New Jersey Devils: Players-Only Meeting Shows Veterans Want More

The New Jersey Devils have been slipping terribly over the past month. That’s why the players felt they needed to have their own meeting after the latest loss against the Detroit Red Wings.

It was one of the worst efforts of the season on Monday night. The New Jersey Devils went down 1-0 in the first period, and that ended up being the only goal the Detroit Red Wings needed.

It was the third time this season the Devils were shutout. The last two times, the effort was similar. Against the San Jose Sharks, the Devils looked tired and out of it the entire game. Then there was the effort against the Arizona Coyotes. A 5-0 loss was the worst of the entire season.

The Devils were obviously without Taylor Hall, hurting their chances of making any comeback. It also doesn’t help that Petr Mrazek was a monster in net. He robbed Brian Boyle with the butt of his stick on a one-timer in front of the net.

Still, the effort was nowhere near good enough. That’s why the veterans felt a players-only meeting was necessary.

The Devils have been sliding and can’t find a way to stop it. Since winning five straight at home, the team has gone 3-5-3. Even during the team’s six-game losing streak, they were getting points. Now, they find their standings in the Metropolitan Division slipping with each loss.

The veterans spoke to this young team, trying to light a spark. This isn’t the same team that could come back from any deficit. This is now a team that one goal causes them to get desperate. Sometimes desperate hockey is necessary, but when it happens after the first goal, it leads to mistakes.

There are so many things that can happen from a players-only meeting. While some in the media will say it’s because the head coach’s message isn’t working, but it’s usually something more than that. Just look at the players who spoke.

You expect Andy Greene to speak, he’s the captain, but Drew Stafford? It shows that despite the fact he’s been a healthy scratch for the majority of the past month, he still sees something in this team.

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Brian Boyle is probably the voice that brings the most weight. He’s battling cancer. He’s fighting every night on the ice (sometimes literally). Him speaking to this group about what needs to happen, might actually make it happen.

All these veterans have been on teams where it all went off the rails. They want to avoid that from happening here. Something special could happen with the Devils this season, but then again, it could all be for naught. If the Devils blow this and miss the playoffs, then how well they played early on will be just a footnote. It will end up meaning nothing.

The Devils don’t have much time to rest. They head to Boston today to take on the Bruins. We will see very quickly if last night’s meeting made a difference. The Bruins have been rolling as of late. If the Devils can bounce back and win tonight, that shows something of this team’s gumption. And it shows that all this team needed was some veterans to tell them like it is.