistency in our game. I've talked about different areas in our game, as far as our maturity level, and I think that is also part of it," he said. "When you've been in the league for a while, you learn how to play back-to-back games. How to prepare not just physically, but mentally as well. I think that has something to do with it."
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Looking back, New Jersey recorded a 15-8-1 record in back-to-back games last season. The Devils were 6-5-1 in first-half games played and 9-3-0 in second-half games played in the 2022-23 campaign.
The Devils blue line is, of course, much younger this season than last season. Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec are experiencing their first NHL season, while Kevin Bahl has played a career-high 78 games, which is more than he has played in the previous three seasons combined.
The organization can't control its schedule but can control how it responds to what it is given. This season, they simply did not have an answer to their back-to-back sets. This raised a concern that the team will need to address moving forward.
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