It’s going to take a heck of a winning streak to turn the New Jersey Devils from this season’s biggest bust into a playoff contender – at best. After headlining a rather tame summer with the contract controversy of Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils now find themselves competing with the New York Islanders for last place in the Eastern Conference. The two anti-giants faced off against each other on Friday afternoon and the Devils found it impossible to score on Rick DiPietro, losing 2-0.

What could possibly be going on in the Devils’ dressing room? The team hasn’t put together a winning streak longer than two games all season, and they’ve only done that once! Is this any way for a team with names like Patrik Elias, Jason Arnott and, of course, one of the highest paid players in the game in Kovalchuk to be performing? Despite the ridiculous amount of injuries, the Devils shouldn’t be playing like the worst team in the conference, should they?

Between Kovalchuk, Elias and Arnott, they’ve only scored 15 goals and they are a combined -23 on the ice. Sadly, the team as a whole has only scored 43 goals. That’s going to happen when your team’s dressing room looks like a hospital ward. Jamie Langenbrunner, Zack Parise, Mark Fraser, Bryce Salvador and others have all contributed to over 100 games worth lost to injuries, and that doesn’t include Martin Brodeur, who, despite not having played in over a week due to a right elbow injury, still leads the league with 10 losses.

The amount of positive morale probably couldn’t fill a single skate right now, but the players will have to find a way to accept reality. Half their team is injured, their goalie isn’t 25 years old anymore, and their highest paid player is playing like their lowest paid player. The season is still young, but it’s going to take a long winning streak – preferably in regulation time – for the Devils to get back into the picture. Frankly, this season may already be lost and New Jersey may want to start retooling sooner than later.