'7' Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Thought I'd chronicle how many points this team has gagged up this year (though this has been a recurring theme under Deboer going back to our Cup run) this team does nothing but blow 3rd period leads and points in the shootout. I thought I'd run down this list to really show what a ridiculous psychological epidemic this is Tue, Oct 21 vs NY Rangers L 4-3 OT Devils up 3-1 on the Rangers with 11 minutes to go. Do they win? Of course not, they give up two goals and the eventual OT winner to Kevin "Bobby Orr" Klein Sat, Nov 15 vs Colorado L 3-2 Up 2-1 on the Avs with 7:30 to go. Do they win? Do they even get a point? Nope, allow Colorado to score twice and the Devils come away with nothing Sat, Nov 22 @ Calgary L 5-4 SO Up 4-2 on Calgary to go. Do they win? Nope, of course they allow Calgary to score 2 with the goalie pulled (thanks to a legendary brain fart by Jagr) Calgary also ties it with 5 seconds left. Devils have a chance to win the shootout but Deboer chooses Henrique who has as much of a chance to score in a shootout as a deaf/dumb cripple. He misses, Calgary immediately scores and we come away with only 1 pount. Fri, Nov 28 vs Detroit L 5-4 SO Up 4-1 to Detroit at home. Do we win? Of course not as Detroit comes roaring back and ties the game in the 3rd. The Devils are unable to score a shootout goal against future street sweeper Petr Mrazek and lose again Tue, Dec 9 vs Chicago L 3-2 SO The Devils play one of their more inspiring games of the season severely undermanned against and elite club. Do the hockey gods smile upon Keith Kinkaid and their herculean effort? No, they say fvck you. Chicago scores to tie it at 2-2 with 3 minutes to go and win the shootout Mon, Dec 15 @ NY Islanders L 3-2 SO Up 2-0 and then 2-1 in the 3rd against the far better Islanders, Matt Martin of course gets off the greatest shot in his life to tie it at 2-2. The Devils have two opportunities in a shootout to win it but naturally miss on both. Islanders win Tue, Dec 23 vs Carolina L 2-1 SO up 1-0 with about 8 minutes to go, Carolina ties it at 1-1 on a goal eerily similar to the Jokinen tying goal of 2009. Devils have a powerplay the end of regulation and OT, don't score. Carolina manhandles them all game. Devils unable to score on Dominik Hasekudobin who gets his first win of the season. There you have it. Only 36 games in and already 7 absolute gag jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsfan118 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Thanks for quantifying these losses. Sure felt like it had happened at least 5 times so far. Not surprised it's more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 That about sums up the sh!t sandwich that is the 2014-15 Devils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Dan 56 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Yep. It's as bad as it's felt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Anyone characterizing this game as a 'choke' really hasn't seen a bad hockey team. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 I think we have blown leads in about 20 games this year (I counted 17 a couple weeks back). Not sure how that stacks up against other teams with similar records though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 (edited) I think we have blown leads in about 20 games this year (I counted 17 a couple weeks back). Not sure how that stacks up against other teams with similar records though. So, if the Devils score early and the other team ties in a few minutes later, that's a blown lead? Anyway, this is what happens to bad teams. Tonight wasn't about some fluke goal in the 3rd period. They were completely out played for two periods. It very easily could have been 3-1 Carolina going into the 3rd. So as Tri said, characterizing these as chokes is wrong. Great teams can start off slow, and turn it on late and score a few goals. The Devil do many thing poorly, but one of them is scoring, so they can't seem to get an insurance goal in the 3rd, which makes things extremely difficult, and when they are the team to turn it on late with a big push, they rarely are able to get a goal. At the end of the day, who cares about some fluke goal in the 3rd, they got their asses kicked. Similarly, how they got their asses kicked by the Hurricanes in Carolina. Some sh!tty bounce didn't go through that night, but should be the game be characterized any differently than tonight? Edited December 24, 2014 by devilsrule33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 So, if the Devils score early and the other team ties in a few minutes later, that's a blown lead? Anyway, this is what happens to bad teams. Tonight wasn't about some fluke goal in the 3rd period. They were completely out played for two periods. It very easily could have been 3-1 Carolina going into the 3rd. So as Tri said, characterizing these as chokes is wrong. Great teams can start off slow, and turn it on late and score a few goals. The Devil due many thing poorly, but one of them is scoring, so they can't seem to get an insurance goal in the 3rd, which makes things extremely difficult, and when they are the team to turn it on late with a big push, they rarely are able to get a goal. At the end of the day, who cares about some fluke goal in the 3rd, they got their asses kicked. Similarly, how