MEDIA AVAIL RECAP
COLUMBUS, OH - The Devils are in Columbus to face the Blue Jackets in the final game of the 2025 calendar year. With the team facing the Jackets on the second half of back-to-backs, the Devils did not hold a morning skate. Head coach Sheldon Keefe met with the media. Here’s what he had to say…
On the emotion of the previous game against Columbus
That was 15, 20 games ago. A lot has happened between now and then, including last night (loss at Toronto). We just have to focus on our own team. We can’t be distracted by anything else but competing and coming out real hard tonight.
On the takeaway from the Toronto loss
One, we have more to give to the game. Also just recognizing how slim the margins are and how quickly things can turn. You look at a few of our point-blank scoring chances when the score is still 0-0, one of those falls it’s a 1-0 game it’s entirely different. We talked about the penalties that we took that were self-inflicted that swing momentum in the other teams favor. Little things like that. Offensively, just some points of emphasis for us. It’s just recognizing the urgency that we need to play a good, sound game. For me, our team game was trending in a real nice place. Then we get back from a road trip and brought some very important people back into our lineup and our game has been a mess since. We haven’t found a team game since then. We have to get back to that. We can’t play an individual game, we can’t play on different pages, we have to play together as a group. That’s the overall message. When we’ve done that, no matter who’s in or out we’ve given ourselves a good chance to win.
On lineup changes and starting goaltender
No (lineup changes). Jake Allen.
On why the team has struggled with players returning
It’s disrupting the rhythm of the team. The team is going in one way and embraced a certain way of playing to help us win games then all of a sudden you bring lots of skill into the lineup and all of a sudden the game is a little different. You have the puck a lot more, we generate a little bit more and some other areas of the game slip. When you’re not scoring, some guys are going to start pressing and you just kind of get away from your team game. We can’t do that. No team in the league can do that. That’s what I’m looking for. Just get us on the same page, play a good sound game the way that we want to play. The way we’re capable of playing. Inside of that, individuals will make plays and make the difference.
On needing more from the team
Dropping the gloves is the least significant piece of it. That doesn’t put pucks in the net. That doesn’t influence the game for us. But you do have to rise to the emotions of the game. I want to see us compete for ice, fight to win pucks, get on the inside, get pucks out, pucks in, get into the blue paint. Finish a scoring chance with some authority and some moxy. That’s what we need. Our captain yesterday was making a point of stepping outside what you would expect from him. That’s just in an effort to show that he’ll do whatever it takes. If that’s something that gets going. Nico is going to have an outstanding game today, I have a lot of confidence in that. I’m looking for our team to follow. That’s what we need more of. When you’re trying to find your way as an individual and as a team, it’s little things like that that can swing it. Whether it’s an incident like that or whether it’s competing for ice and winning pucks, these things really matter in our game and that’ll never change.
On Hamilton’s availability
Yeah, it was never a thing.
