Devils Fans Who Booed Lindy Ruff on Opening Night Owe Him an Apology

In this case, New Jersey Devils fans booed their head coach during team introductions before the SECOND game of the season. Those fans had a rough look then, and it looks even worse now. And this is coming from a lifelong Devils' fan.

I totally respect fans' rights to boo whoever they want. They paid for the tickets, they support the team, and they get frustrated when their team loses. Totally understandable.

In the same light, though, they need to respect others' rights to expose their boneheaded takes. As such, fans who booed Lindy Ruff on opening night owe him an apology.

The Devils are 3-0 since their home opener, outscoring opponents 10-4 in that span. In those three games, the Devils have outshot their opponents (ANA, NYI, and SJS, but still) by a margin of 120-59. The Devils have been absolutely dominant in the three games since Devils fans booed their head coach.

Let's examine the advanced statistics through five games, shall we? According to JFresh's model, the Devils are first in the NHL in two key 'advanced' metrics.

The Devils have been flying all season. Ever since his return as a head coach, Ruff has emphasized time and again he wants the Devils to play with speed, focusing heavily on transitioning defensive assignments into a counterattack. His system has been criticized by some as being inherently difficult on his goaltenders; it's me -- I'm 'some.' Still, the goalies have not played well; they were 32nd in the NHL last season by a considerable margin.

This year, however, looks like it could be different. After a couple injury-ridden seasons, Mackenzie Blackwood has been rock solid in his last three starts, posting a 1.33 goals-against average and a .932 save-percentage. Some critics (me, again) have championed the idea that the Devils' decade-long struggles can now be overturned with any goaltending whatsoever.

This stretch just goes to show that with average goaltending, the Devils will be fine. But with good-to-great goaltending, they might be a dark horse for the Stanley Cup (obviously, a totally unbiased perspective).

Well, that is just not true. According to the same model referenced above, the Devils rank first in 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes.

The additions of assistant coach Ryan McGill and defenseman John Marino are paying off immensely, but the Devils are living, breathing proof that the best defense is a lethal offense. New Jersey's speed advantage is apparent; guys like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and the like dominate the skill game while maintaining strong two-way prowess.

Meanwhile, players like Ondrej Palat, Erik Haula and Miles Wood are making life very difficult for opposing players along the wall. The NHL's third-youngest team is starting to assert themselves as a legitimate competitor, and opposing players are starting to take notice:

This team looks great right now, and Lindy Ruff deserves lots of credit for that. I don't think he is up for a Jack Adams or anything just yet, but this team is firing on all cylinders.

And fans who prematurely booed him absolutely owe an apology.