No Reason For Optimism

[Triumph]

The 2008 team that went to the SC Finals? We could only hope that we suck that bad.

no, the 2008 devils team, which wasn't a good team and wasn't a favorite to win in the 1st round.

[HellOnICE]

Let me also just say the way marty has been playing is a reason for optimism.

[Daniel]

no, the 2008 devils team, which wasn't a good team and wasn't a favorite to win in the 1st round.

The Devils this year are gearing up to finish with the same point total and an eerily similar goal for/against differential as in 07-08. They also had home ice in the first round, and proceeded to get thoroughly trounced.

So this season is not shaping up for a successful finish if the past few years are any guide.

Edited April 3, 2010 by Daniel

[Daniel]

Let me also just say the way marty has been playing is a reason for optimism.

He's been good, but at the same time he hasn't been winning us any games. Whatever anyone says about a hot goalie carrying a team through the playoffs, it doesn't happen that way. If the team in front of him isn't that good, the team isn't going very far.

[HellOnICE]

He's been good, but at the same time he hasn't been winning us any games. Whatever anyone says about a hot goalie carrying a team through the playoffs, it doesn't happen that way. If the team in front of him isn't that good, the team isn't going very far.

How can you win games 0-0?

[Devil Dan 56]

In other words, you tolerate a loser.

If they lose, they lose. You don't need to drag the razor along your wrist every time they do.

What exactly is the point of following a team and being their fan when you immediately jump ship the second they look 'not elite'?

[Daniel]

How can you win games 0-0?

I'm really not trying to knock him. Like I said, he's been playing well. But wins are what counts. If you're counting on him to be the deciding factor in the playoffs when, he's given up last minute game tying goals in two games in the past week (no matter how badly the team was playing in front of him), the odds are squarely against you.

[Triumph]

I'm really not trying to knock him. Like I said, he's been playing well. But wins are what counts. If you're counting on him to be the deciding factor in the playoffs when, he's given up last minute game tying goals in two games in the past week (no matter how badly the team was playing in front of him), the odds are squarely against you.

honestly, this doesn't make a lick of sense.

[Daniel]

1. You realize that this "loser" team is still in contention for the #2 spot in the Eastern Conference.

2. What do you mean by tolerate? If by "tolerate" you mean "still cheer for the team and hope they play well", I sure as hell tolerate them. That's what being a "fan" is supposed to be. Your "I'm sick of this sh!t" attitude is so hysterical, you're acting like the Devils OWE it to you to win the Cup. Trust me, you're not welcome here with that attitude.

I pay to go to and watch the games. So in that sense, they absolutely OWE it to me (and every paying customer) to put a quality product on the ice. Quality to me, does not mean having an above-average regular season, with a two month stretch of brilliance in November through December, and a no-show in the playoffs.

[Amberite]

The Devils this year are gearing up to finish with the same point total and an eerily similar goal for/against differential as in 07-08. They also had home ice in the first round, and proceeded to get thoroughly trounced.

So this season is not shaping up for a successful finish if the past few years are any guide.

I remember that 2008 team well. I could care less about their record in relation to this team, as this team is leagues better than that team could ever hope to be. If you really think that the skill on this team is equal to the 2008 team, you are blind.

One thing that hasn't been said over the past 3 months is that this team is UNDERACHIEVING. For the last few years, everyone has been talking about how our teams are constantly overachieving. I think this is the first time since 2000 that we can honestly say that this team is currently underachieving.

[Daniel]

honestly, this doesn't make a lick of sense.

The guy said, we'll be fine come playoff time because Marty's playing well. I said he's playing well, but not playing well enough where his play alone will make a difference come playoff time. If that were the case, the Devils would have won tonight and against the Rangers. Doesn't mean those losses are his fault, but not a reason for optimism about playoff chances either.

[Triumph]

The guy said, we'll be fine come playoff time because Marty's playing well. I said he's playing well, but not playing well enough where his play alone will make a difference come playoff time. If that were the case, the Devils would have won tonight and against the Rangers. Doesn't mean those losses are his fault, but not a reason for optimism about playoff chances either.

honestly, this post doesn't make a lick of sense, though i'd have more of an argument if brodeur hadn't had the flyers game.

