The New Jersey Devils are a strong team that has persevered through injuries, lineup changes, and adversity. While they dropped their second game of the season to the Colorado Avalanche two nights ago, one bad outing shouldn’t overshadow the eight other games they’ve won.
The Devils were clearly frustrated with their performance. Captain Nico Hischier didn’t hold back when speaking to the media about what went wrong.
“We lost structure, and that’s the worst thing that can happen. Gave up easy goals. Today we showed exactly the recipe of how not to play hockey,” Hischier told NHL.com.
Hischier wasn’t wrong; the Devils didn’t look like themselves on Tuesday night. But there’s a good reason for that. Ten games into the season, the Devils are 8-2-0 despite a growing injury list.
Ahead of last night’s matchup, the injury report included:
- Glass (upper body), week-to-week
- Pesce (upper body), unknown
- Dadonov (hand), month-to-month
- Kovacevic (knee), month-to-month
- McLaughlin (undisclosed)
- Lammikko (lower body)
- MacEwen (upper body), week-to-week
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom recently came off the injured list, making his first start since October 13 against the Avalanche.
Two players also made their season debuts: Juho Lammikko logged 11:08 of ice time, while Seamus Casey played just under 18 minutes. With the new additions, head coach Sheldon Keefe shuffled lines on both ends of the ice.
The Devils haven’t been dealt the best hand health-wise, but they continue to find ways to compete. They currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division with a record of 8-2-0 and are tied for first place in the NHL with 16 points.
Hischier said the team is already focused on turning the page.
“I’m already looking forward to San Jose, because that game says a lot. We need a bounce back,” Hischier told NHL.com.
The game against the Avalanche wasn’t what the Devils had hoped for, but as Hischier noted, the next game will show whether the team can adjust, overcome injuries, and return to their winning ways.
This loss could be a blip, not a blueprint.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the importance of Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.
“It’s pretty obvious they don’t feel great about the game, but we’ll push past it. And I’m really interested in our response,” said Keefe to NHL.com.
The puck drops at 10 PM ET tonight as the Devils look to get back in the win column and prove that Tuesday’s loss was just one game, not a sign of what’s to come.