The Devils knew they needed just two points to officially snag their first playoff berth since 2017-18 Friday. Before popping the proverbial champagne though, they had to get past the Buffalo Sabres, who surrendered 24 goals in their four-game winless streak entering the game.
Plagued by defensive zone breakdowns and another slow start, New Jersey failed to deliver.
They allowed two first period goals, benched goalie Akira Schmid for Vitek Vanecek 11 minutes into the game and faced a three-goal deficit three different times en route to their 5-4 loss at KeyBank Center.
Speaking with reporters after the ugly loss, coach Lindy Ruff had no one to blame but himself.
“I didn’t think we were ready to play at a high enough level,” he said. “When the team’s not ready to play, that falls on my shoulders… We’ve gone through what that coverage is. We weren’t mentally sharp, we weren’t physically sharp. They skated by and we hung our goalie out to dry. You give them chances on the rush and they’ll make you play.”
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The Devils found some positives after the final buzzer. They put up a late-game fight, trailing by one goal with 10:27 remaining in regulation. Jack Hughes, who entered Friday with two goals in his previous 17 games, scored twice, recorded an assist and had a disallowed goal in the second period.
But the Devils’ defensive miscues – 10 high danger chances and 22 scoring chances against – were too much to overcome. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler said his team’s blueline was too “sloppy” against the quick Sabres lineup.
“We weren’t quite on the same page as everybody,” Siegenthaler said. “We were sloppy. Started sloppy, got scored on right away.”
The Devils’ potential ticket punch may have impacted their on-ice play. They have 98 points – two shy of the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan – and the weight of a playoff-starved franchise on their shoulders. Had they won, New Jersey would have secured their second big dance spot in 11 seasons.
“It’s a big deal,” Siegenthaler added. “Not something you do every day. Maybe it was stuck in our head.”
Devils captain Nico Hischier, who assisted Hughes’ third-period score, had a different take. He understands they didn’t get the job done, so he didn’t think it was necessary to discuss in the end.
“At the end, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “We lost the game. Wasn’t a good game.”
Regardless of the players’ stance, the Devils need to refocus on the second half of their back-to-back. They return to Newark Saturday to face the Ottawa Senators – who, like the Sabres, are desperate for the second wild card spot. If New Jersey wins, they’ll clinch a playoff berth at home for the first time since April 5, 2018.
“We need to forget today and focus on tomorrow and clinch tomorrow,” Siegenthaler said.
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Ryan Novozinsky may be reached at rnovozinsky@njadvancemedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter @ryannovo62.
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