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Some things I don't understand.


Triumph

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just read TG's blog re: sutter's post game quotes.

it is the best thing he can say and i don't want to hear anything about the coach this or the coach that. he's blaming vets and he's damn right:

everyone save parise and zajac are vets on this team. and every one of them isn't doing the little things to force the other team.

look, i'm no zubrus basher like most. but his off shifts outnumber his on shifts about 4-1.

gionta doesn't drive the net anymore.

elias for all my love for him can go through periods where he tries to be pretty instead of "jam" as sutter likes to say.

rolston is a fraud - plain and simple. he's an empty 50-60 points a year. i can no longer be convinced otherwise.

holik, outside of tonight, has been taking stupid and lazy penalties for a month with no real head in the game.

blaming shannahan for not having it is like blaming ice for being cold. "Joe Louis is 146 years old." what do you want from this guy besides filler minutes.

i echo triumph's sentiment that the only hope is that many of these guys know that they are older and need to conserve to go all out in the playoffs. because the defense is not fast enough to keep up with much of the east unless the forwards put enough pressure on the opposition so that it makes the defenses' job easier.

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The #2 seed is NOT over and no where near to be over. Devils are only one point behind Washington now, played the same amount of games as the Devils had 2-games in hand and lost both of them to stay the one point behind. Washington has not been playing all that well either and Theodore has been just terrible reminding me of his playoff disaster last season in Colorado. I still believe the Devils will win the #2 seed over Washington and will still win their division too. It will come down to the last few games to win the #2 seed for the Devils over Washington.

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What I want to know...because I would by lying if I said I watched any Wild games over the last few years...is was this a bad signing from the start? I mean weren't 17-20 teams after Rolston? Did the guy steal money from Lou or did Lou just give him a gift basket? How could someone fall so far off in one year? Maybe the Devils offered Brian a contract he couldn't refuse and it had nothing to do with anything else. Man I wish he went somewhere else.

The only actual memory I have of Rolston on the Wild was from some All-Star game a few years back when he absolutely blew two 1000 MPH lasers past Brodeur, which makes sense since only in an All-Star game could Rolston have that kind of room to get off a good slap shot. The thought of having him on the cap for 3 more years makes me and I bet Lou sick.

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- There is no urgency first and foremost. The players are not out working the opposition like we did mid season. Maybe we are worn out but nobody is playing big minutes so I can't see that being an excuse.

- We are losing every battle along the boards. Once again refering to the urgency. You have to battle along the boards like your job depends on it. For two talented 3rd and 4th lines, they don't cycle the puck well. I would take big Jim McKenzie, Turner Stevenson and Sergei Brylin over this 4th line any day of the week.

- We are reacting rather then forcing the opposing team to react. This means we are sitting back and watching the play. Mid season we had a great forecheck with defense steping up every second play. This kept the pressure on them to make plays with little time. We are playing a zone defense again, much like last year.

- The fowards have no confidence, no passes are being picked up. They are fumbling the puck everytime they touch it. Shots are missing the net. Effort can be controlled, confidence is a scary thing to lose.

Now to individual players:

- Brian Gionta is not an offensive player, he has to realize that. He needs to crash the net and win every race. Thats how he scored all those goals. He thinks he is Danny Heatley on the ice. He does not have great hockey sense either.

- Brian Rolston has lost a step and a half. I don't know if its because of age or because of the high ankle sprain but he isn't close to the player he was in Minnesota. He was never a tough guy to start with but he had great speed to get to the holes. He also has little hockey sense.

- Dainius Zubrus looks like he is skating in quicksand recently and isn't using his size the way he should. Get to the front of the net big Dainius. He also has very weak hockey sense. These guys can't get open for their lives.

- Bryce Salvador is playing the worse hockey of his career. He is giving the puck away, making bad reads and isn't doing his job on the PK. I think he will rebound, maybe he is injured.

- Mike Mottau looks slower then normal. Maybe its because he doesn't have the normal help of his forwards backchecking. Dump and chase is a sure puck retrieval against him these days.

Edited by Jas0nMacIsaac
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Since the Devils acquired Havelid, I have seen this Devils defense play a lot worse. Has the chemistry been broken? :noclue: Havelid has 2-assists since coming to New Jersey, but overall I think he has not done all that well. Salvador has just been terrible and agree with Jason here. The Devils were doing fine with what they had as a defensive core INCLUDING Greene and Leach being inserted into the line up for so many games. I am not sure, but just wondering if anyone else has noticed this since acquiring Havelid.

Maybe Sutter needs to change up the defensive corps by putting in Greene and maybe Leach for a game or two to see how the results are and give a night off to Salvador or Mottau.

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Since the Devils acquired Havelid, I have seen this Devils defense play a lot worse. Has the chemistry been broken? :noclue: Havelid has 2-assists since coming to New Jersey, but overall I think he has not done all that well. Salvador has just been terrible and agree with Jason here. The Devils were doing fine with what they had as a defensive core INCLUDING Greene and Leach being inserted into the line up for so many games. I am not sure, but just wondering if anyone else has noticed this since acquiring Havelid.

Maybe Sutter needs to change up the defensive corps by putting in Greene and maybe Leach for a game or two to see how the results are and give a night off to Salvador or Mottau.

It has nothing to do with Havleid, who has been our 2nd best defensmen since the trade. There is only so much he can do when playing with a defensmen who is really struggling. He isn't there for offense, yet I feel he has done an excellent job getting shots on the net. The problem is our team isn't hungry enough to screen the goaltender or get rebounds.

Edited by Jas0nMacIsaac
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It has nothing to do with Havleid who has been our 2nd best defensmen since the trade. There is only so much he can do when playing with a defensmen who is really struggling. He isn't there for offense yet I feel he has done an excellent job getting shots on the net. The problem is our team isn't hungry enough to screen the goaltender or get rebounds.

Good point Jason. Maybe that is why I thought Havelid was not playing all that well. Salvador and Mottau have been struggling on defense for sure. Sutter maybe has to take a look and do some defense line changing to see if things get better. The defense has just not been there in this 5-game losing streak letting way too many SOG and no longer blocking shots infront of Brodeur.

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I'll give you that, but last year I was so far removed from the team, and caught so few games I would not be able to give you a fair assessment. Although, that team was crap. But he did sh!t his pants in the playoffs, in what was arguably his worst playoff series as a Devil. You can't deny that Brodeur has not played a solid game against the Rangers over the last two seasons. You can't deny that he been sh!t against the Rangers over the last 10-12 games.

what annoys me is when people say things that just aren't true. brodeur has something like a .920 save percentage vs. the rangers since 2006 - they put the graphic up on the telecast tonight. yes, his win-loss record sucks, but it's because henrik lundqvist has like a .950 save percentage against new jersey. you are not going to win many games when you score on 1 out of 20 shots.

And no way am I blaming Brodeur for this loss. You can't blame a goalie when a team doesn't score. All I am saying is that it would be nice to know that the greatest of all-time could raise his game to a level that the greatest should be at if the Devils falter in the playoffs. There is nothing wrong with holding someone who might go down as the greatest ever to a higher standard than anyone else.

it's not his fault that people can't see that he isn't the greatest ever. he's not. roy and hasek are better. and brodeur did raise his level in the first period - he played tremendously. he played tremendously against carolina on saturday. i have faith he's going to play well in this year's playoffs.

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What I want to know...because I would by lying if I said I watched any Wild games over the last few years...is was this a bad signing from the start? I mean weren't 17-20 teams after Rolston? Did the guy steal money from Lou or did Lou just give him a gift basket? How could someone fall so far off in one year? Maybe the Devils offered Brian a contract he couldn't refuse and it had nothing to do with anything else. Man I wish he went somewhere else.

The only actual memory I have of Rolston on the Wild was from some All-Star game a few years back when he absolutely blew two 1000 MPH lasers past Brodeur, which makes sense since only in an All-Star game could Rolston have that kind of room to get off a good slap shot. The thought of having him on the cap for 3 more years makes me and I bet Lou sick.

it's a high ankle sprain. players don't recover from it well in-season - rolston has looked better in recent games but he's still not back to where he was. it's possible he won't ever get back to where he was before the injury. it's a risky business.

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- There is no urgency first and foremost. The players are not out working the opposition like we did mid season. Maybe we are worn out but nobody is playing big minutes so I can't see that being an excuse.

- We are losing every battle along the boards. Once again refering to the urgency. You have to battle along the boards like your job depends on it. For two talented 3rd and 4th lines, they don't cycle the puck well. I would take big Jim McKenzie, Turner Stevenson and Sergei Brylin over this 4th line any day of the week.

- We are reacting rather then forcing the opposing team to react. This means we are sitting back and watching the play. Mid season we had a great forecheck with defense steping up every second play. This kept the pressure on them to make plays with little time. We are playing a zone defense again, much like last year.

- The fowards have no confidence, no passes are being picked up. They are fumbling the puck everytime they touch it. Shots are missing the net. Effort can be controlled, confidence is a scary thing to lose.

Now to individual players:

- Brian Gionta is not an offensive player, he has to realize that. He needs to crash the net and win every race. Thats how he scored all those goals. He thinks he is Danny Heatley on the ice. He does not have great hockey sense either.

- Brian Rolston has lost a step and a half. I don't know if its because of age or because of the high ankle sprain but he isn't close to the player he was in Minnesota. He was never a tough guy to start with but he had great speed to get to the holes. He also has little hockey sense.

- Dainius Zubrus looks like he is skating in quicksand recently and isn't using his size the way he should. Get to the front of the net big Dainius. He also has very weak hockey sense. These guys can't get open for their lives.

- Bryce Salvador is playing the worse hockey of his career. He is giving the puck away, making bad reads and isn't doing his job on the PK. I think he will rebound, maybe he is injured.

- Mike Mottau looks slower then normal. Maybe its because he doesn't have the normal help of his forwards backchecking. Dump and chase is a sure puck retrieval against him these days.

Can't disagree with anything here. What happened to the team that gave the Canadiens a forechecking clinic a few weeks ago and gave them a beatdown around the boards.

I really think have these forwards have been riding Zach Parise's coattails for a long time, and when he doesn't score, the team loses. Simple as that.

The Devils are 14-2-1 since January when Parise scores, and 6-14 when he his held off the score sheet this season. Now maybe you can find similiar stats from other top player's teams, but probably not from a supposed 4-line team.

Just compared some other top players. The Capitals are 7-9-1 when Ovechkin does not get a point. The Wings are 12-6-1 when Datsyuk doesn't get one. The Sharks are 13-8-1 when Thornton doesn't get a point. The Flames 14-10-4 when Iginla is held pointless. The Penguins were just as bad when Crosby and Malkin didn't score, but that makes perfect sense since they had no depth before a few deadline deals. I think it is clear that this is an overrated 4 line team. Stop Parise and you beat the Devils.

Edited by devilsrule33
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I really have no idea why the devils have totally crumbled after that loss to Boston. I can't even recognize this team anymore. I can't just single out one player, everything from top to bottom has fallen apart in the past 5 games. These types of games use to be their letdown game. But their letdown game is beginning to be the only way they play as of late.

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33, you're cherry-picking again. of course the stats are going to look like that when you bring up what was true in the other thread. and points != goals, so let's not even try equivocating on that score.

one thing that really bothered me about tonight's game was how terrible paul martin looked - martin is usually outstanding but tonight he was fighting it from the drop of the puck.

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it's a high ankle sprain. players don't recover from it well in-season - rolston has looked better in recent games but he's still not back to where he was. it's possible he won't ever get back to where he was before the injury. it's a risky business.

you can't get an honest read on Rolston until 09-10. sucks, but that's how it is. I thought Langs was a gigantic dog last season, and than Madden was shot two years ago. When they both bounced back, I put two and two together. Rolston is in the same boat until he proves otherwise, by doing nothing next season.

BUT, he is charmin out there and injury or no injury, that's what he is.

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Simply put...the jig is up.

The NJ "Smoke and Mirrors" has been exposed.

Rangers played a dominating game, we had no business there tonight. As soon as the 1st goal was in this game was over.

We've been playing above and beyond our abilities for quite a while.

Now its done.

Playoff preview tonight. We're lucky if we don't get swept by them.

Problem is too many older players and too many accomplished players with too much success. Parise and Zajac's hunger alone won't fuel this team.

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33, you're cherry-picking again. of course the stats are going to look like that when you bring up what was true in the other thread. and points != goals, so let's not even try equivocating on that score.

one thing that really bothered me about tonight's game was how terrible paul martin looked - martin is usually outstanding but tonight he was fighting it from the drop of the puck.

Are you disagreeing with what the stats are saying? Am I finding stats that back up my claims. Yes. But I am not even picking and choosing. Everyone else on the Devils team besides Jamie, Zach and Patty has not put the puck in lately. So it is clear when you stop Zach, the Devils lose. It is alarming that when Parise is held scoreless, how bad the Devils are. All I did was look a the other top 6 guys and you can see those team's aren't half as bad when they're big guys don't get points.

I think these are important numbers when half the experts are saying the Devils have incredible depth and are not even close to being a one line team.

Another stat that doesn't help the cause. Patty Elias has been said to be having a great year, but in the last two months he only has 3 even-strength goals, and didn't have an even-strength goal in all of February. That second line has done sh!t in the last two months after a great December and January.

Edited by devilsrule33
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Simply put...the jig is up.

The NJ "Smoke and Mirrors" has been exposed.

Rangers played a dominating game, we had no business there tonight. As soon as the 1st goal was in this game was over.

We've been playing above and beyond our abilities for quite a while.

Now its done.

Playoff preview tonight. We're lucky if we don't get swept by them.

Problem is too many older players and too many accomplished players with too much success. Parise and Zajac's hunger alone won't fuel this team.

Post like this make me laugh, there was no smoke and mirrors about us mid season. Everyone knew when you played NJ they would out work you and attack you. A team mentioned in an earlier game this season that NJ doesn't get you on the first chance, or the second chance, its usually the third chance they create based on effort. Thats the great thing about sports, you may not have the most talented team but you can always control the effort. There is a reason why Toronto is playing so well and scoring so many goals. They never stop.

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Are you disagreeing with what the stats are saying? Am I finding stats that back up my claims. Yes. But I am not even picking and choosing. Everyone else on the Devils team besides Jamie, Zach and Patty has not put the puck in lately. So it is clear when you stop Zach, the Devils lose. It is alarming that when Parise is held scoreless, how bad the Devils are. All I did was look a the other top 6 guys and you can see those team's aren't half as bad when they're big guys don't get points.

I think these are important numbers when half the experts are saying the Devils have incredible depth and are not even close to being a one line team.

Another stat that doesn't help the cause. Patty Elias has been said to be having a great year, but in the last two months he only has 3 even-strength goals, and didn't have an even-strength goal in all of February. That second line has done sh!t in the last two months after a great December and January.

What I did notice about the 2nd line and every line in general is they stoped moving their feet in the offensive zone. They are trying to create offense from a stand still and they simply aren't good enough player to do that.

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Call it foolish, but watching Avery get slammed around by Clarkson in what was the most one sided hockey fights I've ever seen was QUITE entertaining. :ECW: Also, VS needs to stop telecasting games. period. I missed chico. :saddevil:

The person who was best at gaining the zone for the devils tonight was oduya. He was the only one I saw actually take the puck right up into lundquist's a$$holle. other than that you guys are right, no one cares. its complacency and its killing us.

Edited by Easy Parise
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Did you really expect him to stop all 400,000,273 shots the Rangers were taking on him. It was a shooting gallery. He was getting absolutely pummeled. I can't believe anyone would be coming down on BRODEUR considering the joke of a team in front of him.

relax, im stating what happened. i already put the blame on the rest of the team for not giving him help in my original post.

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What I want to know...because I would by lying if I said I watched any Wild games over the last few years...is was this a bad signing from the start? I mean weren't 17-20 teams after Rolston? Did the guy steal money from Lou or did Lou just give him a gift basket? How could someone fall so far off in one year? Maybe the Devils offered Brian a contract he couldn't refuse and it had nothing to do with anything else. Man I wish he went somewhere else.

The only actual memory I have of Rolston on the Wild was from some All-Star game a few years back when he absolutely blew two 1000 MPH lasers past Brodeur, which makes sense since only in an All-Star game could Rolston have that kind of room to get off a good slap shot. The thought of having him on the cap for 3 more years makes me and I bet Lou sick.

I think Rolston is getting to the point in his career, where he is just a PP specialist, and not much after that.

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Are you disagreeing with what the stats are saying? Am I finding stats that back up my claims. Yes. But I am not even picking and choosing. Everyone else on the Devils team besides Jamie, Zach and Patty has not put the puck in lately. So it is clear when you stop Zach, the Devils lose. It is alarming that when Parise is held scoreless, how bad the Devils are. All I did was look a the other top 6 guys and you can see those team's aren't half as bad when they're big guys don't get points.

I think these are important numbers when half the experts are saying the Devils have incredible depth and are not even close to being a one line team.

Another stat that doesn't help the cause. Patty Elias has been said to be having a great year, but in the last two months he only has 3 even-strength goals, and didn't have an even-strength goal in all of February. That second line has done sh!t in the last two months after a great December and January.

Gionta was on a goal-scoring streak 2 weeks ago.

Look, I know it doesn't look good, but these things can most certainly iron themselves out (see also: 2003). What's more helpful to look at are career averages. There *is* depth on this team - it's not as good as everyone around the league might think, but it is there. And if it doesn't come through, Lou is going to have to re-think some of his strategies - the ones that led him to acquire Igor Larionov, Alexander Mogilny, Vladimir Malakhov, and so on. Lou might think that size doesn't matter for a player and he might be right, but age matters.

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actually, it's because brodeur SPECIFICALLY doesn't want them blocked. he's said this openly that he doesn't want his guys going down to block shots or try to get in the way because he wants the best chance to see the puck clearly.

this of course is a horrendous strategy but i think marty gave up some bad goals that went off his own diving players and that's when he called for the style.

This is so ridiculous if true. A lot of odd-man rushes are sprung from blocked shots. Just watch when the Devils have their shots blocked...it's frustrating and cripples your offense. This is a bonehead request by Marty.

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