GDT: 11/8/22, Flames @ Devils, 7:00 Please Damon Don’t Do Damon Things

[MadDog2020]

6 minutes ago, Devils01 said:

The attendance showed as 13,100 how’s that possible? Looked more full than that

Spaulding said it was near capacity

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

4 minutes ago, RizzMB30 said:

Nico comes out and says that this was a gutsy win, but it was an ugly one. I'll take it. 

VV first star robbed from him.

Tatar on a point streak, lol. 6 assists in 5 games.

Really has been largely a team effort.  A lot of guys in the lineup with 6 points or more to this point…unlike, say, the Oilers, it’s a not a top-heavy group.

Gotta give Tatar some props, it’s not always pretty but a lot is being asked of him and he’s holding his own.  

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

It’s funny…right now I’m sure the Flames are thinking “We keep playing like that, we’ll start winning some games!”

So much more fun to see the Devils just…winning games.  

[MB3]

Mentioned it in passing but Tomas Tatar deserves his own post from me. The guy has played a really solid stretch of hockey, and it's noticeably coming from more effort in the defensive goal. I don't think he really has any "vanity" points where he just happened to touch the puck -- he's been making stuff happen and it's great to see. Credit @SterioDesignfor sticking with him when the rest of the forum was pretty close to stabbing him with an xacto blade.

Speaking of SD, where've ya been you weirdo?

[Satans Hockey]

41 minutes ago, Devils01 said:

The attendance showed as 13,100 how’s that possible? Looked more full than that

 

34 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

Spaulding said it was near capacity

That sounds about right, a sell out is 16k something now and the 200s had a lot of empties with empties scattered without. 

Crowd that was there was loud and into the game though. Winning like this should keep bringing people back. 

[ajsgolf]

[ajsgolf]

Reminds me of the days walking through the tunnel coming out of CAA, greatest walk after a playoff win.

[nessus]

Another game with a defenseman scoring a big goal. Spaulding made a comment about how Graves had 6 goals in all of last season, compared to 3 already this season. I don't think this necessarily has to do with Graves turning a corner in his offensive ability - he's always had a good shot. The Devils' system this season seems to really include the defensemen in the attack. I've noticed on multiple occasions that Siegenthaler gets a really nice look, but his shot is neither powerful nor accurate, so it rarely leads to anything (or it gets deflected in, but gets called off anyway). He's obviously not known for his offense, but if he worked on his shot, he could probably score quite a few goals in this system.

I'm just as excited about this team as anyone, so I don't mean to make this sound negative, but I had a couple of observations...

That second power play unit is just atrocious. Tatar looked decent, but Severson doesn't have his normal confidence, and it is otherwise a group of players that haven't scored much all season. Sharangovich must really not be good on the power play, because he's the best shooter on the team, and they still won't put him out there.

I really wonder when Ruff is going to shuffle the lines. Probably not until a loss, but a game like this could have easily gone the other way, and you wonder whether the lineup could be optimized. Is Haula adding much to the Hughes/Bratt line other than faceoffs? I'm not sure it's much more valuable than what Mercer could add. I think Mercer could play a role similar to Palat, which would complement Bratt and Hughes well IMO. And as great as Nico has been, he really needs some better linemates. I really like Zetterlund, but I think Shara might be a better option in that spot. Or if Tatar goes invisible again, he could be swapped with Sharangovich. I'm all in favor of balanced lines, but not when it leaves one of our star centers with little to work with. And it's not like that third line has been contributing all that much, other than a couple of disallowed goals.

As for Smith, he's still not getting all that much ice time. I really think he is holding Severson back. Severson does not seem like his normal self lately, even if his normal self has those glaring mistakes. It does seem time to give Bahl a try. It's not like Smith is another Lovejoy who is at least somewhat reliable defensively. At worst, there's hardly a difference there between Bahl and Smith.

