Ruff owns Devils' woes amid 5-game losing streak: 'All that's on me'

After his New Jersey Devils dropped a fifth straight game, head coach Lindy Ruff said it's on him to right the ship.

"The same things happen to our club over and over, ill-advised mistakes that turn into goals against," Ruff said after losing 5-2 to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, according to team reporter Amanda Stein. "Careless decisions with the puck that turn into goals against."

He added: "All that's on me. That's my responsibility. The way this team plays is my responsibility."

The Devils have dropped nine of their last 10 contests to fall to 10-14-5 this season. After missing the playoffs for the last three campaigns, many expected New Jersey to be more competitive in 2021-22.

While Ruff did take plenty of the blame for the team's recent performance, he also didn't hesitate to call out some of his players.

"Our top (forwards) are the ones that hurt us," Ruff said. "I thought our bottom forwards gave us a good night - (they were) great on the kill, scored the first goal, shorthanded goal, all the good stuff. Our top guys have to be harder to play against."

He continued: "They have to be harder on the puck. They have to win more battles. They have to create more odd-numbered situations themselves, speed, drive in the middle. All those little things add up by the end of the game."

The Devils were missing a number of players Saturday, including Jesper Bratt, P.K. Subban, Nico Hischier, and Ryan Graves, as well as goaltenders Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier.

However, New Jersey has been outscored 44-23 over the past 10 games. Bratt leads the team with 24 points in 28 games, while Andreas Johnsson ranks second with 19 in 29 contests.

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