The Devils are broken.
The New Jersey Devils hit rock bottom tonight.
They got blown out 8-4 by the Colorado Avalanche on October 28. They had an epic meltdown against the Philadelphia Flyers in a 6-3 loss on November 22. They lost 4-1 to a terrible Bruins team that was missing David Pastrnak and Charlie MacAvoy on December 6. They got completely outclassed in an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 11. They suffered a gigantic gut punch thanks to a very late goal in a 2-1 loss to the Islanders on December 23. And they looked lifeless in a 4-0 defeat to a bad Maple Leafs team that was without Auston Matthews and William Nylander on December 30. Heck, just last game they allowed two own-goals and a third that was close to it in a terrible 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes.
Those losses were all very bad. But there is no question that tonight was by far the worst.
The New Jersey Devils lost 9-0 to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Yes, 9-0. That’s not a typo, and that’s not your eyes deceiving you. The Devils actually found a way to lose a hockey game by nine goals this evening. They allowed Mat Barzal to score 68 seconds into the game, and that was that. It didn’t matter that there were 59 minutes left to play, the Devils never seriously threatened to win this game. They put up some shots, they had a smattering of chances, but nothing particularly threatening to Ilya Sorokin.
Actually I take that back. There was one chance that seriously threatened to get past Sorokin. I’ll get to that in a bit, because it’s a meaningful moment from tonight.
If you didn’t watch the game, you might be thinking to yourself that the Devils couldn’t have played too poorly based on the shot totals tonight. After all, New Jersey outshot New York by a total of 44-24. That’s some domination right there! But tonight was one of those nights where the shot totals don’t tell the story. Much of that damage was done after the game was long decided. You can’t look at the advanced numbers either for the same reason, although you can tell a little bit more from those stats. What exactly can you tell? How about the fact that at 5-on-5 in the first period, the Devils out-attempted the Islanders 22-9, outshot them 11-6, and won the Scoring Chances battle 9-3…and despite all that, they only won the High Danger Corsi battle 1-0 and posted 0.66 Expected Goals. That’s what I mean when I say you can’t look at the shot totals or some of the advanced numbers, and it’s also what I mean when I say the Devils never really threatened to get into this game. They put up a lot of shots and some chances, but almost all of them were from the perimeter, with no traffic in front, with no rebounds to be had, with no sustained possession, with no fight whatsoever.
New Jersey did post some sparkling numbers after the first period too, but again, those aren’t worth paying attention to. It doesn’t matter that they outshot the Islanders by a wide margin, because the game was already over. It doesn’t matter that New Jersey’s xGF% was through the roof, because the game was already over. It doesn’t matter that the Devils racked up a ton of offensive zone time, because the game was already over. When the game was up for grabs, New Jersey played terribly. When the game was over, New Jersey gave the superficial appearance of competence.
And then, of course, there’s Jacob Markstrom.
Where do I even begin with Markstrom? How about the fact that he allowed a goal on the first shot he faced tonight? How about the fact that he allowed a goal on the second shot he faced tonight? How about the fact that he allowed three goals on the first four shots he faced tonight? How about the fact that, for as bad as the skaters played in front of him, Markstrom was the worst Devil on the ice tonight, which is saying something.
Since his debacle against the Lightning on December 11, Markstrom was quietly putting together a stretch of brilliant goaltending. That ended in spectacular fashion this evening, as he never gave his team a chance to win. Granted, they almost certainly weren’t winning anyway, but Markstrom was at the very top of the list of reasons why they did not win. Which, again, is saying something considering how pathetic the skaters played.
I don’t know why Sheldon Keefe didn’t yank him at some point. He should have done so after the third goal, and when he didn’t do that, he should have done so after the fourth goal, and when he didn’t do that, he should have done so after the fifth goal, and when he didn’t do that, he should have done so after the sixth goal.
And then after Markstrom allowed that sixth goal, he allowed three more.
Yet Markstrom remained in net, like an MLB longman being asked to “wear it” on a night when the starter didn’t have it and the bullpen had a lot of unavailable arms. Who knows, maybe Keefe wanted to send a message by keeping Markstrom in front of the firing squad. I don’t know what message that would be, but hey it’s a possibility.
