(Photo by Catalina Fragoso – Double G Media) I for one am not a fan of this bye week nonsense…this is hockey, momentum is everything. Yesterday’s loss to the (albeit red hot) San Jose Sharks might make New Jersey Devils fans jump on my bandwagon. We went from such a hopeful January to a 4-1 defeat on what should have been a happy day. John Moore returned to the line-up for the first time since December 31 when a hard hit left him with a concussion. In the first period the Devils first shot on goal led to their only goal of the game, thanks to P.A. Parenteau. The Devils fought hard in the first period and were competitive with the Sharks in terms of speed. Yet, on a physicality level they feel short which led to their loss. Had this game been played last week, their physicality might have been closer to the Sharks level. Since the All-Star break the Devils had been finishing their checks and hitting hard; something that had been missing in November and December. Could this be a result from the bye week? YES. I am 100% a believer. While I am not certain the Devils would have taken the two points…they certainly would have kept it competitive. Not playing together for most of the week and having an early game did not give them time to gel back together. In addition, you have Moore back in the line-up who has been out for about six weeks. I know the players asked for these bye weeks in the last agreement. I have a sneaky suspicion this might be revisited if most teams experience the comeback losses after their bye week. I can’t imagine baseball having a bye week, they don’t want to lose that momentum. Hopefully getting back on schedule will help find the magic the Devils were starting to play with because the next couple of weeks will hold a lot of games. Many of the upcoming games are against teams that are fighting for the Wild Card spots in the playoffs. Tomorrow night the Devils take on the Avalanche who fell 5-1 to the Islanders last night. With the Avalanche playing so-so hockey, a ‘W’ could give New Jersey the push back to their pre-bye week competitiveness. Post Views: 1,135 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Kelly Lynn Kelly is the New Jersey Devils Lead Writer and Rugby Analyst for Double G Media. She is also the site's Social Media Manager. Latest posts by Kelly Lynn (see all) Blackwood Gets Back-to-Back Shutouts to Close 2018 on a Winning Streak - December 28, 2018 A chilly night in Newark as the Devils fall to the Maple Leafs - December 19, 2018 Devils Lose in OT to Isles but should be thankful for a point - November 24, 2018 Devils Win Big Against Habs on Thanksgiving Eve - November 22, 2018 Related TopicsHockeyJohn MooreNew Jersey DevilsP.A. Parenteau Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. More in Hockey Tim Peel is Discharged After Caught on Hot Mic Tim Peel was Discharged from the NHL After He was Caught on the Hot... NHL, Amazon Web Services Partner to Develop New Stats, Data, and Insights The National Hockey League (NHL) is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in an... You Know I’m Right, Episode 81: ESPN’s Arda Ocal (Audio/Video) On the 81st episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 80: MSG Network’s Bill Pidto (Audio/Video) On the 80th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Henrik Lundqvist Wins 400th Game NWHL shines during All-Star Weekend in Pittsburgh