Senators 5, Devils 2: Not good enough

With their season on the line, the Devils laid an egg against a poor Senators team.

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By Tyler Cordell (@TylerCordellNHL)

The New Jersey Devils came up short in a favourable matchup against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

New Jersey now remains six points out of the playoffs with virtually no room for error in their final 11 games; and they'll need some help along the way. 

Here are a few thoughts from the game:

• The Devils didn’t give up a lot of quality at even-strength, as only four players on the roster finished with an xGF of less than 56%. Controlling the overall play at evens wasn't enough because they made a few big mistakes and didn’t generate enough offensively to compensate. They only had 9 shots over halfway through the game against a Senators team that has struggled to defend well all season long. 

• New Jersey's power play let them down heavily in this game. They were 0/4 on the night and also gave up a crippling short-handed goal. The Devils struggled to really get anything going with their power plays. They gave up more chances than they generated and seemed to give even more life to the Senators.

• Although it wasn't Jake Allen's best game, they acquired him for a mid-round pick and entered play having posted four straight starts with a save percentage of of .944 or better. The Devils can't expect that kind of performance from Allen game after game with their season on the line. The offense needed to bail him out for a game and that did not happen.  

• It was a tough offensive showing from the top down. The Devils’ stars didn’t have the night you might come to expect and their depth, or lack thereof, left a lot to be desired at the offensive end of the ice. New Jersey's 4th line generated only one shot attempt + assist, and the entire Devils' blue-line only had three shot assists combined; two from Bahl and one from Luke Hughes. That leaves a lot of weight offensively to be carried by the top forwards, who couldn't deliver when the team needed it the most.