Devils HC Sheldon Keefe keeps it 100% real about Johnathan Kovacevic's game in loss to Canucks after ripping him publicly

New Jersey Devils coach Sheldon Keefe shared his thoughts on defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic's performance during the team's 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.

After a disappointing 3-2 defeat to the Ottawa Senators, Keefe had hoped for a stronger reaction from his squad. Instead, Kovacevic drew attention for the wrong reasons, picking up three costly penalties that put the Devils at a disadvantage.

Although the Canucks couldn't fully capitalize on Kovacevic's mistakes, Keefe remained unimpressed with the defenseman's errors. After the game, Keefe said (4:34 onwards):

"I thought Kova was fine. I mean, everybody wanted to make a big deal over that, and I get it—it’s a viral world that we live in. But Kova’s caught in the line of fire because of the question when the real message is that we need our players to stop talking in generalities and just go out and play."

"Do your job, and we’ve got a lot of guys that can play better. Kova is certainly one of them. He got some penalties here today, but those were unlucky and unfortunate. He’s got to manage his stick, but he did his job and defended well for us," he added.

Jonathan Kovacevic has amassed 17 points through a goal and 16 assists in 72 games this season, with a plus-minus of +13 rating.

How the Vancouver Canucks downed New Jersey Devils

On Monday, the New Jersey Devils suffered a 4-3 defeat to the Vancouver Canucks at Prudential Center.

Pius Suter opened the scoring for the Canucks after giving them a 1-0 lead at 10:09 into the first period. This was the lone goal scored in the first period.

Timo Meier tied it for the Devils after scoring on the power play at 10:24. The game opened up in the final period, with both teams scoring a total of four goals. Meier netted his second of the night to put the Devils ahead 2-1 at 11:02 into the third period.

Just 45 seconds later, Jonathan Lekkerimaki tied it 2-2 for the Canucks. Erik Haula restored a 3-2 lead for the Devils at 13:25 before Conor Garland tied the game late in the final period. After a goalless overtime, the Canucks eventually won in the shootout.

The Canucks trail the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference by three points after sharing a point with the Devils.