The New Jersey Devils have been on a hot streak this season. Before the holiday break, their record stood at 21-11-3. Coming back from the break, they have played in four games so far; they’ve only won one. As the NHL reaches the halfway point of the season, this three-game loss streak New Jersey is on should not define their performance for the rest of the season.
Devils’ Heavy Travel Period
After a three-day break for the holidays, the Devils had a home game against the Carolina Hurricanes. They came out the gate swinging, defeating the visitors 4-2. After celebrating the high of the win, the Devils had to travel straight to Raleigh to face the Hurricanes once more this season. On the second half of a back-to-back, coming off the holiday break, the Devils were tired. They definitely played as if they were.
Carolina outshot them 41-23, which is not like the Devils at all. The Devils usually have more puck control than this. They usually take way more shots, not always finding the back of the net, but more shots nonetheless. When you compare the game the day prior, when they hosted the Hurricanes, the Devils outshot the visitors 31-23. They had better puck control and stronger defensive play when they were at home versus when they played the second game of the back-to-back.
Related: Brendan Dillon’s Physicality Rounds Out Devils’ Defense
Immediately after traveling to Carolina, the Devils had to head to California. With the loss weighing them down, the Devils had to get into a winning mindset for this West Coast road trip. Unfortunately, that mindset hasn’t hit them yet. Perhaps it’s the jet lag, but once again, the Devils looked tired out on the ice. Losing to both the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, the Devils had some good chances, but they were on the receiving end of some negative calls.
On Jan. 1 when they faced the Kings, Timo Meier‘s goal was disallowed due to goaltender interference. Stefan Noesen was in front of the Kings goalie, Darcy Kuemper, who got his stick between Noesen’s legs and was “unable” to get it back into proper goaltending position. Although this goal would not have let the Devils win, it would have changed the end result to make sure the Devils did not get shut out.
The Devils will be continuing on this West Coast road trip, facing off against the San Jose Sharks and finally the Seattle Kraken. The Devils had three days between the Kings game and the Sharks game….
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