Injuries Force New Jersey Devils To Cool Off After Hot Start
The New Jersey Devils ended the past week with a 4-2 record. Not bad, right? Well, according to some social media users, the season is over.
After starting the season as the hottest team in hockey, beating teams like the Washington Capitals and San Jose Shark, the Devils starting getting hurt. They weren’t just losing role players like Travis Zajac, but stars like Nico Hischier. He played through the injury, but did not seem the same.
Also, the team got out played and bodied. The Devils used their speed, but it was not enough too beat the Avs and Flyers. Lastly, a rough schedule got the best of them. What started off as a great start, only became harder as the teams like the Flyers are gonna be tough all season.
All teams have injury problems. They can be minor or they can be major. The Devils seemed to be falling like flies last week. It was not big injuries that keeps guys will be out long term, but during some point of every game it looked like someone was heading to the locker room.
On Thursday, Zajac went down and missed Saturday’s game. Nico got hurt the night before, but he was fine.
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Another major story was John Quenneville getting demoted, leaving the team with Kevin Rooney. With all the injuries, this was a contributor to the loss.
The Devils were a fun, fast and young team last season. So far, they look to bring that back and continue to play that way. One thing that was brought up is that the team may be fast but not big. You may be able to out speed your opponent, however if they are bigger than you it becomes an issue. Your team will have a harder time checking and winning puck possession. The Devils could be looking for a big man and should fast.
The Devils played a tough schedule and made it look somewhat easy. After opening in Sweden, one would think the team might be sluggish. The complete opposite happened and the Devils went on a 4-0 winning streak. That hit a speed bump Thursday and hit a pothole Saturday. Look at the bright side the Devils did beat some good teams such as the Capitals, Sharks and Stars. It was not tiredness or sloppy play as much as injuries and some new players. After a few days off the Devils should be rested and ready to go.