they got their asses kicked by the Hurricanes in Carolina. Some sh!tty bounce it didn't go through that night, but should be the game be characterized any differently than tonight? Yes, that was how I was defining blown leads, but I believe in most of those games we lost the lead in the 3rd. Nonetheless, I was only putting that out there. I am not drawing any conclusions from it, especially because I don't know if it is anomalous when compared to other teams. It does seem to me that we aren't great at holding leads but I don't think our team's problem is not being able to keep leads; that's just a consequence of being a bad team. A good way to hold leads is to score 4 goals on a regular basis. When most of your leads are only one or two goals, you are going to blow a lot of those leads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Thats it? Felt like a lot more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonNala370 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 There are others trams struggling with scoring like the Boston Bruins but not with the same consistency. The Devils hold a pattern on that for the past few years.Our D is young and that doesn't help protecting 1 goal games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Meh, it's probably a small percentage the D's fault. i think it's a team D thing. The forwards we have aren't fantastic two way guys and probably a little old to be as effective. There's no speed to both sides of the puck. But again, it's easy to blow a lead when it's 1-0. I mean just look at the one carolina goal, went off 3 deflections and into the net. It's going to happen. I mean Scneids has 1 goal for in 3 games...jesus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 The Devils are giving up a lot of leads late in games in part because they are the ones getting outshot but also because their defensive play is slipping. The forwards aren't doing as good a job as they need to in getting back to help defend and defend properly. That's been a hallmark in a lot of these games mentioned, although tonight was pretty much just each team getting a fluky goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Last night wasn't so much a choke as it was getting dominated and outplayed. And I'm sorry but THAT shouldn't happen against a team like Carolina either. They were lucky to get any points at all out of both Cane games, Cory got three out of four but the rest of the team deserved zero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Eco Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 (edited) There are others trams struggling with scoring like the Boston Bruins but not with the same consistency. The Devils hold a pattern on that for the past few years.Our D is young and that doesn't help protecting 1 goal games. Our D is super young and it almost seems like they're the focal point for our offensive system too. Gelinas and Severson are always at the top of the list on shot attempts. That "cycle along the boards, pass to the point, pass across to the other point and shot" is our move 9 times out of 10. We have absolutely nothing. To give DeBoer the benefit of the doubt, he has no other options. What offensive skill is there on the roster (outside of Cammalleri and maybe Gomez) to even do anything different? haha... None, it's actually insane. Even Jagr is a pawn in the whole "cycle along the boards, pass to the point" play. We don't have speed or creativity. What I find encouraging is that we even HAVE 1-goal games late in the 3rd, to begin with. Our super young D (and Schneider and Kinkaid) have been doing their job very well since the Flyers blowout (even the Capitals game where we were only 2-0 down at the end of a dominant 2nd where Ovechkin was in beast mode). Other teams simply match Capitals' 2 goals and find a way to win it in the 3rd. But to us, a 2-0 deficit is like a 6-0 one. HellOnICE is right, it's team D that's costing us (AND NOT SCORING). Our forecheck is inexistent and there's only so many people our two D-men and Schneider can keep track of. Our top lines are even pretty awful in the defensive zone, they get gassed, they get beat, opposition scores. That's why there's so many 3rd period meltdowns. Edited December 24, 2014 by DJ Eco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Last night wasn't so much a choke as it was getting dominated and outplayed. And I'm sorry but THAT shouldn't happen against a team like Carolina either. They were lucky to get any points at all out of both Cane games, Cory got three out of four but the rest of the team deserved zero. Ideally, it shouldn't happen, but the Devils are susceptible to fast teams, and this has rarely been an issue in 3 years under Deboer. It starts with what the Devils can't do in the offensive zone. They aren't generating much zone time. They aren't forchecking well, and teams are just breaking out as easily as ever. This isn't shocking when you continue to look at the forward group out there for NJ. Carolina has some dynamic forwards, and they've given the Devils a ton of trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redruM Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Last night wasn't so much a choke as it was getting dominated and outplayed. And I'm sorry but THAT shouldn't happen against a team like Carolina either. They were lucky to get any points at all out of both Cane games, Cory got three out of four but the rest of the team deserved zero. That was my issue, Car. is not a good team, I was not home for the game, but I watched the 2nd period, and I'm pretty sure Cariolina was in our zone for about 17 minutes, it was so painful to watch.