New Jersey Devils lose three players in shutout loss at Pittsburgh.

The New Jersey Devils were shutout 1-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins. On the bright side, the Devils did play their tails off all night and didn’t give up. That being said, five losses in a row is five losses in a row. The Devils were injury ravaged coming into the game and lost three more players during the contest, but they just could not get it done. I know going up against the Islanders and Penguins on the road is a tough task on its own, but this team can’t have any moral victories. When you’ve lost five straight and are sitting with a record of 9-12-4, you need wins. Being positive after a hard fought game is fine, but at what point does that get old? For me, that time has passed. The Devils need to start winning hockey games. “At least they tried” isn’t a sign of things getting better.

Cory Schneider

One of the only bright spots for the Devils was once again their fantastic goaltender. Schneider played outstanding for the umpteenth time this season and yet his teammates could not score for him. Cory stopped 22 of the 23 shots fired at him and the one he could not save was an Evgeni Malkin backhand when he was all alone in front. The only reason the Devils are even competitive on a nightly basis is because of #35. The Devils would be lost without him, and they need to start supporting him.

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Scott Gomez

The other bright spot was the play of newly signed Scott Gomez. This was Gomez’s first game with the Devils in about seven years and he looked like the same person. He was confident with the puck, made solid passes all night and with all the injuries was able to rack up over 21 minutes of ice time. It’s not really a positive that Scott Gomez was the best player for the Devils tonight, but with that being said, if he can play this way for the rest of the season he can provide some nice depth if the Devils are ever able to get healthy.

Injuries

The Devils were hit hard by the injury bug tonight as they lost Stephen Gionta, Patrik Elias and Jaromir Jagr – none of whom returned. Gionta was struck in the foot as he blocked a shot and limped off to the dressing room in the first period. Then Elias was missing as the team came out for the second period and it’s unclear exactly what was the reason for his departure. Jagr’s injury was a nasty one as Rob Bortuzzo of the Penguins delivered a dirty hit to Jagr’s head that forced him to exit the game. Somehow, there was no penalty on the play. The Devils made a valiant effort playing the final frame down three forwards, yet they couldn’t find a way to get a goal. Add these three to the list with the likes of Travis Zajac, Martin Havlat, Ryane Clowe and others.

Where’s the Care?

What was most concerning about the Devils’ game tonight was that they never stood up for Jagr after the dirty hit by Bortuzzo. Jordin Tootoo tried to fight the Penguin defender, but was denied. I’m sorry but that’s not acceptable. When an opponent takes out one of your teammates, you don’t just ask him to fight – you make him. Later in the game Bortuzzo threw an elbow at Tuomo Ruutu and still nothing. The Devils needed to stand up for their teammates and send a message. Finally, Adam Henrique and Eric Gelinas showed some heart getting into a skirmish with Evgeni Malkin and Olli Maatta. It was nice, but the moment had passed. They needed to react earlier.

As I said, the effort was nice but the Devils need points not moral victories. We’ll see what they can do on Thursday – well whoever is healthy – when they take on Toronto.