Devils Knocked out Cold in Colorado by Avalanche

The New Jersey Devils were not happy with their controversial loss to the Islanders on Saturday. Zach Parise appeared to tie the game with under three seconds on the clock in the third, but the goal was ruled no good after review, giving New York the win.

Last night, no video review was necessary. As a matter of fact, I'm sure every man on the roster would like to burn any evidence that the game was ever played. The Devils turned in a sloppy, unmotivated performance in Denver, getting hammered 6-1 by the Avalanche.

But the score, as bad as it was, only tells part of the story. The complete lack of passion in the team's play, especially coming off such a controversial loss, is the real story here. Turnovers, lack of hustle, players out of position, and another shorthanded goal allowed is what really did the Devils in. They fell behind 3-0 in the first period, and despite seeming to come alive somewhat with a goal in the second, completed the implosion in the third, allowing three more Colorado scores.

Addressing the media after the game, captain Zach Parise summed up what happened: "We got outworked all over the rink. Our two guys were getting beat by one of theirs. They were winning every race to the puck, and all of a sudden, we're down 3-0."

Head coach Pete DeBoer seemed to concur with Parise's assessment: "There hasn't been many nights this year where I had to stand here and tell you we didn't show up to play. Tonight was one of those nights."

The Devils will not have a lot of time to get their house in order as they will face the Minnesota Wild on Friday night. The Wild currently own the best record in the NHL and have registered nine of their 15 wins at home.