The Devils lost 9–0 to the Islanders last night, and New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markstrom posted historically bad numbers. Now, fans are furious with head coach Sheldon Keefe over how he handled the situation.
The New Jersey Devils suffered an embarrassing loss to their division rival, the New York Islanders, conceding nine goals and scoring none despite outshooting the Islanders 44–24. Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom endured a brutal night, finishing with a .625 save percentage—one of the worst single-game performances in NHL history.
”That’s a joke”
Speaking to the media after the game, Markstrom apologized to the fans.
“That’s embarrassing. That’s all I can say. From my part, nine goals—that’s a joke. I’m embarrassed for myself, my teammates, the team, and the fans. It’s not good enough. I’ve got to be better,” Markstrom said, according to Sportsnet.
However, much of the frustration has been directed at head coach Sheldon Keefe, who chose to leave Markstrom in net despite the lopsided score. Fans were furious with how Keefe handled the situation.
“Marky has been playing quite well for us, and I thought he deserved the opportunity to stay in,” Keefe told Sportsnet after the game.
Fans furious with Sheldon Keefe
Fans, however, were not convinced.
“You hung your goalie out to dry. Do Jersey a favor and get out of town,” one fan wrote on X.
“He humiliated his goalie way worse by keeping him in than if he’d pulled him at 4–0,” another wrote.
“Left Marky in there for nine against. You lost whatever locker-room credibility you had left. Fire this guy,” a third fan added.
Next, the Devils will face the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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