It's also not a coincidence that the team looked its best early in the season with star center Jack Hughes and goaltender Jonathan Bernier both in the lineup. The Devils started the season 2-0, but since losing Hughes (dislocated left shoulder), Bernier (lower-body), as well as already missing presumptive starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (heel) and forward Miles Wood (undisclosed), the club has gone 1-2 in its past three games.
Head coach Lindy Ruff has made his displeasure with his team well known. He has high expectations for this group, and intends to push them to another level despite the current health circumstances.
"We've got a level of acceptability that's a lot higher," he said. "We're not happy. I'm not happy. They're not happy. We want to be a better team. With certain personnel, we'll have to find different ways to win hockey games, and we have to believe in it, and we have to play a certain way."
A team's coaching staff without a doubt attempts to steer a club's identity by pushing the team to play in a style that best suits the talents of the roster. The Devils are a team that wants to play with speed and intensity while being defensively sound.
"If we can get the numbers to match up to what we think, be a quick team, be a team that's on top of the puck, be a team that can generate speed opportunities," Ruff said.
Part of that is individual speed (a player's personal ability to accelerate) while the other part is team speed (the team's ability to play fast). The two aren't always mutually exclusive.
A roster of quick players can be slowed down with improper execution. And vice versa, a roster of slower players can play faster with proper execution. When you combine the two, as the Devils aspire, a roster of fast individuals plays even faster collectively.
But right now, the Devils are missing two key components on the individual front with Hughes and Wood out. So, to generate more speed, greater execution is needed. And if the club can't generate offense from its speed off the rush, then alternatives must be explored.
"We're looking for more opportunities in different ways," Ruff said. "One would be at the net, tips, rebounds. Some of the drills we did (at practice) was tipping pucks at the net and trying to get second opportunities. If you don't have the rush opportunities, you have to find different ways to get pucks into the back of the net.
"Without some of the personnel we have, trying to find that identity, how good we can be in certain areas?"
The Devils are adding elements to their game to make them more adaptable. If the speed isn't there, or being taken away by an opponent, then the Devils will have to adjust and find other ways of being successful, which could mean more emphasis on the defensive side of the puck.
"Can we score five goals? And if you can't, you can't put a lot of risk in your game," Ruff said. "If you put risk in your game, you're going to give up a lot of opportunities. If you can't take advantage of the opportunities that you've generated when putting risk in your game, then we have to be that team that's going to win 2-1, 3-1.
"You can be a real good special teams team and get to three or four (goals) every night. We're working hard to get to that place in the standings."
Ultimately, the coaches will try to steer the identity of the team, but it's up to the team to execute that identity on the ice. The Devils are going through that process now.
"An identity really builds when you're winning games and playing games," Ruff said. "Jack's out. Miles Wood's out. Part of discovering an identity is, without them, what can we be?
"Our identity still has to be puck pressure, getting on top of the other team, taking away their time. Being a diligent defensive team."
