It's been well over a month at this point since we've seen the best of the New Jersey Devils. Since the Christmas break, something has been off with this team. They were rolling going into the break, holding down a top spot in the Eastern Conference and looking like a legitimate threat to win the Metropolitan Division despite the frantic start of the Washington Capitals and the always-competitive Carolina Hurricanes. Now, almost six weeks later, that looks like a pipe dream at best.
Now, nobody is saying this is time to do something drastic. We still love Sheldon Keefe as a head coach and have the utmost trust in Tom Fitzgerald as the GM, but this is too many losses to too many bad teams to completely ignore. So, is it time to hit the panic button? This is why we're thinking about it.
1. NHL Standings are getting too close for comfort
The Devils have seen their games played lead evaporate, which makes the NHL Standings view a little easier to comprehend. As of this writing, the Washington Capitals have two fewer games played than the Devils and an 11-point lead. Like we said, that dream is dead. So, the Devils are likely playing the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, or they have an absolute disaster situation where they fall into a very competitive Wild Card race.
Right now, there are seven teams within six points of both Wild Card spots. The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets both have 59 points (five behind the Devils). The Montreal Canadiens have fallen off, but they are hanging onto their hopes with 53 points. There are the Rangers, Bruins, Islanders, and Lightning in between these teams.
Obviously, the Devils want to avoid that, but where they really need to worry is that Blue Jackets team that appears to be a team of destiny. If they win their next game, they'll be just three points behind the Devils with the same amount of games played. The Islanders and Rangers are another winning streak away from getting too close to the Devils, as well. The situation isn't in hysterics just yet, but it could be very uncomfortable if the Devils don't win some games before the 4 Nations Face-Off.