NJ Devils Bench Trio of Players During Loss to Panthers

Things are already getting heated in New Jersey as Devils head coach Lindy Ruff is not happy with some of his star players. Ruff saw enough during the Devils loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday night and decided that Timo Meier, John Marino and Curtis Lazar all needed to spectate throughout the third period. Each Devil only played one shift in the third period.

The Devils went on to lose 4-3 to the Panthers and Ruff was quick to address the matter during his post-game media scrum:

Can't take the penalties he (Meier) took. We need more out of a lot of guys. This isn't about one guy. When we start the game, there's 18 guys that are playing. We need more out of our group

After becoming one of the NHL's elite teams last season and with lofty expectations this year, the Devils have started 1-1-1. They suit up next against the New York Islanders on Friday night and have a few practice days to try and get thing sorted.

As for Meier, getting benched this early in the season is brutal news for his confidence. He's in the first season of an eight-year contract with the Devils which is paying him $70.4 million in total. He was assessed two tripping penalties in just over a four minute span, which obviously pissed off his head coach. Meier has yet to record a point this season.