Leaderboard

I will not get my expectations up I will not get my expectations up I will not get my expectations up I will not get my expectations up I will not get my expectations up my expectations are up.

If we win the cup, Then we will chip in to pay you to stay home.

Yeah, good game all around by the guys that matter. I think Blandisi's going to make this team out of camp - he's playing well. Bratt looks intriguing and he'll go back to London and play well when he does. Quenneville was less impressive but hey, Albany could use some help and perhaps he'll improve as the season goes along. I don't have to talk about Hischier or do I - he's really good. Only questions are about his ability to weather the season - otherwise he's an NHLer already. There's hope here.

Hey guys fvck Carey Price.

Yeah, I kind of remember Pavel Brendl having some big preseasons, then promptly disappearing once the regular season began. Guys like that in every sport. That being said, it's really starting to feel like this is becoming Shero's team...it's still fairly early-on in the process, but you can see the vision. I like where it's going...and it's great that it looks like Hischier is going to start his career with the big club. Would be nice to see this team continue to win some preseason games...for vet teams that know they're playoff-bound, it doesn't matter, but sometimes I do think some preseason winning can help a finding-itself bunch like this group enter the season feeling good about itself. I never thought this team would be as bad as some prognosticators do, but the only way that I think the Devils will compete for a wild card is if Schneider has a big year. Last season wasn't all his fault, but he simply wasn't good enough for too much of the season...if the Devils get that version of him again, it's just going to be very difficult to stay in contention...especially for a team that's trying to build its confidence. I'm also curious to see, if Killjoy is shaky through 20-25 games, does he still keep getting playing time?

This X 100. I just keep repeating "it's only pre season".

Nice win. Before I get into some thoughts, I just can't believe how bad the refereeing in the second period was. Holy hell, how is that a penalty called a goalie interference? The Good: -Nico: So slick, so smart, so skilled. The goal was pretty lucky but he was in the right place, which is a theme for him. That pass to Palmieri was the most impressive play of the night. You never see players make that pass so quickly, but he fooled both the dman and Price. -Blandisi: He should be a standout considering his age and the fact that he's competing for a spot. He's just been so smooth and his passes have been great. He also isnt falling down as much as before. -Mueller: Was pretty down on the trade but he has been stellar in the preseason. Great skater in all directions and is pretty sound positionally. I think he has the inside edge over Butcher for the 6th spot due to the price Shero paid, but he is earning it. -Bratt: He wont make the team but he's certainly making the decision more interesting. Not bad for a 6th round pick. London is the perfect place for him to learn the NA game

Guys, Nico Hischier is really good at hockey

You are Johnathan Drouin.

Dude this intermission report about Drouin is nauseating. Habs and their fans are so full of themselves it's crazy lol

Most San Jose fans were not too upset to see Mueller go. They said he took too long to make decisions, he played nervously, and he often froze up in high pressure situations. I'm really not seeing much of that in these preseason games. I'm not sure if he'll put it all together perfectly when he's an NHL regular, but he is really showing his potential so far. He can speed up the game. He has really made great defensive and offensive plays tonight. I really wish Lovejoy was no longer on this team, so that both Mueller and Butcher could be locks on D this year. Also, Nico is just a pleasure to watch. He seems more confident in this game, and he's showing showing off his skills more.

Right, and I'm not necessarily advocating for a deal, but it's not because of our depth at center; it's due to the cost. Zajac is hurt, we don't know what's going to happen with Boyle (although we all wish him the best) and McLoed has been outperformed in the preseason by other youngsters. I think there is more than enough room for a top 2 center on this team right now. I agree though, losing Severson doesn't seem to make sense.

This is great [emoji23]: https://www.facebook.com/NJDevils/videos/10155739531549583/ Oops, didn't see it already posted. My bad.

Lmao https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/911266356502204418

Due to circumstances beyond our control we had to give up our season tickets this year, so I feel relatively confident this will be a Cup season. If so, you guys can thank my wife and me.

Cory having a bounce back year would go a long way.

Bratt with the empty net goal, 4-1 final. They looked really good tonight, Nico is just great, Bratt looked good, Keith was great in goal, Mico is looking good. I know people think we are going to suck but I don't think being in the hunt for a wild card spot is really out of the question, I think we'll be around there.

I have been very impressed with Blandisi so far this pre-season. He has ben making things happen every time he is on the ice and I havn't seen him fall all over the ice yet.

Bratt slamming home that goal in front of the net was sweet. I'm liking what I've been seeing so far.

Hell of a PK

Im liking Hall and Nico together

No Lovejoy--could actually win this one.

I just thought it was funny, not hating on him for it. Personality is good. Just funny given the situation.

Meanwhile Nico scored on a beautiful individual effort, embarrassing two defenders and the goaltender in the process and acted like it was no big thing... because it isn't. This dude slams home a no-doubter tap in on a 4 on 3 and acts like he just walked through the whole team lol. Not a big deal, and if it was in the regular season I'd completely get it, but in this case just thought it was humorous.

