The slumping New Jersey Devils did not gain their hoped-for reset after the Olympic break.
The Devils will take a five-game losing streak into their Saturday afternoon road game against the St. Louis Blues. They have lost seven of eight games dating back to Jan. 25 to fall a game below .500 and 13 points out of a playoff berth.
“I don’t have many words to say,” Devils defenseman Brett Pesce said. “It’s tough, you know? It feels like we’re in every game. We’re a bounce away. It just doesn’t seem to go our way.”
New Jersey restarted its season by losing 2-1 to the Buffalo Sabres at home on Wednesday, then falling 4-1 to the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
“Just frustrating, frustrating,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “I’m a competitor. I hate losing. It’s definitely not fun right now. On the other side, you can’t just feel sorry for yourself. If you keep doing that, you’re not going to get out of it. So, just, we have to continue to get better.”
New Jersey will try to jump-start its offense after scoring just four goals during its five-game slide.
“If you’re not scoring, deep down in your head, it’s stuck in there,” Hischier said. “But you should be professional enough to somehow handle that and be mentally strong. When the chance is there, execute.”
The Devils won the previous meeting between these teams, 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 26 at home. Jakob Markstrom made 21 saves to earn the victory, and Hischier had a goal and two assists.
The Blues went into the Olympic break with eight losses in nine games (1-7-1). They came out of it with a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken at home Thursday.
Forward Dylan Holloway had a career-high four points (three goals, one assist) in his first game back from the injured list. He had played just once since Dec. 12 due to a high ankle sprain that he aggravated after returning on Jan. 18.
“It definitely feels good,” Holloway said. “Being out like that, it feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, especially getting reinjured. It’s tough watching.
“(I’m) definitely healthier than when I tried to come back against Edmonton. The ankle injury is kind of a tough one to come back from, but it feels great now, and I’m just hoping it can stay healthy the rest of the way here.”
With top center Robert Thomas on leave from the team Thursday night for personal reasons, Blues coach Jim Montgomery shuffled his forward lines. Holloway found chemistry with linemates Pius Suter and Jonatan Berggren in his return to action. Suter had a goal and two assists.
“I thought they hounded pucks really well,” Montgomery said. “I thought they used their speed and they created a lot of turnovers on the forecheck and then in the offensive zone, they were connected in triangles and they won races and they had a great net-front presence. You look at the Suter goal was the best example of it.”
Thomas is expected to rejoin the team Saturday. Team Canada goaltender Jordan Binnington didn’t dress for the Blues Thursday with Joel Hofer starting.
Binnington will likely start one of the weekend games, with St. Louis playing the Minnesota Wild on Sunday in the second half of a back-to-back.
