267 replies to this topic

[skeeter]

I can't take it anymore with his choke-a-riffic bullcrap. He's held this team back for so long...from Matteau (x2) to Laukkanen to Jagr putting one through him in 1999 game 6 to Markov game 5 Flyers 2004, Staal game 4 rangers 2008, the epic choke to carolina 2009, being outplayed by the Ray Emery's, Brian Bouchers and Robery Esche's of the world. He is FINISHED, DONE. A has been who was aided by the trap far too long and never an elite puckstopper in the Hasek/Roy mold (as you might think he would be by looking at his stats)

Now I'm not sure Hedberg is the answer...he's just a backup, maybe a hair better than Brodeur at this point. But to blow this series to the stinking offensively punchless panthers would be the last straw. Pack your bags and retire Marty...or go chase win #700 in some other sweater, because we can't carry your sorry ass any longer.

this team is just flat out fvcked in net. No faith in Brodeur, and I doubt Hedberg is going to be Cam Ward like in relief. Meanwhile Clemmenson or whatever scarecrow the Panthers put in net will prob magically morph into a brick wall

For you....

[mouse]

I panicked, and I was wrong. I admit it. I remain afraid of Marty's inconsistency, but I'd love to see this be the beginning of a run as he finds his groove.

[nj96]

They just said on NBCSN that this is his third shutout in the playoffs after getting pulled.

Thanks. Seems like he's usually pretty on for the rebound game (from what I can remember). Figured it would have been higher...

[Triumph]

I wanted to say this earlier - I don't think the Devils are a mentally fragile team. I think Devils fans are a mentally fragile fanbase.

[StarDew]

I wanted to say this earlier - I don't think the Devils are a mentally fragile team. I think Devils fans are a mentally fragile fanbase.

^^^^This

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I wanted to say this earlier - I don't think the Devils are a mentally fragile team. I think Devils fans are a mentally fragile and far too often an unappreciative fanbase.

Fixed, though you pretty much nailed it.

Having said that, I was in favor of Hedberg getting the start tonight, and Marty getting Game 5 regardless of the result of Game 4. I won't pretend to know how Marty will play in Game 5, but this was one hell of a game for him tonight. Couldn't be happier for him.

Hopefully some fans learned tonight that being down 2-1 does NOT signal the end of a series.

[sundstrom]

I wanted to say this earlier - I don't think the Devils are a mentally fragile team. I think Devils fans are a mentally fragile fanbase.

totally agree. i am a huge critic of marty but he was excellent tonight and i'm of course ecstatic that he was. all i ask is that he not lose games for us on his own.

[NJDF]

totally agree. i am a huge critic of marty but he was excellent tonight and i'm of course ecstatic that he was. all i ask is that he not lose games for us on his own.

Marty looked slow in game 3, but looked very sharp in game 4. Great game.

Go Devils!!!

[NJDevs4978]

I wanted to say this earlier - I don't think the Devils are a mentally fragile team. I think Devils fans are a mentally fragile fanbase.

Let's see the Devils win this series before they can shed the mentally fragile tag.

[CarpathianForest]

Like I said a few pages back, we can't dump the blame for game 3 on Brodeur alone and we can't give credit to Brodeur alone for tonight's effort. The whole team stepped up and clicked tonight. Carry it forward.

[Triumph]

Let's see the Devils win this series before they can shed the mentally fragile tag.

No, let's not. They already did it with this win. They weren't rattled by last game. They weren't rattled by losing Game 2. They weren't rattled by losing their top center before the season, nor losing another 5 games in, nor getting poor goaltending for the first half of the year, and getting almost no contribution from the bottom 2 lines save Clarkson. They weren't rattled by losing their best defenseman. Breaks go against you in playoff series, and the Devils have caught a lot of bad breaks, but they're still at 2-2 in this series.

And I don't need to talk about how this team has 1 defenseman who played in the infamous Game 7.