FIRE LOVEJOY Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The Great: – Pavel Zacha. I'm so incredibly excited to see what he does this season, you heard all offseason about how he stayed in Jersey to put in the work over the summer and it really shows. Just seemed like last night he had an extra step that was missing last season and he was making good reads and plays all night, good sh!t kid. The Good: – Drew Stafford. I was very pleasantly surprised at his playmaking ability last night, put him with the right guys he could be this year's Stempniak, really liked that I saw last night. – MacKenzie Blackwood. Most times I've seen Blackwood play he's put up a stinker, but last night was not one of those nights. You saw that potential everyone always talks about, he's definitely got a skill set – size, athleticism, poise – he just needs to put it all together consistently. Hopefully he has a good season in Bing, because his performance last night was very encouraging. – Jimmy Hayes. Pretty big turnaround from last game where I ripped into him pretty hard. He was surprisingly competent last night and made some good plays in the offensive zone, picked up a couple points. He's earned a couple more games I think. – Michael McLeod. Thought he had a strong game despite not putting up any points, he didn't blaze by anyone but he used his speed and legs to gain the zone a few times, saw somewhere he had 5 controlled zone entries last night which is quite good, we've been pretty bad lately at gaining the offensive zone so it's definitely encouraging that has the ability to carry the puck in his game. The Meh: – Adam Henrique. I had to remind myself last night that he was playing, because he was unfortunately invisible. The Bad: – Yaroslav Dyblenko. Basically the same thing I said last game, you can tell he's never played in North America. His positioning and lane coverage on the defensive side of the puck has been very bad, he'll need some coaching in Bing for sure. – Ben Lovejoy. Just see what I said about Dyb's positioning and apply it to Lovejoy. Except Benny Boy doesn't have the excuse of never playing in North America, he's been exposed to North American hockey for 33 years. Sigh.

As far as preseason games go, the ones that are by far the easiest to watch are hockey games. Just feels much more like a regular season game than other sports...you get just that little bit more intensity. A few preseason games (especially against rivals) are just enough to get you ready for the ones that count. Now that I've gotten a good look at the red and white unis during gameplay...the good news is that the worst-looking angle (straight on...that's the vantage point that is the least-flattering, especially re: the chopped shoulder yokes) rarely rears its ugly head during game action. From the typical TV camera angle, they're not that bad. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the reds about a 5 and the whites a 4.5. They're probably not going to look terribly good on fans (that's when they'll really look like pajama tops), but at least they're not a total lost cause on the ice. Kind of ironic that despite being named Lovejoy, nothing he does even remotely inspires love or joy from the fanbase. It's only one game, but suffice it to say that he's already scaring the sh!t out of me. As much as I missed hockey, one thing I didn't miss is Joe fvcking Micheletti jizzing himself anytime a Ranger player so much as farts on the ice...apparently everytime a Ranger touches the puck (or is even near the play), that player immediately parts the Red Sea, cures cancer and ends poverty in the course of one shift. Poor Dano must have been choking back vomit every 10 seconds or so listening to that sh!t...good lord. Even JD (one of the most blatant homers ever) probably thinks Micheletti sounds ridiculous. Anyway, one of those games that's hard to get any real read on, with so many guys in the lineup who aren't candidates to make the team. Even though the Devils lost, and even though the constant whistle-blowing clearly affected the flow of the game a number of times, there were some nice moments in general. Just fun to watch Devils hockey again...and especially with my daughter asking all sorts of questions about the game, the Devils, different players...so glad that she's getting more and more into this.

This was the Devils' B squad and I thought they looked pretty good considering. I guess they had 3 of their top D, but the other 3 D were AHL quality. Zacha was the best player as Mantzas noted. Made some sharp plays with the puck. Stafford wasn't bad either, but he should look good against a Rangers team that also wasn't loaded. Speers and McLeod weren't making a great case for their making the team in this game, but I thought both guys made some small plays that'll be the kind of thing that will make them good NHLers. They showed good anticipation. Hayes looked better tonight. I don't know if he's worth giving a contract to but at least he didn't take 4 minors again. Not sure what to make of Dyblenko, who got beat badly on Rangers goal #1 but who seems relatively competent? I guess he'll start the season in the AHL regardless. Blackwood made some big stops and had no chance on the game-winner.

Blackwood has impressed me

Zacha is the best player on the ice. Expecting a strong season from him

This fvcking face off sh!t. Lappin was lining up and his foot slipped. fvck this rule.

I cant stand this violation sh!t..

The face off violation penalties are annoying. Even though they're all going out way, it's really disrupting the flow. Just drop the damn puck.

Man I thought they were as terrible on the ice. I was holding my breath like a lot of you about how they'd look in action, but I still hate them. Ask me again in 10 years.