The Devils Need Nine More Games Just Like The One They Played Last Night

As far as blueprints go, a 4-2 loss to a borderline playoff team that was close, yet never really in doubt is a pretty fucking depressing one. The best thing you can say about the Devils' humdrum effort against the Toronto Maple Leafs was that it was watchable, and - to be quite honest - watchable works for me as long as it results in ZERO net points. I wasn't sure I meant  it when I said that I wanted that overtime win over the Rangers to be their last win of the season. After ever-so-contently watching the young'ns battle to an inevitable defeat that would have been excessively frustrating if not for the Devils increasingly stagnant spot at the bottom of the standings, I can happily say that I have got my scuba gear and am ready to back this team in their plunge to the furthest of depths.

With the way they were somehow able to suck even Cory Schneider into their midseason slump they've finally put themselves in a position to get a blue chip prospect. It figures that it's in a pretty mediocre draft, but it's a pretty mediocre draft that the Devils absolutely need to take advantage of. If sliding even one more spot into obscurity can increase their likelihood of adding a future game changer than I couldn't be more okay with treating the remaining schedule like it's the pre-(off)season.

​Obviously the back-to-back against the Flyers will feature at least one obligatory shit-kicking, but that's just the cost of child support when you play 'Daddy' to an entire franchise. Unfortunately Philadelphia is New Jersey's slump buster, but the best case scenario for this team is to have a slump to be busted. Here's to hoping they don't fuck themselves out of top three pick in the process, and go back to impotently increasing their chances of having their next most important victory comes via the draft lottery.