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"We didn’t have our legs": Sheldon Keefe makes his thoughts on Devils’ 3-0 loss to Flames extremely clear

Modified Nov 02, 2024 11:40 GMT

The New Jersey Devils came up empty-handed in their 3-0 shutout loss against the Calgary Flames on Friday night. Head coach Sheldon Keefe made his dissatisfaction with the team's performance abundantly clear in his post-game comments.

"We didn't have our legs, we didn't have our hands here today," Keefe said bluntly post-game. "It was clear from the first period—we didn't have our legs, didn't have our hands here today."

Keefe felt the Devils failed to get any momentum going offensively throughout the game.

"You just hope you can find your game, get a little bit of pace to it, get one to go in, and get control of the game. We were unable to do that."

While Keefe gave Calgary some credit for playing well defensively, he put the majority of the blame on New Jersey's lackluster effort.

"We just didn't have it here today. It was very evident. There wasn't one guy skating and moving the puck with the efficiency they normally do."

Keefe acknowledged the team's strategy to stay patient and not make mistakes nearly paid off.

"We played a smart enough game to be right there and have a chance to get points, so that's why it's quite disappointing that we cracked at the end."

Jonathan Huberdeau and Blake Coleman's two third-period goals sealed the win for Calgary. The Devils managed just 22 shots on goal compared to the Flames' 31.

Sheldon Keefe's comments about the Devils penalty kill

Despite the defeat, Sheldon Keefe was happy with how the Devils played when down a man. He credited assistant coach Ryan McGill for the excellent job he has done.

"The PK's been great for us. Even when we went through a little bit of a stretch where the puck went in a bit for us, I think our process has been really good. Ryan McGill has done an outstanding job, and the players have done good work there too.” Keefe said.

The team generated offensive chances shorthanded, with players like Calle Järnkrok creating breakaways. Ultimately though, Keefe acknowledged mistakes late in the game cost New Jersey.

Sheldon Keefe lamented that after playing well for the most part, two errors that the Devils avoided making all night ended up in the back of their net. Despite the good penalty kill, it couldn't prevent the loss.

The Devils will look to bounce back from this disappointing effort when they take on the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.