Improbable has turned to nearly impossible. Sure, the Devils are technically and mathematically still alive but having dropped 3 of the last 4 while trying to leapfrog over 3 teams isn’t what you want to see from your team. The 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins combined with Buffalo’s victory over Montreal left the Devils nine points behind the eighth-place Sabres.
If the Devils win all nine of their remaining games for 18 points, the Devils would finish with 90 points. The Sabres would need 10 points over that same span for 91. Lets remember we see Boston again in those 9 games. Like I said, mathematically it is possible, but very unlikely.
I said going into last nights matchup in Boston that I didn’t have good feelings about that game. Boston has taken it to us a number of times this season and seem to have a lot of depth. I look at Boston like I looked at Philadelphia last season, a team we don’t matchup very well against.
The Devils came out and beat the Bruins up and down the ice, yet the first period ended 1-1. To outshoot Boston 16-3 at one point in the first and have Boston tie the game on only their 3rd shot was frustrating. The Devils tried hard to tie the game in the third but it just couldn’t be done. Give credit to Boston, they didn’t look like the team I watch in Toronto on Saturday night. If that is how they respond when Julien works them hard, then they should be worked very hard in the coming weeks.
The remainder of the Devils schedule looks like this.
Fri Mar 25, 2011 Devils @ Penguins
Sat Mar 26, 2011 Devils @ Sabres
Wed Mar 30, 2011 Islanders @ Devils
Fri Apr 1, 2011 Flyers @ Devils
Sat Apr 2, 2011 Canadiens @ Devils
Tue Apr 5, 2011 Devils @ Penguins
Wed Apr 6, 2011 Maple Leafs @ Devils
Sat Apr 9, 2011 Devils @ Rangers
Sun Apr 10, 2011 Bruins @ Devils
Do you think they can win all 9 games?? Flyers,Canadiens, Bruins, Sabres and Rangers are all very tough games. Saturday’s game in Buffalo is a very huge 4 point game and possibly the proverbial nail in the coffin kind of game.
First things first, the Devils must put the loss behind them and get ready for the Penguins.
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