GDT: Bruins @Devils 18th March 2014

['7']

Here's what's coming up the rest of the week

 

3-1 loss to Minnesota. Parise scored the empty net winner to a chorus of boos as he smugly grins and skates back to the Wild bench

 

12,000 Rag fans in the building on Saturday as the Rangers beat us 4-1. Highly audible Maaaarty or Cooooorrry depending on who is sacrificed that day. Devils give up multiple 2-0's and 3-0's.

Edited March 19, 2014 by '7'

[devilsrule33]

No one likes losing, and I am sure for most here this is uncharted waters for Devils fans, but there doesn't need to be one scapegoat. You want Deboer gone...fine. There is a good chance he is, but this really has not much to do with him.

 

This team is just not very good at all. Fans have been clamoring for Gelinas. Well you got him, and once again he showed, despite the offensive boost he could bring, he can't play a lick of defense. Not a lick. I think two goals were on him. People want to get upset that you Gelinas and Merrill were on the ice together late....again it's late, you are down 4-2. You fvcking roll the dice. This wasn't a tie game late. They were down two goals. You want Gelinas to be out there with Salvador? I feel that some people will find anything to blame Pete with. You dress him. You play him when you are down, and you do it with someone that can move the puck too. Wasn't everyone loving the Gelinas-Larsson tandem months ago?

 

Zubrus is finished. Rutuu is who we thought he was. Ryder is just awful. Brunner is struggling. Clowe is Clowe. Elias is 37. Brunner is slumping again. You rely on Jagr at 42 to be the offensive catalyst every night..with the linemates he gets to play with?

 

A new coach will not save this team. A new coach trying to get these players to play any differently than say...they have for most of the year...will only be a bigger recipe for trouble. This team will most likely struggle with any coach next season. Forget about the coach, and look at this lineup. Do you think a coach is missing the link?

 

What this team needed tonight was a Zach Parise. They needed an lya Kovalchuk. And they needed a David Clarkson tonight.

 

There are a lot of bubble teams around the league. The ones that are stepping up are the better teams that have had better goaltending and better star players to lead them each night. Not ones that have a coach that motivates them more. You want a coach that goes in and just screams and yells at a team that isn't good enough to win games. Well that was probably Deboer in Florida. You'll have a team quitting on a coach much faster that way. NHL players tune those coaches out.

Edited March 19, 2014 by devilsrule33

[Colin226]

No one likes losing, and I am sure for most here this is uncharted waters for Devils fans, but there doesn't need to be one scapegoat. You want Deboer gone...fine. There is a good chance he is, but this really has not much to do with him.

This team is just not very good at all. Fans have been clamoring for Gelinas. Well you got him, and once again he showed, despite the offensive boost he could bring, he can't play a lick of defense. Not a lick. I think two goals were on him. People want to get upset that you Gelinas and Merrill were on the ice together late....again it's late, you are down 4-2. You fvcking roll thed ice. This wasn't a tie game late. They were down two goals. You want Gelinas to be out there with Salvador? I feel that some people will find anything to blame Pete with. You dress him. You play him when you are down, and you do it with someone that can move the puck too. Wasn't everyone loving the Gelinas-Larsson tandem months ago?

Zubrus is finished. Rutuu is who we thought he was. Ryder is just awful. Brunner is struggling. Clowe is Clowe. Elias is 37. Brunner is slumping again. You rely on Jagr at 42 to be the offensive catalyst every night..with the linemates he gets to play with?

A new coach will not save this team. A new coach trying to get these players to play any differently than say...they have for most of the year...will only be a bigger recipe for trouble. This team will most likely struggle with any coach next season. Forget about the coach, and look at this lineup. Do you think a coach is missing the link?

What this team needed tonight was a Zach Parise. They needed an lya Kovalchuk. And they needed a David Clarkson tonight.

There are a lot of bubble teams around the league. The ones that are stepping up are the better teams that have had better goaltending and better star players to lead them each night. Not ones that have a coach that motivates them more. You want a coach that goes in and just screams and yells at a team that isn't good enough to win games. Well that was probably Deboer in Florida. You'll have a team quitting on a coach much faster that way. NHL players tune those coaches out.

