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New Jersey Devils Drop 8th Straight Game, Lose 5-4 to the Boston Bruins

April 11, 2013, 9:21 AM ET [20 Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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The New Jersey Devils continued to do what they've done since Ilya Kovalchuk has been out of the lineup: lose.

The Devils loss to the Bruins marks their eight consecutive loss (0-4-4) since Kovalchuk injured his shoulder. The difference between this loss and the rest is the Devils actually found a way to put some pucks in the net. The problem: they couldn't keep them out of their own.

Game Notes

- Many fans asked me last night if DeBoer should be fired. My answer to that is no, and I don't even think Lou Lamoriello is/should consider it. DeBoer took the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in his first year as the head coach of New Jersey. The Devils lost their former captain, Zach Parise, in the offseason and many predicted the Devils would be among the worst teams in the league yet they stand just a couple of wins out of 6th in the Eastern Conference.

If you're a GM, you make a move behind the bench when you see the coach has lost the team and the players aren't playing for the coach. That has not happened in New Jersey - not even close. More often than not during this losing streak the Devils have outplayed their opponents but just haven't been rewarded with a win. Last night was another example of that. And if you think DeBoer has lost the room, you should look no further than last night when the Devils battled back from 4-0 down against one of the best teams in the NHL while playing with four defenseman. They could have easily packed it in and they didn't. They put their hard hats on and got to work. They didn't get the result they wanted in the end, but they didn't go down without a fight. Calling for DeBoer's head is ridiculous.

- The Devils power play wasn't great to begin with, but it is abysmal without Kovalchuk. They don't have a heavy shot running the point which takes away the fear of point shots from the penalty killing units perspective. They're also ridiculously predictable and way too hesitant to put pucks on net. Rather than just putting a puck on net and hoping for a rebound the Devils just pass the puck around, hold it for five to 10 seconds and repeat. They're not moving around. They're not shooting. They're not doing anything but making poor passes and turning the puck over. Last night's 0-for-8 power play is a perfect example of that, especially when you factor in they allowed two short handed goals.

- While last night's loss was certainly disappointing, it wasn't from a lack of effort or being dominated by a good team. The Devils actually carried play for the majority of the game, in my opinion. They only allowed 16 shots, five of which beat Martin Brodeur. If he could have came up with an extra save or two, which wouldn't be much given he allowed a few questionable goals, the Devils would have won that game even with their abysmal power play.

- A lot of Devils fans are all doom and gloom about the season now. I say don't be. The Devils are four points out of 8th, yes, but they're also four points out of 6th. They have three teams within striking distance and have enough time to make up the ground. The Devils play the 8th place New York Rangers twice more and two wins would make up for the point differential. They also play the 6th place Ottawa Senators, who also have 44 points, again. New Jersey isn't an ideal situation, but Kovalchuk should be back within the next couple of games and the Devils do play the teams they're chasing so they're not without opportunities to catch up.

- Anton Volchenkov will be suspended for his hit on Brad Marchand. It was a head shot and there's no doubt about it. Adam Larsson is a little banged up right now but it's nothing serious so he should be good to go Friday and beyond. With Bryce Salvador hurt on top of Volchenkov's upcoming suspension, Larsson should be in the lineup for at least the next few games. The same likely can be said about Peter Harrold.

- Mark Fayne didn't play his best game last night and only playing 18 minutes despite the Devils having four defenseman for over 1/3 of the game is indicative of that. Fayne had a couple bad turnovers and was pretty sloppy overall. He needs to be better.

- 10 Devils players had at least two shots last night. It's nice to see a lot of different players putting pucks on net.

Prospect Notes

- Damon Severson's Kelowna Rockets were eliminated from the WHL playoffs last night. Severson had an assist and was +1 in the loss. The Devils' 2nd round pick in 2012 had 52 points (10G, 42A) and posted a +43 rating in 71 regular season games. In the playoffs Severson continued to produce as he had 10 points (1G, 9A) and a +2 rating in 11 games. There has been no word on if he'll sign an ATO with Albany but it is possible.

- Stefan Matteau's Armada picked up a 2-1 win over Val d'Or last night to complete the sweep and advance to the 3rd round. Matteau had an assist and went 3-for-3 in the faceoff dot in the win.

- Ben Thomson had an assist in a 4-3 Kitchener loss to the London Knights. Thomson, like in the regular season, has struggled to produce in the playoffs as he has just two points (1G, 1A) in nine games. Thomson's Kitchener Rangers are down 3-1 in their series.

- Artur Gavrus scored the game winning goal in a 4-3 Owen Sound win over Plymouth. Gavrus has eight points in 10 playoff games and his Attack are tied with the Whalers 2-2 through four games.

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