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Patrik Elias of the Devils (left) tries to defend Blues center Patrik Berglund Tuesday night in St. Louis.

(Scott Rovak/USA Today)

DALLAS – Patrik Elias didn't want to talk.



Not because the Devils' alternate captain wanted to avoid dealing with the media after Tuesday night's 3-0 loss in St. Louis. Elias preferred to keep his postgame remarks short because he did not want to criticize any of his teammates by name for being selfish.



But as he walked hurriedly to the team bus, Elias voiced his displeasure at the way one or two unnamed Devils deviated from the system and probably cost the team valuable points.



"We've got guys that want to do it by themselves out there. That's all," Elias told The Star-Ledger.



He was particularly angry about the power play, which went 0-for-4 against the Blues, but he was also seething about the selfish play in other situations.



"We have good enough players to win hockey games. We've done that in the past and in a lot of the 54 games we've played this year," Elias pointed out, "but guys can't do it by themselves. We have to play the way we played before."



The Devils, who will meet the Dallas Stars Thursday night at American Airlines Center, have lost their last two games—outdoors to the Rangers in Yankee Stadium and indoors to the Blues in Scottrade Center. They stand 13th in the Eastern Conference, having to leap-frog over five teams to be in a playoff spot.



"We need to get points. Doesn't matter if it's indoors, outdoors or where it is," captain Bryce Salvador said. "It's coming down to the wire. It's coming down to the crux. I think we want to be in a good spot going into the (Olympic) break."



It would be important emotionally for the Devils to be in the conference's top eight by Feb. 9.



"Definitely. We need to string a bunch of wins (together) here and really build some momentum," Salvador said. "Ever since the re-alignment there's parity in the league. Every game is important. There is a whole clutch of us fighting for that playoff spot. It just seems that (when) you lose a game, it's tough to make up."



Once they get through this three-game road trip, the schedule becames a lot easier for the Devils.



"We had a brutal first half of the schedule," Salvador noted. "The positive part of it is, going down the stretch we only have one or two back-to-backs and the road travel is almost negligible. So we're in a pretty good position. If we can wrap up this road trip and have a good road trip, the schedule is really in our favor to make a strong push and have a good finish. We have a lot of home games. It's kind of a cliché, but the schedule allows us to control a little bit of our own destiny."



If, as Elias stresses, they play as a team and not selfish individuals.

* * *

Although coach Pete DeBoer started the game in St. Louis with Jacob Josefson at left wing with Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr, he moved Elias into Josefson's spot.



"We weren't scoring. We're not generating enough," DeBoer said.



Elias, who broke a 12-game goal-less drought with a pair against the Rangers, said he is regaining his form after missing seven games with a groin injury. "I feel good," he said.



DeBoer said: "I think he's getting close. The Rangers game was a good sign. I thought he had some more jump again (in St. Louis). He's starting to get back to where we need him to be."

Does DeBoer see Elias as a winger or center at this point?

“Wherever he can help us win a game,” the coach said.

The Devils did not practice in Dallas Wednesday.