Very very accurate post.. Muchos kudos

[Satans Hockey]

Well said dr33, and I hate saying this but the blame should be falling on Lou. After missing the playoffs 3 of the past 4 years I'm ready for a major change.

[hystyk28]

No one likes losing, and I am sure for most here this is uncharted waters for Devils fans, but there doesn't need to be one scapegoat. You want Deboer gone...fine. There is a good chance he is, but this really has not much to do with him.

This team is just not very good at all. Fans have been clamoring for Gelinas. Well you got him, and once again he showed, despite the offensive boost he could bring, he can't play a lick of defense. Not a lick. I think two goals were on him. People want to get upset that you Gelinas and Merrill were on the ice together late....again it's late, you are down 4-2. You fvcking roll the dice. This wasn't a tie game late. They were down two goals. You want Gelinas to be out there with Salvador? I feel that some people will find anything to blame Pete with. You dress him. You play him when you are down, and you do it with someone that can move the puck too. Wasn't everyone loving the Gelinas-Larsson tandem months ago?

Zubrus is finished. Rutuu is who we thought he was. Ryder is just awful. Brunner is struggling. Clowe is Clowe. Elias is 37. Brunner is slumping again. You rely on Jagr at 42 to be the offensive catalyst every night..with the linemates he gets to play with?

A new coach will not save this team. A new coach trying to get these players to play any differently than say...they have for most of the year...will only be a bigger recipe for trouble. This team will most likely struggle with any coach next season. Forget about the coach, and look at this lineup. Do you think a coach is missing the link?

What this team needed tonight was a Zach Parise. They needed an lya Kovalchuk. And they needed a David Clarkson tonight.

There are a lot of bubble teams around the league. The ones that are stepping up are the better teams that have had better goaltending and better star players to lead them each night. Not ones that have a coach that motivates them more. You want a coach that goes in and just screams and yells at a team that isn't good enough to win games. Well that was probably Deboer in Florida. You'll have a team quitting on a coach much faster that way. NHL players tune those coaches out.

Post of the year.

[sundstrom]

that's a real nice post dr33.

 

it's a team that needed everything to go right and for the coach to maximize the chances for that to happen. neither did and here we are.

 

i hope and pray that this season makes no player truly safe and lou looks at cold hard facts:

 

the following players have NO business being on the team next year: brodeur, salvador, bernier, carter.

 

the following players need to be marginalized and made to be minor characters: zubrus, ruutu, volchenkov

 

xxxx-zajac-jagr

henrique-elias-xxxx

brunner-xxxx-clowe

rutuu-zubrus-sislo

 

greene-larsson

merrill-fayne

gelinas-volchenkov

harrold

 

schneider

xxxxx

 

fill those x's

[NJDevs4978]

Doesn't help that Pete and Lou systematically dispose of any kind of speed (Josefson, Tedenby, Loiktionov, Larsson) because it doesn't fit with the 'system'.  If you want to say none of those players are any good maybe that's true in the first three cases, but it's an organizational flaw that isn't linked to the lack of talent.  We keep going slow, slower and slowest and wonder why teams skate around us.

[devilsrule33]

that's a real nice post dr33.

 

it's a team that needed everything to go right and for the coach to maximize the chances for that to happen. neither did and here we are.

 

i hope and pray that this season makes no player truly safe and lou looks at cold hard facts:

 

the following players have NO business being on the team next year: brodeur, salvador, bernier, carter.

 

the following players need to be marginalized and made to be minor characters: zubrus, ruutu, volchenkov

 

xxxx-zajac-jagr

henrique-elias-xxxx

brunner-xxxx-clowe

rutuu-zubrus-sislo

 

greene-larsson

merrill-fayne

gelinas-volchenkov

harrold

 

schneider

xxxxx

 

fill those x's

 

Want to know who to blame? Look at that 4th line..and you aren't so wrong with that one. That's an $8 million+ 4th line even with an NHL min player on it.

 

Lou has had some bad luck with Parise and Kovy, but he has really failed at evaluating his own players that he sees every night. You can't do that as a GM.

 

Be careful what you wish for with that defense. It sounds great, but I expect a lot of hiccups along the way with that group. Might be very nice though.

Edited March 19, 2014 by devilsrule33

[Devils Pride 26]

that's a real nice post dr33.

