Sheldon Keefe didn't hold back after the NJ Devils' 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The coach was frustrated with his team's struggles, but defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic took the brunt of the criticism.
After the game, Kovacevic told reporters that the Senators need a playoff mentality.
"You know, we're in a fight, and hopefully that, you know, gets us in that playoff mentality, you know, 10, 11 games out, and we carry that into playoffs. So, yeah, obviously the results are tough, but we're in a fight here, end we're not going to back down," Kovacevic said.
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Keefe wasn't pleased, even if the comment was meant to motivate the team.
"Kovacevic just needs to play better. That would help," Keefe said before ending his press conference.
The NJ Devils have won only four of their last 10 games. Despite holding a seven-point cushion for third place in the Metropolitan Division, their inconsistent play is concerning.
Kovacevic, who signed a five-year, $20-million contract extension, has been steady this season. But his recent performance has dipped, with a minus-3 rating over his last five games.
Kovacevic has taken on a bigger role, with Dougie Hamilton injured. He has one goal, 16 assists, and a team-leading plus-9 rating. But Keefe’s comments suggest he wants more from him.
The NJ Devils have 11 games left this season with a 37-28-6 record. Next, they face the Canucks on March 24 at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
NJ Devils lost to the Ottawa Senators despite late push
The NJ Devils won more faceoffs (56.9% to 43.1%), matched the Ottawa Senators on the power play and had more hits (29 to 18) but still lost. The Devils were outshot in the first two periods but outshot Ottawa heavily (15-4) in the third.
Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring at 4:05 of the second period, tipping in a pass from Jake Sanderson. Thirty-three seconds later, Drake Batherson made it 2-0 with a shot from the slot.
Nico Hischier responded at 7:13 with a power-play goal from the right circle, cutting the lead to 2-1. Jesper Bratt assisted, setting a franchise record with his 61st assist of the season.
"I think we obviously had a good push in the third because we're desperate to win but I just don't think in the first or second period we're starting desperate enough," Bratt said, via NHL.com.
"Our puck battles and puck play just wasn't good enough and we had a hard time creating any offense in those first two periods. We weren't physically engaged in the battles to come up with pucks."
David Perron made it 3-1 at 8:44. Claude Giroux’s shot from the right circle deflected off Perron’s hip and into the net.
Despite outshooting Ottawa in the third period, the Devils got only one goal. Erik Haula scored at 19:37, snapping a shot from the right circle with the goalie pulled. Despite a strong finish, NJ’s slow start cost them.
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