The Devils Held A Closed-Door, Players-Only Meeting After Their Shutout Loss To The Red Wings1/23/2018
Here's the thing about players-only meetings. While on the surface they look to promote a cohesive locker room and a strong veteran presence, they generally don't pop up out of nowhere on the "schedule" when those qualities are coming to fruition where and when it matters most. In fact, more often than not, they tend to serve as thee most desperate of attempts to get one last grip on saving a season that's slipping away. That's what made the news of this particular closed-door conference so encouraging. As bad as things have looked of late - most notably the two games against a red hot Flyers team - the Devils weren't in need of damage control following a complete implosion. Even in getting blanked by a back-up goalie for a mediocre Red Wings team, they didn't come up short in creating offense without the presence of their most dynamic forward, they just failed in finishing it off. I'm not saying the team decided to have stern talk amongst themselves following a fantastic effort. They most certainly deserved the 'L' they took home with the lack of urgency they showed in the early going, but deciding amongst themselves just how unacceptable it is to lose a winnable game to an inferior opponent when they are still second in their division with at least a game in hand on every single team in it? That's the type of accountability you want to see from an overachieving team whose biggest motivator should continue to be initial outside expectations. It's already a long season, and - when you are getting significant contributions from kids playing in their longest season - it's going to seem even longer at times. 2-5-3 in their last 10 certainly seems dreary, but it's all about weathering what was an inevitable storm. That won't be easy while playing the ass end of a back-to-back in their own personal house of horrors against a team that's been clowning every one of their recent opponents, but - if not the results - their effort tonight should speak to effectiveness of their leadership. It never optimal to reach a point where it seems as though the coach's words are no longer enough, but there's no better time to give themselves a kick in the ass than when a vast majority of the division is still staring up at it. This Devils team didn't get where they are by accident, but complacency isn't going to keep them there for very long. I'm glad they realize that in the room, and it shouldn't be long before we find out how that realization materializes itself once they reach the ice. The bad news is that the Metropolitan Division is too damn good to be effected by way of an inspiring, unifying, and empowering scene that you'd expect to see in a Mighty Ducks movie when they are facing seemingly insurmountable odds. The good news is that - considering both the injuries and deficits they've overcome to this point - nothing seems insurmountable about retaining the oddest of leads in the Metropolitan Division.
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