Shara-Hischier-Tatar

Bratt-Hughes-Mercer

Boqvist-Haula-Zetterlund

BMW

 

Siegs-Hamilton

Graves-Marino

Bahl-Severson

 

Overall, couldn't have said it better than Nico did at the end of the game. Definitely was not a pretty win, but we will take it. Nico is just such a beast. He had an interesting development curve, which started with him on an offense that ran through one player for a couple of years. Then he had to develop a complete game on an absolute garbage team that needed him to be defensively reliable. Not much liberty or opportunity to become that major scorer that we were hoping for. And then there were injuries that never allowed him to gain momentum. He always showed flashes of what he could be, just a monster on the puck. But now that the team has taken a step, it has allowed him to blossom into the offensive threat that he is. Outside of Makar, is there anyone from that draft we are still taking over Hischier? First it was Pettersson, Heiskanen, and Makar (and Suzuki?). Then just Heiskanen and Makar. Now are we at a point where it's just Makar?

Didn't mean for that to turn into a novel. LGD.

[Nicomo]

It’s always only been Makar ahead of Nico for me. 

[Lateralous]

8 minutes ago, nessus said:

. Now are we at a point where it's just Makar?

 

Yep

[Guadana]

4 hours ago, nessus said:

Another game with a defenseman scoring a big goal. Spaulding made a comment about how Graves had 6 goals in all of last season, compared to 3 already this season. I don't think this necessarily has to do with Graves turning a corner in his offensive ability - he's always had a good shot. The Devils' system this season seems to really include the defensemen in the attack. I've noticed on multiple occasions that Siegenthaler gets a really nice look, but his shot is neither powerful nor accurate, so it rarely leads to anything (or it gets deflected in, but gets called off anyway). He's obviously not known for his offense, but if he worked on his shot, he could probably score quite a few goals in this system.

I'm just as excited about this team as anyone, so I don't mean to make this sound negative, but I had a couple of observations...

That second power play unit is just atrocious. Tatar looked decent, but Severson doesn't have his normal confidence, and it is otherwise a group of players that haven't scored much all season. Sharangovich must really not be good on the power play, because he's the best shooter on the team, and they still won't put him out there.

I really wonder when Ruff is going to shuffle the lines. Probably not until a loss, but a game like this could have easily gone the other way, and you wonder whether the lineup could be optimized. Is Haula adding much to the Hughes/Bratt line other than faceoffs? I'm not sure it's much more valuable than what Mercer could add. I think Mercer could play a role similar to Palat, which would complement Bratt and Hughes well IMO. And as great as Nico has been, he really needs some better linemates. I really like Zetterlund, but I think Shara might be a better option in that spot. Or if Tatar goes invisible again, he could be swapped with Sharangovich. I'm all in favor of balanced lines, but not when it leaves one of our star centers with little to work with. And it's not like that third line has been contributing all that much, other than a couple of disallowed goals.

As for Smith, he's still not getting all that much ice time. I really think he is holding Severson back. Severson does not seem like his normal self lately, even if his normal self has those glaring mistakes. It does seem time to give Bahl a try. It's not like Smith is another Lovejoy who is at least somewhat reliable defensively. At worst, there's hardly a difference there between Bahl and Smith.

Shara-Hischier-Tatar

Bratt-Hughes-Mercer

Boqvist-Haula-Zetterlund

BMW

 

Siegs-Hamilton

Graves-Marino

Bahl-Severson

 

Overall, couldn't have said it better than Nico did at the end of the game. Definitely was not a pretty win, but we will take it. Nico is just such a beast. He had an interesting development curve, which started with him on an offense that ran through one player for a couple of years. Then he had to develop a complete game on an absolute garbage team that needed him to be defensively reliable. Not much liberty or opportunity to become that major scorer that we were hoping for. And then there were injuries that never allowed him to gain momentum. He always showed flashes of what he could be, just a monster on the puck. But now that the team has taken a step, it has allowed him to blossom into the offensive threat that he is. Outside of Makar, is there anyone from that draft we are still taking over Hischier? First it was Pettersson, Heiskanen, and Makar (and Suzuki?). Then just Heiskanen and Makar. Now are we at a point where it's just Makar?

Didn't mean for that to turn into a novel. LGD.

I like Mercer more than anyone, but his defensive/positional game isn't quite there. He needs help. Im ok to use him with Nico, but not with Jesper and Jack. 

