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A few notes from New Jersey's disappointing loss to the Ottawa Senators:
1) Prior to the game, I talked about Ottawa's structured defensive system and how they clog up the neutral zone in a similar way the Devils used to do it. We certainly saw that in last night's game, particularly in the 3rd period. The Devils were hemmed into their own zone a fair bit and when they did get the puck, they struggled immensely to skate it up ice and gain Ottawa's line with possession. There were just too many bodies to navigate around. That the Devils had only four scoring chances in the 3rd period while trying to come from behind says it all.
2) Mike Cammalleri is going through what is almost certainly the worst offensive spell of his career. He did not get on the scoresheet last night, or even record a shot, and has only scored once in his last 33 games. I very much doubt his talent has dropped so much that streaks like this will be the new norm, however, it's clear he is not the player he once was.
The good news: despite his struggles and long goalless stretches, he's still on pace for a hair under 50 points. Respectable totals.
The bad news: he is 34, this seems like the beginning of the end, and he still has two years left on his deal.
3) Cory Schneider kept the Devils in the game until the end, stopping 32 of the 34 shots he faced. Schneider now owns an excellent .931 save percentage in 17 games since the turn of the calendar and that number is seemingly rising on a nightly basis.
4) Damon Severson is not without his faults but he has more 5v5 points than a ton of big names including Roman Josi, Shea Weber, Ryan McDonagh, Aaron Ekblad, Justin Faulk and super rookie Zach Werenski, among many others. Perhaps he should be getting more ice than the likes of Ben Lovejoy and Jon Merrill.
5) I think it's time we officially stick a form in the Devils' playoff chances. They're five points out, which doesn't seem like a ton, but they'd have to leapfrog five teams to get in. The Panthers are hot, the Islanders are hotter and the Leafs, who currently hold the 2nd wild card spot, are 38 goals ahead of the Devils in terms of differential and are posting much better underlying numbers. The Devils are not as good as any of those teams so expecting them to pass any of them -- let alone all three -- is unrealistic. Sell off some veterans, play the kids, and look ahead to next year.
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