Ray Shero's not happy.
The New Jersey Devils general manager was candid about his team's struggles - losers of seven in a row - during an interview Wednesday.
"Play harder," Shero said when asked about the Devils' poor play, according to The Record's Andrew Gross. "Really. Play (expletive) harder. That's what I'm talking about. There's a will they need. There's a passion and emotion to our game. How many scrums have we been involved with? No one is mad at us."
Known for strong defensive play, New Jersey's allowed five goals in four of their losses on the seven-game skid.
"There's got to be pushback in your game and pride in your game," Shero added. "Someone takes your lunch money, what the hell? It's not good. That's something we established last year. It's a tenacity to your game. Our team last year, we never gave up. That, to me, is what you're trying to build, and that's pride."
The Devils finished 38-36-8 in 2015-16, in head coach John Hynes' first season behind the bench. While New Jersey missed the playoffs, there were positives to build upon, but things haven't gone the way Shero imagined as 2016 comes to a close.
The GM still believes in his head coach, though. This is on his players.
"John's a really good coach, without a doubt," Shero said. "People around the league recognize that, and so do I. I can't even stress, I'm 100 percent supportive of (Hynes)."
After play on Nov. 15, the Devils were 9-3-3. They were playing solid hockey. New Jersey's won three games since. And that's what bothers Shero the most - there's been no signs of life as the season slowly slips away in hockey's toughest division.
It's not going to get any easier, either. The Devils' remaining schedule to close out 2016 is brutal:
- Flyers (Dec. 22)
- @ Penguins (Dec. 23)
- Penguins (Dec. 27)
- @ Capitals (Dec. 29)
- Capitals (Dec. 31)
The club's best players need to step up. And Shero's calling them out.
After scoring a career-high 30 goals last season, Adam Henrique's got seven. Kyle Palmieri's coming off 30, too, and he's got four goals. Worst of all, Cory Schneider has a .904 save percentage, a far cry from his career .923.
It's bad in New Jersey. Taylor Hall must think he's a curse.
