Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils: Things Are Pretty Ugly Right Now

By Vincent Parise

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 09: (L-R) Claude Giroux #28, Kevin Hayes #13 and James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrate Hayes' third period goal against the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center on October 09, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers shut-out the Devils 4-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 09: (L-R) Claude Giroux #28, Kevin Hayes #13 and James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrate Hayes' third period goal against the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center on October 09, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers shut-out the Devils 4-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils are off to an ugly start so far this season. They need to get a win in the worst way possible against the Edmonton Oilers.

The New Jersey Devils are in trouble. They were shut out 4-0 by the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night on national television. It was a game that Flyers’ goaltender Carter Hart dominated, stoning them on any chance they were able to muster up in the offensive zone. They need to improve in many areas and fast or they will be very far out of it quickly.

It is only three games in, so it may not be time to panic completely, but they do need to adjust some things soon. Carter Hart made a save on Taylor Hall that was set up by Jack Hughes and Nikita Gusev that changed the flow of the game in the Flyers favor. It was a 5 on 3 chance that would have tied the game and given Hall his first of the season. From that point forward, it was all Flyers.

This was Hughes’ best game of the season by far. It may be worth it to keep him on a line with Blake Coleman and Wayne Simmonds going forward if it is going to help keep his game elevated. Once he breaks through, the points are going to pile up for him. There is no need to panic when it comes to Hughes, he is showing he has all the tools to be an elite player and an elite player he will be.

The thing is, this is a very new team that added a ton of talent. It is going to take time for them to get acclimated to each other and once things start clicking, this still has the potential to be a great team. There are a lot of people panicking as if they are in serious danger of missing the playoffs, but that is just not the reality. The start is certainly an ugly one but there is so much hockey left to be played. The offense and defense need to click together at the same time and Cory Schneider needs to continue to give them a chance to win each night.

Related Story. Blake Coleman is a great fit for Jack Hughes. light

Missing out on two 5 on 3 opportunities is also something that should never happen in the same game. They need to capitalize on these power-play chances if they are going to win games. Hart made that great save on Hall, but if that goes in and ties the game, the end result is likely very different than a 4-0 domination. They also need to work on their puck possession at even strength because it has been atrocious so far this year.

The Edmonton Oilers are coming to town tonight to play the Devils. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are off to good starts as you would expect, and their newest addition in James Neal has been a revelation for them so far early in the season. The Devils have been pretty good against the Oilers in recent years so hopefully, that trend continues with this game.  If they can rattle off a couple wins in a row the slow start will quickly become a thing of the past.

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