The New Jersey Devils season is teetering on thin ice. With three losses in their last four games, the Devils are continuing to have a disappointing season. Missing the playoffs was never an option, and head coach Lindy Ruff is taking full responsibility for the team’s failures and shortcomings.
“I take full responsibility. Players want to win. I’m responsible for the wins & losses, who gets on the ice and who doesn’t get on the ice,” Ruff said. “We’ve got a passionate fan base; they want to see wins. If you look at our home record, that part hurts. So, I feel fully responsible.”
Lindy Ruff has taken a lot of criticism this season. The Devils have been one of the bigger disappointments this season. They had expectations of taking the next step. Taking a step back by missing the playoffs was not an option. However, the reality is that the Devils could miss the playoffs. If that happens, it will be viewed as a significant failure.
In a game the Devils needed to win, they came up short against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. The Devils were chasing the Lightning in the standings. New Jersey was right there but could not find the equalizer. The pressure is mounting. Not only are the players feeling it, but the coach himself.
The Devils had a record-setting season a year ago. New Jersey made it to the second round of the playoffs. Even though there were some subtractions, the talent was there to get back to the playoffs and maybe make a deep run.
There was talk of Lindy Ruff moving on to management as he needed a new contract. Many thought Andrew Brunette would stay on the staff and take over, but he moved on to Nashville to be their head coach. It was later announced, Ruff used an option in his contract to remain as the Devils head coach.
Then, right before the season started, the Devils extended Ruff and gave him a multi-year contract to be their head coach. He was given it based on what happened last year. But most figured this extension would wait until the end of the season, which it should have, as Full Press Hockey documented.
Now, injuries have played a role in the Devils record this season, but again, this team is too talented not to have a better record than this. It also does not help the goaltending has taken a step back. That falls on the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald for failing to upgrade that position.
However, that does not excuse the lack of preparation and execution by the players on the ice. That falls on the head coach and his staff. You can see in most games the Devils are not ready to go. New Jersey has given up the first goal 42 times in 58 games. It is never easy playing from behind.
But it is already past the point of getting late early. The trade deadline is March 8th; after that date, there is a month left in the season. While there is time, the Devils have given too many points away to bad teams this season to make up the difference in the standings.
The Devils have given away 16 points with losses to Arizona, San Jose, Anaheim, Montreal, Columbus, and Washington three times this season. Those Washington losses are killers because those are points inside the division, which has kept the Capitals in the hunt. But take those out of the equation, and the Devils squandered 10 points to teams outside the playoffs and near the bottom of the standings.
Those are the points that keep you out of the playoffs. And this season, it will cost the Devils. You thought the Devils had turned this around after the break, but it is a step forward and two steps back. However, one thing Lindy Ruff got right was if the Devils were going to play defence the way they did at the beginning of the season, they would struggle.
You can’t argue that statement. However, Ruff has yet to show he can adjust with players out of the lineup. Not to mention his inability to hold the guys accountable for their poor play. Lindy Ruff knew his endorsement by Jack Hughes at the end of last season saved his job; that is why he is not worried or feels pressure about his job security.
“It doesn’t, “Ruff responded when asked if the weight of his job security creeps into his mind at all. “It doesn’t. I’m in the business where job security is what it is.”
Lindy Ruff knows he is in the business where coaches are hired to be fired. Not all of it is on Ruff, but you can’t fire the 23-man roster. So, if the Devils are to make a change, it is at the head coaching position.
For now, Lindy Ruff is the head coach of the Devils as they prepare for the next game, which is a big one.
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