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It wasn't too long ago when New Jersey Devils coach Sheldon Keefe called out his star players after their fourth straight loss. Some of New Jersey's top players, such as Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, have struggled in recent games. Keefe hoped calling out the elite in his lineup would spark some reaction. However, it does not appear to have had an immediate effect.
Keefe halted practice on Wednesday ahead of their game against the Boston Bruins. The New Jersey bench boss proceeded to lay into his team, making his issues loudly known to those in the vicinity. After practice, Keefe acknowledged the event and explained that his team's practice effort warranted such a move on his behalf.
“To me, it wasn’t reflective of a team that's trying to find its way out of a hole right now,” Keefe said, via Sportsnet. “I expected better, I thought we had a good practice yesterday. I thought we slept in that skate here this morning, in that portion of the skate, I should say. Just trying to get their attention and bring the energy back up and remind them that we've got to stick together here, we need our leadership and character to come to the forefront to get things back going in our favour.”
Devils' Jack Hughes reacts to Sheldon Keefe's practice move
Jack Hughes, in a broader sense, has played well through the Devils' recent skid. He has three goals and nine points over the last 11 games. The Devils have lost nine of those last 11 games, though, including their last four. In these last four contests, Hughes has three points while not recording a point in three of these four games.
The Devils star spoke on Wednesday about the need for his team to get back on track. They have the group to play better, especially offensively. Hughes noted that Keefe's outburst at practice was meant to remind them of what New Jersey needs to do.
“He reminded us that we got to get back on track,” Hughes said, via NHL.com. “We haven't not liked our game but we just haven't had great performances that have sort of pushed us over the edge to get us a win. He told us kind of what we need to get out of this funk and start to play some really good hockey again.”
The Devils hope to get a massive win against the Bruins on Wednesday. A win would certainly go a long way toward getting New Jersey back to their usual brand of hockey. Let's see if Keefe's words at practice have an effect on the players during the game.
