GDT: Devils vs Senators 12/6/21 7pm MSG+

[MadDog2020]

59 minutes ago, Devils01 said:

Was hoping for the coaching staff to be fired when I woke up..I guess Christmas didn’t come early

You should know better by now. 

[MadDog2020]

54 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

If Fitz is going to sit on his hands and "stay the course" with the loser trio, well, obviously NOT fine...but is the guy alive?  Can we hear from him?  I don't think it's too early in the season to hear his thoughts on a year that looks perilously close to getting away from the Devils.

Who knows where the fvck he is? We don’t have any reporters that can call him and ask for comment. So he’s also completely insulated from media pressure. I don’t think Amanda is looking to dial up Fitz and ask when the whackings begin.

Edited December 7, 2021 by MadDog2020

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

8 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

Who knows where the fvck he is? We don’t have any reporters that can call him and ask for comment. So he’s also completely insulated from media pressure. I don’t think Amanda is looking to dial up Fitz and ask when the whackings begin.

Oh I'm definitely not expecting him to throw the staff under the bus or put them on notice in any public statements...I guess if anything, some kind of state-of-the-union address (Amanda or Erika or whoever could conduct an interview to be played during pregame or in-between periods)...some kind of acknowledgment that things are not going to plan, at all.

I don't kid myself...I know it's not going to be lots of tough questions or in-depth answers.  But I guess just SOMETHING would be nice at this point.  

[mfitz804]

1 hour ago, RunninWithTheDevil said:

Banging bodies, gettin pucks deep

Looking for a lane, but I think that's only Cangi. But he says it 15 times a period. 

[NJDevils1214]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Yeah I was 11 rows up in the lower bowl, and the game was just...ugly, really.  Started OK and just got more and more blah as it went on.  I don't think a soul in the arena (and it was a VERY sparse crowd last night) had any confidence that the Devils were going to somehow pull out that shootout.  

I didn't see the postgame show, but Erika is supposed to be the voice of optimism...I get that if there's a mushroom cloud on the horizon, it's her job to admire how pretty it can be when the sunlight just hits it so.  Dano and Sal...sorry, they need to call it more like it is...any Devils fan who watched that game last night knows that something was plenty off.  This team is 2-6-3 in their last 11 GP, and it's not like they've been extremely unlucky in many of them...they've been outscored 20-10 in their latest losing streak (now four games).

If Fitz is going to sit on his hands and "stay the course" with the loser trio, well, obviously NOT fine...but is the guy alive?  Can we hear from him?  I don't think it's too early in the season to hear his thoughts on a year that looks perilously close to getting away from the Devils.

And on a side note, Mackenzie now has a .903 save% since the start of last season.  Until further notice, he's no longer a prospect with upside...he's just another completely ordinary goalie, and a guy who shouldn't be counted on to be part of a competitive core.  Would love for him to prove me wrong, and I'm sure he'll go on his occasional hot runs, but he'll never sustain anything long-term.  It's a shame, really thought that he was going to become a nice homegrown netminder here.  But it's really reached a point where, even with the coaching staff having issues, that we have to start accepting that some of these kids might simply not have the upside that we thought that they did (as others have mentioned).  

  

I'm surprised you're ready to write off Blackwood when he's just one of at least 5 dudes on the team that are struggling to get their sh!t together right now. I don't think the situation the team is in should be looked at as a coincidence of individual slumps. It looks more like it's a result of widespread general issues affecting all of them.

[mfitz804]

16 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

I'm surprised you're ready to write off Blackwood when he's just one of at least 5 dudes on the team that are struggling to get their sh!t together right now. I don't think the situation the team is in should be looked at as a coincidence of individual slumps. It looks more like it's a result of widespread general issues affecting all of them.

You simply cannot expect a better performance from a goalie when you play little to no defense in front of him. Every game, he gets completely hung out to dry 20 times. In just the last two games I watched (I skipped two while in Florida), there were at least 4 goals by a guy standing right in the slot while the Devils defense had no idea he was there. 

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

26 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

I'm surprised you're ready to write off Blackwood when he's just one of at least 5 dudes on the team that are struggling to get their sh!t together right now. I don't think the situation the team is in should be looked at as a coincidence of individual slumps. It looks more like it's a result of widespread general issues affecting all of them.

Not usually how I roll (I'm usually very patient), and I know it's not like he's had a killer D in front of him, but I just don't have a good feeling about him anymore.  Like I said, I'd love for him to prove me wrong...as long as he's wearing the red and black, I'll root for him to do it.

