GDT: Carolina @ Devils- Game 4 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals 7:00 PM ESPN

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

2 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

No way Lindy can go to VV anyway, but after watching his locker room interview he is just completely dejected. Just can't.

Sad how the playoffs in ALL sports can completely chew up and spit out certain guys.  

[MadDog2020]

Lindy was PISSED. He ripped them a new one in his press conference.

[AEWHistory]

1 hour ago, DevilMinder said:

Vanacek has something going on, he seems to lockup or react slowly, muscle injury or mental? I don't know

 

 

Not that I’m an expert, but I did play goal for quite a few years.  Imho, this is mental.  He has always been a backup, right?  Now that he has gained a starting position this year he has a lot to lose if it went poorly.  For the most part he did fine though.  Then when the pressure of the playoffs hit he melted.  I’ve experienced the same in my life and that’s what I’ve seen here.  Again, just my $.02.

[smelly]

15 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

Lindy was PISSED. He ripped them a new one in his press conference.

Larry Robinson redux?  We can only hope . . . 

[Puckbuster]

 

 

[NJDevs4978]

1 hour ago, MadDog2020 said:

I’m legit terrified he’s gonna start Blackwood.

What’s the difference at this point? Vitek is broken and Schmid hasn’t been much better in this series at all. I was first guessing his decision to start VV right up until Schmid gave up his own horsesh!t goal #6. There’s no right answer in goal this series…fvck it, show some cajones and play Daws…he at least has played in the last month and doesn’t have one foot out the door a la #29

Edited May 10, 2023 by NJDevs4978

[devlman]

Jonas Siegenthaler hasn’t been good since December. He’s been a nice story of a contributing defenseman coming from no expectations but he’s been sh!t all playoffs, and really since the all star break. 

Just an embarrassing loss tonight. Yes we are playing with house money and it’s been a great season but can we lose with dignity? Can we not get embarrassed game after game on national tv? This Carolina team is so beatable, all you have to do is not beat yourself which we continue to do. 

[Aznjsn]

VV did his job in the regular season and we wouldn't be where we are right now without those heroics.. Same for Schmid..

But at the end of the day, this is what the difference is between a true 1A and 1B goalie and what wins a Stanley Cup. Being able to stand tall on your end, keep your team in the game and make the timely saves when not one would believe in you.

I would NOT be surprised if Lindy throws in Blackwood, because at this point, you've exhausted all your options.

By the way, is Jonathan Bernier ever gonna come off LITR??

Edited May 10, 2023 by Aznjsn

[NJDevils1214]

1 minute ago, Aznjsn said:

VV did his job in the regular season and we wouldn't be where we are right now without those heroics.. Same for Schmid..

But at the end of the day, this is what the difference is between a true 1A and 1B goalie and what wins a Stanley Cup. Being able to stand tall on your end, keep your team in the game and make the timely saves when not one would believe in you.

I would NOT be surprised if Lindy throws in Blackwood, because at this point, you've exhausted all your options.

By the way, is Jonathan Bernier ever gonna come off LITR??

He's gonna go right to retirement.

[NJDevs4978]

Not to mention Jesus Christ could have been in goal and they’d still have lost 4-1 because the team quit on the ice. Seriously guys, who the fvck do you think you are, the Mets?!

[Satans Hockey]

I don't really have any interest in reading anything and don't really have anything to say besides our team and our fans deserve a better possible last game at home than that. I believe they will force a game 6 so that will solve that. 

I haven't ever missed a Red Bulls home game vs nycfc and that's Saturday night so that's the main reason I think they'll force it. 

[LIDevsFan1]

1 hour ago, NJDfan1711 said:

I think everyone has the right to be mad right now, I'm certainly mad.  Both mad and disappointed.  But I do want to take a moment to express how completely fvcked up I think it is in terms of the attitude and perception some (maybe many) people here have about the team, the staff, and the outlook now and next year.  (this isn't about you in particular even though I'm quoting you, so don't take it personal - this is purely my thoughts on what I've observed here collectively).

First and foremost, the team sh!t the bed tonight.  A quick start with a nice early goal led to them feeling good and getting away from their game which is staying sharp and being responsible with the puck at all times.  The final 5 minutes of the 1st and through the first half of the 2nd period was littered with missed assignments, incoordination, and just downright sloppy play all over.  The goaltending was not great tonight, and you can say what you want about the coaching staff (which includes the decision to start Vanecek), but it is absolutely low-hanging fruit to blame one or both of the goalie and the head coach, and it is such a cop-out.  This team has been around for 40 years and I expect better out of this fanbase than to cherry-pick the coach and goalie for tonight's collapse.  I absolutely agree in having high standards and I'm by no means sheltering Ruff or Vanecek from blame, but there are 18 skaters who flat out failed to compete tonight and made countless mistakes that led to a lopsided game today.  

