The New Jersey Devils ended up losing to the team sitting in the Eastern Conference basement on Friday night. This proves the Devils should never underestimate any opponent, because they can still lose on any given night.
Remember to a time not long ago, when many New Jersey Devils fans were feeling very down on this team. No, I’m not talking about last year, I’m talking about December 2nd.
The Devils just lost the worst game of the season, and it came against the worst team in the league. They were coming off a pathetic effort against the Arizona Coyotes, losing 5-0.
It’s clear, the Devils can’t afford to play down to the competition. It seems that happened again on Friday night.
The Devils lost the game to the Buffalo Sabres, who sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Sure, they got a losers point. One could point to the controversial call in the third period where a Taylor Hall goal was waved off on an iffy at best offsides review.
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At the end of the day, the Devils shouldn’t have been in the position in the first place. This team has too much talent to play to the level of the Buffalo Sabres.
Here’s the thing, the Sabres may be at the bottom of the standings, but there are players on this team that can beat you, and that’s exactly what happened. Jack Eichel scored two goals. Jacob Josefson scored in his return to the Prudential Center. The Sabres completely outplayed the Devils in the overtime period. There’s plenty of skill on the Sabres, and the Devils did a bad job of keeping it in check.
The Sabres were extremely physical all game long. They out-hit the Devils 36 to 20. Every player was on top of the puck until whichever Devils player who had possession was forced to give it up. One play that comes to mind came in the third period. Sami Vatanen had possession in the offensive zone. He tried to go behind the net and look for an open man, but eventually lost it in a board battle.
The Devils lost five games in the past month. Three of those losses came against teams currently out of the playoffs. The other two came against divisional opponents. This shows the Devils get way up against the best in the NHL. Then, when it’s time to win the games they should, they falter on certain nights.
This Devils team has been amazing thus far, but they aren’t good enough to take anyone lightly. Any team can beat any opponent on any given night. Those points will be crucial in a Metropolitan Division that remains a blood bath.
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I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, two points counts the same every night. While wins against the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings feel much better than a win against the Buffalo Sabres would, at the end of the season those two points help the Devils get to where they need to be. That’s why this Devils team needs to go into every matchup with the same intensity.