GM Lamoriello defends sliding Devils

The New Jersey Devils got off to a great start to the 2013 campaign, but it’s been erased by their current 2-7-2 stretch.

The Devils have also lost six straight contests with Johan Hedberg between the pipes. Martin Brodeur is out with a back injury and it doesn’t sound like he’s close to returning.

Still, if Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has concerns about his team, he’s keeping them to himself.

“We can’t look back on anything,” Lamoriello said, according to the Bergen Record. “The effort’s there. The coaches are working as hard as anybody could work at what they’re doing. The schedule creeps up on you.

“Things are not going well and the schedule is tight. But, concerns? No. I just have too much respect for the people sitting on that bench and the people standing behind that bench.

“The character will take over.”

It’s worth noting that while the worst of this slump has corresponded with Brodeur’s absence, it would be hard to pin this entirely on Hedberg.

New Jersey has only scored three or more goals in two of their last nine games. David Clarkson, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Patrik Elias have combined for just one goal over their past five contests.

“Well, we’re looking for answers,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “There’s been opportunities there. Some guys have created enough opportunities that they should be scoring.

“Some other guys have to create some more. The fact that all of them have dried up at the same time obviously has been the tough part. Usually you get one or two guys … that are going through tough streaks, but other guys are hot.

“We’ve gone dry across the board here for the last six or seven games.”

The Devils haven’t been on a seven-game losing streak since 1986. They’ll try to keep it that way when they face the Buffalo Sabres tonight.