George Steinbrenner now owns a slice of the New Jersey Devils. Still, the only real Boss in New Jersey is Bruce Springsteen. While Bruce himself isn't much for hockey, his superstar drummer, Max Weinberg, can be found in his center-ice seat for most Devils home games.

Lately, the mighty Max (who also fronts the aptly-named Max Weinberg Seven for Late Night with Conan O'Brien) hasn't liked what he's seen on the ice. His Devils, the defending Stanley Cup champs, have been in a major funk. "They seem out of sync," Weinberg said.

On Tuesday, Max's Devils blew a 2-0 first period lead against the Sharks en route to a 3-2 loss -- their sixth straight defeat (the last five on home ice). If Weinberg had checked out the scene in each team's dressing room following the game, he might have been reminded of a Springsteen line from the gritty tune, "Atlantic City":

Down here there's just winners and losers
and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line.

Devs C John Madden had his own, less lyrical take on the game: "We sucked," he said, staring into space. Madden's penalty-killing partner, Jay Pandolfo, had the Devils' recent woes etched on his face -- literally. Pandolfo, just back in the lineup after missing time with a shoulder injury, sported a welt under his right eye as well as 10 stitches on his right cheekbone -- courtesy of an errant Shark pass. Of course, the deflected puck ended up where it always does when things are going bad -- in your own net. That bizarre goal cut the Devils' lead in half and opened the door for the Sharks' comeback.

Things were decidedly more upbeat in the cramped visitor's room at the Continental Airlines Arena (adorned with a sign that reads, "Secure Valuables At All Times -- This is New Jersey"). The Sharks, munching on pizza, laughed heartily. In one corner of the room, Jeff Friesen talked to a reporter about how many pairs of skates he goes through in a season. In another corner, Todd Harvey joked about knocking himself out in the second period when he hit his head on the metal post that holds the Plexiglas in place. The bumps and bruises seem a lot less painful after a win.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN Magazine and appears regularly on NHL 2Night. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.