It’s Condition Red for the Red and Black. The $100 million man’s fatal fumble is the astounding collapse of the Devils in a nutshell.
Last night was another episode of the Demise of the Devils. Unable to beat the second-worst team in the league, they remain its very worst.
It took some doing to break the team record for longest-ever winless home start, considering how awful they were in 1983-84. After last night’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Sabres, the Devils stand 0-5-2 in Newark this season, longer than the 0-6 they opened at the Meadowlands 27 years and three Cups ago.
Though the Devils scored four goals for the first time at home, they gave up three leads last night, including the last one, to eventually lose when Ilya Kovalchuk lost the puck on his shootout bid.
“The puck rolled over my stick,” said Kovalchuk, who missed chance after chance last night, and with only three goals, looks like a major culprit in the Devils’ rough start of the season.
The fans let him hear it.
“Obviously, he’s pressing and wants to do something good,” said Jamie Langenbrunner, who extended the shootout with a clutch bottom of the third goal. “It’s unfortunate the way he got treated afterwards.”
This was the Devils’ chance, facing Sabres’ callup goalie Jhonas Enroth, while playing backup Johan Hedberg with Martin Brodeur still out with a right elbow bruise.
Yet even when the Devils did score, their major failing this season, they gave it back. The led on Jason Arnott’s first of the night, then allowed two 13 seconds apart in the second. David Clarkson and Arnott put them back in front before Tyler Myers tied the game. Then Langenbrunner came back from slamming into the boards to give New Jersey its last lead, and they gave that one back in the third.
Kovalchuk missed the net in overtime, and as the fourth Devil in the shootout, left the puck behind some 15-feet out from the net.
“It’s beyond frustrating,” said Arnott, who leads the team with six goals.
And now the Devils’ attention turns to the visit by Edmonton tomorrow, their last chance to win at home before Nov. 22. If they don’t, somebody is likely not to be around when they return from next week’s three-game road trip.
*
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, an ex-Ranger, coached his 1,000th game last night, joining Al Arbour (Islanders) and Billy Reay (Blackhawks) as the only coaches to reach that milestone with one team. . . . The Devils’ food drive is tomorrow, and packaged, non-perishable food will be collected for distribution to the needy. . . . Mattias Tedenby, the Devils’ No. 1 draft pick in 2009, made his NHL debut last night.