It has just been a tough season all around for the New Jersey Devils. All season long, if there was a break or a weird bounce, it seemed to benefit everyone except the Devils. Does that qualify as an excuse for where they sit in the standings? Absolutely not. Their play isn’t good enough to win.
They followed up a terrible performance against the Buffalo Sabres with a decent performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are one of the best teams in the entire National Hockey League. Keith Kinkiad also had himself a bounce-back performance, making 39 saves on 42 shots. That is too many shots that the Leafs had from a team point of view, but he answered the bell and made the saves to keep his team in the game.
Some of the defensive breakdowns that the team had early in the hockey game ended up being the difference. The one in particular that stood out was the second Maple Leafs’ goal, scored by John Tavares. He had all the time in the world sitting in front of the net without any pressure. That just simply cannot happen, especially with a player of Tavares’ magnitude. That stretch to begin the game was the difference in the hockey game.
Later in the game, when down 3-0, the Devils scored two goals in 26 seconds to make it a one-goal game. They played well and things proved to be out of reach because they just were not able to score the tying goal.
That didn’t come without a fight, but after some offensive pressure the Leafs scored into an empty net and won the game. That is what I mean by “one of those seasons”. That one little bad stretch in the game cost them two points, and at this point we can say with confidence that they will not make it to the playoffs.
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You wonder how some of these close games that the Devils have been involved in lately would be different if Taylor Hall was healthy and in the lineup. He drives offense better than anyone else on the team and as good as any player in the NHL. A talent like that could go a long way in winning some of these games that were one-goal losses. The Devils need Taylor Hall back ASAP.
The Devils next game is another home game in New Jersey, when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Rock for some matinee hockey. Hall will likely be out, and the starting goalie is to be determined. The Devils are battling with Philly for the basement position of the Metropolitan Division. Both could have the Jack Hughes sweepstakes on their mind by the time the season is done, which is very far from where I thought both of those teams would end up back in the summer.