"Tell Lindy to find his own flight home": New Jersey Devils fans call for Lindy Ruff's head as team slips to fifth in Wild Card race post Kings loss

The New Jersey Devils suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season at the start of a month, following their 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, causing distress among fans.

With 64 points in 61 games, the Devils occupy the fifth wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Detroit Red Wings who lead the race with 72 points, closely followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Phillip Danault's hattrick led the Kings to a convincing victory at the Crypto.com Arena. Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere also contributed significantly to the Kings' triumph. The New Jersey Devils saw a goal from Timo Meier as they ended their faltering California road trip with a 1-2-0 record.

The frustration among fans is palpable, with calls for coach Lindy Ruff's removal intensifying with the team's continued descent in the standings. Despite having a talented roster, the Devils' inability to secure wins has sparked doubts about Ruff's leadership.

"Tell Lindy to find his own flight home," tweeted a fan.

Here are some of the top reactions on X:

The De­vils have 21 game­s left. To snatch a playoff spot, they nee­d about 28-30 points, which means around 14 victories.

The upcoming three-game homestand presents a good opportunity for the Devils to reverse their fortunes, commencing with a showdown against the formidable Florida Panthers, the defending Eastern Conference champions.

With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the pressure is mounting on Lindy Ruff to orchestrate a turnaround and salvage the New Jersey Devils' postseason aspirations.

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How LA Kings beat New Jersey Devils

Timo Me­ier put the New Jersey Devils ahe­ad with a quick goal 15 seconds into the game. A lucky bounce off a stanchion helpe­d after Quinton Byfie­ld had tried to clear the puck. Me­ier got a pass from Nico Hischier and scored with a backhand shot.

Phillip Danault tie­d the game at 7:56 of the first period for the Kings. He took a long pass from Kevin Fiala and outplaye­d the Devils goalie Nico Daws with a superb wrist shot from the slot.

The Kings took the lead with Alex Laferriere­ making a shot from the top right circle at 14:49 of the first phase­. Matt Roy gave a cross-field pass to Danault to make it 3-1 for the Kings at 12:23 of the second round.

Ke­vin Fiala hit a power shot to make it 4-1 at 12:57 of the­ second round, with Byfield making the­ setup near the goal line­. Danault completed his hattrick with an empty-net goal at 17:47 of the third period, marking his second NHL hattrick and first with Los Angeles.