GDT: NJ @ panthers. 6pm

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, jagknife said:

I honestly think fitz tries to keep 2 of 3, thats what is kinda scary to me...

There are aspects hes awesome at, but plenty where we wonder what the hell the voices in his head say...

Why though?  There’s no room for Seves.  Schmid has made Blackwood more obsolete than he already was.  And no reason to spend on Wood.

[jagknife]

1 minute ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Why though?  There’s no room for Seves.  Schmid has made Blackwood more obsolete than he already was.  And no reason to spend on Wood.

Wood - Grit

Severson - Known commodity

Blackwood - RFA

 

Not a single point above is justifiable reason for keeping them, I know, but the pessimist in me doesn't trust that Fitz will do what needs to be done with the 3. My lone justification for it is Ruff. They'll cover up bad decisions with "well Jack likes [inset name here]"

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, jagknife said:

Wood - Grit

Severson - Known commodity

Blackwood - RFA

 

Not a single point above is justifiable reason for keeping them, I know, but the pessimist in me doesn't trust that Fitz will do what needs to be done with the 3. My lone justification for it is Ruff. They'll cover up bad decisions with "well Jack likes [inset name here]"

But there isn’t the money to keep ANY of them.  Bratt, Timo, and Dawson (after next season) need to get theirs.  Fitz is better than you’re giving him credit for.

 

[Nicomo]

4 minutes ago, jagknife said:

They'll cover up bad decisions with "well Jack likes [inset name here]"

They traded away his best friend and roommate. I’m sure Jack has a voice in that room, but it only goes so far.

[jagknife]

4 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

But there isn’t the money to keep ANY of them.  Bratt, Timo, and Dawson (after next season) need to get theirs.  Fitz is better than you’re giving him credit for.

 

Can I just be salty for one night without you bringing in “logic”?!

2 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

They traded away his best friend and roommate. I’m sure Jack has a voice in that room, but it only goes so far.

You too

[Jerrydevil]

30 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

Posts like this just highlight your ignorance. Not only do teams like Boston and Carolina lose games exactly like this, but the Devils literally just tied their last game up with the extra attacker. And then only lost in the gimmick. 

There’s being frustrated (understandable), and then there’s what you do. 

Chicago beat Boston recently.

[jagknife]

The reality is this team blew one they shoulda had. Period.

Ruff screwed up his line management and continues to grasp at straws. He still sucks at timeout management, as well, regardless of his accident the other night. He cannot lead this team beyond this season, regardless of the outcome.

Our leftovers from the bad years cannot stick around. They don’t have the space, yes, but Fitz shouldn’t entertain any ideas of them coming back, either.

[MadDog2020]

Definitely need a new coach next year. One who can help this team take the next step. They’ve outgrown Lindy.

Edited March 19, 2023 by MadDog2020

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

10 minutes ago, jagknife said:

The reality is this team blew one they shoulda had. Period.

Ruff screwed up his line management and continues to grasp at straws. He still sucks at timeout management, as well, regardless of his accident the other night. He cannot lead this team beyond this season, regardless of the outcome.

Our leftovers from the bad years cannot stick around. They don’t have the space, yes, but Fitz shouldn’t entertain any ideas of them coming back, either.

But I don’t think Fitz is entertaining them at all…if Schmid hadn’t emerged this year as a viable option, and if Nemec and L Hughes weren’t about to make the jump, I’d be a lot more worried about Seves and Deadwood having a chance to come back, even with other players who will need to get paid.

Wood I can see maaaaaaaaaybe on a one-year deal, but even that seems remote at best (and I’m fine with that, as I don’t want Wood back).  I think Fitz would simply rather go in a different direction.  

[Nicomo]

6 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

Definitely need a new coach next year. One who can help this team take the next step. They’ve outgrown Lindy.

I’m not totally off the idea of giving Brunette a shot at this point. There’s a lot more to being a head coach than just X’s & O’s, and running the PP. I’m just a little less enamored with him now than I was at the beginning of the season.