 

On another topic, as I was waiting for my bud to show up, I was hanging out by the entrance cylinder nearest to the bars...of course the Devils' Den is there, with the Jersey jerseys prominently on display (you can see them from outside).  Most of the fans who saw them were most definitely NOT complimentary and were making plenty of sarcastic comments...BUT, I did see some fans wearing them (and a couple buying them, though not like they were flying off the hangars by any stretch).  They actually have a kind of "sturdy" look to them in person...it's just a shame that they blew it re:  the crest.  Even a script "Devils" would have been a major improvement.  Oddly there's a part of me that really WANTS to like them, but I'm just not feeling the overall look.  

Why the hell there are SO many black Subban jerseys available to buy, I have no idea.  

3 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

You simply cannot expect a better performance from a goalie when you play little to no defense in front of him. Every game, he gets completely hung out to dry 20 times. In just the last two games I watched (I skipped two while in Florida), there were at least 4 goals by a guy standing right in the slot while the Devils defense had no idea he was there. 

This is a fair point.  Admittedly I'm still chapped about last night.  And that the Three Stooges get to keep on keepin' on, seemingly impervious to having lack of results affect their job status.  As much as I'm kinda over Ruff, I'm at least open to the idea of him getting to work with new assistants.  But nASS STILL somehow being here...it's making me insane.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mfitz804]

46 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

But nASS STILL somehow being here...it's making me insane.

At least you keep it to yourself and never let it show lol. 

[Jerrydevil]

44 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

As much as I'm kinda over Ruff, I'm at least open to the idea of him getting to work with new assistants.  But nASS STILL somehow being here...it's making me insane.

I've seen Devils teams with less talent on the blue line (like Johnny Oduya in our top 3) play much better team defense than this team does. Lindy Ruff has been around a long time, and he should be able to fix this, but he isn't doing it. Whatever system they are playing has leaks in it.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

7 minutes ago, Jerrydevil said:

I've seen Devils teams with less talent on the blue line (like Johnny Oduya in our top 3) play much better team defense than this team does. Lindy Ruff has been around a long time, and he should be able to fix this, but he isn't doing it. Whatever system they are playing has leaks in it.

This team once got passable performances out of d-men like Mike Mottau and Sheldon Brookbank.  And seemed to have a way of plugging in lesser names and being able to get by with them.  But yeah, whatever this "system" is supposed to be...ain't workin'.     

[Jerrydevil]

6 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

This team once got passable performances out of d-men like Mike Mottau and Sheldon Brookbank.  And seemed to have a way of plugging in lesser names and being able to get by with them.  But yeah, whatever this "system" is supposed to be...ain't workin'.     

The Devils just don't look like they are very hard to play against most nights -- unless the game goes into overtime and there's 3-on-3 on wide-open ice. THEN the Devils become a handful for other teams. I'm gonna give Nico Hischier some props. He's one of the few Devils forwards who plays pretty well along the boards and is tough to knock off the puck. Dawson Mercer seems to have some of that in him, too. I think the team needs a couple more players like this (easier said than done) and perhaps has too many finesse wingers in the lineup. I hate that the fourth line rarely gives the team a lift. Besides McLeod's ability in the faceoff circle, what good are they?

I look at this group of defensemen and think it should be good enough to be above average. But it isn't. That's on Nasreddine, your whipping boy. 

There really does need to be a shakeup. To me, a finesse forward should be dealt and Nasreddine let go. And get the 4th line to be more than a waste of space!

[MadDog2020]

So if we lose tomorrow to a team that has lost nine in a row and has allowed 14 goals in two games…. Think maybe THEN something happens? Lmfao, who am I kidding, nothing will happen. 

[Fansinz88]

Just keep losing and losing and losing. Nothing will change and we will miss on another top pick anyway. I wonder if the ownership group even cares about them. I know they care about the 76ers. 

[Jerrydevil]

5 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

So if we lose tomorrow to a team that has lost nine in a row and has allowed 14 goals in two games…. Think maybe THEN something happens? Lmfao, who am I kidding, nothing will happen. 

Yes, I think something happens .... somewhere.

[DevsMan84]

3 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Not usually how I roll (I'm usually very patient), and I know it's not like he's had a killer D in front of him, but I just don't have a good feeling about him anymore.  Like I said, I'd love for him to prove me wrong...as long as he's wearing the red and black, I'll root for him to do it.

 

On another topic, as I was waiting for my bud to show up, I was hanging out by the entrance cylinder nearest to the bars...of course the Devils' Den is there, with the Jersey jerseys prominently on display (you can see them from outside).  Most of the fans who saw them were most definitely NOT complimentary and were making plenty of sarcastic comments...BUT, I did see some fans wearing them (and a couple buying them, though not like they were flying off the hangars by any stretch).  They actually have a kind of "sturdy" look to them in person...it's just a shame that they blew it re:  the crest.  Even a script "Devils" would have been a major improvement.  Oddly there's a part of me that really WANTS to like them, but I'm just not feeling the overall look.  

