New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier was clearly not in a good mood after the 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday evening.
In a press conference after the game, the Swiss did not hesitate to describe his team's performance in harsh terms.
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“[C’est] “Disappointing, I’m a bit embarrassed to be honest,” he said. They worked harder than us in such a big game. The way we played was embarrassing.”
In the third period the game took a completely different turn. The Lightning scored four goals, including two about a minute after goals from Tyler Toffoli and Ondrej Palat. If the Devils want to make the playoffs, he believes his teammates need to find a solution quickly.
“I hope everyone gets a little rest and thinks about which team they want to be on as they head into the home stretch,” Hischier continued. If we want to get into the playoffs, we have to find a solution. Everyone needs to start looking in the mirror.”
The Newark-based team has lost five of its last seven games. Key members of the team, including Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, are currently out due to injury.
The Devils are in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 24-20-3. They are five points behind the Philadelphia Flyers, who are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.