The last few games have been rough. Tough breaks on the offsides goals that probably shouldn't have been reversed, bad penalties, lazy efforts leading to costly turnovers. Refs haven't been on their side lately either-- lots of questionable calls-- but that's a trend for all teams this season. The interference call behind the net on Vatanen last night was a joke.
Vatanen is not playing well at all. He's forcing it and just needs to play his game because I do believe he's a great player and fills an immense need on this team. I have no issues with Severson sitting-- he may turn the puck over more than anybody in the entire league and has to play better. It also seems like he misses the net on a high percentage of his attempts. The ability is there but the execution and smarts are not.
Zajac has been largely invisible this year (once again) and that's disappointing because he needs to play well to justify the Henrique trade. He's so slow compared to other forwards in the league. I don't think his style fits the system Hynes runs. I would've rather made a salary dump with Zajac if possible, kept Henrique, and acquired someone cheap and sturdy like the Pens did with Oleksiak. Not sure how feasible that is though... I don't know how Shero could trick a team into thinking Zajac is a top six player. Johansson is not skating hard and looks like a shell of the player he was in Washington. Not sure what is deal is right now but he's been underwhelming.
Hall, Nico, Bratt, Boyle, Palmieri, and Wood have all looked great this year on a regular basis but every other forward could find another gear. The young studs regressing has allowed the curtain to be pulled back on this team. It's clear that the Devils have a big hole on defense and I'm not sure how they will address it. They need a reliable stay at home guy. There is not one imposing shutdown defenseman on that roster and you can't win in this division-- especially come playoff time-- without one.