Turnovers in the slot, loose pucks around the net, you name it.  The last goal was a perfect example - new goalie in net, Martinook streaks down into the zone pretty much as no big threat at all with Hamilton back to defend, and what does he do?  Stands in the middle of the ice without defending the player, and Martinook snipes a perfect shot to the corner.  Can't blame Schmid, and all the credit to Martinook for a great shot. But the bigger problem?  Dougie.  HORRIBLE play on defense there.  Literally a 1 on 1 and he played it poorly.  The game was FULL of that bullsh!t from the 10 minute mark of the 1st through the entire 2nd period.  

Ruff will 100% be the coach of this team next year, and Vanecek will 100% be one of our goalies next year.  To suggest or think otherwise is absolutely ridiculous and I realize some people may be saying that in jest, but for anyone who is actually serious and wants either of those guys gone is just simply stupid.  No other way around it but to say that.  If you want Ruff or Vanecek off this team then you're just not a very smart hockey fan.  Ruff led this team to a historic season with a very young group of players, and Vanecek was solid for most of that time.  

With that said, this team isn't dead.  Of course it doesn't look good and the odds are not in our favor at all, but I have just one thing to point out.  The Panthers.  They were the 8th seed, down 3 games to 1, and went into Boston to win, went back to FL to win again, and then finally took Game 7 in Boston to stun what was statistically the best team ever in the history of the NHL.  Now I ask you - do we have more talent on our roster than the Panthers?  I think so.  Did we have a better record than the Panthers this year?  Yes.  Did we have the most road wins in the league this year?  Yes.  Can we still pull out this series and win three straight to keep our Cup chances alive? YES.  

It's cliche as fvck, but as most coaches will say, the answer is "in the locker room".  This team has the talent. They are young, they've made mistakes, and they have paid for them.  It's up to them to determine how bad they want it and if they can find it within themselves to understand what they've done wrong and correct it.  

Thursday may be the final game of this season for us, and if it is, I will look back fondly on this season as I hope many of us do (and should), but I am by no means counting this team out. There's a millions reasons to be mad and upset right now - I challenge everyone on this forum to find the reasons to be optimistic and hopeful that this team can do something remarkable and isn't ready to go home yet.  

echos my sentiment. maybe a bit more succinctly: being mad, upset and rational are not mutually exclusive.   I think we’re closer to TB losing to Columbus than a team that missed its chance.  and to be clear this is not over.  all season this team has been streaky for better or worse — just the margin for error is zero now. 

[slasher72]

28 minutes ago, devlman said:

Jonas Siegenthaler hasn’t been good since December. He’s been a nice story of a contributing defenseman coming from no expectations but he’s been sh!t all playoffs, and really since the all star break. 

Just an embarrassing loss tonight. Yes we are playing with house money and it’s been a great season but can we lose with dignity? Can we not get embarrassed game after game on national tv? This Carolina team is so beatable, all you have to do is not beat yourself which we continue to do. 

Siegenthaler was really bad tonight especially.

[Puckbuster]

1 hour ago, slasher72 said:

Losing 5-1, 6-1, 6-1 and giving up 3 SHG is still embarrassing nonetheless. Anyway, on to next year... 

I am not embarrassed of this team.  Who should be embarrassed are Bruins, Ranger and Toronto fans.  This team had its first taste of the playoffs and it’s no fluke.  

[Rock]

Even with the 1-0 lead  Every one around me was all excited but I was a gloomy gus. I told my daughter this does not look good, look at the giveaway stat on the scoreboard.  It was 5-1 at the time.  it ended up with the Devils giving away the puck 26 times to the Canes 2. The takeaway stat was a little better for the devils but the canes had more takeaways at the end of the game.  Who needs advanced stats when those 2 basic stats tell the story of the game. 

take it 1 shift at a time and try to build on the last shift.

 

Let's Go Devils!

[Puckbuster]

1 minute ago, Rock said:

Even with the 1-0 lead  Every one around me was all excited but I was a gloomy gus. I told my daughter this does not look good, look at the giveaway stat on the scoreboard.  It was 5-1 at the time.  it ended up with the Devils giving away the puck 26 times to the Canes 2. The takeaway stat was a little better for the devils but the canes had more takeaways at the end of the game.  Who needs advanced stats when those 2 basic stats tell the story of the game. 

take it 1 shift at a time and try to build on the last shift.

 

Let's Go Devils!

