Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom gets testy when discussing his mid-game pull vs. Lightning

New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom did not hide his anger after his mid-game pull against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He allowed three goals on seven shots in the first five minutes on Thursday before head coach Lindy Ruff turned to Jake Allen.

Tampa Bay went on to win 8-4, and the frustration followed Markstrom into the locker room.

When asked by a reporter if there was something bothering him, Markstrom said,

"No. Because I'm playing badly at it. It's that, whatever. …That's what you mean?"

Then he cut him off with a simple 'Yeah', and then fired back when asked about how he would assess his season, replying,

"Well, not good enough. You?"

Markstrom has an .875 save percentage this season, and this is an underperformance considering his $6 million yearly cap hit on his $12 million two-year contract.

However, Markstrom also tried to explain his view of the night, saying,

"It is a step back. We've got to be honest with ourselves. ... Got to look yourself in the mirror and got to be better. What did I play? Five minutes today? That's not what I want to do."

Markstrom talked about the early goals, saying,

"It’s 2-0 after five minutes... It can’t happen."

Markstrom has now allowed 16 goals in his last five starts and is 1-3-0 in that span. His season stats sit at 8-6-1 with a 3.66 GAA. He has looked good in wins, but his rough outings have cut momentum for a Devils team already struggling to defend.

Allen made 23 saves in relief but still gave up five goals. The Devils have dropped six of their last seven and five straight at home. Allen is 1-5-0 in his last five games as well.

Jesper Bratt on the Devils' meeting after the loss

According to reporter Amanda Stein, Jesper Bratt said the New Jersey Devils held a team meeting after the loss to Tampa Bay. He described it as a "vocal" and "honest conversation," and stressed that the details would stay inside the room.

"We had to be vocal, most of the things that we talked about, I’m going to let that stay here," Bratt said. "We had that talk in the locker room and it’s going to stay there (…) it had to be an honest conversation, man-to-man and I think we did a good job."

New Jersey stands at 17-13-1, sixth in a tight Metropolitan Division. With Anaheim, Vancouver, and key other matchups ahead, the Devils need stability in goal before their slide deepens.

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Edited by Ankit Kumar