There were a lot of positives from New Jersey Devils’ win over the Canucks Saturday afternoon. Mackenzie Blackwood had one of his best games as a pro. Pavel Zacha continued his stretch of strong play. And of course, Jack Hughes got on the board with his first NHL goal. However, there were still things that should be figured out, and a major one, again, was behind the bench.
Kevin Rooney and John Hayden are fine players, serviceable fourth liners, but that’s exactly what they are: fourth liners. Hayden and Rooney both had Corsi ratings of 23% this past game at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick.