Devils Drop Both Games of the Road Trip

Goalie Cory Schneider
Photo Credit:
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

It was always going to be a difficult task to ask of the Devils to go to Chicago and Nashville, two of the top teams in the Western Conference, and come away with points. The Devils failed to steal any points and gained no ground on Boston for a playoff spot.

The Devils offense stalled on this trip, registering just two goals over the two game span, after they scored 16 goals over the previous five games. Though goalie Cory Schneider allowed just five goals on 73 shots through the two games (the final Chicago goal was an empty netter), he let up four in the third period of the games.

The Devils have not been able to find that rhythm where they score a lot of goals and also get good goaltending at the same time. That lack of rhythm and the inability to generate needed goals cost them a major opportunity this weekend. At 51 points, the team had recently cropped Boston’s lead to just eight points, but the Devils’ stagnancy leaves them now sitting 12 points behind the Bruins in the standings, tied for second to last place in the Metropolitan Division and third worst in the Eastern Conference.

The next nine days may determine whether the Devils are actual contenders or playoff pretenders. They start a six game home stand Tuesday against the NHL’s worst team, the Buffalo Sabres, and end with a home game against the Bruins. Following this group of games comes the trade deadline — if the Devils are still way out of it by then certain players, like Jaromir Jagr, may find their way to new teams who are in playoff contention.