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caron14 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 The problem is not our defense. It the fact that our forward cant stay in the offensive zone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Ideally, it shouldn't happen, but the Devils are susceptible to fast teams, and this has rarely been an issue in 3 years under Deboer. It starts with what the Devils can't do in the offensive zone. They aren't generating much zone time. They aren't forchecking well, and teams are just breaking out as easily as ever. This isn't shocking when you continue to look at the forward group out there for NJ. Carolina has some dynamic forwards, and they've given the Devils a ton of trouble. Does not bode well for the kind of forwards we'll be facing the next 3 games. The problem is not our defense. It the fact that our forward cant stay in the offensive zone... And then when they don't get back to disrupt and defend in their own zone. Outside of Zajac and Henrique, the rest have been really poor at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brown Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 I'm waiting for the Deboer apologists to make excuses for this. This kind of thing IS a coaching issue. Deboer is incapable of adjusting to an opposing team's onslaught. Deboer never seems to understand that when a team is down, that they're gonna make a push. He just goes on with his system assuming it's gonna withstand the push. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck the Duck Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Anyone characterizing this game as a 'choke' really hasn't seen a bad hockey team. We didn't deserve to win this game, just like Ottawa didn't deserve to beat us a week or so ago. The Devils were outplayed all night, got dominated in the second period like it was nobody's business. This was a bad hockey game from our end, and we were lucky to get away with a point. The fact that they looked so putrid against any equally horrible Carolina team is the biggest disappointment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brown Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 We didn't deserve to win this game, just like Ottawa didn't deserve to beat us a week or so ago. The Devils were outplayed all night, got dominated in the second period like it was nobody's business. This was a bad hockey game from our end, and we were lucky to get away with a point. The fact that they looked so putrid against any equally horrible Carolina team is the biggest disappointment. This too is on coaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zubie#8 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 I'm waiting for the Deboer apologists to make excuses for this. This kind of thing IS a coaching issue. Deboer is incapable of adjusting to an opposing team's onslaught. Deboer never seems to understand that when a team is down, that they're gonna make a push. He just goes on with his system assuming it's gonna withstand the push.Dude the forward group is an atrocity and its a bigger issue than coaching. An old and slow forward group with a young and inexperienced D group is a recipe for disaster...and I am not even a Deboer apologist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devlman Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Typical of PDB's era. Cant hold leads. 7 should do one based on last season to really show how many points we have given away thanks to a coach who cant teach defensive systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevsMan84 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 I don't know if I would put these choke jobs squarely on PDB. As others have noted this team just flat out sucks so this thing will happen quite a bit (and it has). I mean remember in the 2012 playoffs when it seemed like every game where our opposition scored first we eventually won the game? I think that was the case in every game against Philly that year in the 2nd round. I actually like PDB and think he has done the best job possible. I don't think anyone will confuse him for Bowman but I don't think he is nearly as terrible as lot of people like to say he is. However coaches do have expiration dates (and usually pretty short ones I may add) and PDB had 2.5 seasons with the Devils heading into this season, so he has been our longest coach since I believe Jacques first tour of duty. While the players still insist they love him, I am just not sure if the message is getting through or just the players are complacent (which probably is the case) so a change is needed. I know a coaching at this point will yield marginal results at best, but it's just time for a change. IMO I would have loved Laviolette but that is a moot point now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 I think we should fire Pete and make Mike Brown the new coach. He knows his sh!t. Obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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