By MARK EVERSON
April 1, 2008
The season ends Sunday and the Devils, who spent 21/2 months atop the division, still haven't clinched a playoff berth. Securing a postseason berth is their job tonight when they visit the out-of-contention Islanders, who have beaten them 6-of-7 times this season.
"We have to have the mindset that we have the opportunity to clinch it now, and not let somebody else do it for us," coach Brent Sutter said. "I would hope they'd know. If I were sitting there, I'd know. I could be reminding them."
The Devils snapped their five-game losing streak Friday, beating the Flyers in a shootout after blowing 3-1 and 4-3 leads. It hardly was convincing, but it halted the collapse, giving them a chance to get going again.
Perhaps as important as the win was the three-day stretch the Devils enjoyed without a game. One of the most alarming failings of their five-game skid (0-4-1) were their struggles in the third period, a time of the game they used to control earlier in the season.
The Devils were outscored 12-0 in the third periods of those five losses, and after Friday's victory, it's 14-1 in six games.
Ostriches ignore nasty numbers like that, though the obvious suspect of fatigue isn't necessarily the explanation. The Devils don't buy being burned out.
"I don't think so. I think we have enough days off," Jamie Langenbrunner said. "I don't really see any team tired out. It's been mental mistakes, mostly. We're sharp for [the beginning], and then we make the mental mistakes that end up in our net.
"The fact that we haven't scored a lot in the third? I don't know."
Brian Gionta, who ended that five-game third-period drought Friday, said he didn't think the team was struggling because it was tired.
"It is something. I don't think it's fatigue," Gionta said. "It's lack of focus."
Patrik Elias said it's the logical extension of 40 mediocre minutes.
"When things don't go right, you get into the third and it's going to happen," Elias said.
Whatever the cause, the Devils recognize the symptom is fatal enough.
"For this team, and this organization, that's not a good thing," John Madden said.
They're still in recovery and repair mode, with plenty of work ahead of them before the playoffs. The first step would be to clinch with a victory tonight.
