The past two months have been filled with ups and downs for the New Jersey Devils.
Now, they’re hoping a solid effort in a losing cause in their most recent outing will help get things on track when they open a five-game road trip with a visit the Nashville Predators on Sunday.
The Devils are coming off a 4-2 setback against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. They’ve alternated wins and losses over their past seven games and are 7-10-3 in their past 20 games. It’s a slide that began on Dec. 28, when a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes snapped a three-game winning streak.
New Jersey entered that game against Carolina in first place in the Metropolitan Division, with a three-point lead on the Washington Capitals. It has since fallen to third and is now 14 points behind the Capitals.
“From a process point of view? The things we were struggling in going into the break, we showed up very well,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Had more legs, more energy. Gave up a few really high-end chances against which will screw up the expected goals and all that, but we played well.”
Jack Hughes, just two days removed from playing for Team USA in its 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game, picked up where he left off for New Jersey before the tournament, scoring both goals.
He has five goals in his past four games and has 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in his past nine games. He’s been held off the scoresheet only once during that stretch.
“He’s been great for us all year,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “Not much to say about him. Two big goals. We knew eventually it was going to come and Jack stepped up for the team.”
The Predators, meanwhile, enter Sunday’s tilt looking for a third straight victory for the first time in a month. Nashville skated away with a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
It’s been a disappointing season for the Predators, whose offseason additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei led to high hopes heading into the campaign. Instead, the team sits 16 points out of a playoff spot and 30th in the NHL in points.
“We’re trying to commit to playing the right way,” Predators defenseman Luke Schenn said. “Obviously we understand what the standings are but we have a lot of pride in this room. We just want to continue to build and play for one another and just give an honest effort.”
Marchessault tallied the game-winner against Colorado midway through the third period, giving him 18 goals on the season – second only to Filip Forsberg, who leads the team with 21. That extended his point streak to four games, putting up seven points (three goals, four assists) in that span.
“It’s something we can build off of,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “It was a real positive win for our group, and I think it’s something that [the players] want down the stretch of games here that we’ve got to find and build. We want to make sure our culture is set here going forward.”