 

it's a team that needed everything to go right and for the coach to maximize the chances for that to happen. neither did and here we are.

 

i hope and pray that this season makes no player truly safe and lou looks at cold hard facts:

 

the following players have NO business being on the team next year: brodeur, salvador, bernier, carter.

 

the following players need to be marginalized and made to be minor characters: zubrus, ruutu, volchenkov

 

xxxx-zajac-jagr

henrique-elias-xxxx

brunner-xxxx-clowe

rutuu-zubrus-sislo

 

greene-larsson

merrill-fayne

gelinas-volchenkov

harrold

 

schneider

xxxxx

 

fill those x's

Good stuff DR33 and sundy. Agree with a lot. 

 

That defense would be a dream come true and make too much damn sense but I'm hoping that's what we trot out next year. If Lou dumps Sal and lets Zidlicky walk I will be in utter shock. Also, I start to wonder how active Lou is in regards to trades. The deck is full of defensemen, and clearly we need a forward. Is this the offseason one of these defensemen gets dealt?

[NJDevs4978]

I kind of expect one of the kids to be gone this offseason, maybe two.  If Lou's going to keep Pete around AGAIN after a non-playoff season then he'd better improve the talent and get him vets he's not going to send to the doghouse the minute they aren't perfect.

[PWW]

Just once before the end of this season I'd love to see the Gelly/Larsson pairing back together. They were SO GOOD together before Larsson went down/got sent down and Gelinas looked at his best. Will it work again? No idea, but I'd at least like to find out.

[NJDevs4978]

That'll be one of the great what ifs in Devils history, cause I don't think we'll ever see that again...I definitely see at least either Larsson or Gelly gone, one way or another before next season.

What burns my *** is with Larsson-Gelly rocking that's when we had our only real sustained stretch of the season (winning five of six against GOOD competition).

[Lateralous]

That'll be one of the great what ifs in Devils history, cause I don't think we'll ever see that again...I definitely see at least either Larsson or Gelly gone, one way or another before next season.

What burns my *** is with Larsson-Gelly rocking that's when we had our only real sustained stretch of the season (winning five of six against GOOD competition).

Exactly. There's not one scapegoat for the season but there have certainly been sooooooooooo many head scratching personnel decisions that I think it's fair to move on from both Lou and Pete.

[NJDevs4978]

I mean I know people say you can't just hand young guys spots but you can't bury them at the first sign of trouble either.  At some point the '95 Devils had to transition over to Elias-Sykora-White-Rafalski-Gomez-etc.  What's our under-25 core at the moment?  Merrill, an overmatched version of a young Mark Fayne?  Henrique, who randomly gets hot for two weeks and then dissapears again?

['7']

I mean I know people say you can't just hand young guys spots but you can't bury them at the first sign of trouble either.  At some point the '95 Devils had to transition over to Elias-Sykora-White-Rafalski-Gomez-etc.  What's our under-25 core at the moment?  Merrill, an overmatched version of a young Mark Fayne?  Henrique, who randomly gets hot for two weeks and then dissapears again?

 

I guess Boucher would have to be in there.

 

Damon Severson?

[Neb00rs]

Thank heavens Tim Sestito was in the lineup, where would we have been without him?

[LucifersDog]

It's simple Lou Lams has to go.

It's just that simple.

Marty leaving would be helpful as well.

[Marshall]

that's a real nice post dr33.

 

it's a team that needed everything to go right and for the coach to maximize the chances for that to happen. neither did and here we are.

 

i hope and pray that this season makes no player truly safe and lou looks at cold hard facts:

 

the following players have NO business being on the team next year: brodeur, salvador, bernier, carter.

 

the following players need to be marginalized and made to be minor characters: zubrus, ruutu, volchenkov

 

xxxx-zajac-jagr

henrique-elias-xxxx

brunner-xxxx-clowe

rutuu-zubrus-sislo

 

greene-larsson

merrill-fayne

gelinas-volchenkov

harrold

 

schneider

xxxxx

 

fill those x's

 

The funny part is that mentally, you've marginalised Gionta so much you didn't even mention him, and nobody else noticed.

[BlueSkirt]

It's simple Lou Lams has to go.