But if Keefe doesn’t actually have a message for Markstrom or the rest of his team, I do: Enough is enough.
To Sheldon Keefe and Tom Fitzgerald and the captain Nico Hischier and the rest of this organization, something has to change. This team has hit rock bottom, and the scary part is, it’s possible they might keep digging. At one point in the second period, a Devils fan (presumably) threw a Devils jersey onto the ice. A P.K. Subban sweater to be exact, which was fitting considering the man himself was on the call for ESPN. Not that he nor play-by-play man Steve Levy had any clue what they were talking about most of the night, especially Levy, but that’s a story for another day. In any case, the Devils sweater resting on the ice was the perfect encapsulation of tonight’s game.
Actually that’s not true. I can think of two other moments from this evening that capture tonight better. One of them came in the dying moments of the second period. The game was long over with the Islanders leading 5-0 and the Devils hopeless to do anything about it. New Jersey did have a power play going on as the period was winding down though, and in the final seconds, Dougie Hamilton wound up for a one-timer from the top of the circle. And JG Pageau slid across to block the shot. That, right there, is what the Devils have been missing: a player willing to give max effort at any time. The game was not in doubt anymore, yet Pageau was still playing his rear-end off. New Jersey could use some players who play with that level of pride.
And the other moment that perfectly captures this game was the one I alluded to earlier. The one chance that seriously threatened to beat Sorokin tonight.
Midway through the second period, the Devils actually sustained a little zone time and put some pressure on the Isles’ goal. It culminated in Connor Brown scooping up a loose puck and wrapping around the net. He had all day and night, with no defender close to him and Sorokin way out of position. It was an easy tap-in on his backhand.
And Connor Brown flubbed the shot and did not score:
As far as I’m concerned, this is not only the defining image of this game, this is the defining image of the entire season.
I have finally reached my breaking point. I want Tom Fitzgerald fired before I wake up tomorrow. I want Sheldon Keefe fired before he gets on the team bus. Who replaces them? It doesn’t matter, because the replacements can’t be any worse. Meanwhile, I want Palat and Hamilton healthy scratched until they accept a trade out of town. I want ownership to threaten Nico Hischier with stripping him of his captaincy. I want Jacob Markstrom waived and Nico Daws called up. I want scorched earth on this pathetic, unprofessional band of quitters.
All that being said, I know I’m just screaming into the void here. Fitzgerald and Keefe will not be fired anytime soon. Palat and Hamilton will be in the lineup next game. Hischier is in no danger of having his captaincy taken from him. Markstrom isn’t going anywhere. And the fact that no actual changes are coming makes it all so sad. I am tired of watching this team sink, and I am tired of nobody having any answers.
The New Jersey Devils have hit rock bottom, and I don’t think they are capable of climbing out of it.
The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The Natural Stat Trick Game Stats
Too Little, Too Late
I only have one more piece of information I feel is worth mentioning tonight. It involves everyone’s favorite veteran winger, Ondrej Palat.
After years of letting Palat woefully underperform his contract with no consequences, after years of keeping an “A” on his jersey with no thought of stripping that honor from him, after suffering the indignity of a terrible player refusing to waive his no-trade clause and not even healthy scratching him to send a message, Sheldon Keefe has FINALLY had enough:
According to the shift chart on Natural Stat Trick, Palat got exactly one shift in the second period. He didn’t play that much in the third period either, and finished the night at 9:39 of ice time.
I have no clue why Keefe and the Devils organization decided that tonight was finally the night to do something about Palat. Honestly, it feels like a slap in the face to Devils fans. He should have been demoted or healthy scratched or stripped of his “A” a long time ago. Doing it tonight is way too little, way too late, and it almost feels like Keefe thinks we’re stupid. It feels as if he’s doing something about it now to “prove” he’s holding his players accountable, thinking it’ll fool us into buying in. Sorry Sheldon, the Titanic is still sinking no matter how much the deck chairs have been rearranged. We’re not fooled, we’re just insulted.
Next Time Out
The Devils’ next game is on Thursday, when they travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Penguins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm.
Your Take
I’m not even going to ask what you thought of tonight’s game, because I already know the answer. Enjoy the comments section, everyone. See you Thursday.
Category: General Sports
