Why is it the Devils can’t play a full sixty minutes of hockey? For the third time in about two weeks, they gave up a costly goal in the last minute of play. Against Chicago and the Rangers, that late goal sent the game into a shootout that ended badly for the Devils.
It’s multiple issues: When you’re only scoring one goal, everything looms larger. Each opponent shot is a potential game breaker. I don’t think it’s just the defense (as much as I’d like to blame White and Mottau, who were a collective -6 versus the Flyers). I really believe it’s a breakdown in the collective sense of teamwork. During that last, tense minute, it seems like everyone is thinking of not personally making a mistake, rather than making sure the team finishes strongly. Freeze the puck along the boards to bleed the clock, and you should have some help with the forecheckers. End up in the slot without a stick (Paul Martin, Bruins game in OT), and your center should be nearby.
It’s attitude. You can have all of the team meetings you want. If you don’t play like a team, you don’t do well in team sports. Win as a team, lose as a team. Individual offense or defensive effort can’t measurably change that. Toughness, preparedness and executing the game plan until the final horn can.
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