Sutter rips Devils after 3-0 loss to Rangers (completed)

After trying to stay positive while watching his team's play disintergrate in the week, Devils coach Brent Sutter finally had seen enough in tonight's 3-0 loss to the Rangers.

With the Devils' losing streak reaching a season-worst five games and only six regular season games remaning, Sutter rippped into his players.

"I'm trying to stay positive and trying to stay positive, but at some point you lose five in a row and you've got to recognize that there's some problems here and there's some issues," Sutter said. "Am I (ticked) off? You're darn right I'm ticked off because I expect more from this group,"

Sutter called on his veterans to straighten out this mess..

"The kind of leaders and experience that should be in that room, this shouldn't be happening," Sutter said. "It has nothing to do with anything outside of the fact that you've just got to want to have it a little more than the opposition. It has nothing to do with systems. It has nothing to do with anything like that. It's strictly how motivated you are to want to have success. That's what it comes down to. I'm disappointed in the whole group outside of our goaltender tonight,  

"In the third period, we played with a sense of urgency and a sense of desperation. Why didn't we have that in the first two periods?"

Sutter sounded frustrated that the players have allowded this to happen two years in a row. He pointed out the result in the postseason could be the same as well.

"They've got to figure it out. To me our play is not where it needs to be. I don't have answers. You try diffferent things and you dont' get a response. At some point in time, you've got to recognize what the stakes are. It's good to say, 'Yeah we have a playoff spot clinched.' Well, big deal. You have a playoff spot clinched, You'll be done in a week once the playoffs start. It's not good enough.

"It's not good enough for a group with guys in there that have won championships, guys that are counted to provide the leadership, counted on to provide the experience. It's not good enough. We've lost five in a row. How is that acceptable. What have we won on the road here recently (they've lost five road games in a row). The road has a lot to do with jam. It has a lot to do with character. It has a lot to do with compete. We didn't have enough guys showing that.

They get into a comfort zone. There are periods of time where everything is great and then they get into a comfort zone. It's almost like they like they accept it. It's unacceptable.; "

Sutter said he hopes the team isn't satisfied with just making the playoffs.

"Don't you want to finish second in your conference?" he asked. "Don't you want to have home ice advantage and if you advance past the first round have home-ice advantage? Don't you play with pride in the fact that you have your game at the top level at this time of year?

"You can't turn the switch on. This group tried to turn the switch on last year. It didn't work. They can say they're a different group, but the personnel, a lot of it still the same outside of four guys. But a lot of the other guys are still the same."

Sutter said tonight's loss was just too much.

"You get to a point where you sit there and go, 'Where is our commitment? Where is our compete level?' How can a team dominate you as bad as they did in the first period. Look at the goals that they let up. And the reason why you don't have intelligence? Because you're not competing and playing hard enough."

The Devils have scored only six goals during the losing streak.

"There's no offense because there;s no urgency," Sutter said. "You've got to pay a price to score goals and we don't want to do that right now. We aren't playing like we need to play at this time of season. That's the bottom line. The first two periods, we were very passive. Their goaltender didn't have to make really any tough saves tonight where he never saw the show. He saw every shot taken at him. It's not good enough. The players have got in a comfort zone."

Of the Devils giving up shots in the first period, Sutter said, "That's just bull (crap). That's just unacceptable."

Of changing up all his line combinations in the third period, Sutter said. "I didn't know who to play with who."

I'll have player reaction after I'm done writing my story for the paper.

Comments

[jdr30]

You call that "Ripping into them"?

[Cutting losses]

Well now that Sutter is showing some intensity, maybe the team will follow.

[Pat]

You want some energy on the roster, infuse some youth. Maybe not now b/c of the playoffs but next season, we need to get younger, quicker, and hungrier. I can't believe I'm making a comparison to the Isles but look how they played after the trade deadline when they had half their AHL roster up looking to get a job.

[bringtheAlineback]

He thinks they played good in the 3rd?

[steve]

sutter will be fired.

[Jeff in Hoboken]

See ya Brent.

[Liz]

I agree with jdr30. That's not much of a ripping...

[Andrew B]

The Versus commentators kept saying how dominant the Rangers were tonight. They only played one good period (the 2nd); the Devils just played like garbage for the second and third periods. I thought they look sharp in the first. But in the last two periods they looked tired, bored, disinterested, like they wanted to be somewhere else. Basically they looked like a strange, alien, unidentifiable team that I haven't really seen all season except for the last 5 games.