It's just that simple.

Marty leaving would be helpful as well.

 

Unfortunately #30 will be in Camp in September  

[Marshall]

All I wanna know is where did a) Marty's ability to boost shooting percentages go and b) why doesn't this team win for him/score for him anymore?

 

Oh wait. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

No one likes losing, and I am sure for most here this is uncharted waters for Devils fans, but there doesn't need to be one scapegoat. You want Deboer gone...fine. There is a good chance he is, but this really has not much to do with him.

 

...

There are a lot of bubble teams around the league. The ones that are stepping up are the better teams that have had better goaltending and better star players to lead them each night. Not ones that have a coach that motivates them more. You want a coach that goes in and just screams and yells at a team that isn't good enough to win games. Well that was probably Deboer in Florida. You'll have a team quitting on a coach much faster that way. NHL players tune those coaches out.

 

I understand where you're coming from with a lot of this post. 

 

I'm not going to say I want Lou canned, but at the same time, I need to see him make some serious changes this offseason.  If this team comes back relatively intact, then I think Lou's lost it.  There's guys who should simply not be here next season, starting with the captain.  I know some of the "get them outta here" players are going to be difficult to move, so I expect more than I would like will be back, but at least Sal will only have one year left on his contract. 

 

Gelinas at this point looks like he could be the next Tom Kurvers, only there won't be a bad team dumb enough to cough up a first-rounder for him (especially one that has a good chance to be a top-fiver).  Don't know if you ever saw Kurvers play, but he put up a career-high 66 points in '88-'89 (not as impressive of a feat back then as it is now, but still good)...and promptly became a healthy scratch the following season because Lou thought his defense was THAT bad, and didn't see it ever getting better.  It's actually kind of a miracle that the Leafs gave up a first-rounder for a guy who couldn't even crack his own lineup (not to mention Kurvers was already 27 when he was dealt, so it wasn't like he was still a kid trying to figure it out)...shows how dumb that deal really was. 

 

Anyway, at this point, unless you believe that the Devils have a 10-2-1 run in them (I'd love to believe, but I don't), I think you either send Gelly down to the A and let him play every game there, or keep him here and let him play here.  No healthy scratching.  I think the Devils need to find out by the end of next season if he is capable of being more than a one-end wonder...not saying he has to be a finished product by 2015, but at least can show that he's making progress so that playing him isn't a roll-of-the-dice. 

 

I like sundstrom's D-group for next season...they'll take their lumps, but the good news is one way or another we'll better know what the Devils really have by next season's end, if that group is allowed to make some mistakes along the way.   

Edited March 19, 2014 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[skeeter]

I got all excited when I put on the post-game after getting home. I thought Phil Jackson was taking over running the Devils. Oh well.

[MadDog2020]

Its on Lou to MAKE SURE there are changes. And big ones. And he better have the balls to tell Marty its over, or he needs to go too.

[DevsMan84]

Cue Mike Brown to tell us making the playoffs is still 'dobale'.

 

This was his prediction a couple weeks back in the Quest to 91 thread.  lol he is 1-3 so far on his predictions.

 

 

Flyers: Loss - They're red hot right now.

Panthers: Win - They suck.

Lightning: Win - They've been in a freefall since January.

Bruins: Loss - We never beat them anymore unless they hand the game to us like earlier this year.

Wild: Win - Scoring problems.

Rangers: Loss - Playing too well, and they added a star winger at the deadline.

Maple Leafs: Win - Bad defense.

Coyotes: Win - Not playing well at all right now.

Islanders: Win - They suck.

Panthers: Win - They suck.

Sabres: Win - They suck.

Capitals: Loss - Still a very talented team albeit inconsistent.

Hurricanes: Win - Bad team.

Flames: Win - Bad team.

Senators: Win - Bad defense and they're inconsistent.

Islanders: Win - They suck.

Bruins : Loss - Great team.

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2014 by DevsMan84

[sundstrom]

The funny part is that mentally, you've marginalised Gionta so much you didn't even mention him, and nobody else noticed.

 

as much as we kill gionta, he's not so much of a problem and i unfortunately expect him back. but if the devils are really going to improve, it's going to be by pushing other players down and that means CBGB is no more.