The primary quarter of the 2023-24 season is formally within the books, and lots of groups have gotten off to scorching begins throughout the NHL. Nonetheless, two groups many anticipated to catch fireplace within the early going have as an alternative been ice chilly: the New Jersey Devils and  Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Devils entered the season recent off their first playoff collection win for the reason that 2011-12 marketing campaign after they defeated the New York Rangers in seven video games. The workforce adopted that up with a profitable offseason by which they re-signed star ahead Timo Meier and buying and selling for winger Tyler Toffoli to assist bolster their scoring depth.

In the meantime, the Penguins didn’t make the playoffs for the primary time in 16 seasons after falling simply in need of a wild card bid. New basic supervisor Kyle Dubas was aggressive over the summer time as he traded for star defenseman Erik Karlsson as well as in re-signing goaltender Tristan Jarry.

Each groups have lofty expectations this season, so their early-season struggles are a trigger for concern. The Devils at the moment personal a 13-10-1 report (27 factors) and are in sixth place within the Metropolitan Division. Then again, the Penguins possess a 11-11-3 report (25 factors) and sit in seventh place within the Metropolitan Division.

Let’s take a better take a look at what’s contributed to the Devils and Penguins being two of the league’s greatest disappointments to this point.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils actually have a dynamic offense that may scores objectives at will. In any case, this can be a workforce at the moment averaging 3.63 goals-per-game, which is sweet for fourth within the NHL.

Whereas the scoring has been there, the most important problem for the Devils has been goaltending. 

The Devils at the moment have a 3.67 goals-against-average as a workforce, which is the second-worst clip within the league behind solely the San Jose Sharks. The franchise elected to roll with the identical goaltending tandem as a season in the past within the type of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid.

Vanecek has began 16 of the workforce’s 27 video games, however he hasn’t precisely been a brick wall in between the pipes. The veteran netminder has put collectively a 9-5-0 report, a 3.60 goals-against-average and a .877 save proportion. 

Vanecek has struggled to thwart the opposition’s second possibilities all through the season. In accordance with Cash Puck, Vanecek has a 0.017 rebounds above anticipated price (forty fourth within the NHL) together with simply 14 puck freezes (additionally forty fourth within the NHL). That situation reared its ugly head throughout Tuesday’s 6-5 win towards the Vancouver Canucks as three of the Canucks’ 5 objectives got here by way of a rebound probability.

In the meantime, Schmid at the moment has a 4-5-1 report, a 3.03 goals-against-average and a .902 save proportion this season. The 23-year-old actually thrived after he changed Vanecek in the course of the Devils’ opening-round playoff collection towards the Rangers within the 2023 postseason. 

Schmid ended up recording a 2.35 goals-against common and a .921 save proportion, whereas recording a pair of shutouts in the course of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nonetheless, that success hasn’t translated into this season. In accordance with Cash Puck, Schmid has -1.9 objectives saved above anticipated, which is forty fourth amongst NHL goaltenders. 

Clearly, it is nonetheless early within the 2023-24 season, so there is not any cause to panic simply but for the Devils. In any case, the workforce is simply 4 factors out of second place within the Metropolitan Division. If Vanecek or Schmid can rise to the event and enhance their play this season, the Devils actually can attain the postseason and make a deep Stanley Cup run.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Throughout Ron Hextall’s time because the Penguins basic supervisor, the workforce made the choice to pursue one final Stanley Cup relatively than electing to get youthful. In the course of the 2022 offseason, Pittsburgh re-signed veteran Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin to huge contract extensions in an effort to maintain the workforce’s core collectively.

In the course of the 2023 offseasaon, the Penguins had been below the management of Dubas after he parted methods with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dubas determined to re-sign goaltender Tristan Jarry and make a splash by buying and selling for star defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Regardless of making all of these strikes lately, the Penguins have gotten off to fairly the disappointing begin in 2023-24. 

The Penguins are at the moment twentieth within the league in scoring with simply 2.96 goals-per-game. As a workforce, Pittsburgh is averaging simply 2.1 goals-per-game over their final 10 contests, together with scoring one objective or fewer in three of these video games.

Pittsburgh has struggled mightily on the facility play as they’re changing simply 9.9 % of their alternatives on the person benefit. That is the third-worst clip in all the NHL.

The tough begin to the season could elevate the query of whether or not the Penguins ought to’ve made the transfer to amass Karlsson. The All-Star blue-liner did get off to a sluggish begin together with his new workforce as he recorded simply two objectives and 4 assists over the primary month of the marketing campaign. To make issues worse, Karlsson has been held with no level in 4 of his final 5 video games. 

Whereas the Penguins had been criticized by many for bringing Jarry again on a big contract extension, the goaltending hasn’t actually been the difficulty because the workforce has a 2.60 goals-against-average as a unit. 

Merely put, the Penguins are going to want to enhance offensively in the event that they wish to climb again into the playoff race within the Jap Convention.

The Penguins are going to want to start out taking benefits of their energy play possibilities in the event that they wish to proper the ship. They selected to not ship out a few of these veterans and chase one other Stanley Cup, so this can be a course of they’re going to have to see by. 

If the Penguins fall in need of a playoff berth for the second consecutive season, it could be fairly a lackluster begin to the tenure of Dubas after the strikes he made early on.