The New Jersey Devils have struggled mightily in the third period of games as of late, and Thursday night was no different. After entering the final frame up 3-1 on the Calgary Flames, the team allowed their cross-conference foes to score four unanswered goals.
And defenseman Brenden Dillon was not at all happy about it afterwards.
“Our mindset’s got to be, we’ve got to outcompete that team still for the entire 60 minutes. It might take 65, it might take, in playoffs, way longer than that,” he told reporters after the 5-3 defeat.
“It’s sad to say we’re learning lessons at game 71, but I feel like that’s what we’ve got to take out of it. You win or you learn. How many games are we gonna look back on now where we had our chance to get points and we didn’t? We can sit here and say the same thing, but we’ve got to be better at it. I’m almost speechless. It’s so, so frustrating.”
The Devils looked to be in full control of the game, leading 3-1 just over six minutes into the third. But goals by Connor Zary, Daniil Miromanov and Jonathan Huberdeau turned the contest on its head. Nazem Kadri scored into the empty net to seal the 5-3 final.
“We’re up two,” Dillon continued. “We’ve got to be confident in that situation. Every goal is just self-inflicted stuff, whether that’s us having the puck and throwing it away, or a D-zone coverage lapse. It’s not like we can sit here and be like, ‘Oh yeah, Calgary was just an unbelievable team,’ but obviously give credit to them for pushing and coming back.”
Devils coach baffled by late-stage struggles
New Jersey’s bench boss Sheldon Keefe echoed Dillon’s comments, wondering why the squad has been unable to close out close games in the third.
“It’s caught me off guard, quite honestly,” he told reporters after Thursday’s loss. “This hasn’t been an issue for us all season long. Don’t know what to make of that. Thought (Columbus) was maybe our wake-up call.
“As fate would have it, puts us in a similar situation. A chance to get it right, and obviously failed to do that. Why is it happening? I don’t know.”
Without the services of Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton — who have each suffered devastating injuries within the last month — it’s going to be tough sledding for the Devils the rest of the way. And the third period struggles are certainly concerning.
Still, New Jersey remains in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 37-27-6 record. They’ve managed to win four of their last six games dating back to March 9, but will probably need to win at a similar pace to hold onto the final guaranteed playoff spot in the division.
With the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers both struggling, the chances of the team making the playoffs are still high. But they need to be a better third-period team, especially if they play the surging Carolina Hurricanes — without home-ice advantage — in Round 1.
The Devils are back in action against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night as they look to turn the page after Thursday’s discouraging defeat.
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