 

Nico is my number one pick. Especially when we have Luke and Simon. There were not a lot of good two way centers after that btw.  Objectively he is number 2 for now. 

Edited November 9, 2022 by Guadana

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

Jason Robertson is turning into a hell of a player form that 2017 draft class.

There are only two players who are at 1 PPG from that class and that's Makar and Robertson. It's within the realms of possibility that Pettersson could rejoin them, he isn't far off, but a poor season alst year saw him dip below. 

Nico would have to go some to get into contention career wise.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 hour ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

Jason Robertson is turning into a hell of a player form that 2017 draft class.

There are only two players who are at 1 PPG from that class and that's Makar and Robertson. It's within the realms of possibility that Pettersson could rejoin them, he isn't far off, but a poor season alst year saw him dip below. 

Nico would have to go some to get into contention career wise.

Pettersson did not have a poor season last year…he started slow but went on a tear to finish it out (26 G and 25 A over his final 43 GP) and has 6 G and 11 A through 13 GP so far this season.

Not saying that I would take him over Nico…Petterson obviously has the superior production numbers to date, but I like what I’ve seen if Nico since the start of last season.  His game is coming together quite nicely.  

[jagknife]

9 hours ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

A year or 2 ago getting 2 goals called back would have crushed this team. 

And a fun stat… devils are 5-0-0 when giving up the first goal 

That first no-goal would 100% have broken the team

The missed call was so inconsequential to the outcome it really is a bunch of bullsh!t that the league allows it to go on for so long and then will wind the clock back. If the other team gets possession and fails to clear, that alone should be the end of it.

[Devil Dan 56]

Another interesting stat 

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

2 hours ago, jagknife said:

That first no-goal would 100% have broken the team

The missed call was so inconsequential to the outcome it really is a bunch of bullsh!t that the league allows it to go on for so long and then will wind the clock back. If the other team gets possession and fails to clear, that alone should be the end of it.

I wouldn't say the no-goal in itself would have been a killer, but that's the kind of game that the Devils would've easily lost 5-2 in past seasons...they would've succumbed to Calgary's physical pressure and they would've come apart in their own end.  They're now better coached (amazing the difference competent assistants can make) and Vanecek is playing as well as anyone since Mac finished 2019-20 on a flourish.

Now that the Devils do appear to be fully turning a corner into being consistently competitive, we can reflect on the rebuild, which really started with the 2015-16 season...we've been over it, but we know how bare the cupboard was, at the both the NHL and AHL levels.  Obviously Shero did try to be creative with what limited assets he had, in attempting to get some pieces to work with...as one would expect, it's hard to hit home runs every time with those kinds of moves, and the results were decidedly mixed...guys like Palms and Hall mostly worked out, several other moves (most notably MoJo and PK) simply didn't.  He also stuck with Hynes too long and eventually (mostly) bad luck, moves that looked good on paper but didn't pay off and not appearing to build off 2017-18 ultimately sunk him.  Shero did catch one big break:  getting to select first in the 2017 draft.  Whether or not Nico is THE best player in the 2017 draft, the fact remains that the Devils desperately needed a top line center who can contribute on both ends of the ice, and they got that player in Nico.  And they didn't pick Patrick...that's a serious win.  Now hopefully Nico can stay healthy, to the tune of at least 70 games per season. 

So Shero out, Fitz in.  Without going too heavily into detail, if Shero and Fitz are really good at any one thing, it's selling.  They have been excellent at deciding who's not going to be a part of this thing going forward, and getting useful pieces for them (the Hall trade was terrific, and the return for Coleman was also solid.  A 2nd rounder for Greene?  Another fine grab).  Like Shero, Fitz also got a nice bit of luck, in getting to select first in 2019...imagine Kakko over Hughes?  And like Shero, it's not like Fitz has enjoyed nothing but good fortune; the goaltending was a disaster last season and though at the time it would've been nice to see him try to get someone who felt more "sure", the system was so broken that I'm not sure how much someone "better" would've fared than what the Devils were trotting out, given the circumstances.  @mfitz804made that point quite a bit and it was fair.

