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GDT New Jersey Devils at Leafs 7PM MSG+


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Tonight marks the night where I finally started to understand that they're probably not making the postseason.

It definitely hurts but it's like I cannot be mad at our guys. We are playing so well right now it's crazy! And 10 in a row?!? Unbelievable luck. Unreal

Marty.... Marty, Marty, Marty..

Edited by Onddeck
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Devils are the oldest team in the NHL.   They've played the most games in the NHL last year and now had to play a condensed schedule.   Is it so surprising that they got off to a great start (where all those games helped since they had the least time off) and then hurt later on (most games played)?   They look gassed.   They're slower than every team they play and they're late to almost every puck and every rebound.   The checking style they play is exhausting and if tired, is simply not effective.    This reminds me of 2002 after playing the most games in the NHL the previous 2 years.   They just looked gassed.   Not saying there aren't other factors, but they are not the same team they were 6 weeks ago (even with Kovy and Brodeur) and after watching every other team in the league the past few weeks nobody looks as old and slow as NJ, nobody.

 

They must get younger and faster to compete.   The Islanders drafted and brought in speed.  Same with the NYR.  Chicago.  Etc..  NJ hasn't done that and the speed/age delta is just too wide at this point.   Marty and the D haven't been able to cover for them this year as they did last year, so time to face the facts.   Even in 2003 NJ went for speed and swaped Sykora for Friesen.   Think of that last goal that beat Ottawa.    Does any team in hockey have a slower top 6?

 

Get younger.  Get faster.   Or get beat.   Shake up time is here....

 

 

 

Im not against you, but the real problem is not the speed.... we dominate games right now and we just dont score... bad luck... superstitions??? i just see that as a big slump. When a guy like Kovy will be back everybody confidence will raise that for sure...

 

That being said we better draft a good forward this year... We have a good pick, no pickup next year ...So this years draft is very important...

 

Bring another treat offenssively and this team change a lot (i love what i see from Reid Boucher... man he score so much)

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Chico finally got real after the game when he talked about how the Devils have made 'certain' (average at best I think he meant) goalies look like legends. We outshoot and outplay teams and have nothing to show for it. He also reluctantly admitted how we lack the high end skill to finish when we need to. This team works fvcking hard to win every battle but that only takes you so far. Sometimes goals have to come easy and they just never do for this team. Chico always tries to sugarcoat things and be an optimist so I love that he got real because I agree entirely.

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Definitely watching them play and hearing from Ponikarovsky after the second period...it's pretty clear they are just an old team, who understand exactly what's happening and therefore they're just rolling with it. I'm not blaming the age for the way they're losing recently, but I just feel like if there were a stronger infusion of young blood into the core the team wouldn't be outside the playoff picture right now.

Bringing in Loktionov and D'Agostini were steps in the positive direction...but the future looks a little scary since our drafting outside of defense has been so weak recently...

...There's definitely going to be some drama in NJ in the next few years between goalie turnover, free agency and what happens with the playoffs in the next few years. Guess it's exciting?

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Definitely watching them play and hearing from Ponikarovsky after the second period...it's pretty clear they are just an old team, who understand exactly what's happening and therefore they're just rolling with it. I'm not blaming the age for the way they're losing recently, but I just feel like if there were a stronger infusion of young blood into the core the team wouldn't be outside the playoff picture right now.

Bringing in Loktionov and D'Agostini were steps in the positive direction...but the future looks a little scary since our drafting outside of defense has been so weak recently...

...There's definitely going to be some drama in NJ in the next few years between goalie turnover, free agency and what happens with the playoffs in the next few years. Guess it's exciting?

Yes. it is exciting. We are on the brink of a very new and different era for the Devils. Sad? yes. But definitely exciting as well.

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Definitely watching them play and hearing from Ponikarovsky after the second period...it's pretty clear they are just an old team, who understand exactly what's happening and therefore they're just rolling with it. I'm not blaming the age for the way they're losing recently, but I just feel like if there were a stronger infusion of young blood into the core the team wouldn't be outside the playoff picture right now.

Bringing in Loktionov and D'Agostini were steps in the positive direction...but the future looks a little scary since our drafting outside of defense has been so weak recently...

...There's definitely going to be some drama in NJ in the next few years between goalie turnover, free agency and what happens with the playoffs in the next few years. Guess it's exciting?

Nothing exciting about losing.

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Chico finally got real after the game when he talked about how the Devils have made 'certain' (average at best I think he meant) goalies look like legends. We outshoot and outplay teams and have nothing to show for it. He also reluctantly admitted how we lack the high end skill to finish when we need to. This team works fvcking hard to win every battle but that only takes you so far. Sometimes goals have to come easy and they just never do for this team. Chico always tries to sugarcoat things and be an optimist so I love that he got real becausend can I agree entirely.

