Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
The New Jersey Devils are a mess. That has been the case for some time and things continue to get worse, with last night's 8-3 thumping at the hands of St. Louis signifying rock bottom.
Every concern I had about the Devils heading into the season reared its ugly head against the Blues. I didn't think they had enough offensive firepower to pick up the slack when Taylor Hall had an off game or was out of the lineup. That certainly looked to be the case Tuesday when the Devils mustered up just 28 shot attempts in over 51 minutes of 5v5 play – as if more proof was necessary.
With Andy Greene declining, and Will Butcher still relatively unproven, the Devils entered the season with two top-4 defenders (Sami Vatanen and Damon Severson), neither of whom had proven themselves capable of anchoring a top pairing.
Unsurprisingly, a lack of investment in that area has come back to bite the Devils and there is no better example than yesterday's debacle (I realize Vatanen being out didn't help the cause).
There was breakdown after breakdown after breakdown. It seemed every couple minutes the Blues generated an odd-man rush or were gifted a clear cut breakaway. It happened on the opening shift of the game and there was no shortage of examples to follow.
The Devils also had a miserable time defending around the net. Be it a lack of assertiveness, misreads or, later in the game, a lack of focus and effort (watch the Ivan Barbashev short-handed goal again), the Blues were able to create great opportunities around the net whenever they wanted.
Last but not least, we reach the risky bet on goaltending. Even after a strong stretch run, Kinkaid's season totals weren't all that impressive and his career numbers suggested he was nothing close to a starter – especially playing behind a team with a wonky defense. Throw in Schneider's continued decline, aided by injuries and a complete lack of confidence, and it was pretty hard to expect anything more than average (at best) goaltending. The Devils haven't even gotten that.
I'm not faulting Kinkaid for last night – the team no-showed in front of him – but he didn't help the cause at times. After allowing eight goals on 39 shots, his save percentage is down to .894 on the year. Absolutely terrible numbers, yet somehow still better than Schneider's (he owns a .868SV% and still hasn't won a game).
Mix all of that together and it's not exactly shocking the end result is a team that's put together just 17 wins in the last 52 tries.
At this point, all the Devils can do is ride out the disaster that is this year's team and hope the lottery balls bounce their way again come April. They clearly need to add talent to their roster, and Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko would be a good place to start.
Recent Posts
On the trading of Brian Boyle
Shero squashes rumors Hall could be dealt prior to the deadline
On Taylor Hall's future with the Devils
The Devils don't need to force Marcus Johansson out the door
What about Andre Burakovsky?
Zacha's offensive play leaves little room for optimism
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»