Boos rained down on the Devils for much of the latter two-thirds of their 5-1 defeat to the superior Lightning on Monday night.
The Prudential Center crowd took out their frustrations on a team that has gone 5-12-5 since a 4-0 start. The Devils, who had hoped to take another baby step after making the playoffs last season, currently sit exactly where they finished two seasons ago -- in the Eastern Conference basement.
Since a quarter of a season is considered a sufficient sample size to make judgments, let’s just say that there’s plenty of blame to go around. Typically in these situations, however, the head coach bears the brunt of it.
I’m just not sure there’s much Devils coach John Hynes can do about his club’s predicament.
MORE: Schwei's Devils Notes: Trio Of Lightning Players Proving To Be Devils Killers
The problems with the Devils are not X’s and O’s. It’s not that players don’t know their roles and responsibilities on the ice. And there’s certainly no lack of accountability here.
To prove that last point, Hynes benched Taylor Hall, the reigning NHL Hart Trophy winner as the league’s MVP, for the final 7:21 of the second period.
The Devils had just cut the Lightning’s lead to 3-1 about a minute earlier on defenseman Egor Yakovlev’s first career NHL goal. As the Devils' P.A announcer was announcing the scoring play, Hall could not handle a pass from Ben Lovejoy in the Devils’ zone and must have given what Hynes considered a substandard effort attempting to retrieve the puck. The turnover led directly to a tap-in by Lightning right wing Yanni Gourde that deflated any hope of a comeback.
Earlier in the period, Tampa Bay wing Tyler Johnson deflected a right point shot from former Ranger Ryan McDonagh past Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid. Hall was in the vicinity of the action and, again, was not a factor defending the play.
MORE: Lichtenstein: 3 Reasons For Devils' Struggles This Season
“I just messed up receiving the pass, and I wasn’t having a strong game,” Hall said of Tampa Bay’s fourth goal and subsequent benching. “Sometimes you’ve got to take your lumps and try to come back and play better. Everyone has a role on this team. Whether it’s big or small, you have to do your best in that role. And right now, especially tonight, I didn’t play well. So that’s what happens.”
Hall played a little under four minutes in the third period, none with usual linemates Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri.
Hynes tried to downplay the significance of the benching.
“It’s like everything you go through -- sometimes you’re playing guys that are going and sometimes you’re not,” Hynes said. “Lots of nights, Taylor gets a lot of ice time, and tonight we felt like there were some other players playing a little bit better.”
No question, though, Hynes’ message was received in the locker room.
“That’s how you create an accountability and culture,” Devils captain Andy Greene said. “Obviously, (Hall) is going to bounce back. He’s going to be fine next game.”
The Devils, however, are far from fine. Next up is a three-game California road trip starting Thursday in Los Angeles. New Jersey is 2-10-1 away from home this season.
Devils general manager Ray Shero, who is attending the NHL Board of Governors meetings in Sea Island, Georgia, is surely monitoring the situation at home. The Devils to date have looked internally to find sparks, shuttling several young players back and forth from AHL Binghamton to negligible effect. They’ve fiddled with line combinations trying to create chemistry, especially on the lower three lines, but this team is still way too top-heavy.
I highly doubt Shero’s next move would be a coaching change.Hynes didn’t suddenly go from a coach who should have been given consideration for the Adams Award last season to an incompetent.
I’m not going to suggest that I’ve agreed with every one of Hynes’ decisions. To name two, I don’t know what his fascination is with second-line wing Marcus Johansson, who turns the puck over more than anyone, and Hynes needs to get Travis Zajac back on the first power-play unit just so it can win a faceoff every once in a while. That way, they might save themselves a round trip down the ice.
That’s relative nitpicking.
The players may not be executing Hynes’ vision, but they have a clear understanding of what it is. Even if you believe they’ve “tuned Hynes out," why would you assume that they would play with a harder edge for a new coach?
The Devils have a host of issues. As of now, the coaching staff isn’t one of them.