All of these concerns have an answer. It's Kovalchuk. Perhaps some people will finally come around to how good a player he is and how valuable he is to any team, so long as it is coached competently (unlike Atlanta).

And perhaps some people will come along to what ought not be a controversial principle that the things that actually win games are goals, not puck possession, shots on goal, driving play or other nonsense. Kovalchuk is unquestionably the best player on the team at scoring goals and helping others score goals. And what do you know, he goes down, and all the sudden the Devils can't score a single goal against the likes of those titans of goaltending that are Craig Anderson and James Reimer. This losing steak has nothing to do with luck, unless by luck you mean Kovalchuk getting hurt.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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All of these concerns have an answer. It's Kovalchuk. Perhaps some people will finally come around to how good a player he is and how valuable he is to any team, so long as it is coached competently (unlike Atlanta).And perhaps some people will come along to what ought not be a controversial principle that the things that actually win games are goals, not puck possession, shots on goal, driving play or other nonsense. Kovalchuk is unquestionably the best player on the team at scoring goals and helping others score goals. And what do you know, he goes down, and all the sudden the Devils can't score a single goal against the likes of those titans of goaltending that are Craig Anderson and James Reimer. This losing steak has nothing to do with luck, unless by luck you mean Kovalchuk getting hurt. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Just frustrating that Ottawa without Spezza, Karlsson and Michalek could get the job done and hold on to a playoff spot

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All of these concerns have an answer. It's Kovalchuk. Perhaps some people will finally come around to how good a player he is and how valuable he is to any team, so long as it is coached competently (unlike Atlanta).

And perhaps some people will come along to what ought not be a controversial principle that the things that actually win games are goals, not puck possession, shots on goal, driving play or other nonsense. Kovalchuk is unquestionably the best player on the team at scoring goals and helping others score goals. And what do you know, he goes down, and all the sudden the Devils can't score a single goal against the likes of those titans of goaltending that are Craig Anderson and James Reimer. This losing steak has nothing to do with luck, unless by luck you mean Kovalchuk getting hurt.

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Kovalchuk is only playing with 4 other guys at the time... Theres no excuses for the other 9 forwards not scoring. We had 3 30 goals scorers last season, one per top 3 line.

I mean... At first we were using the excuse that brodeur was injured... Came back. Now we were blaming zubrus injury... Now its kovy...

If you lose one guy and that the whole team cant score... Means you dont have a good depth

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And "gassed" is not an option right now, they've been dominating games for at least a couple of weeks.    This is probably the "best" hockey they've played all season.    Early in the year they were getting outplayed and outshot and were scoring to make up for it (also helped to have games against the Flyers).

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No superstitions, no other bs. As coach Lemaire use to say get back to basics stop with the super grip on the stick. Boy he is one coach I would just like to see with them until the end of the season.

I will always be a Devils fan and believe we will win against Philthy!

LET'S GO DEVILS!!!!!

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Tonight marks the night where I finally started to understand that they're probably not making the postseason.

It definitely hurts but it's like I cannot be mad at our guys. We are playing so well right now it's crazy! And 10 in a row?!? Unbelievable luck. Unreal

Marty.... Marty, Marty, Marty..

Now it's all about ening the bad luck streak & beating the Rangers twice to knock them outta the playoffs !!

Go Devils !

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I'm fine with keeping things upbeat but let's be realistic - effort without results is nothing.  It's mentally and physically taxing with ZERO reward. It's unpleasant and unsustainable.

 

It's also disconcerting that it's team-wide not just a few guys with all this "bad luck."  Maybe our vets are more accepting of failure ... I mean bad luck.  Bad luck sounds reasonable, it's fiction though. There is no such thing. Everyone knows that. 

 

I know we have a Captain who couldn't motivate a troubled team out of a paper sack.  The team is not built for adversity.  We need a little chip - it really is helpful to have a few, not voices of decent, but differing voices.  I'm not saying build for chemistry - I'm saying encourage the dude you know is just DYING to say what's on his mind but is going with the whole happy team thing. 

 

I just think you can't tolerate, aid and abet in creating, excuses to this extent. Do not wait until things click.  I am MARRIED to chemistry and intuition but this is too much.  Our vets aren't talented enough to rely on intuition - to trust to make things click.  They need something to fall back on when things don't click.  Look at what the problem is -- sure decide how and even IF you want to articulate it for the team.  but don't let things slide -- don't say "Sometimes you just can't push"  So you have to figure out how to motivate without brow beating. 

 

I absolutely do not blame DeBoer because he wasn't with THIS team.  He has to know though - it's a weird little team. The dynamic is novel, refreshing -- and it should be known: it doesn't work.  It really doesn't at the end of the day. 