[nmigliore]

I pay to go to and watch the games. So in that sense, they absolutely OWE it to me (and every paying customer) to put a quality product on the ice. Quality to me, does not mean having an above-average regular season, with a two month stretch of brilliance in November through December, and a no-show in the playoffs.

....If only every sports franchise can make the playoffs, what, 13 straight seasons, and win the championship 3 times in less than a decade....

[Devil Dan 56]

I pay to go to and watch the games. So in that sense, they absolutely OWE it to me (and every paying customer) to put a quality product on the ice. Quality to me, does not mean having an above-average regular season, with a two month stretch of brilliance in November through December, and a no-show in the playoffs.

Good thing you aren't a fan of Atlanta.

Or Boston. Or Buffalo. Dallas, Columbus. The Islanders or Rangers. Montreal. Philly. Phoenix. Vancouver, or Edmonton. St Louis. Toronto. Los Angeles or Nashville. Florida. Because I'm pretty sure those teams would trade the last 7 years with us anytime. There are 30 teams. They all want to win. Fourth seeds have won cups. What's the point of watching if you just want to piss and moan about how crappy our second place team is?

[HellOnICE]

Good thing you aren't a fan of Atlanta.

Or Boston. Or Buffalo. Dallas, Columbus. The Islanders or Rangers. Montreal. Philly. Phoenix. Vancouver, or Edmonton. St Louis. Toronto. Los Angeles or Nashville. Florida. Because I'm pretty sure those teams would trade the last 7 years with us anytime. There are 30 teams. They all want to win. Fourth seeds have won cups. What's the point of watching if you just want to piss and moan about how crappy our second place team is?

Daniel it's ok, you're probably 16 and never been through any hard times with this team. You're goddamn lucky like DD56 said - look at those teams.

Can you imagine being a Buffalo fan - THEY'VE NEVER WON anything.

Look, I don't remember the losing years. I was 9 when we won the Cup, so most of my life has been in the glory years. Appreciate the difficulty of what this team has accomplished and continues to accomplish. A Cup is just not easy to come by.

[Daniel]

I remember that 2008 team well. I could care less about their record in relation to this team, as this team is leagues better than that team could ever hope to be. If you really think that the skill on this team is equal to the 2008 team, you are blind.

One thing that hasn't been said over the past 3 months is that this team is UNDERACHIEVING. For the last few years, everyone has been talking about how our teams are constantly overachieving. I think this is the first time since 2000 that we can honestly say that this team is currently underachieving.

The rosters are virtually identical with the obvious exception of Kovy, and no Madden/Oduya this year. Although I suppose you can say that Zajac and Parise are much better players now than they were then. But still when the overall numbers end up the same, it takes few leaps in logic to say that the results should be similar.

[Daniel]

Daniel it's ok, you're probably 16 and never been through any hard times with this team. You're goddamn lucky like DD56 said - look at those teams.

Can you imagine being a Buffalo fan - THEY'VE NEVER WON anything.

Look, I don't remember the losing years. I was 9 when we won the Cup, so most of my life has been in the glory years. Appreciate the difficulty of what this team has accomplished and continues to accomplish. A Cup is just not easy to come by.

I remember the very lean years when we were praying that Craig Billington would be the savior, and when Lou traded away Kirk Muller, my favorite player (who went on to win a Cup with the Canadians).

I'll venture a guess that I've been following this team a lot longer than 80 percent of the people here.

[Amberite]

The rosters are virtually identical with the obvious exception of Kovy, and no Madden/Oduya this year. Although I suppose you can say that Zajac and Parise are much better players now than they were then. But still when the overall numbers end up the same, it takes few leaps in logic to say that the results should be similar.

Virtually identical except for little players such as Kovalchuk, a MUCH better Zajac, Parise and Clarkson. Yep, you're right, virtually identical.

Edited April 3, 2010 by Amberite

[Daniel]

Virtually identical except for Kovalchuk, a MUCH better Zajac, Parise and Clarkson. Yep, you're right, virtually identical.

Let's not go overboard on how good Clarkson is. And again, you're leaving out good players on that team that are no longer here, Oduya and Madden.

But you're right, I forgot about one other difference. His name eludes me at the moment, but he's ridiculously overpaid, seems to be lost everytime he gets on the ice, yet our coach insists he spends a buttload of time on the powerplay.

Overall, I'd say, on paper, this team is better than '07 to '08, but the results are what they are.

