The New Jersey Devils are an abomination based on what the expectations of them are going into the season.
The New Jersey Devils are a horrible hockey team. They went into the season with high hopes of being a playoff team once again, but that is clearly not happening now. They still have high hopes for the future with studs like Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes in the mix, but right now they are a joke of a team. They have an impending free agent superstar in Taylor Hall. That cloud along with a bunch of losing has really made them a horrible team this season.
Out of every team in the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Football League, and National Basketball Association, the Devils have to be right there among the most disappointing teams in all or sports. They aren’t the worst team by the record or winning percentage in the four leagues, but based on expectations, they could easily be named the most disappointing. They are the Cleveland Browns of the NHL, and that is not an organization you want to be mentioned with.
This was especially evident in their 2-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Two goals don’t seem like a lot, but the final score was much closer than gameplay would suggest. The Devils had a zero percent chance to win the game from the second the Stars went up 1-0 early in the first period. MacKenzie Blackwood settled down after a bumpy start, and that is about where the positives from the game end. The team was outshot 35-26 and were severely outplayed for 60 minutes. They don’t look at all inspired to be playing hockey and appear to be mailing it in with 52 games left to play.
There isn’t much else to talk about in the game, because all 60 minutes were pretty much dominated by the Dallas Stars. The Devils were never able to create sustained pressure, and most of their chances were one and done. It was Ben Bishop‘s ninth straight win over the New Jersey Devils, which is annoying to think about. The law of averages would suggest that even a bad team would be able to get one win out of nine, but not when you’re the New Jersey Devils.
The Devils’ next opportunity to be embarrassed comes on Friday night when they pay a visit to one of the league’s best teams in the Colorado Avalanche. This could be Taylor Hall’s next team so maybe he could get a preview of what winning hockey feels like, although the Devils might have a better record if he had more than six goals in thirty games (five on a goalie). Nathan MacKinnon and company are going to be chomping at the bit to take on a team as easy to play against as the Devils.