Is there a controversy brewing over the goalkeeper? Devils should consider starting Allen against rival Rangers

Is there a goalie controversy with the New Jersey Devils? Perhaps there is such a form that the Devils should consider starting Jake Allen against the rival New York Rangers on Monday night.

Emphasize the word “brewing.” 27 games into the regular season, the Devils have relied on goaltender Jacob Markstrom far more than Allen. Head coach Sheldon Keefe has named the 34-year-old Swedish goalie New Jersey’s starting goalie.

Still, it’s fair to question whether he’s given the Devils the good starts that give them the best chance of winning.

Saturday night’s season finale against the Washington Capitals didn’t go the way anyone on the Devils wanted it to. New Jersey got off to a sluggish start, extending its seventh lead to start a game in a row, a habit that general manager Tom Fitzgerald tried to break this summer as he overhauled the roster.

Aftermath of the Devils: Old habit creeping in? “Devils start slow, penalties mean loss for Capitals”.

Keefe recognized after the regular 6-5 loss that without Allen the Devils would have given up far more than just the only goal to Andrew Mangiapane in the first frame.

“Without (Allen), we would have given up six goals in the first period,” Keefe told New Jersey Hockey Now.

Certainly Jake Allen wasn’t perfect. He scored on a turnover behind his own goal, which led to Pierre-Luc Dubois filling an empty net and giving the Capitals a two-goal lead late in the third period. The veteran goaltender took full responsibility for the game – and the loss as a result – explaining that the puck came to him faster than expected and Aliakesi Protas beat it to the rubber.

But that’s not the reason the Devils lost. Instead, it was the abundance of penalties and goals the Capitals allowed on their power play that ultimately led to their defeat.

So Allen allows six goals against the Capitals and we guarantee he’ll start against the Blueshirts?

Yes, that’s exactly what happens.

Ask Allen and he will tell you there is no controversy. He believes Markstrom is the Devils’ No. 1 goaltender.

“That’s my job, you know? (Markstrom) is the guy,” Allen told New Jersey Hockey Now. “I should only play when I should play.”

The Devils were uncharacteristically poor when they hosted the Capitals on Saturday night. A behind-the-scenes look at the numbers for Allen vs. Markstrom suggests that the former has been stronger than the latter so far this season.

The starting difference between Markstrom and Allen continues to grow. After Saturday, Allen started in nine games, while Markstrom started in 18. The raw stats don’t look much different, as Allen has posted a 2.70 GAA and a .903 SV%. Markstrom also has a 2.62 GAA and a .902 SV%.

So far, each goaltender has seen roughly the same number of shots per game, with Allen averaging 27.4 as opposed to Markstrom’s 26.5.

However, there is a glaring difference.

Allen has seemed stronger than Markstrom in his starts lately.

The Devils got off to another slow start in their 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. They again gained a 1-0 lead, which then became a 2-0 lead for Detroit before Nico Hischier and Timo Meier equalized.

The difference?

The two goals that Markstrom conceded on Friday were well known. He has the ability to make supernatural saves. However, he also has a tendency to allow very valuable goals in crucial moments of the game.

This is by no means an obituary for Markstrom. He’s a proven starting goaltender in the NHL who has been a Vezina candidate before, and this player is definitely here to stay.

But if you zoom in the lens a little further this season, there is precedent for Allen facing Markstrom on Monday at Madison Square Garden.

Allen ranks 18th in the NHL with 4.2 saves above expectations this season. However, Markstrom ranks 58th overall – 3.5 saves above expectations.

Additionally, Fitzgerald’s motivation for acquiring Markstrom was his ability to save great danger. That hasn’t been quite his strength this season, as he ranks in the 50th percentile with an HDSV of 0.806%, just below the league average of 0.807.

However, Allen is in the 87th percentile and has posted an HDSV of 0.853%, according to NHL Edge.

In all likelihood, Markstrom will face the Devils’ rival in opposing territory on Monday night. However, Keefe Allen should be considered against the Rangers, as he has proven to be stronger in the Devils’ goal crease. And if this trend continues, there is a strong case to be made for Allen to take over the starting role.

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