Why the hell there are SO many black Subban jerseys available to buy, I have no idea.  

This is a fair point.  Admittedly I'm still chapped about last night.  And that the Three Stooges get to keep on keepin' on, seemingly impervious to having lack of results affect their job status.  As much as I'm kinda over Ruff, I'm at least open to the idea of him getting to work with new assistants.  But nASS STILL somehow being here...it's making me insane.

I was actually going to mention about Blackwood today.  The more I watch him, the more mediocre I see him.  He isn't nearly as bad as KK, Wedgewood, Schneider post 2018, etc, but he certainly isn't as good as Shesterkin or the tandem the Islanders have.  As-is, the team will need every single point they can get which means Blackwood would have to steal games like the one last night.  He just doesn't seem to be that goalie.  I hope I am wrong about him too.

As for the Subban jerseys, he does have a contract with Adidas so that is likely the reason for the huge amount of them.

[Fansinz88]

48 minutes ago, Jerrydevil said:

Yes, I think something happens .... somewhere.

Nothing will happen. Will just be labeled as “part of the process” like all the other garbage we put out there is. I’m becoming disgusted with this organization. 

[Jerrydevil]

7 minutes ago, Fansinz88 said:

Nothing will happen. Will just be labeled as “part of the process” like all the other garbage we put out there is. I’m becoming disgusted with this organization. 

I sense that a significant trade will happen if the team continues to flounder.

[Fansinz88]

1 hour ago, Jerrydevil said:

I sense that a significant trade will happen if the team continues to flounder.

Who are they trading? We have not much to give up except for players they will not trade no matter what.  And they have been floundering for over a month now. 

[MadDog2020]

3 hours ago, Jerrydevil said:

Yes, I think something happens .... somewhere.

You’re right. They’ll call up Colton White and send Boqvist down. 

[Fansinz88]

Call up Brett Seney just for some “offensive punch” while their at it. 

[Jerrydevil]

6 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

You’re right. They’ll call up Colton White and send Boqvist down. 

I think sometimes I am guilty of picturing what Lou Lamoriello would do even though Lou is no longer in charge. This team is ripe for change via trade or coach or both. Lou wasn't afraid to make a big deal to alter a team. We also know he wasn't afraid to can a coach. I still think about how late he fired Julien and Ftorek. Wild stuff. 

[Devil Dan 56]

1 hour ago, Jerrydevil said:

I think sometimes I am guilty of picturing what Lou Lamoriello would do even though Lou is no longer in charge. This team is ripe for change via trade or coach or both. Lou wasn't afraid to make a big deal to alter a team. We also know he wasn't afraid to can a coach. I still think about how late he fired Julien and Ftorek. Wild stuff. 

My feeling is that Lou would’ve never let things become so disorganized and lackadaisical if he could help it, but in fairness, he also wouldn’t have had the patience to put together a young team like this. 

Lou also let a few coaches go too long, most notoriously MacLean getting to nearly New Years before Lemaire got called in (if I’m remembering those events right). But mostly yeah I agree Lou was quick to shake things up when he felt it was needed.  

Edited December 8, 2021 by Devil Dan 56

[jagknife]

32 minutes ago, Jerrydevil said:

I think sometimes I am guilty of picturing what Lou Lamoriello would do even though Lou is no longer in charge. This team is ripe for change via trade or coach or both. Lou wasn't afraid to make a big deal to alter a team. We also know he wasn't afraid to can a coach. I still think about how late he fired Julien and Ftorek. Wild stuff. 

 

4 minutes ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

My feeling is that Lou wouldn’t never let things become so disorganized and lackadaisical if he could help it, but in fairness, he also wouldn’t have had the patience to put together a young team like this. 

Lou also let a few coaches go too long, most notoriously MacLean getting to nearly New Years before Lemaire got called in (if I’m remembering those events right). But mostly yeah I agree Lou was quick to shake things up when he felt it was needed.  

I think Lou pulled the trigger entirely too quickly on Julien.

That being said, I'd take the way Lou handled piss poor coaching over what we've seen lately. No way he would have kept nASS to start Ruff's tenure, let alone let him survive the Hynes axe.

[Fansinz88]

It’s all bad gents. I hate to keep beating a dead horse but nothing will ever happen. They are married to this group. Coaches and players. I think we would have to lose 20 in a row for a real change to happen. 

And I stopped listening to the sound. Can’t stand cangeliosi and Dano. Just awful. 

[Jerrydevil]

32 minutes ago, Fansinz88 said:

And I stopped listening to the sound. Can’t stand cangeliosi and Dano. Just awful. 

I sometimes listen to Matt and Chico. They are a little more critical. Chico is generally a positive person but he will call out uninspired play and mistakes.