Hey everyone,
It’s no secret that last night was a devastating loss for the Devils, as the lack of detail and desperation in their game was evident from the onset. Fortunately, it’s a new day, and a new opportunity to right the ship with a quick turnaround W this evening at UBS Arena. Here is a preview of my thoughts headed into our pregame show at 4:30 PM.
You have to give credit to the Ottawa Senators, who have a ton of young talent (just horrendous goaltending all year), they played a heck of a hockey game. On top of that, though, the Devils beat themselves last night against a team they had to take care of. NJD's pace of play, execution, and power play movement from the PIT & WPG games completely vanished from the drop of the puck; It simply wasn't good enough from start to finish.
If I had to point to one thing that cost the Devils 2 PTS last night, though, it was that they hand-gifted goals to the Sens, turning the puck over on a silver platter 4 (!) separate times resulting in goals against.
Here is my breakdown of those plays from the postgame show last night:
If the Devils can get back to the sharpness, energy & intensity, and focus that they put on display in the first couple of games on that homestand, and do it consistently, they should have no problem sticking around in the playoff race. Of course, that's all been easier said than done to this point, though!
With last night's loss comes an even taller mountain that the Devils are looking up at with just 11 games remaining in the season. To get to that 90-point threshold we've talked about, they can only afford 2 more losses, which makes last night's loss to another low-end team that much harsher. Here's a look at the remaining NJD schedule; I've boxed in blue the 2 games that I'll concede to them losing. Other than that one weekend, they'll need 5 and 4-game win streaks in this final stretch to get to that 9-2-0 record in their last 11 GP.
Erika and I will continue to discuss the sloppy play from last night and the rest-of-season outlook during this afternoon's pregame show, starting at 4:30 PM. We'll also take a look at NYI, WSH, & DET's next 5 games as the Devils gasp for one last breath of air in the wildcard race, which begins with a 4-point game at UBS tonight.
Here is also one more reminder, Devils Fans, that I'm running a fundraising raffle to help the NJ Rockets 14U Championship team raise money for our trip to the National Tournament — with prizes of 4 tickets to an upcoming Devils game, my signed jersey, and autographed Devils photos as prizes — click this link to enter and help the kids! Best of luck!
-Sal
