It was a rough night for the New Jersey Devils.
Following the Devils' 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators, head coach Sheldon Keefe laid into his squad's effort, but one player in particular got caught in the crossfire.
Defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic told reporters following the loss that he thinks the team needs a playoff mentality down the stretch. Safe to say, Keefe was not a fan of the comment nor his performance Saturday night.
"Kovacevic just needs to play better. That would help," Keefe said when asked about the defenceman's comments.
The press conference ended right then and there.
Sitting with a seven-point lead for third in the Metropolitan Division, Keefe's Devils have faltered as of late, going 4-6 in their last 10 games. Kovacevic, who earned a five-year, $20-million extension on March 7, has been a rock on the back end all season, but is a minus-3 over the past five games.
The 27-year-old righty has been put into a top-four role with Dougie Hamilton injured. This season Kovacevic has a goal and 16 assists, while tied for the team lead at a plus-9.
With 13 games left in the regular season, perhaps Keefe's comments can serve as a wake-up call for Kovacevic and the team to just let their play on the ice do all the talking.
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