The New Jersey Devils continued their Western Conference road trip with a stop at Mullet Arena to take on the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. The teams met for the second and final time this season. Arizona walked away with the two points by winning 4-3 in the shootout. The battle against Arizona would kick off a back-to-back that would be crucial in New Jersey’s minimal playoff push.
After an impressive 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday, New Jersey iced the same lineup on Saturday. The one change was starting Kaapo Kahkonen in net and saving Jake Allen for Sunday’s contest against the Vegas Golden Knights. In seven career games against the Coyotes, Kahkonen had a 6-1-0 record. He also posted a 1.45 goals-against average (GAA) and a .949 save percentage (SV%).
John Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler remained out of the lineup, allowing Nick DeSimone and Santeri Hatakka to stay in. However, New Jersey continued to erase any shred of momentum after an impressive win.
Devils Chasing Bad Record
After a great effort in Dallas, New Jersey came out with a flat and slow effort in the first against the Coyotes – something they have done all season. J.J. Moser scored the first goal of the game 9:37 into the period to mark the 49th time that the Devils have given up the first goal. With 15 games left, they are only nine shy of the record set in the 2016-17 season by the Colorado Avalanche – interestingly, this season’s Devils and that Avalanche team went undefeated in the preseason. Shortly after, Tomas Nosek tripped Clayton Keller and sent Arizona to the power play, where Dylan Guenther gave his team a 2-0 lead.
Unfortunately, the poor play continued throughout the whole period. In DeSimone’s second game with the Devils, he turned the puck over with a terrible pass in front of the net and Logan Cooley quickly made it 3-0. To come out with an abysmal effort against a struggling Coyotes team shows that the Devils have no intentions of pushing for a playoff spot.
Kahkonen Pulled in Second Game for the Devils
Kahkonen only played the first period before getting pulled by interim head coach Travis Green. He finished the game with 12 saves on 15 shots and a .800 SV%. Nico Daws entered the game and played for the first time since March 9, when he suffered a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
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However, Kahkonen was not to blame for the 3-0 deficit. The team suffered from poor defensive breakdowns, not clearing the puck and an overall lack of effort in their own zone. Pulling the Finnish goaltender was likely an attempt to give the team a boost. However, questions loom about their continuous poor efforts after impressive wins.
Daws gave the Devils a chance to come back, but the team only scored one goal in the second period, provided by DeSimone. Daws made 15 saves on 15 shots and played 38:22 in relief.
Devils’ Inability to String Together Wins
Immediately after the All-Star Break, fans were hopeful that the Devils’ play had improved enough to make a legitimate push for a playoff spot. However, since the break, they have a record of 8-10-1, fired head coach Lindy Ruff, traded Tyler Toffoli, their leading scorer, and acquired a new tandem who are considered backup goalies. This season can not end soon enough.
Unfortunately, in 68 games played, New Jersey has been unable to find any cohesive or consistent play. In most games, it looks like they are playing together for the first time. Misplaced and fumbled passes, horrible communication, countless defensive breakdowns, and poor finishing have plagued everyone on the roster all season. Furthermore, since Dougie Hamilton’s last game on Nov. 28, the Devils have had the league’s worst power play, with a conversion rate of 14.5%. Given their talent and the spectacular campaign they had in 2022-23, this season has been utterly disappointing and concerning for the organization.
Making the playoffs was expected in New Jersey. However, now the fanbase will resort to the familiar venture of watching prospects, hoping for trades, and eyeing the free agents who can help the team next season. The loss against Arizona would be followed by a loss against the Golden Knights that almost guarantees New Jersey will be a participant in the draft lottery.
