327 replies to this topic

[DaneykoIsGod]

OK, since there only seem to be two topics of discussion post-game, let's get them out of the way first (in spoiler tags because I don't want the subject I really wanna talk about get lost in the jibberjabber):

Spoiler

KOVALCHUK - His turnover on the PP was ridiculously bad. All defensemen know not to skate the puck in front of the net like that. You work it to the outside. Hard-around, off the glass, protect along the boards until an acceptable outlet becomes available. ANYTHING but in front of the net. That's Defenseman 101. Too bad he isn't a defenseman. (Elias tried an ill-advised no-look pass that almost went in our net, but no one talks about that. Forwards handling the puck around their own net is always dangerous, no matter how good the forward.)

He assisted on both Devils goals and basically handed one to the Isles. That still puts him up one goal in the Devils favor. This team has other players.

Parise-Henrique-Kovalchuk combined for 1G, 4A, 5P, 9 SOG and was even. The Sykora-Elias-Zubrus line we all love so much (and never mention in this thread, for some reason) had 0G, 0A, 0P, 7SOG and was even.

He's a left winger playing all his even-strength minutes on the right side and all his power-play minutes on the blue line. He, more than anyone else, needs Zajac to return. I want to see a Kovalchuk-Zajac-Zubrus line in the worst way.

And the fact that our fans booed him after he assisted on both of our goals while he's trying to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving is way more embarassing than any "Hey! You Suck!" or "Rangers Suck!" nonsense could EVER embarass us. What the hell is wrong with us?

REFS: They blew the high-stick and penalized Kovy when he called them out for it. They blew the last-second goal. They blow. But if the whole team played better, we wouldn't have been in that position.

Awful call on that non-goal, though. Just awful.

OK, now that that's out of the way, this is what I REALLY wanna talk about ...

This team is not transitioning well into DeBo's aggressive system. Defensemen are getting caught too far up ice and forwards are not covering enough. This is why we see all the breakaways and odd-man rushes. It's been painfully obvious for the past month. Either the system is flawed or the players just aren't properly grasping it yet. It's still early, so I'll give DeBo the benefit of the doubt for now. But if, by the end of December, the players still aren't grasping this, we're in for an infuriating season.

It kinda reminds me of Sutter's first season here. That year, the players flat out sucked at his system. It almost looked like they were refusing to even try. Sutter had to revert back to the prior regime's style for the remainder of the season, then installed his system a year later. The biggest difference this time around is that the guys are at least trying. The aggressiveness is there. It just isn't being executed particularly well.

At least that's what my eyes are seeing.

[SterioDesign]

1: kovalchuk was likely to have his lowest shooting total anyway because his power play time was so diminished relative to other seasons in his career. plus NJ in the 2nd half played very low event hockey, they were trying to limit the shots of their opponent more than they were going for shots themselves.

2: kovalchuk is shooting very close to his career rate, shots-wise.

yeah yeah but what are you trying to say here? you can't be saying that Kovalchuk look like a guy who's constantly trying to score and not trying to make plays

[Triumph]

yeah yeah but what are you trying to say here? you can't be saying that Kovalchuk look like a guy who's constantly trying to score and not trying to make plays

When Kovalchuk is 'constantly trying to score', he gets criticized. Yeah, in that Buffalo game, he was looking pass-first on the 2 on 1s he got, but he was also playing that entire game at half-speed. I haven't seen him doing that since.

If Kovalchuk is entering the zone with the puck and the defensemen are back and in good position, he should generally be looking to pass, because his speed and shot back off the defense and create good passing lanes. We've seen him generate 2 goals that way since his return from injury, one for himself and one for Adam Larsson. There isn't a player in the NHL who can consistently beat NHL defenders one on one, and Kovalchuk shouldn't be trying to do that - lately he hasn't been doing that. I also don't think that Kovalchuk with the puck should be pushing the play forward and trying to fire shots through defensemen as he is wont to try - this is also an Ovechkin specialty - but it's generally a low-percentage play especially when there's no one driving the net.

If Kovalchuk is entering the zone without the puck, he should be trying to come late either to A: draw the defense towards him or B: use the fact that his shot is so good and that he can score from the outside both on screened and unscreened shots to try to find open space at the top of the slot.

If you watch the highlight from the second Islanders game on NHL.com labeled A. Montoya save on A. Henrique, you'll see what I am talking about with Kovalchuk coming late.

He's doing both of these things much more than he was last year. And on the power play, he is generally shooting the puck when he gets an opportunity to do so.

DIG: solid post. The Devils really, really need to fix the neutral zone, both their play with and without the puck.

[lazer]

i mean parise's no goal highlighted his season so far, yeah kovulchuck give aways are everywhere but who is doing better in this system, with or without zajac does debor system use a loaded 1st line, in other words split up 9 and 17 so they can compete for goals, not on the same line.

didnt mean to bring up this game again but depending on how they react this is a season turning point.

avs usually play us well.

OR

why is kovy entering the zone and holding up while parise drives the net not producing? are they even practicing this play?

Edited by lazer, 28 November 2011 - 08:55 PM.

[Colin226]

Realllllly agree with DiG's analysis of the Kovy situation.. I just don't get why he is the fans' chosen scapegoat.. Hell, he could have a season ending injury and we miss the playoff, and people will blame him for his contract as the reason we didn't get in (yup, our fans will actually berate a guy for wanting more money, because us Devils fans aren't equally fueled by money - see the billion rants over ticket prices)

The system was on fire against Buffalo 2 weeks ago and it was solid against Tampa for the first 2 periods.. It reached it's peak during the first period in Florida and came crashing down after that.. Hasn't seemed to recover since, but those 3 games the system showed how powerful it can be when the players are buying in all the way and it's running on all cylinders

If they can figure out how to consistently play to the system's potential (and in turn their own) then I can see us stringing a bunch of wins together multiple times throughout the season.. And win streaks go a looooong way to getting you in the playoffs.. It's amazing how quickly a streaking team will rise in the rankings

I'm confident everything will click.. It's a new system from a new coach who I hope is here for a long time to come

[lazer]

just ask the panther fans about the system,

typical of the 10 minutes of play followed by a third period breakdown.

this coast to coast play never goes their way and everyone thinks we still trap.

[DaneykoIsGod]

The system was on fire against Buffalo 2 weeks ago and it was solid against Tampa for the first 2 periods.. It reached it's peak during the first period in Florida and came crashing down after that.. Hasn't seemed to recover since, but those 3 games the system showed how powerful it can be when the players are buying in all the way and it's running on all cylinders

Agree with pretty much everything you said, but it's funny you mention those specific games. Those games are great examples of the team clicking early on and falling apart down the stretch. We didn't win a single one of those games' third periods. We broke even in Buffalo 2-2 (after building a 3-1 lead through two periods), got outscored 2-1 in Tampa (after building a 3-0 lead) and got blanked 2-0 by the Panthers in both the second and third periods (after jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first).

The signs of life are there, for sure, which is more than we could say about the team grasping Sutter's system in his first year here. The consistency needs to come. The aggression can't come at the cost of defensive accountability.

Er ... I mean ... it's all Kovy's fault.

[Jerrydevil]

Realllllly agree with DiG's analysis of the Kovy situation.. I just don't get why he is the fans' chosen scapegoat.

It's not all the fans ... on this board, most people make excuses for him. It's this simple: He's not producing enough to make up for his bonehead mistakes. Not even close. So he deserves heavy criticism.