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GDT: Game 31 - APPROPRIATE TITLE , 7:30 MSG+


RunninWithTheDevil

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Severson in the shootout isn't why the Devils lost. The Devils lost because, as fvcking usual, they can't finish. How many odd man rushes and grade A chances did they piss away tonight? That, and the fact they can't win defensive zone faceoffs late in games for sh!t.


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BTW, I stopped posting scoring chance stats because there's too much of a grey area in what determines a scoring chance, and not many sites agree.  But in this case, using natural stat trick......

  • SCF%: 61.22 (30 to 19)
  • HDCF%: 72.00 (18 to 7)

I bring this up because it shows you how shooting the puck more will actually lead to more quality chances.

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24 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

Lol we don't have a better 4th forward than Damon Severson? 

fvck off Hynes. How about Henrique, Wood, Palmieri?

We don't have ANYone that's reliable in shootouts other than PAP, Josefson and maybe Camm and the middle guy was injured.  Basically anyone Hynes threw out there after the top three was a dart throw at that point.  People killed him for having Zajac go in the shootout a while back in a game he had a goal in.  Henrique's horrendous at shootouts and Wood's horrendous at breakaways in general.

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15 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

Severson in the shootout isn't why the Devils lost. The Devils lost because, as fvcking usual, they can't finish. How many odd man rushes and grade A chances did they piss away tonight? That, and the fact they can't win defensive zone faceoffs late in games for sh!t.


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The 2 on 1's in the last ten minutes in particular were hard to watch

Imagine being Taylor Hall, but deciding to pass the puck to Kyle Quincey instead of just taking the shot...

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The 2 on 1's in the last ten minutes in particular were hard to watch
Imagine being Taylor Hall, but deciding to pass the puck to Kyle Quincey instead of just taking the shot...

For the first time, I wanted to punch Hall in the face tonight. SHOOT THE PUCK!!!!


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7 hours ago, Steven M. said:

The 2 on 1's in the last ten minutes in particular were hard to watch

Imagine being Taylor Hall, but deciding to pass the puck to Kyle Quincey instead of just taking the shot...

Well one time Kovalchuk gave me a caniption passing to Volchenkov on a 2-on-1 but Volch scored :lol: 

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12 hours ago, DevsMan84 said:

Don't you know that questioning the minor league coach with his minor league decisions is forbidden here?  The excuse de jour is that he is still new at about 100 games coached.  Wonder what the excuse will be by his 200th game.

Since I've pointed out the number of games he coached (along with his record to date), I'll address.

First, in fairness, has anyone said or implied that questioning the coach is "forbidden"?  All I did was state why I think changing the coach or placing most of blame for the team's performance is unfair...if someone like you or others state that Hynes is the problem, then it's only fair that those who don't agree get to present their case.  It's like I've said, I think some fans are clearly unhappy with the results so far (and who wouldn't be?  They're losing a lot of games as of late), and they're looking to point fingers at someone.  The coach is often a convenient culprit.  And unfortunately, when a team is struggling as much as the Devils are, one assumption people make is that it's a lack of effort or caring.  Somewhat sadly, I think these guys DO try and DO care.  There's just not enough talent to compete with the stronger NHL teams on most nights.   

As far as Hynes goes, I don't know if he's the long-term answer yet...no one does.  But for me, it always goes back to the same things:  given the talent level and the state of the team he inherited, can anyone really say that the Devils have underachieved significantly on his watch?  Sadly, at this point, overall in the Hynes Era I'd say they've probably overachieved just a little, if anything.  Last year they got a ton of puck luck for about the first 60% of the season, winning a lot of games it didn't really feel like they should be winning, which corrected itself over the last several games of the year.  This year, the two scenarios I was most worried about (Henrique and Palms not following up last season with near-equal goal-scoring and the D missing Larsson) have happened.  The one thing I definitely did NOT see coming was Cory putting up an .890 save% (16 starts) for November and December...I think going into the season, he was probably the one guy that we all felt was as close to a sure thing as the Devils had.  No, the defense hasn't helped his cause much, but it's not like Cory's been playing behind rock-solid defenses here, prior to this season...he's used to iffy Ds.  His not being close to his best has clearly hurt, a lot, for a team that has just about zero margin for error. 