[njmar]

I'm getting tired of the gloom and doom on this board--we haven't even gotten to the playoffs yet. When they pulled Niemi tonight, I said to my husband, I'd feel a whole lot better if they had a 2 goal lead=I've seen this too often not to worry. I also don't subscribe to the idea that when the playoffs start, things all of a sudden become different. Old habits are hard to break. That said, being a fan means believing in your team, especially when they've overall have been playing well most of the season. Show me a team who hasn't had blips at some point during an 82 game season.

I will be very happy if withing the next 3 weeks the Devils can:

1.. Score more than 1 goal and hope it sticks for 60 minutes

2. Clear their zone in the last 2 minutes of a game so the opposing team can't score with less than 60 seconds left

3. Figure out how to play 5 on 6 when we only have that 1 goal lead (this is more important than the PP at this point, as the 5 on 6 appears to be occuring more often than not)

For anyone blaming Marty, you're not watching the same game as I am. If not for him, this game would have been 3-1 or 4-1, the man stood on his head (again),

I've been watching this sport too long to worry about a Cup, I tend to take the playoffs one round at a time. I think we'd play better against a non-division team than a division rival, so I'm hoping we do draw Ottawa instead of the Rags or Philly. Just my opinion. But as a sports fan, you believe in your team, watch the games, and cheer for them to win. If they lose along the way you look at what went wrong and how is it possible to fix it. We have no say in this, but it's what makes watching sports interesting, and it's why so many of us are on these boards.

Oh and for that 2008 team, you left out Gio.

[RunninWithTheDevil]

Theres 30 goddamn teams in the NHL don't be surprised if we dont win a cup every year. Hockey isn't about being a fan "when they win", its about being a fan when they AREN'T winning. Stop acting like those 3 cups are your birthright and start acting like a fvcking hockey fan.

[David Puddy]

I pay to go to and watch the games. So in that sense, they absolutely OWE it to me (and every paying customer) to put a quality product on the ice. Quality to me, does not mean having an above-average regular season, with a two month stretch of brilliance in November through December, and a no-show in the playoffs.

There are 30 NHL teams that owe it to their fans to put a quality product on the ice. Only one can win the Stanley Cup. That's the point of competition.

[maxpower]

some people, and I think this is an oldschooler thing more than anything else (for obvious reasons), attach too much importance to making the playoffs.

there a few years that I would have rather not made the playoffs than endured what happened when they got there. and a few other seasons where the playoff appearance was ultimately pointless. there are seasons you obviously don't want to have, like say, what the Oilers seem to be doing yearly.... but take, say Carolina's season. I'd rather have that than getting curbstomped by some bad team, like say the Rangers series in 08. at least if they won their last game, I could be optimistic.

last year, other than that run at the end and the horror that was Game 7, was fun, the 8-5 Rangers cluster, the Sharks game, 552, that was all alot of fun. this last 3 months or so, has not been fun in any way. hopefully we get a good playoff to wash some of that stench away.

[RSC]

Good thing you aren't a fan of Atlanta.

Or Boston. Or Buffalo. Dallas, Columbus. The Islanders or Rangers. Montreal. Philly. Phoenix. Vancouver, or Edmonton. St Louis. Toronto. Los Angeles or Nashville. Florida. Because I'm pretty sure those teams would trade the last 7 years with us anytime. There are 30 teams. They all want to win. Fourth seeds have won cups. What's the point of watching if you just want to piss and moan about how crappy our second place team is?

THANK YOU. We are a damn lucky fanbase, and its high time some people fvcking understood that. We are so fvcking spoiled that we're going to complain about a possible 100 pt season. Go to fvcking Toronto and ask them how they'd like to switch places with us for the last 6 years or so. I think they'd be damn glad, instead of being in the cellar without first round pick.

Seriously, Daniel, get the fvck out. If you don't want to put up with this team during a 100 pt season, I can't imagine how you'd be acting if they were where all the "experts" projected them to be this year (7th place at best). Go buy an Ovechkin jersey, that should get you through, until the day comes when Washington sucks again, be it because Ovechkin left, his supporting cast left, etc. Meanwhile, we'll be here, putting up solid, cup-contending seasons every year like we always do, no matter what those "experts" say.

[Devil Dan 56]

We are lined up against Montreal right now. If you don't have confidence in the Devils over Montreal, then you have some sort of complex.