'7' Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 (edited) Not sure if this has been mentioned but 26 games into the season, the Devils have only played 9 home games and 17 games on the road. I mean you generally don't see splits like this unless a team is opening a new arena and needs a 8-9 game road trip to start the season so construction can properly finish. This is more road games than any other team in the league and I imagine not such an easy thing for the oldest team in the league. And it gets worse. Up until Dec 15 the Devils will have played 11 games at home and 21 on the road. Truly bizarre and uneven scheduling Of course it gets progressively better after that. We have a stretch from late jan into march where we play 15 of 19 at home. That could be our time to make a run. I don't want to make excuses for this team, but perhaps one of the reasons they look so sluggish at times is because they've been zipping across the country on old legs. And these aren't just short little trips. We've been to Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, St. Louis...haven't even set foot in MSG yet, or Buffalo which is a short flight Edited December 5, 2014 by '7' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brown Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 This is part of the reason why I'm somewhat optimistic for the rest of the year. We've been able to tread water and stay within 2 points of a playoff spot through a very tough schedule and without a healthy lineup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wensink Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 This keeps me hopeful too. Although we haven't been great at home yet either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I went into detail about this a while back. I was hoping for a season record right around NHL-.500 by the time it was over. They actually have a shot at that, but I don't think they're going to improve that much as the schedule evens out. Not based on what I've seen so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themightyall Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I brought that up in the tanking thread. It wasn't good how poorly they did in that stretch especially considering how they played in those games. I would expect them to do better. I mean, after all Buffalo won 6 out of 7 recently, it was because 5 of those games were at home. Maybe the Devils can actually put a relevant win streak together this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunninWithTheDevil Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 (edited) The league botched the schedule and the realignment and because of that, rivalries are REALLY suffering. We barely play the Rags or Flyers at all this year. Same goes with other rivalries around the league: the schedule is fvcked, thus NHL/NBC have to fabricate them. Edited December 5, 2014 by RunninWithTheDevil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonNala370 Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 (edited) I don't think the Devils schedule is a negative. By being on the road so much in then beginning the players get to bond together faster than being home. As the season builds they should be getting better so that when they get home to play a lot of games with their fans in attendance they can get some pluses and win a few. If the older players get tired so early in the season from traveling then they wouldn't make it through the 82 game season. Edited December 5, 2014 by BostonNala370 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevsMan84 Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I don't think the Devils schedule is a negative. By being on the road so much in then beginning the players get to bond together faster than being home. As the season builds they should be getting better so that when they get home to play a lot of games with their fans in attendance they can get some pluses and win a few. If the older players get tired so early in the season from traveling then they wouldn't make it through the 82 game season. I always hated this line and think very often it is not true and extremely clichéd. It's an easy excuse for coaches to say this so that they don't get in trouble for what they really think of long road trips (basically it sucks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 (edited) well i can see that as a good thing... its early in the season, guys should be rested and can take the abuse of being on the road for so long. By the end of the season when they are dragging injuries and need more rest, technically they should be home more often plus for a bunch of their games there's not much travelling to do really also being on the road early is good to create chemistry between the team. Edited December 5, 2014 by SterioDesign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Eco Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 (edited) Can't help but think this was a Devils and league joint decision where they all sat down and made up the schedule together. Our attendance is one of our biggest black eyes as a franchise, and every bit of the schedule makes a lot of sense when you look at how it fits in with our usual attendance patterns: - Usually our worst attendance is from October to January - Late home opener (anticipation factor) and it lands on a Saturday. - Second home game of the season vs. the Rangers. - In November, 3 of our 5 home games landed on a Friday/Saturday, with one of the exceptions being Parise's Minnesota Wild on a Tuesday, which was always going to draw well. - In December, we start with a Saturday game (tomorrow), with a perennially high-drawing Blackhawks game to follow on Tuesday. - After Chicago, we have usually low-drawing games against Senators, Lightning, and Hurricanes being concentrated on a 7 day period right before Christmas, when the Devils usually do a good job at filling the building (kids back from college, holiday deals, food/coat drives from November, College Nights). - And then we ease into 2015 with an increasingly home-heavy schedule. Our attendance usually picks up quickly after New Year's, always has. Furthermore, a lot of these (maybe 75%) are Fridays and Saturdays in January and February. I do NOT remember a season we had so many Friday and Saturday games. - We enter March, a good 50% of the home games that month are still Fridays, Saturdays, and