Now this is probably a little nitpicking, but if you want to get on Hynes for something, I'd say in some of these more lopsided losses, where it's become clear that the Devils won't make a comeback, why let Cory play every minute of those games?  I can't see how giving KK a relief appearance or two in those games would be a detriment.  And I don't think it would hurt for Cory to maybe get a little rest here and there (no, not like it's going to make some huge difference over time, but it seems like when Cory gets a start in any given game, then he's in for the whole game, no matter what)...an example was when the Devils had given up a goal early in the third against the Rangers last week, to go down 4-0.  Did Cory really need to stay in that game?

But at any rate, is Cory not being Cory Hynes' fault?  The Devils need their reliable guys to be reliable.  Cory hasn't been that for almost two months.  You know the drill...in today's NHL, if any given team is struggling to stop 90% of the pucks coming their way, that team isn't going to win many games.  Doesn't matter who's wearing the suit and barking out orders on the bench.     

Re:  last night's shootout...in any game where Lundqvist and Schneider are the starters, the Devils are usually already going to be at a disadvantage, since Cory's been a pretty ordinary performer in shootouts for much of his career, while Lundqvist has been quite strong in them (though so far this season, Cory's had the higher shootout save%).  But anyway, the closest thing the Devils have to an automatic in SOs is PAP, and he didn't score.  JJ would've gone second if he was in the lineup, but he wasn't.  I understand going with Hall, and Cam.  I'll admit I was surprised by Severson being chosen, and wasn't expecting much, but like others have pointed out, not like this team is loaded with far more obvious options.  Yeah, I would've tapped Henrique, Palms, or Zajac to be the 4th shooter, but even then, it would've only tied things.  Just never felt like the Devils were winning that shootout, especially once PAP didn't find the net. 

I guess the big question is what do you want to see happen?  Do you want Shero to show Hynes the door?  Do you think someone else is going to get more out of this teams as it's currently constructed?  If I thought so, I would definitely say by all means, bring someone else in...in MacLean's case, sadly it did seem very early on that the guy just wasn't cut out to be a head coach at the NHL level, and if anything, Lou probably should've canned him even sooner.  I just don't see Hynes as being so incompetent or over his head that he's the reason that the Devils are struggling.  No matter how I look at it, I just don't see this as being a coaching problem. 

One good thing (and there will be others) that will come out of this season is that I don't think Shero will ever see Henrique and Palms as reliable goal-scorers ever again...I can definitely understand giving both players 2016-17 to show that they could, but they can't.  Shero might also be able to find a taker for Cam...unbelievable how hot and cold he's run this season though. 

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Since I've pointed out the number of games he coached (along with his record to date), I'll address.

First, in fairness, has anyone said or implied that questioning the coach is "forbidden"?  All I did was state why I think changing the coach or placing most of blame for the team's performance is unfair...if someone like you or others state that Hynes is the problem, then it's only fair that those who don't agree get to present their case.  It's like I've said, I think some fans are clearly unhappy with the results so far (and who wouldn't be?  They're losing a lot of games as of late), and they're looking to point fingers at someone.  The coach is often a convenient culprit.  And unfortunately, when a team is struggling as much as the Devils are, one assumption people make is that it's a lack of effort or caring.  Somewhat sadly, I think these guys DO try and DO care.  There's just not enough talent to compete with the stronger NHL teams on most nights.   