What really hurts is how much I wanted Jim Montgomery (Iirc I think me and @jagknife were the main one’s banging the drum for him), and look what he’s done in Boston. They were supposed to be good, but historic season good? I think you have to give Montgomery a lot of credit. Ullmark playing out of his mind obviously helps a lot, too.

Idk who else would be in play if they want to go outside the organization (Dineen obviously isn’t getting much buzz anymore either). Thankfully we have the playoffs to look forward to, and we aren’t totally focused on coaching hires, draft, FA, etc. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, Nicomo said:

I’m not totally off the idea of giving Brunette a shot at this point. There’s a lot more to being a head coach than just X’s & O’s, and running the PP. I’m just a little less enamored with him now than I was at the beginning of the season.

What really hurts is how much I wanted Jim Montgomery (Iirc I think me and @jagknife were the main one’s banging the drum for him), and look what he’s done in Boston. They were supposed to be good, but historic season good? I think you have to give Montgomery a lot of credit. Ullmark playing out of his mind obviously helps a lot, too.

Idk who else would be in play if they want to go outside the organization (Dineen obviously isn’t getting much buzz anymore either). Thankfully we have the playoffs to look forward to, and we aren’t totally focused on coaching hires, draft, FA, etc. 

Yeah I can’t say I’m against Brunette but it’s more of a “not-Ruff” thing at this point.  I’m not as bullish on Brunette as I was.  

[2ELIAS6]

8 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Yeah I can’t say I’m against Brunette but it’s more of a “not-Ruff” thing at this point.  I’m not as bullish on Brunette as I was.  

Agreed, i dont think he’s who we thought he was when he came in here. Not the answer to the head coaching job imo 

[Nicomo]

2 minutes ago, 2ELIAS6 said:

Agreed, i dont think he’s who we thought he was when he came in here. Not the answer to the head coaching job imo 

Hard to say how much Ruff is effecting his ability to do his job though. He did well in Florida when he was running things. 

[jagknife]

16 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

I’m not totally off the idea of giving Brunette a shot at this point. There’s a lot more to being a head coach than just X’s & O’s, and running the PP. I’m just a little less enamored with him now than I was at the beginning of the season.

What really hurts is how much I wanted Jim Montgomery (Iirc I think me and @jagknife were the main one’s banging the drum for him), and look what he’s done in Boston. They were supposed to be good, but historic season good? I think you have to give Montgomery a lot of credit. Ullmark playing out of his mind obviously helps a lot, too.

Idk who else would be in play if they want to go outside the organization (Dineen obviously isn’t getting much buzz anymore either). Thankfully we have the playoffs to look forward to, and we aren’t totally focused on coaching hires, draft, FA, etc. 

I woulda LOVED Monty here. He deserved a second chance, and he has a good head on his shoulders. His teams can play any type of game, close, run and gun, shutdown, you name it

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 minute ago, Nicomo said:

Hard to say how much Ruff is effecting his ability to do his job though. He did well in Florida when he was running things. 

I guess that’s my hope.  Maybe he has ideas that aren’t getting implemented due to him not being the actual head coach.  Or maybe Ruff really gets in the way that much.

[NJDevils1214]

Bratt and Hughes aren't contributing and Lindy has Meier on the 3rd line with Haula because he doesn't wanna split up the first line. Idk what the answer is but NJ can't afford to have Jack and Bratt not going. The strong 5 on 5 play that drive them all year isn't there and the power play is dismal-- Jack was a massive part of that. Since he cooled off they've been scraping by for the most part of March. They've gotta do something because there isn't a ton of runway left to right the ship, but if Jack is hurt wtf can you do?

[Nicomo]

  

Guy’s like this are the reason so many people make fun of, or outright dismiss, advanced stats. Personally I’ve always been somewhere in the middle on them. I like to look at them, as I find it interesting to see if they match my eye test, and I definitely don’t think they’re completely useless. There’s a reason pretty much every team in every major sport has at least somewhat of analytics department. 

But claiming Severson was the Devils best player tonight is just beyond ridiculous. I mean, c’mon, how do you take that seriously??

