Following the New Jersey Devils’ 4-1 loss at the hands of the Arizona Coyotes, interim head coach Travis Green didn’t mince words.
The Devils have been far too inconsistent this season. They trounced a Stanley Cup favorite in the Dallas Stars on Thursday, albeit on the back of solid goaltending. However, in a college-sized arena against an inferior opponent, the Devils couldn’t ride the momentum to drown the dogs in the desert.
If you asked Curtis Lazar after the game, he couldn’t quite put a finger on what the issue was that led to New Jersey’s defeat. However, he slowly started to talk himself into the issues that at least hindered the Devils against the Coyotes.
“Couldn’t tell ya. We played pretty solid in Dallas,” Lazar growled. “What I think got us there was our work ethic and the way we played. I won’t take the skill side away from it, yeah we put up a lot of goals there, but you gotta be ready to work, it doesn’t matter what time the game is. You gotta be ready to play.”
Green, echoed the same sentiment, however, he was quite direct citing the Devils’ immaturity as the leading cause of the loss and their 2023-24 season.
“A bit of it is immaturity,” Green said Saturday night. “It’s a tough league to win in, you have to be ready to go every night. If you don’t start on time it’s a hard league to win consistently in.”
Certainly, that’s one of the many issues the Devils have faced this season.
Coming into this season as the eighth youngest team in the NHL (average age of 27.1), New Jersey is playing careless hockey this season. Add roster construction issues after heavy turnover last summer, a plethora of injuries, and a mid-season coaching change, the Devils were set up to fail this season.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald attempted to address the Devils’ goaltending at the NHL Trade Deadline last week, however, the defense remains quite poor, not just on the blueline, but overall.
Green is bang on. The Devils’ immaturity is certainly a problem this season resulting in careless puck play and mailed-in efforts far too often. The roster turnover last summer is proving to be more detrimental than initially believed. Fitzgerald wanted to believe his core of youth was ready to drive the Devils’ bus.
112 points was never going to be easy to replicate and the Devils are nowhere near that team this season. However, dropping 13 total points to the likes of the Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, and San Jose Sharks has proven to be the difference this season.
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