The New Jersey Devils are mired in a five-game winless skid, their longest such streak since dropping six in a row from Dec. 9-20, 2022. They have fallen into a tie for sixth place with the Philadelphia Flyers in the tightly compacted Metropolitan Division.
After mustering just one goal in their last three games overall, the Devils are in need of a spark heading into Tuesday’s game against the host Ottawa Senators.
New Jersey head coach Sheldon Keefe insisted he saw positives in his team’s 4-1 setback to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
“I thought we controlled play,” Keefe said. “The shot clock was indicative of that. Obviously, we made some mistakes on some breakouts, turnovers. They got back in quick-strike offense. They got the goals that they needed. So, that ultimately ends up being the difference.
“But once again, we play a good enough game to be in the position to win. We’re just not able to sustain offense and build offense enough to get on the right side of it.”
Timo Meier scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season and sixth in his last nine games for the Devils.
Unfortunately for New Jersey, that was all she wrote.
“Obviously, we couldn’t put enough away, the chances were there, so it’s important for us to understand the longevity of the season and not get too low and really build off a performance like that because I think that was our best game in the last bit, for sure,” veteran Connor Brown said.
The Senators aren’t singing a much better tune after returning from a seven-game road trip by dropping the first two contests of their three-game homestand.
Fabian Zetterlund scored a power-play goal in the third period of Ottawa’s 2-1 setback to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Senators, they went 1-for-7 with the man advantage to lose for the fourth time in their last five games.
“They’re just not getting the job done,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said of his power-play units. “They’re on the outside a lot, the execution hasn’t been good enough either.”
The Senators will need more from their offense with leading goal-scorer Shane Pinto sidelined at least more two weeks due to a lower-body injury.
Pinto has 12 goals, one more than Tim Stutzle. The latter is struggling mightily with just five points (one goal, four assists) in the past 10 games.
“He’s going through a stretch where the puck hasn’t gone the way he’s wanted,” Green said, per the Ottawa Citizen. “With a skilled player that wants to do well and wants to win desperately, as Tim does, and he understands that he is a big part of our offense, and when we lose, he takes a lot on his shoulders.
“Sometimes less is more, and sometimes being direct is a way to get out of a rut. Can you shoot a little more? Can you get inside a little more? Can you be a little physical at certain times? Sometimes players want to skill their way out of things, and sometimes that backfires on you. So we’ve got to make sure that we’re continuing to talk to Timmy, because he’s a competitive person, and no one’s harder on Timmy than himself, so we’ve got to work with him and keep his spirits high.”