Sometimes the less-fanfare trades are the ones that help the team the most.  A 3rd for Siegs?  A 3rd and Ty Smith for Marino?  Those were absolute steals.  Also easy to forget that last season PK played in 77 games, Smith played in 66, and Colton White played in 27 (though to be fair he'd likely be better than Brendan Smith).  But kudos to Fitz in that it would have been VERY easy to want to give Smith one more look...instead, he cut his losses and wound up getting a terrific, reliable player in Marino.  

Did this take a little longer than expected?  Yeah, probably.  I don't think the plan was to be SO god-awful last season (I'm sure that's not what was pitched to Dougie when he signed here), and I don't think Shero & Co expected to slide back so much in 2018-19.  As much as last year largely sucked (even with the silver linings, such as Hughes and Nico taking nice steps offensively, when they were healthy enough to play), having to slog through one last sh!tstorm ultimately did pay off (and as patient as I consider myself, @SterioDesign takes it to a whole higher level...but as I will explain, in this case "one more year" did ultimately work out).  Without last year going SO off the rails, maybe Fitz sticks with nASS and Recchi one more time...and the Devils don't get one last bit of lottery luck in nabbing the second pick.  That extra suckage through the years landed the Devils two more potential "future stud" young defensemen.

So here we are.  We all slogged through this sh!t together.  We're coming out the other side.  Hasn't always been pretty and there's been setbacks and disappointments, but we're HERE.  Fingers crossed to key players staying upright...the better times have finally arrived.    

Edited November 9, 2022 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[MB3]

oh, btw, sorry lindy. your team is dominating in all facets of the game, passing the analytical test and the eye test. you might be a really fvcking good coach.

 

[mfitz804]

11 minutes ago, MB3 said:

oh, btw, sorry lindy. your team is dominating in all facets of the game, passing the analytical test and the eye test. you might be a really fvcking good coach.

 

She looks like a Mackenzie. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

12 minutes ago, MB3 said:

oh, btw, sorry lindy. your team is dominating in all facets of the game, passing the analytical test and the eye test. you might be a really fvcking good coach.

I still feel like this is primarily assistant-driven.  But it's working.

[Guadana]

57 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I wouldn't say the no-goal in itself would have been a killer, but that's the kind of game that the Devils would've easily lost 5-2 in past seasons...they would've succumbed to Calgary's physical pressure and they would've come apart in their own end.  They're now better coached (amazing the difference competent assistants can make) and Vanecek is playing as well as anyone since Mac finished 2019-20 on a flourish.

Now that the Devils do appear to be fully turning a corner into being consistently competitive, we can reflect on the rebuild, which really started with the 2015-16 season...we've been over it, but we know how bare the cupboard was, at the both the NHL and AHL levels.  Obviously Shero did try to be creative with what limited assets he had, in attempting to get some pieces to work with...as one would expect, it's hard to hit home runs every time with those kinds of moves, and the results were decidedly mixed...guys like Palms and Hall mostly worked out, several other moves (most notably MoJo and PK) simply didn't.  He also stuck with Hynes too long and eventually (mostly) bad luck, moves that looked good on paper but didn't pay off and not appearing to build off 2017-18 ultimately sunk him.  Shero did catch one big break:  getting to select first in the 2017 draft.  Whether or not Nico is THE best player in the 2017 draft, the fact remains that the Devils desperately needed a top line center who can contribute on both ends of the ice, and they got that player in Nico.  And they didn't pick Patrick...that's a serious win.  Now hopefully Nico can stay healthy, to the tune of at least 70 games per season. 

So Shero out, Fitz in.  Without going too heavily into detail, if Shero and Fitz are really good at any one thing, it's selling.  They have been excellent at deciding who's not going to be a part of this thing going forward, and getting useful pieces for them (the Hall trade was terrific, and the return for Coleman was also solid.  A 2nd rounder for Greene?  Another fine grab).  Like Shero, Fitz also got a nice bit of luck, in getting to select first in 2019...imagine Kakko over Hughes?  And like Shero, it's not like Fitz has enjoyed nothing but good fortune; the goaltending was a disaster last season and though at the time it would've been nice to see him try to get someone who felt more "sure", the system was so broken that I'm not sure how much someone "better" would've fared than what the Devils were trotting out, given the circumstances.  @mfitz804made that point quite a bit and it was fair.

