There's been a lot of good vibrations surrounding the New Jersey Devils lately. Between all things Martin Brodeur and the team's dominance over the second half of the season, the praise has been high. But there's a creeping trend in New Jersey that could spell playoff trouble if uncorrected.It was a trend that led to a limpid showing in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Bruins in a game that didn't near resemble the battle of powerhouses it was billed to be. The Bruins came out with more energy, more motivation, more physicality, and the Devils responded with a familiar response -- sloppy penalties.
The Devils committed four penalties, as falling behind on the scoreboard and in the eyeball test early led them to running around. The Bruins connected on two of those man-advantages.
But this has been more than a one-game issue. In the last three contests, the Devils have gone on 16 penalty kills, giving up goals on five of them. They were lucky to kill all of the seven (?!) penalties they took against the Wild on Friday night, but the Devils won't be playing the Wild and their 14th-ranked power play in the playoffs.
Giving up seven, or even four power plays to Boston, Washington, or Philadelphia can lead the Devils right towards elimination.
It's not a matter of improving their 16th-ranked penalty kill. It's a matter of staying out of the box altogether. These aren't "good" penalties the Devils are taking. They've taken two minors for too many men in the last three games along with a number of bad hooking penalties that suggest they're taking the easy way out and others that suggest their minds aren't entirely focused.
The Devils entered their first-round matchup against the Rangers last year in a tailspin, having lost their stride after the trade deadline. Their play has remained elevated this year, but this penchant for penalties can be a creeping death come playoff time if the Devils don't get it fixed. With just 10 games left in the season, six against teams currently in line for a playoff spot in the East, New Jersey better make it happen soon.