I thought Nico was pretty easily our best player for the 2nd straight game. He’s really done a good job at stepping up while Jack hasn’t had his A game. 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Nicomo

[RizzMB30]

27 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

  

Guy’s like this are the reason so many people make fun of, or outright dismiss, advanced stats. Personally I’ve always been somewhere in the middle on them. I like to look at them, as I find it interesting to see if they match my eye test, and I definitely don’t think they’re completely useless. There’s a reason pretty much every team in every major sport has at least somewhat of analytics department. 

But claiming Severson was the Devils best player tonight is just beyond ridiculous. I mean, c’mon, how do you take that seriously??

I thought Nico was pretty easily our best player for the 2nd straight game. He’s really done a good job at stepping up while Jack hasn’t had his A game. 

They don't just make up the advanced stats. 

Edited March 19, 2023 by RizzMB30

[Nicomo]

23 minutes ago, RizzMB30 said:

They don't just make up the advanced stats. 

I never said they did. I said it’s absurd to ignore certain context wrt things that don’t factor into them. 

Had he said “Severson actually played pretty well up until the terrible penalty and the failed keep in” I doubt he would get much pushback. But those things matter. 

[Devs64]

Had to dvr the game. Just finished watching. Haven't read any posts. The only impression is we are soooo not ready for the playoffs. Severson and Hamilton can go f..k themselves. Dougie forgot he has a shot, Severson is simply a dumb fvck. Sharangovich remains useless. Jack and Bratt don't click. Palat is invisible etc, etc, etc. 

Akira was fantastic, but our D crapped up the bed with turnovers. Timo, Marino, Boquist and Nico had a good game. They better wake the fvck up and FINALLY fix the mistakes they've been making all year. Not sure we are going to be happy tomorrow in Tampa, but let's go Devils...enough is enough. 

 

[Nicomo]

7 minutes ago, Devs64 said:

Had to dvr the game. Just finished watching. Haven't read any posts. The only impression is we are soooo not ready for the playoffs. Severson and Hamilton can go f..k themselves. Dougie forgot he has a shot, Severson is simply a dumb fvck. Sharangovich remains useless. Jack and Bratt don't click. Palat is invisible etc, etc, etc. 

Akira was fantastic, but our D crapped up the bed with turnovers. Timo, Marino, Boquist and Nico had a good game. They better wake the fvck up and FINALLY fix the mistakes they've been making all year. Not sure we are going to be happy tomorrow in Tampa, but let's go Devils...enough is enough. 

 

FFS do some of you turn on players fast. Dougie is tied for 2nd on the team in total points with 64, 1st in assists, and 2nd in shots. And oh yeah, he also has 18 goals as a defenseman. He literally just had 5 SOG tonight (tied with Timo for the most). How is that “forgot he has a shot?“

Also, disagree with the other bold. Marino was the one most at fault for the 3rd Panthers goal imo. He left Tkachuk all alone in front of the net. Rare case of him being completely out of position. 

[Devs64]

1 hour ago, Nicomo said:

FFS do some of you turn on players fast. Dougie is tied for 2nd on the team in total points with 64, 1st in assists, and 2nd in shots. And oh yeah, he also has 18 goals as a defenseman. He literally just had 5 SOG tonight (tied with Timo for the most). How is that “forgot he has a shot?“

Also, disagree with the other bold. Marino was the one most at fault for the 3rd Panthers goal imo. He left Tkachuk all alone in front of the net. Rare case of him being completely out of position. 

If I didn't make myself clear:

I didn't mean this game only, nor did I mean Dougie doesn't take shots. You want stats? Take the last 10 games for example. Last time he scored was March 1 in Colorado. That's 10 games ago. Not saying he's expected to score like McDavid, but if you look at his total SOG since March 1, he averages 2.4 shots per game...and sorry, but his shots don't pose threat to goalies like they used to. His total +/- for the same time is zero. He earned less than a point per game. Yes, he's having a great season, but this is the time the team needs its vets the most and Hamilton is not there. 

Speaking of Marino, his stats (without scoring of course) look no better than Hamilton's, but you are right about him normally making very few mistakes. 

So, stats do speak volumes but don't always explain the performance.

