Where's the Offense? Devils Lose 4th Straight

Struggling doesn't seem to be a strong enough word to describe the Devils right now. They lost for the fourth straight game, falling to Washington 3-1 tonight. That 5-1 start seems so far away right now.

Despite out-shooting the Capitals in the first two periods, the Devils found themselves trailing 2-0 as well. Washington started the scoring off in the first period with a powerplay goal by Brooks Laich. The Devils played discipline hockey, only taking one penalty. Yet again their shorthanded game suffered, allowing a goal in the one opportunity for Washington.

The second period looked similar to the first; the Devils putting more pressure on the Capitals’ goalie Jose Theodore. He continued to shutdown them down, while his teammates doubled the lead, making it 2-0.

Scott Clemmensen did not allow any more goals to Washington in the third, giving the Devils a chance to creep closer. Patrick Elias cut the lead in half with his fifth goal of the season about halfway through the period. The Devils pulled their goalie in a last ditch effort, but Alex Ovechkin put in an empty-netter to seal the deal.

The Devils are a team based on defense. As long as I've followed the Devils they have been a defensive-minded team. The loss of Martin Brodeur would seem to indicate the need for more offensive production. However, the Devils seem to be scoring less now than they did when they had Marty. Dropping their fourth straight, they fall to a very disappointing 7-7-2.

The Devils will go home for a rematch tomorrow. The Devils are now 0-5 in games that are played back-to-back. If the Devils cannot score goals, it is going to be a long season, probably ending in disappointment.

Notes:

Devils need to start scoring.
Devils need to pick up the offense.
Devils need to stop opposing teams’ powerplays.