New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe threw the wrong person under the bus.

So, the Devils, after collapsing a 3-1 lead against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, lost to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. The team looked lost again, while Jake Allen tried to save the team again, but it didn’t work. While Nico Hischier got a goal, and Bratt broke Scott Steven's 1993-94 record on assists, it didn’t make much of a difference. Sheldon Keefe wasn’t happy with the team’s efforts in the past two games, and he made it very clear in tonight’s post-game press conference. 

When NJ.com reporter Gabriel Trevino asked him in the postgame about Keefe and Jonathan Kovacevic's conversation about playoff mentality, he interrupted and stated, “Kovacevic just needs to play better. That would help.”

He then left the press conference room immediately after. Everyone will have a different opinion about what he said and why he said it, but it seems like there were others more deserving of criticism. While you can argue that, yes, Kovacevic isn’t playing as well as he was prior to the contract extension he got at the trade deadline, he has been playing solid hockey, which earned him the extension in the first place. He did take a delay of game penalty and was a culprit for the collapse against the Flames, but throwing Kovacevic under the bus doesn’t seem fair. 

Sheldon Keefe should have been more careful with who he called out

While telling the media that a player needs to play better might inspire him, multiple players on the Devils should be rightfully called out by Keefe in the press. There are three big names that Keefe should’ve called out due to their efforts on the team. Ever since he got claimed off waivers from the Seattle Kraken, Nate Bastian hasn't done enough for the Devils, and that's especially true this season as he has only scored 9 points this season and has been in the - in the +/- area for 3 of the 4 seasons in his return. Dawson Mercer, who wanted a contract extension and got it last offseason, has done nothing to earn that contract, as he has had 28 points this season.

But the worst of all, and the player that should be criticized most, is Ondrej Palat. Since Palat has been on the Devils with that contract that he got, Palat has not lived up to the contract whatsoever like he did in Tampa Bay, scoring 28 points this season as a 33-year-old.  However, Palat didn't play on Saturday, so it was unlikely he was going to get Keefe's wrath in the postgame.

Despite this, Keefe should’ve never said what he said, as he shouldn’t have called out anyone. Maybe the media pressure got to him, which was an issue in Toronto. For a team that’s supposed to try and make the playoffs, this is a terrible look from a coach in his first year here. If they sneak into the playoffs, maybe some things will change about how Keefe reacts and coaches. But if the Devils collapse and fail to make the playoffs, this comment will be talked about the whole offseason, and Keefe doesn’t want that to happen.