No Offense: Devils Drop 5th Straight

February 27, 2026 - 10:57

There was a point, about midway through Thursday’s 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh, where it kind of, sort of felt as if the Devils might manage to salvage a point, maybe even steal two from the Penguins. Paul Cotter had scored, an almost water-to-wine level miracle. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom was playing as well as he has at any point this season, single-handedly keeping his team within reach.

That fleeting hope was extinguished in the third period. The Penguins scored three unanswered goals, capitalizing on defensive breakdowns and extending the Devils' losing skid to a season-worst five games. The defeat leaves the team searching for answers as their playoff positioning grows increasingly precarious.

The central issue remains a lack of consistent, cohesive play. While Markstrom provided stellar goaltending, the offensive attack was largely muted, and defensive zone coverage collapsed under pressure. The effort was present, but critical mistakes at pivotal moments proved costly once again. As the schedule marches on, the Devils must find a way to translate effort into a complete, sixty-minute performance to reverse this troubling trend and reclaim their season.