[NJDevs4978]

A) They're still a better team than Florida, they need to win this series
B) They pulled the same tease in Game 5 against Carolina, Marty and the team did respond after a gut-wrenching Game 4 loss, only to spit the bit in Games 6 and 7

[Triumph]

A) They're still a better team than Florida, they need to win this series
B) They pulled the same tease in Game 5 against Carolina, Marty and the team did respond after a gut-wrenching Game 4 loss, only to spit the bit in Games 6 and 7

A - it'd be great if they won, but they can't control the breaks
B - God, really? You are comparing this game to Game 5 from 2009? The Devils had no defense in that game. I don't think NJ fans were like 'oh man, what a thorough and convincing win, we've got this series' at the time. And again, you massively underrate breaks.

Edited by Triumph, 19 April 2012 - 10:45 PM.

[CarpathianForest]

A) They're still a better team than Florida, they need to win this series
B) They pulled the same tease in Game 5 against Carolina, Marty and the team did respond after a gut-wrenching Game 4 loss, only to spit the bit in Games 6 and 7

As much as it hurts I gotta agree with Tri on your comparison.

All around, I don't think the 08-09 team was as good as the 11-12 squad and the 08-09 Canes were better than the 11-12 Panthers.

[NJDevs4978]

A2) I don't want to hear about breaks when you haven't won in the first round in five years with some of the most embarassing series losses in team history, when you have a big problem playing 60 minutes and taking other teams seriously, and when the team 'could' be radically different next year. They need to at least win a round this year. Yes, we're a mentally fragile fanbase - with reason.
B2) We still only needed one win then as opposed to two now. But yeah it was more a Marty comparison than a team comparison. Cause I remember all the posts about how Marty showed everyone after getting screwed at the end of Game 4, and then none of that mattered four days later.

Edited by NJDevs4978, 19 April 2012 - 10:50 PM.

[CarpathianForest]

A2) I don't want to hear about breaks when you haven't won in the first round in five years with some of the most embarassing series losses in team history, when you have a big problem playing 60 minutes and taking other teams seriously, and when the team 'could' be radically different next year. They need to at least win a round this year. Yes, we're a mentally fragile fanbase - with reason.
B2) We still only needed one win then as opposed to two now. But yeah it was more a Marty comparison than a team comparison. Cause I remember all the posts about how Marty showed everyone after getting screwed at the end of Game 4, and then none of that mattered four days later.

I'm still 50/50 as far as whether or not we can beat the Panthers. We're now tied in the series 2-2 which matches our regular season record. So there's a big unknown since we can't point to anything and say we weill win or lose.
By the same token your argument is somewhat like that too. The last time we were in the playoffs was 09-10 and it was a different squad. For example we didn't have Volchenkov, Fayne, Zidlicky and Harrold. In addition our 3rd and 4th lines were completely different than they are now. Last year's squad was closest to what we have now in it's best comparison. We didn't make the playoffs last year so we don't know what these guys are capable of in the playoffs.

[Triumph]

A2) I don't want to hear about breaks when you haven't won in the first round in five years with some of the most embarassing series losses in team history, when you have a big problem playing 60 minutes and taking other teams seriously, and when the team 'could' be radically different next year. They need to at least win a round this year. Yes, we're a mentally fragile fanbase - with reason.

You're going to hear about them because they are to a large degree determine how playoff series go.

B2) We still only needed one win then as opposed to two now. But yeah it was more a Marty comparison than a team comparison. Cause I remember all the posts about how Marty showed everyone after getting screwed at the end of Game 4, and then none of that mattered four days later.

You really don't understand how it could've just as easily been NJ to win that game and series. Carolina showed so much mental toughness that they haven't been back to the playoffs since 2009.

[JWomp]

Great game from Marty, yes, but I don't retract anything I said earlier in this thread. He still has a tendency to choke in the playoffs and just because he got a shutout tonight (and let's be honest, we would've won regardless of who was in net considering we put up 4 goals) doesn't mean he isn't going to drop the ball in Game 5 or in Round 2. Again, I'm not taking anything away from him -- I love Marty -- but I'm not eating my words yet.

[grcenter47]

I think this thread needs to be ended with a pic of Michael DeLuise from Encino Man

[CarpathianForest]

I think this thread needs to be ended with a pic of Michael DeLuise from Encino Man

I'll see your Michael DeLuise and raise you William Zabka: