284 replies to this topic

[Random Poster]

Palmieri is awful, and Im done with Clarkson.

Id be happy with these lines on Monday:

Parise Zubrus Tedenby
Kovalchuk Elias Sykora
Henrique Josefson Palmieri
Boulton Mills Clarkson

Zubrus and Tedenby are not first line players.

Clarkson will never play on the 4th line, not with his cap hit. They'll trade him before that happens.

[ghdi]

Clarkson will never play on the 4th line, not with his cap hit. They'll trade him before that happens.

DeBoer has a massive hard-on for him as well. He had him on 1st line with Zach at one point tonight.

[maxpower]

Zubrus is going to have to be a first line player, but not at C.

That was bad. I think it was on par with a December 2010 game. Which isn't good for a season opener.

Philly's a tough matchup for them and they handled the Bruins after a rough start, but c'mon...

[Zubie#8]

Zubrus and Tedenby are not first line players.

Clarkson will never play on the 4th line, not with his cap hit. They'll trade him before that happens.

Or they can try Clarkson with Tedenby and Josefson, they had some good moments last season.

Edited by Zubie#8, 08 October 2011 - 10:24 PM.

[maxpower]

Scoring chances were probably around 5. A couple on the opening shift of the first PP, Parise deflection (probably the only thing that got by Bryz in the game), Zubrus shot in the slot and Sykora at the end of the period, IF he got anything off.... shot graph says he didn't.

[Random Poster]

DeBoer has a massive hard-on for him as well. He had him on 1st line with Zach at one point tonight.

This is one thing that scares me with Deboer and Clarkson. He's going to overrate Clarkson terribly.

Clarkson's best game is when he plays in and around the front of the net and in the corners. The goal he scored on the PP in the pre-season is a picture perfect example of what he can do if he's made to do it or else. He can score 20, he's just not going to do it on his skating ability and pretty goals. DeBoer is going to have to get it through his head, either by benching or scratching him, to do the dirty work and take the bruises.

[SterioDesign]

Well they sucked indeed but its also hard to score when youre n the PK for 1/3 of the game

Also its not a very good timing to suck cause were having a pretty hard schedule for the rest of the month... LA twice... sJ, pitts, carolina... Etc etc

[NJDevs4978]

Zubrus is going to have to be a first line player, but not at C.

That was bad. I think it was on par with a December 2010 game. Which isn't good for a season opener.

Philly's a tough matchup for them and they handled the Bruins after a rough start, but c'mon...

They killed almost everyone's optomism after one game including me, I didn't think that was possible. Cue Triumph saying there's nothing to worry about with the offense because we can't maintain a 0 shooting percentage the rest of the year

The Flyers looked bigger and faster than us, every time we got the puck they had two guys on the puck carrier in like three seconds. Not to mention we went bat**** insane after two periods and all our fourth-line guys short-circuited. Clarkson was so selfish in the third I'd healthy scratch him Monday, and I'm usually the last one to get on him.

And this game is why I wanted Zach to get some real game action last season. He was terrible, giving the puck away like it was a hot potato. Now it's gonna take him 10-15 games to get his timing...games we can't afford to give away.

Edited by NJDevs4978, 08 October 2011 - 10:41 PM.

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

The best thing I can say about Clarkson tonight was at least he tried to do something about how awful the game was going. His attempts to change the game were misguided but I almost prefer that to how the rest of the team acted, i.e. out of sync and baffled by the proceedings.

[NJDevs4978]

Here is the thing. losing to the flyers, maybe not a huge deal. But the way we played today... disgusting. we had maybe 1 chance to score a goal. The Sykora shot at the end of the 2nd. We had no traffic in front, we looked small, and it looked like a calm and composed win by the flyers. Brodeur looked good IMO.

Bingo...in fact I expected to lose, the Flyers are a better team and played a strong game Thursday. But I didn't expect to be bullied into submission the way we were. This was Game 5 all over again. If it wasn't for Marty making two on zero and one on zero saves we wouldn't have even been in the game early in the third period. Giving up a two on the goalie on OUR power play is as bad as it gets.

The best thing I can say about Clarkson tonight was at least he tried to do something about how awful the game was going. His attempts to change the game were misguided but I almost prefer that to how the rest of the team acted, i.e. out of sync and baffled by the proceedings.

If he wants to change the game, let him change it at 1-0, when it actually WAS a game. At 3-0 all he's doing is running around and being selfish. I hate when teams run around trying to be 'tough' after they've already been destroyed on the ice. You can't even attempt to come back when you're killing off four minor penalties in the third because your fourth line thinks they're in the movie SlapShot.

Edited by NJDevs4978, 08 October 2011 - 10:45 PM.

[Pepperkorn]

Has no one on the team heard of a poke check? I'm just curious.

There was poor communication on ice -- lotsa talk Tallinder is real good at jawing in between plays - he's very frustrating because he sees what needs doing but he just cant get it done -- well tonight he couldn't.

I HATED how the refs were calling them like the Devils are losers. It doesn't help when a few guys start acting like 'em then....

As for chemistry -- it can actually be learned. It's one of those depressing truths (I like to think of it as magic) - chemistry can 100% be drilled into a line -drill drill drill. You just have to be committed.

That one moment was pretty cute - with Elias and Sykora and Parise on ice... that's as close as they got to chemistry tonight on that ice.

Kovalchuk is a wee bit of a chemistry sucker. He's working too hard and not playing enough - he might actually need someone to mentor on his line. Someone who he can play to rather than focusing so much on himself - he doesn't have to play his best - he has to help others play there best. Then I think it will all fall into place for him. Adn he needs to not say Jeez I shoudl have gotten that pass to you or I should have been faster... you know -- he's got to start asking people to keep up. It's the FAIR thing to do -- ti's the team work thing -- make them rise to you. Even if you knwo you coudl have easily played down I'll say even though it's not quite that --- demand more of linemates. There is no I in team. You can neither succeed nor suck for everyone. I wrote that before but it's very clear this is what Kovaluchuk needs to learn.

poor Fayne - he played like a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham tonight.

Larson was solid. I think if the team gets it together he won't look like so much like Lurch holding the puck at center ice... where the hell is he supposed to send it when everyone looks to be on puppy uppers?

It's was just brainless play tonight not so much morons out of their league so I'm not so upset. No one could skate or handle the puck - not even Zach! But they have the start of that smooth thing.... they just need to get their muscles in tune - their muscle memory in place. Now is the time to be playing like this so for sure it's no spaz time. What was funny was I felt like Marty and I were reacting to everything the same way...and I was glad to see him broadcast a little - and I guess you guys are saying afterwards he cut them deserved slack. He seems to be in a good place.

I do wish the d could keep it in the zone.... Stevens was SO good at that. Maybe the D was parked but NOTHING got by them whether it was Rafalski White Neidermayer Dano.... I like that style because if they think it is -- it's not fluid the way they play now... it looks weak -- liek their high tailing it back to defend their zone -- it looks out of control - it FEELS out of control. The d is scrambling back TOO SOON. They play like failures. I just hate that.... I hate it. Dont grow a set and score -- grow a set and DEFEND in your attack zone...

The Flyers look simplistic BTW. Very textbooky -- but it worked eventually tonight - All the same - when the season starts to roll, it'll be easy to deflate them though. They've got a lot of tenuous ego out there. I like that, so easy to crush

[maxpower]

They killed almost everyone's optomism after one game including me, I didn't think that was possible. Cue Triumph saying there's nothing to worry about with the offense because we can't maintain a 0 shooting percentage the rest of the year

The Flyers looked bigger and faster than us, every time we got the puck they had two guys on the puck carrier in like three seconds. Not to mention we went bat**** insane after two periods and all our fourth-line guys short-circuited. Clarkson was so selfish in the third I'd healthy scratch him Monday, and I'm usually the last one to get on him.

