The Devils forward group does a ton of things well, which is why they win a lot of games. But one thing the top forwards on the team do exceptionally well is generate shot attempts at high danger.
This is really not going to be anything revolutionary or whatnot, but it is still interesting to see the numbers as they are and appreciate the work that these guys put in to be the best. The New Jersey Devils have a strong forward group this year, and it is focused, as always, on its strong core. Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier are the backbone of the forwards and perhaps the team overall, and Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt really complement them as a strong core that propels this team to greatness. Without them being as good as they are, this team is not nearly what it is now.
Where they really shine is in high danger. They do not simply pepper goaltenders. No, they take shots that matter, from areas that give them high percentages to score or at least create juicy rebounds that can go in. After the LA game the other day, there were 68 forwards in the entire NHL who had at least 100 shot attempts in high danger areas at 5 on 5 this season. Out of those 68 forwards, six were Devils. Pretty amazing, as obviously, 68 divided by 32 teams is basically 2, yet the Devils have six forwards who make the list. That is incredible.
Check out this graph of info about this, with info from Natural Stat Trick. Rank is out of all forwards with at least 200 minutes at 5 on 5, of which 390 qualified:
As you can see, these guys are really, really good at generating attempts, especially in high danger areas. Timo Meier especially is an absolute machine at attempts. He ranks 6th overall in shot attempts from anywhere, and 3rd from high danger shot attempts with 144 of them at 5 on 5. Only Sydney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon have more so far this year, and that is strong company to keep if you are Meier. Nico is not far behind him, ranking 7th with 135 high danger attempts, and Jack only has 7 fewer than him, putting him at 9th in the league. Jack also ranks 2nd in overall shot attempts at 729, behind only MacKinnon. The man loves to let it rip from anywhere on the ice.
Jesper Bratt is slightly behind the top 3 in terms of attempts and high danger attempts, but not majorly. He still ranks 16th in overall shot attempts and has 109 of them at high danger. He might not be the machine that Meier, Hischier, and Hughes are at generating attempts and high danger attempts, but he is not far behind either. Stefan Noesen is the only outlier. He earns his bread specifically in the dirty areas in front of the net, and as such, an overly high percentage of his attempts come from high danger. He does serious work in front of the goaltender, screening him and deflecting in attempts and rebounds, and it shows with his 108 high danger attempts, but only 486 overall attempts. It has led to a banner year for him so far this season, so let’s hope he keeps it up.
Again, saying that the best forwards on the team are good because they generate high quality shot attempts is not some breakthrough, revelatory study or anything. Obviously, the player who can maneuver into high danger areas and get off quality shot attempts from there are more likely to generate goals and points. But it is great to see those numbers to showcase just how weel those top Devils forwards do this, especially in comparison to the rest of the NHL. It isn’t like they are the best on the team but just ok when compared to the other 31 teams. No, these guys, especially Meier, Hischier, and Hughes, are among the best at it in the entire NHL. They do a fantastic job of generating high danger attempts, and it really pays dividends, they deserve to be noticed and praised for it. If they keep it up, and remain in or near the top 10 in HDCF after 82 games, they will end the season near the top in points in the NHL, and the Devils will be in a strong spot entering the playoffs, that’s for sure.