Sometimes the less-fanfare trades are the ones that help the team the most.  A 3rd for Siegs?  A 3rd and Ty Smith for Marino?  Those were absolute steals.  Also easy to forget that last season PK played in 77 games, Smith played in 66, and Colton White played in 27 (though to be fair he'd likely be better than Brendan Smith).  But kudos to Fitz in that it would have been VERY easy to want to give Smith one more look...instead, he cut his losses and wound up getting a terrific, reliable player in Marino.  

Did this take a little longer than expected?  Yeah, probably.  I don't think the plan was to be SO god-awful last season (I'm sure that's not what was pitched to Dougie when he signed here), and I don't think Shero & Co expected to slide back so much in 2018-19.  As much as last year largely sucked (even with the silver linings, such as Hughes and Nico taking nice steps offensively, when they were healthy enough to play), having to slog through one last sh!tstorm ultimately did pay off (and as patient as I consider myself, @SterioDesign takes it to a whole higher level...but as I will explain, in this case "one more year" did ultimately work out).  Without last year going SO off the rails, maybe Fitz sticks with nASS and Recchi one more time...and the Devils don't get one last bit of lottery luck in nabbing the second pick.  That extra suckage through the years landed the Devils two more potential "future stud" young defensemen.

So here we are.  We all slogged through this sh!t together.  We're coming out the other side.  Hasn't always been pretty and there's been setbacks and disappointments, but we're HERE.  Fingers crossed to key players staying upright...the better times have finally arrived.    

Goaltending saved us and create win tonight. What was going on year ago in games like that? 5-6 missed goals. How bad defense was? Yeah, finally today it was. But goalkeeper finally keep us in the game.
Regarding Fitz and Shero, it's not about expectations and what happened, it's about goals and what was done to achieve them. Shero did not understand at all how the defensive side of hockey works, from which he made critical mistakes from season to season or did absolutely nothing when it was necessary. Fitz definitely understands this side of hockey well. He did not rely on Schneider or Blackwood for two years in a row, but signed second goalkeepers. But in his case, he was just being overtaken by unluck. Let's hope that with Vanechek (who was essentially exchanged for the third peak) we were just lucky. Especially now, when the backup situation is in a very suspended state.
And I really hope Nico, Jack and VV will be healthy. Devils are good, but the red line isn`t far away as we would hope.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

27 minutes ago, MB3 said:

This caption editing reminds me of all of those bad voice edits on TNT and TBS movies (often in a voice that barely matched, if at all)...like when John Bender (Breakfast Club) asked Andrew "Level with me Sporto...are you going to show her some wild, hot affection?"  I would've rather they just bleeped them out or even just silenced them altogether.

Edited November 9, 2022 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mfitz804]

14 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I still feel like this is primarily assistant-driven.  But it's working.

I mean, last year we had sh!t assistants and a sh!t team, this year we have real assistants and you can't stop making GDTs, so I would agree. 

[MB3]

25 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

She looks like a Mackenzie. 

mfitz out here pretending to not know her name in case his wife finds his njdevs account.

it’s all good brotha. we got you. she does look like a mackenzie.

[devlman]

5 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Pettersson did not have a poor season last year…he started slow but went on a tear to finish it out (26 G and 25 A over his final 43 GP) and has 6 G and 11 A through 13 GP so far this season.

Not saying that I would take him over Nico…Petterson obviously has the superior production numbers to date, but I like what I’ve seen if Nico since the start of last season.  His game is coming together quite nicely.  

Also keep in mind Nico’s linemates have been Zetterlund and Tatar. Before then it was Zacha most of the time. Give this man a skilled winger and look out.

Edited November 9, 2022 by devlman

[devlman]

29 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I still feel like this is primarily assistant-driven.  But it's working.

I have to say how reassuring and calming it is to see the new assistants during timeouts. Before, seeing Nass and Recchi drawing up plays would be call for high-level anxiety.