And this game is why I wanted Zach to get some real game action last season. He was terrible, giving the puck away like it was a hot potato. Now it's gonna take him 10-15 games to get his timing...games we can't afford to give away.

I wouldn't say they killed my optimism, but that's because I'm pretty ambivalent, I don't know what to expect at all.

You could tell when Philly got going in the 2nd against Boston that we were going to have a *ton* of problems against them. They can alternate forechecking you with shutting you down when they get ahold of a game.

The team was just not at all prepared for this. The energy level was sh!t, or maybe it wasn't. I hope it was sh!t though because the alternative isn't good.

[NJDevs4978]

Am I missing something? Did we already play 20 games this season? I realize they've played like sh!t tonight but it's 1 freakin' game.

The overreactions are always priceless.

Problem is the Devils can't afford a bad start, they just can't. Both because it'll kill off any good momentum the second half of the season gave us and because it makes it that much more likely Parise's out the door at the end of the year (either via trade because we're out of the postseason mix or via FA because he's sick of our downward spiral).

The team was just not at all prepared for this. The energy level was sh!t, or maybe it wasn't. I hope it was sh!t though because the alternative isn't good.

They had energy, just no brains. The forwards gave the puck away like twenty times (I'm not exaggerating) and at least half of them were careless la-de-da passes.

Plus this team's just too finesse right now in the top nine, they have two big bodies and one of them (Palmeri) doesn't use his and the other (Clarkson) is too stupid to live.

Edited by NJDevs4978, 08 October 2011 - 10:53 PM.

[msweet]

Mills was our best player tonight.

enough said

give'm 10 game

[ghdi]

Plus this team's just too finesse right now in the top nine, they have two big bodies and one of them (Palmeri) doesn't use his and the other (Clarkson) is too stupid to live.

Clarkson isnt a big body. He just doesnt give a sh!t about his body. Boulton is a big sack of sh!t. Bench Boulton, play the Cammanator.

[NJDevs4978]

Mills was our best player tonight.

enough said

give'm 10 game

No, that was Brodeur...when you make a two on zero stop as well as a breakaway save that's just insane.

But yeah the PK was the only pleasant surprise of the night, as a whole the PK did well and Mills was a big part of it.

[NJDevs4978]

Clarkson isnt a big body. He just doesnt give a sh!t about his body. Boulton is a big sack of sh!t. Bench Boulton, play the Cammanator.

lol I'm not going to put Boulton in the Andrew Peters category after one game...but yeah all he did tonight was run into a guy like two seconds after getting out of the box, I've never seen a guy get a penalty that quick after leaving the box. It's as if he was talking to a hottie sitting behind the box and wanted to get back there quickly

[maxpower]

I didn't think the PK was that good. They just boxed up and gave up possession for the entire PK and didn't manage to get scored on, until the end. That's not particularly good. That's cheating death.

lol I'm not going to put Boulton in the Andrew Peters category after one game...but yeah all he did tonight was run into a guy like two seconds after getting out of the box, I've never seen a guy get a penalty that quick after leaving the box. It's as if he was talking to a hottie sitting behind the box and wanted to get back there quickly

Don't forget his bonus 10 for trying to get Jagr to fight. So to sum it up, take a penalty, don't backcheck, and then try to get an old non-fighter to drop the gloves. Job well done.

[ghdi]

I wouldn't have minded Clarkson or Boulton taking a cheap shot at Pronger even if it resulted in a 20 game suspension.

[thelastonealive]

If only we hadn't traded David Steckel.

...also, I'm beginning to think Amanda's kid is a curse on this team. Three regular season games, and they've been outscored 11-2 in those games. Poor kid's never even seen a Devils goal live (one was while we were walking around on the concourse and the other was after we'd left already).