Johnathan Kovacevic does need to play better but didn't deserve to be called out by Sheldon Keefe

The New Jersey Devils have dropped their previous two games but remain third in the Metropolitan Division with 11 games remaining. Even though they're still in a playoff position, they can't afford to go on a lengthy losing streak. The New York Rangers only trail them by six points and the Wild Card race is chaotic. According to Tankathon, the Devils have the fourth easiest schedule to close the regular season. Barring anything catastrophic happening, it's expected for the Devils to clinch a playoff spot. However, the tension and pressure are certainly evident within the locker room.

Out of the 11 remaining games, seven of them will be played at the Prudential Center. After Saturday's loss against the Ottawa Senators, Johnathan Kovacevic talked about how playing at home can help motivate the team heading into the playoffs.

"We have a home-heavy schedule the rest of the way...We're in a fight, and hopefully that gets us into that playoff mentality... The results are tough. But we're in a fight and not going to back down."

Johnathan Kovacevic postgame

When Sheldon Keefe was asked about Kovacevic's comments, he provided quite the response.

Keefe's comments went viral on social media due to his blunt answer and also storming off in anger to end his press conference. While his frustrations are justified, he could've handled his press conference differently.

Who was in the right?

The Devils extended Kovacevic to a five-year, $20 million deal on trade deadline day. After being acquired over the offseason, he's been making the most of his new opportunity. He's been a solid contributor on the Devils' blue line all season long. However, things have been a little tough for him recently. From a non-analytics perspective, Kovacevic hasn't performed his best over the past few games. On Thursday, he had failed to clear the puck, which resulted in a turnover and Jonathan Huberdeau scoring the game-winning goal for the Calgary Flames. Then, on Saturday, he got a delay of game penalty for sending the puck over the glass. Luckily, no harm came out of that, but it's still a silly penalty to pick up.

Johnathan Kovacevic was the victim of his head coach's wrath after a loss

During that two-game span, Kovacevic has a plus-minus rating of -2. He does need to limit his mistakes, but he didn't deserve to be singled out by his head coach. For starters, plenty of other players need to play better. Markstrom has a -7.99 GSAx rating since returning from injury, Stefan Noesen hasn't scored a goal in a month, Tomas Tatar hasn't recorded a point since March 1, Nathan Bastian seems invisible at times, and so on. Kovacevic hasn't been the worst-performing player, so Keefe didn't need to specifically call him out. Not to mention, Keefe didn't know the context of what Kovacevic was asked. Keefe's comment was obviously spur of the moment after a tough loss, so he's understandably frustrated with his team's effort. But the last thing that the Devils need is drama, especially since they're missing key contributors due to injury.

Time will tell if Keefe will re-address and amend his comment. But to play devil's advocate, this team's primary focus shouldn't be on the playoffs for the time being. Because they haven't clinched anything yet and if they continue to drop games, then they'll lose their points cushion. Their main concern should be to win games more consistently, finish the season strong, and then carry that momentum into the playoffs. The best-case scenario for the Devils is to secure the Metro's third position and avoid the heated Wild Card race.