As far as Hynes goes, I don't know if he's the long-term answer yet...no one does.  But for me, it always goes back to the same things:  given the talent level and the state of the team he inherited, can anyone really say that the Devils have underachieved significantly on his watch?  Sadly, at this point, overall in the Hynes Era I'd say they've probably overachieved just a little, if anything.  Last year they got a ton of puck luck for about the first 60% of the season, winning a lot of games it didn't really feel like they should be winning, which corrected itself over the last several games of the year.  This year, the two scenarios I was most worried about (Henrique and Palms not following up last season with near-equal goal-scoring and the D missing Larsson) have happened.  The one thing I definitely did NOT see coming was Cory putting up an .890 save% (16 starts) for November and December...I think going into the season, he was probably the one guy that we all felt was as close to a sure thing as the Devils had.  No, the defense hasn't helped his cause much, but it's not like Cory's been playing behind rock-solid defenses here, prior to this season...he's used to iffy Ds.  His not being close to his best has clearly hurt, a lot, for a team that has just about zero margin for error. 

Now this is probably a little nitpicking, but if you want to get on Hynes for something, I'd say in some of these more lopsided losses, where it's become clear that the Devils won't make a comeback, why let Cory play every minute of those games?  I can't see how giving KK a relief appearance or two in those games would be a detriment.  And I don't think it would hurt for Cory to maybe get a little rest here and there (no, not like it's going to make some huge difference over time, but it seems like when Cory gets a start in any given game, then he's in for the whole game, not matter what)...an example was when the Devils had given up a goal early in the third against the Rangers last week, to go down 4-0.  Did Cory really need to stay in that game?

But at any rate, is Cory not being Cory Hynes' fault?  The Devils need their reliable guys to be reliable.  Cory hasn't been that for almost two months.  You know the drill...in today's NHL, if any given team is struggling to stop 90% of the pucks coming their way, that team isn't going to win many games.  Doesn't matter who's wearing the suit and barking out orders on the bench.     

Re:  last night's shootout...in any game where Lundqvist and Schneider are the starters, the Devils are usually already going to be at a disadvantage, since Cory's been a pretty ordinary performer in shootouts for much of his career, while Lundqvist has been quite strong in them (though so far this season, Cory's had the higher shootout save%).  But anyway, the closet thing the Devils have to an automatic in SOs is PAP, and he didn't score.  JJ would've gone second if he was in the lineup, but he wasn't.  I understand going with Hall, and Cam.  I'll admit I was surprised by Severson being chosen, and wasn't expecting much, but like others have pointed out, not like this team is loaded with far more obvious options.  Yeah, I would've tapped Henrique, Palms, or Zajac to be the 4th shooter, but even then, it would've only tied things.  Just never felt like the Devils were winning that shootout, especially once PAP didn't find the net. 

I guess the big question is what do you want to see happen?  Do you want Shero to show Hynes the door?  Do you think someone else is going to get more out of this teams as it's currently constructed?  If I thought so, I would definitely say by all means, bring someone else in...in MacLean's case, sadly it did seem very early on that the guy just wasn't cut out to be a head coach at the NHL level, and if anything, Lou probably should've canned him even sooner.  I just don't see Hynes as being so incompetent or over his head that he's the reason that the Devils are struggling.  No matter how I look at it, I just don't see this as being a coaching problem. 

One good thing (and there will be others) that will come out of this season is that I don't think Shero will ever see Henrique and Palms as reliable goal-scorers ever again...I can definitely understand giving both players 2016-17 to show that they could, but they can't.  Shero might also be able to find a taker for Cam...unbelievable how hot and cold he's run this season though. 

 

I am not expecting miracles out of this team this year.  For the 50th time I understand and did not expect the Devils to make the playoffs this year or even next year.  However, I was hoping for some level of improvement over last year.  I would even gladly take a 4 point improvement over last year as long as they are moving in the right direction.  That's what a rebuild is part of and you gotta make these small improvements if you ever want to get out of it.  Instead this team after what we thought bottomed out in 14-15 doesn't look to be improving any time soon. 

I do see cracks in the coaching problem.  When you hit the 4th round of a shootout and you put a guy who is 0 for 1 in them over guys who would have been better choices that gives me the "I have no clue what I am doing" vibe.  I hope for the Devils sake and my sanity sake I am wrong, but this team just looks like they don't give a flying fvck this year.  It was nice having at least some shred of hope by Groundhog day last season.  This season it looks like by New Year's they are finished.

