Devils’ loss to Ottawa exposes a familiar problem: ‘We’ve got to learn how to score when it’s hard’

The Devils knew what was coming. They still couldn't find a way through it.

Hours before Monday's game at Prudential Center, coach Sheldon Keefe described Ottawa as one of the NHL's best checking teams. The Senators would take away space, make it difficult to move through the neutral zone and force New Jersey to work for its offense.

The Devils lost 4–1, falling to 2–3 after another game spent chasing a lead. Arseny Gritsyuk's first goal of the season spoiled the shutout late, but it did little to change the takeaway: When an opponent shuts down their rush game, the Devils still struggle to manufacture offense another way.

"We've got to learn how to score when it's hard," Keefe said afterward. "That's just the reality of it."

It's only five games. There is plenty of time to work through new combinations and get players comfortable. But the concern is less about the record than the familiar way this loss unfolded.

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Ottawa protected the middle, allowed New Jersey to possess the puck on the perimeter and made the Devils fight for anything close to Senators goalie Linus Ullmark.

"They give you the outside, and then you can play there all night," Devils winger Jesper Bratt said. "You can circle in the O-zone as much as you can. But if you don't get to the inside, it's not really any good ice."

The Devils finished with a 30–20 advantage in shots. That didn't mean they consistently made Ullmark's night difficult.

"We made tonight a little too easy on Ullmark," Bratt said. "He's a good goalie when he sees the puck."

That was a significant difference from Saturday's win over Vancouver, when New Jersey's power play scored three times. Against Ottawa, the Devils went 0-for-2 and couldn't generate enough at even strength.

Keefe wants more from the line of Jack Hughes, Bratt and Anthony Mantha. That responsibility extends beyond Mantha trying to find chemistry with two established teammates.

"We'd like more, but I'd like more from Jack and Bratt, too," Keefe said. "Those guys have to find their way inside more. Chances on the rush, if they're not available, we've got to find different ways to score."

Bratt said the line is still building familiarity. He also acknowledged that playing alongside him and Hughes comes with an adjustment.

"We're instinct players, and we're fast," Bratt said. "Sometimes we're maybe in areas where we shouldn't be, and then we're transitioning fast."

Asked whether embracing the approach was a buy-in issue, Keefe described the challenge as both mentality and instinct.

"Jack and Bratt don't play an interior game, and they're some of the biggest drivers of our team," he said. "We've got to find different ways for them to get to the inside consistently so they can be dangerous that way."

The Devils also made the night harder on themselves with penalties.

They escaped the first period scoreless despite a five-minute boarding major to Mantha and minors to Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes.

But Ottawa forward Shane Pinto scored nine seconds into the second period at even strength.

"Right from the drop of the puck, our brains weren't switched on to start the period," Keefe said. "To start like that, with some of our most experienced people on the ice, is unacceptable."

Ottawa added a power-play goal later in the period. New Jersey had allowed the first goal for the fifth straight game and was back in a position that is becoming far too familiar.

"It's not fun chasing the game, going down goals over and over," Devils defenseman Brett Pesce said. "We've got to find a way to get the first one."

Pesce also offered a straightforward assessment of the Senators that he thinks the Devils could emulate.

"They play a simple game," he said. "They get it in. They wear our D out. They stay on the hunt. We could take a little page from their book, to be honest."

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