[Scotty K]

Anyone who thinks Brent will be fired is smoking some good Ganja. He isn't Claude. Lou loves Brent, rightfully so. He's the best we have had sense Burns.

[JPL]

Did he give them all Milk and Cookies before saying that? Maybe a pat on the head and tucked them in bed with their teddy bears???

[steve]

team has stopped playing for him 2 years in a row at this time

[Jeff in Hoboken]

Look, we all know Marty will be on his game night after night. But maybe it's time for him to step up in the locker room and get guys motivated. We know Sutter sure as sh*t isn't doing it.

I said it in the live blog comments thread, I'll say it here: Don't be surprised to see Lou behind the bench this time next week.

What other options do we have?

[TG]

I was posting it in pieces. There will be more coming after I'm done writing, but if you read what I have up there now and don't think he ripped them, then you're wrong.

[Zavior]

Devils keep this up and they will have the same fate they had last year;

Playing stupid hockey in the last 10 games of the season then fold in the 1st round. I thought this team learned for last year but it seems that they are the same.

[jdr30]

This guys says he is homesick anyway and doesn't know if he will be back next season ... We need someone who is going to be dedicated to this team, not this idiot. I have hated him since day one.

[walt]

if sutter goes, what coach with any substance would ever ever consider coaching here , if a guy who gets 100 pts. can be fired when a slump hits? ftorek was in 1st= fired, julien was in 1st= fired. it doesn't matter at this point. this team is done. blow it up lou, blow it up.

[steve]

maybe sutter isnt the only one who should be fired then walt

[Stalky]

Even without the MSG footage, this sounds like the angry Sutter. The only thing we miss is the intensity of his eyes as he calls out the vets. His presser is always delivered in the same even tone, but his eyes always betray the hair dryer treatment he just delivered in the locker room.

[walt]

if i had to guess, lou is here for life and to be honest,thats the way it should be. i mean, c'mon that dude has EARNED that kind of loyalty.when lou steps down there oughta be statue erected in the main concourse of the rock for what he's done in jersey

[steve]

Do you think Lou is worried about nobody wanting to coach?? People will want jobs, and will take them, I would actually prefer to see a guy like Ted Nolan or someone who has won in the NHL as opposed to someone who is coming up like Sutter.

And please stop playing Rupp, the hits dont do you any good when you take penalties all night.

And no Havelid on the power play

[AJ]

To those who think this was soft, I don't know what you call ripping into the team. If you expected an expletive-laced tirade, then you're expecting something that's not going to happen, especially with media present.

Sutter said what we all hoped somebody would say - the leaders on this team need to step up. As I said in a live game post, there's only so much coaching Sutter can do. At some point, it comes down to the players executing and making good plays. Clearly, no one but Marty has done that in the past five games. The leaders of this team - Elias, Jamie, Holik, etc. - need to step up and right the ship. They need to rip into this team as well. If I was Marty, I would have came into the locker room after the game, snapped a stick in half and lit into the players. Maybe our leaders are the "quiet" type, but sometimes a team needs a swift kick in the butt from unexpected places. As I said earlier, I hope the TG is reporting tomorrow or Wednesday that the Devils' players hold a closed-door meeting. It's time for them to take responsibility for their actions. It's time for them to decide how they want this season to end. They've cruised along so far, but know it's go time.

This is a critical stretch of games. If the Devils can recover and play well throughout, maybe they'll gain something from this lesson. This will be a turning point in the discussion of the Devils' season. The team will determine whether it will be positive or negative.

[Evans]

@ steve and ALL SUTTER HATERa

where were you when the devils were winning? i swear none of you said fire him, and i have the blog to prove me right.

Am i pissed they lost? yes. 5 in a row? even more so. but to blame the coach is stupid, especially considering what he has done. Theres a reason sutter has the job and Nolan doesnt (even if the islanders GM is moron).

[dp]

THANK YOU BRENT youve done ur part now its up to the team to respond

[adam?]

lets see...clemmer 3-0 vs rags/queen...

marty 4-14 vs rags/queen...

[steve]

this is the third year in a row this team has caved at this time period....its nothing against Sutter, but this team is the exact same team with minor changes and for 3 years they have caved, 2nd one under Sutter's watch...this team is playing with no enthusiasm and no determination, they will just sit back and hope Brodeur plays a shutout.

They looked like a team not winning aplayoff round tonight. You think they will beat Pitt or Carolina playing like this?