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38 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

I am not expecting miracles out of this team this year.  For the 50th time I understand and did not expect the Devils to make the playoffs this year or even next year.  However, I was hoping for some level of improvement over last year.  I would even gladly take a 4 point improvement over last year as long as they are moving in the right direction.  That's what a rebuild is part of and you gotta make these small improvements if you ever want to get out of it.  Instead this team after what we thought bottomed out in 14-15 doesn't look to be improving any time soon. 

I do see cracks in the coaching problem.  When you hit the 4th round of a shootout and you put a guy who is 0 for 1 in them over guys who would have been better choices that gives me the "I have no clue what I am doing" vibe.  I hope for the Devils sake and my sanity sake I am wrong, but this team just looks like they don't give a flying fvck this year.  It was nice having at least some shred of hope by Groundhog day last season.  This season it looks like by New Year's they are finished.

I was hoping for improvement too, but you're never going to get much of it if the goalies aren't stopping shots at a NHL 2016-acceptable rate...it had to start there.  Roster (which I think is an issue even if Cory is hot) and coaching aside, if you knew that the Devils goalies were going to combine to put up a sub-.900 save% for what's coming up on two months, could you possibly make a case for any improvement?  No coach can overcome that.  And is it on Hynes that Henrique and Palms aren't going to score 30 goals every season?  The Devils needed career years from both of them just to come up with 84 points last year.  Some of the reasons the Devils haven't improved don't really have anything to do with Hynes.  To put it another way:  if Palms and Henrique are both on roughly 30-goal paces again (neither are even close) and Cory is in the .920-.930s  in save%, then this team probably shows some improvement in the standings and in point%.    

As far as moving in the right direction...Shero took (what I thought) was a worthwhile risk in trading Larsson for Hall.  It's clearly hurting at the moment, through no fault of Hall's...the D is really not good, and the Devils need to find an "ol' reliable" type back there.  Andy Greene is kind of a poorer man's version of that, and is starting to get a little up there in years.  Lovejoy and Moore aren't really working out, Severson is still a question mark...and it doesn't really get all that much better from there.  Really hope Shero can start upgrading that part of the team by the start of the 2017-18 season. 

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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14 hours ago, MadDog2020 said:


Catch up to us? Have you looked at the standings lately? It's more than caught up to us.


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Well, yeah it has, but I meant in terms of actually putting us out of the playoff race for good.  We're still in it, even though we've slid down standings, but eventually the teams ahead of us that are winning (basically the entire Metro division) will cool off and go through slumps of their own -- my point was that unless we go on a heater similar to what the Flyers just went on, if things even out for us and we play balanced somewhat .500 hockey from here to the end of the season, we would have had a decent shot at squeaking into a wild card spot, but these leftover points will be why we probably miss.

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17 minutes ago, Jimmy Leeds said:

I have no pearls of wisdom with regard to technical aspects of our team.

But it was just a matter of what painful way were the Devs gonna lose last night.

I felt it was inevitable.

Must go on a tear at home

Well, that 17 road games out of 23 games stretch is finally over.  Devils went 8-10-5 over it.  As ugly as it's been lately, considering that I would've taken 9-9-5 (or anything giving them a .500 point%), I guess I can't be too upset.

But yeah, now they get 20 out of the next 31 at home.  The next six games (4 home, 2 away) are still rough (I will happily take 3-3, 2-2-2, whatever), but the Devils are going to have to go on a serious tear over these next 31 overall...I'd say the need to come up with 41 points at the very least (20-10-1, 19-9-3, etc)...that would give the Devils 71 points after 62 games, and would put them on a 94-point pace for a full season.  Of course I'll happily take MORE than 41 points, but no way I ask that of this team.   

They only have two multi-game true "road trips" left this season, so the schedule from here on out is no longer an excuse for anything. 

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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