The New Jersey Devils received a butt kicking on Tuesday night in Elmont. The New York Islanders came through with a 9-0 win. We have simply not seen a Devils loss like this in four decades. That is when the Devils lost 9-0 to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 31, 1986.
Yes, the Colorado Rockies lost one time 11-0 to the Calgary Flames, and 10-0 to the Chicago Black Hawks, and the Kansas City Scouts lost 10-0 in back-to-back seasons in the mid-1970s to the Philadelphia Flyers. However, this was a time before the Scouts and Rockies moved to New Jersey. We have never seen the Devils look as bad as they did on Tuesday in quite some time.
By losing 9-0, it now appears that Tom Fitzgerald, the Devils general manager, could be on the hot seat. The Devils have lost their last two games by a combined score of 12-1, and are no longer in a playoff spot. They are three points back pf the eighth place Pittsburgh Penguins.
Devils fans frustrated
With the Vancouver Canucks shopping defenseman Quinn Hughes of Orlando, Florida, it seemed like the Devils would be a perfect fit. The reason is because Luke and Jack (Quinn’s brothers) were already with the Devils, and many speculated it would be just a matter of time before a two-time All-Star and former James Norris Trophy winner would be a Devil. However, it was former Devils right winger Bill Guerin of Worcester, Massachusetts, who is the current general manager of the Minnesota Wild, who gave the Canucks an offer they could not refuse. It is Quinn Hughes who will be an instrumental player on what the Wild hope will be a deep playoff run.
Jacob Markstrom looking bad
Tuesday was a night that Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom of Gavle, Sweden will want to forget. He was horrendous in every sense of the word. He gave up nine goals on 24 shots, saw his goals against average increase to 3.48, and saw his save percentage drop to .878. On Tuesday, he made Anthony Duclair look like Connor McDavid. Duclair entered the game with only four goals. In the nine goal Islanders win, Duclair now has seven goals. Duclair also had a career high five points. Making a goaltending transaction could be next on Fitzgerald’s list of assignments.
This is a Devils team that has expectations and are not meeting them. It could be sooner rather than later that GM Tom Fitzgerald pays the price.