two Sundays. And by coincidence, a high-drawing Penguins game and Kings game are the exceptions that fall on the weekday. - April, a Friday night Canadiens game and a Rangers game on a Tuesday finishes our schedule up. I don't think I'm looking too much into it; I really do think a concerted effort was made to improve attendance this year through scheduling. There are too many patterns to consider it coincidence, especially some of the high-drawing games being on weekdays, and so many Friday and Saturday games (many of which are back to backs. Edited December 5, 2014 by DJ Eco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevsMan84 Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Can't help but think this was a Devils and league joint decision where they all sat down and made up the schedule together. Our attendance is one of our biggest black eyes as a franchise, and every bit of the schedule makes a lot of sense when you look at how it fits in with our usual attendance patterns: - Usually our worst attendance is from October to January - Late home opener (anticipation factor) and it lands on a Saturday. - Second home game of the season vs. the Rangers. - In November, 3 of our 5 home games landed on a Friday/Saturday, with one of the exceptions being Parise's Minnesota Wild on a Tuesday, which was always going to draw well. - In December, we start with a Saturday game (tomorrow), with a perennially high-drawing Blackhawks game to follow on Tuesday. - After Chicago, we have usually low-drawing games against Senators, Lightning, and Hurricanes being concentrated on a 7 day period right before Christmas, when the Devils usually do a good job at filling the building (kids back from college, holiday deals, food/coat drives from November, College Nights). - And then we ease into 2015 with an increasingly home-heavy schedule. Our attendance usually picks up quickly after New Year's, always has. Furthermore, a lot of these (maybe 75%) are Fridays and Saturdays in January and February. I do NOT remember a season we had so many Friday and Saturday games. - We enter March, a good 50% of the home games that month are still Fridays, Saturdays, and two Sundays. And by coincidence, a high-drawing Penguins game and Kings game are the exceptions that fall on the weekday. - April, a Friday night Canadiens game and a Rangers game on a Tuesday finishes our schedule up. I don't think I'm looking too much into it; I really do think a concerted effort was made to improve attendance this year through scheduling. There are too many patterns to consider it coincidence, especially some of the high-drawing games being on weekdays, and so many Friday and Saturday games (many of which are back to backs. I think that was more done to give more time for the renovations of the concourses to be completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonNala370 Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 (edited) Can't help but think this was a Devils and league joint decision where they all sat down and made up the schedule together. Our attendance is one of our biggest black eyes as a franchise, and every bit of the schedule makes a lot of sense when you look at how it fits in with our usual attendance patterns: - Usually our worst attendance is from October to January - Late home opener (anticipation factor) and it lands on a Saturday. - Second home game of the season vs. the Rangers. - In November, 3 of our 5 home games landed on a Friday/Saturday, with one of the exceptions being Parise's Minnesota Wild on a Tuesday, which was always going to draw well. - In December, we start with a Saturday game (tomorrow), with a perennially high-drawing Blackhawks game to follow on Tuesday. - After Chicago, we have usually low-drawing games against Senators, Lightning, and Hurricanes being concentrated on a 7 day period right before Christmas, when the Devils usually do a good job at filling the building (kids back from college, holiday deals, food/coat drives from November, College Nights). - And then we ease into 2015 with an increasingly home-heavy schedule. Our attendance usually picks up quickly after New Year's, always has. Furthermore, a lot of these (maybe 75%) are Fridays and Saturdays in January and February. I do NOT remember a season we had so many Friday and Saturday games. - We enter March, a good 50% of the home games that month are still Fridays, Saturdays, and two Sundays. And by coincidence, a high-drawing Penguins game and Kings game are the exceptions that fall on the weekday. - April, a Friday night Canadiens game and a Rangers game on a Tuesday finishes our schedule up. I don't think I'm looking too much into it; I really do think a concerted effort was made to improve attendance this year through scheduling. There are too many patterns to consider it coincidence, especially some of the high-drawing games being on weekdays, and so many Friday and Saturday games (many of which are back to backs. No one was planning for us to be so terrible. Attendance is effected by terrible. We must turn this around ASAP to keep the attendance. BTW the owners only care about attendance, not how we are playing or what type of team we have. This is about money for the owners. Edited December 6, 2014 by BostonNala370 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Don't we have like 4 sets of back to back home games? fvcking idiotic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 (edited) They're better off on the road if tonight's the kind of crap they're going to give us the rest of the season. And the arrogant loudmouth jackass in 120 wonders why nobody makes noise and accuses everyone of not being a fan. I was tempted to turn around and say are YOU actually watching the game or did you just come to hear yourself talk? They play like utter uninspired crap for most of the game and this guy has the gall to wonder why nobody's making noise?! Sadly the loudest the building was all night was the boos for the third period 'power play' that couldn't get out of its own end. The crowd actually bronx cheered a successful entry into the zone which was kind of hilarious actually. Edited December 7, 2014 by NJDevs4978 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Why don't they play any weekend day games? That's really strange to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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