Devils’ Sheldon Keefe calls out stars amid 4-game skid

The The New Jersey Devils are once again a contender for the Stanley Cup in 2024-25. Sheldon Keefe made an impact in his first season as head coach. for example, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt became the dominant forces in this league. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows in New Jersey, though.

New Jersey has lost each of its last four games. Moreover, they have lost nine of their last 11 games. One loss led to the fall of the Devils in Keefe’s return to Toronto against the Maple Leafshis former team. Their last loss came on Sunday night against the Ottawa Senators. In three of those losses, the Devils scored just one goal. As a result, Keefe is looking for his own the best players to reinforce.

“Our best players have to be better.” It’s that simple. End of statement,” the Devils head coach said, via Sportsnet , following New Jersey’s loss to the Senators on Sunday night.

Sheldon Keefe believes the Devils’ elite players have more to give

Sheldon Keefe didn’t name names when he called out the stars on Sunday night. And that’s likely due to the fact that the team’s offensive leaders have struggled. Jack Hughes has three points in these four games, but all of those points came in one game. Moreover, Jesper Bratt has one assist.

Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton and Stefan Noesen also had problems. In fact, only one of the team’s leading scorers with eight points has recorded a point in the last two games. Luke Hughes had an assist on Sunday against the Senators.

“I met with those guys today before the game. There are some things they could do better structurally, and I thought in the first period they were definitely better in that area. That’s part of it. “The other part of that is they have to execute,” Keefe said, via Sportsnet, after the loss to Ottawa.

Keefe certainly doesn’t give up on his players. These players reached the high levels they reached for a reason. Eventually, New Jersey will get back on track, in Keefe’s mind. But they need their stars to bring that action back to successful hockey.

“These are elite, elite players. There are times when pucks are available, plays are available, shots are available that they just aren’t converting right now, but they will. He’ll be back,” Keefe said, via Sportsnet.

All this team needs is a few wins to regain their confidence. And they have a chance to win on home ice in the next game. The Devils host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, with puck drop scheduled for 7pm ET.