A new coaching situation - albeit a temporary one - but similar result for the New Jersey Devils.
Even with general manager Lou Lamoriello behind the bench, one day after the firing of Peter DeBoer, the Devils lost to the New York Rangers by a final score of 3-1. They remain near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 12-18-7 record. But even with the result, players and Lamoriello were singing a positive tune afterward.
“We can build on this game. It’s not easy. It sucks and it stinks and it should really. But, we can build on this,” said Dainius Zubrus, as per the Fire and Ice blog.
Lamoriello has stepped down from the press box to behind the bench on other occasions, too, though this situation is a curious one for many observers.
“It was extremely positive for me to get to know the players in a little different way, which was the whole objective to this as far as some of the different thoughts we had,” said Lamoriello, as per NJ.com.
Meanwhile, the Rangers, Stanley Cup finalists from last June, are red hot with eight wins in a row. The last time they accomplished that feat, Gerald Ford was President of the United States.
In addition, the @NYRangers have won 8 consecutive games overall for the 1st time since an equal streak from Dec. 27, 1974 to Jan. 11, 1975.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 28, 2014
Via Elias: @NYRangers have at least 1 point in 12 straight divisional games for 1st time since NHL adopted the 4-division format in 1974-75.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 28, 2014