Edited March 19, 2023 by Devs64

[Nicomo]

44 minutes ago, Devs64 said:

If I didn't make myself clear:

I didn't mean this game only, nor did I mean Dougie doesn't take shots. You want stats? Take the last 10 games for example. Last time he scored was March 1 in Colorado. That's 10 games ago. Not saying he's expected to score like McDavid, but if you look at his total SOG since March 1, he averages 2.4 shots per game...and sorry, but his shots don't pose threat to goalies like they used to. His total +/- for the same time is zero. He earned less than a point per game. Yes, he's having a great season, but this is the time the team needs its vets the most and Hamilton is not there. 

Speaking of Marino, his stats (without scoring of course) look no better than Hamilton's, but you are right about him normally making very few mistakes. 

So, stats do speak volumes but don't always explain the performance.

When opposing teams are countering what the Devils do best (Jack’s transition game, Dougie’s shot, etc) it’s up to Ruff and his staff to make their adjustments. And that doesn’t mean just constantly tinkering with the lines, or taking guys in and out of the lineup. 

The PP is clearly not clicking right now, and Ruff can only say “we let our goalie down” so many times. DO SOMETHING about it! I realize they have the type of players to play a specific way (mainly speed, speed, and more speed), but there’s got to be things these coaches can clean up overall. 

Why does the PP look so aimless compared to literally every other team right now? It’s certainly not a lack of talent. Why did it take several games to realize you don’t park the guy with the best shot on the team in front of the net to screen the goalie? 

Look, I’m sure Ruff, Brunette and co. have forgotten more about hockey than I’ll ever know, and we obviously aren’t privy to what’s going on in practice (when they can actually have them - man does this schedule suck), but some of this stuff just seems glaringly obvious to me. 

[Mindcrime30]

4 hours ago, Nicomo said:

Guy’s like this are the reason so many people make fun of, or outright dismiss, advanced stats.

Case in point: https://moneypuck.com/goalies.htm

Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60
Schmid: .593
BW: .304
VV: .012

Save % Above Expected
Schmid: .012
BW: .005
VV: .000

GAA Better Than Expected
Schmid: .059
BW: .031
VV: .001

Wins Above Replacement
Schmid: 1.30
BW: .077
VV: .008

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

4 hours ago, Nicomo said:

When opposing teams are countering what the Devils do best (Jack’s transition game, Dougie’s shot, etc) it’s up to Ruff and his staff to make their adjustments. And that doesn’t mean just constantly tinkering with the lines, or taking guys in and out of the lineup. 

The PP is clearly not clicking right now, and Ruff can only say “we let our goalie down” so many times. DO SOMETHING about it! I realize they have the type of players to play a specific way (mainly speed, speed, and more speed), but there’s got to be things these coaches can clean up overall. 

Why does the PP look so aimless compared to literally every other team right now? It’s certainly not a lack of talent. Why did it take several games to realize you don’t park the guy with the best shot on the team in front of the net to screen the goalie? 

Look, I’m sure Ruff, Brunette and co. have forgotten more about hockey than I’ll ever know, and we obviously aren’t privy to what’s going on in practice (when they can actually have them - man does this schedule suck), but some of this stuff just seems glaringly obvious to me. 

It does feel like damned near every team is better prepared for these games than the Devils…the good news of course is now the Devils are up there in terms of general talent level, and it’s a team that does show up just about every night and doesn’t quit.  They’ve also gotten terrific goaltending for much of the season…even Blackwood’s had good games here and there.  This team often stubbornly finds a way to overcome the useless idiot behind the bench, to their credit. 

But yeah, this staff just seems like it’s not terribly capable of making adjustments, both in-game and over a series of games.  Said it before but there’s a reason why Lindy wasn’t ever getting another HC gig before the Devils hired him, and why he won’t get another one after this one comes to a merciful end.  The fact that the Devils have won as much as they have is really a testament to the players themselves…they just need a much better leader in the years to come.  I have little doubt that these Devils will continue to put up gaudier records as long as this core remains in place (with more pieces to come of course), but as long as Lindy’s here we’ll wonder if the Devils are really the best that they can be.

Lindy is to head coaches what Severson is to defensemen.  Hell, maybe even what Smith is to defensemen.

Edited March 19, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976