 

AND what I'm not saying -- what SHOULD be said by the appropriate person is:  Yeah Pete - you did it - you sewed a seed of doubt in Lou's mind.  You did it.  You let them team have just enough rope to hang itself,  YOU DID.  That's what I am saying -- people - this TEAM needs to hear that.  It's just too easy to ignore - to not feel the urgency if you do not say true things out in the open.    Who's that guy here?  You know?  Someone sometimes needs to step up and be that guy.  It's just intolerable otherwise.  it's untrue.  You can't do anything with untrue.  because everything thereafter is based on nothing....  ok -- I have to stop there because it's too much!  :evil:

Edited by Pepperkorn
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Henrique's glorious chance at the end of the game needs to end up in the back of the net. Chico was right. Our high-end skill is not present, and hence the bad results.

When Chico starts mentioning that "he's excited to see young guys being brought in from the minors and the draft this summer," I know our season is over.

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It is incredibly frustrating to watch these games.  Giving up only 13 shots and controlling the play, you should win the god damn game.  But post shots, ridiculous saves by the opponents mediocre goalies, and an inability to finish continues to plague this team at an unprecedented level.   Chico was right last night when he said that they just don't have the skilled finishers.  The funny thing is, you really can't be mad at them.  They work hard as hell and clearly haven't given up (which is a testament to PDB and the coaching staff in my eyes), but they just can't get it done in the offensive zone.

 

Here's to hoping we win the draft lottery again and get to choose between MacKinnon or Drouin.  :cheers:

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Definitely watching them play and hearing from Ponikarovsky after the second period...it's pretty clear they are just an old team, who understand exactly what's happening and therefore they're just rolling with it. I'm not blaming the age for the way they're losing recently, but I just feel like if there were a stronger infusion of young blood into the core the team wouldn't be outside the playoff picture right now.

 

 

Tell that to Colorado and Edmonton. Their fans would love 5 or 6 veterans in the locker room right now.

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Kovalchuk is only playing with 4 other guys at the time... Theres no excuses for the other 9 forwards not scoring. We had 3 30 goals scorers last season, one per top 3 line.

I mean... At first we were using the excuse that brodeur was injured... Came back. Now we were blaming zubrus injury... Now its kovy...

If you lose one guy and that the whole team cant score... Means you dont have a good depth

 

 

He consisently gets above 22 minutes of ice time a game, and will be paired with everyone from Zajac to Jeff Carter.  He plays the powerplay and penalty kill and quite well at that, and would be better if coaching tried to set him up for a snap shot instead of the slapper from the point. 

 

Whenever he's on the ice, he needs to be accounted for.  You notice that he's out there, and not in the Larsson cough up the puck kind of way. 

 

So far as I'm concerned, he's a top ten forward in the league.  You take him out of the lineup, as well as a top fifteen forward in Parise, your team is going to suffer, and suffer badly at that.  Losing 10 games in a row starting at the exact moment that he's out of the lineup ought to make this plain to everyone, even those that for some bizarre reason believe that goals are random and players that actually score goals are overrated.

Edited by Daniel
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He consisently gets above 22 minutes of ice time a game, and will be paired with everyone from Zajac to Jeff Carter.  He plays the powerplay and penalty kill and quite well at that, and would be better if coaching tried to set him up for a snap shot instead of the slapper from the point. 

 

Whenever he's on the ice, he needs to be accounted for.  You notice that he's out there, and not in the Larsson cough up the puck kind of way. 

 

So far as I'm concerned, he's a top ten forward in the league.  You take him out of the lineup, as well as a top fifteen forward in Parise, your team is going to suffer, and suffer badly at that.  Losing 10 games in a row starting at the exact moment that he's out of the lineup ought to make this plain to everyone, even those that for some bizarre reason believe that goals are random and players that actually score goals are overrated.

 

so where do you rank Spezza and Karlsson exactly? cause you know... losing Kovy / Brodeur / Zubs < losing Spezza / Karlsson / Anderson and yet....

Edited by SterioDesign
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so where do you rank Spezza and Karlsson exactly? cause you know... losing Kovy / Brodeur / Zubs < losing Spezza / Karlsson / Anderson and yet....

 

Kovalchuk is a far better player than Spezza.  Karlsson is obviously a world class defenseman, but the loss of a defenseman that's even that good can be more easily mitigated, see how the Devils did well enough last year with a no-name defense, which isn't really what ails the team right now.  For all the heartache about losing Nieds and Stevens, the fact of the matter is, is that in the next two years, the Devils made it to the second round of the playoffs, and beat a Rangers' team in what was the most dominating series I've ever seen a team play. 

 

No, it's never really about one player in a literal sense.  Good goaltending is obviously needed, and the rest of the team needs to play well, or well enough.  The Devils goaltending hasn't been that awful.  For every softie Mary has let in, he makes two very good saves, which you would have noticed, for example, in the Tampa game.  The team is getting its powerplay opportunities, it's generating chances, they just can't put the puck in the godammned net.   Kovalchuk is very good at that. 

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