The curse of former Devils goaltenders has struck again in Newark, as the New Jersey Devils lost to yet another ex-Devils netminder last night.
“The curse” can be explained as follows: no matter how bad a season a former Devils’ goaltender is having, when in net against the Devils, the goaltender shines while the Devils have a horrible game.
This pattern has played out with Scott Wedgewood, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Akira Schmid—all former Devils goaltenders who have found success against their old team. In total, the Devils have now dropped eight games to former netminders, including multiple shutouts.
Schmid added to the list last night when he shut out the Devils 3-0 at the Prudential Center.
This time, however, the Devils' offensive struggles go beyond the so-called curse. The team's struggles began when star center Jack Hughes suffered a freak injury.
Since Hughes' injury, the Devils have endured their roughest stretch of the season. They've been shut out at home in consecutive games for the first time since December 2008, they've dropped four straight contests, and they've gone 128:09 minutes without finding the back of the net.
If that isn’t enough to sound the panic alarms, the team also will drop out of a playoff spot with a loss tonight. Mere weeks ago, the Devils weren’t only a Division leader but a top-five team in the entire league. Now, they sit in 12th place in the league standings.
The good news is the Devils are only 4 points out of first place in the Metropolitan Division. As the division currently stands, the Capitals lead with 37 points, the Hurricanes are in second place with 34, and the Penguins, Flyers, Islanders, Devils, and Rangers are tied with 33 points.
Fortunately, with 54 games left in the season, the Devils have time to address their offensive issues and get back on track.
Curse or not, the team’s season hinges on finding a way to win without Hughes.
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