I think they wanted to come out fast and get a nice quick lead, but you are right.  They were reckless with the puck.  They were forcing plays and looking for stretch passes against a team with a strong forecheck and a tight defense.  I’m not sure if it’s a failure by the coaching staff to adjust or the skaters failing to adjust.  However, I will say, the team as a whole looked lost out there and gassed. 

[Nicomo]

40 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

What’s the difference at this point? Vitek is broken and Schmid hasn’t been much better in this series at all. I was first guessing his decision to start VV right up until Schmid gave up his own horsesh!t goal #6. There’s no right answer in goal this series…fvck it, show some cajones and play Daws…he at least has played in the last month and doesn’t have one foot out the door a la #29

Horsesh!t goal? It was an absolutely perfect shot right under the crossbar. It would have beat almost any goalie. I don’t consider that one stoppable at all, let alone “horsesh!t.”

[NJDevs4978]

1 hour ago, Nicomo said:

Horsesh!t goal? It was an absolutely perfect shot right under the crossbar. It would have beat almost any goalie. I don’t consider that one stoppable at all, let alone “horsesh!t.”

It was frigging shortside, unscreened.  That's the definition of horsesh!t.

LOL perfect shot...the Canes had a lot of perfect shots on flat out breakaways and guys wide open in front of the net people are eating Vitek's lunch for.  People want to give Vitek and Schmid's numbers in the playoffs as why Lindy's a moron for starting Vitek...how about their numbers IN THIS SERIES?  It's not really that different, in fact Schmid's arguably been worse against the Canes.  This is a different animal than the flawed Rangers.

Edited May 10, 2023 by NJDevs4978

[Nicomo]

6 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

It was frigging shortside, unscreened.  That's the definition of horsesh!t.

LOL perfect shot...the Canes had a lot of perfect shots on flat out breakaways and guys wide open in front of the net people are eating Vitek's lunch for.  People want to give Vitek and Schmid's numbers in the playoffs as why Lindy's a moron for starting Vitek...how about their numbers IN THIS SERIES?  It's not really that different, in fact Schmid's arguably been worse against the Canes.  This is a different animal than the flawed Rangers.

“LOL” all you want. It was literally a perfect bar down and in shot on a cold goalie. I can’t even imagine calling that one an softie. And people are “eating Vitek’s lunch” because the guy made like a total of 2 big saves in the 4 games he started. Schmid has been far from perfect against Carolina but he gives them a hell of a lot better chance than Vanecek. And that was plain as day for everyone to see  except for Lindy Ruff apparently. 

[NJDevs4978]

24 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

“LOL” all you want. It was literally a perfect bar down and in shot on a cold goalie. I can’t even imagine calling that one an softie. And people are “eating Vitek’s lunch” because the guy made like a total of 2 big saves in the 4 games he started. Schmid has been far from perfect against Carolina but he gives them a hell of a lot better chance than Vanecek. And that was plain as day for everyone to see  except for Lindy Ruff apparently. 

Schmid gave up eight goals in one and a half games worth of minutes in this series, Vitek gave up twelve in two and a half games.  Not exactly a big difference.  Both have given up sh!t goals, and both have more often been hung out to dry by the other eighteen skaters.

I'd have played him in at least one of the home games too but it wasn't making a difference in Game 3 and it sure as shooting wasn't making a difference tonight when the rest of the team thought they could Harlem Globetrotter their way into another eight goals with fancy, high-risk passing.  Only we weren't playing the Washington Generals tonight.  They scored one goal and didn't even get chances on the Canes for the most part in the game.  No goalie living or dead would have come close to winning this game.

Instead of ripping Vitek for four bad games that made no tangible difference in the outcome of any of them, how about ripping our highest paid player for ten bad games?  Where the fvck is Dougie besides on a milk carton in this series and for most of the Ranger series too?  Or our captain for a one-goal playoffs?  Jesper Bratt and his one empty-net goal for the entire postseason.  There's no shortage of guys who have had more bad games than either goalie.  At least Timo Meier finally started scoring...too little, too late though after eight games with ZERO points.

Edited May 10, 2023 by NJDevs4978

[NJDevs4978]

And btw we're now at seven games and counting for the Devils to be a collective -6 on their 'power play' against the Hurricanes.  But Brunette's the genius who's SOOOO much better than Lindy.

[Nicomo]

24 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

And btw we're now at seven games and counting for the Devils to be a collective -6 on their 'power play' against the Hurricanes.  But Brunette's the genius who's SOOOO much better than Lindy.

Who the fvck is calling Brunette a genius? He’s been one of the biggest whipping boys on this board (and elsewhere) all throughout the playoffs. And rightfully so. 

[Mitico12]

Kind of game that got away from us quickly thanks to several things:

- Sub-par goaltending

- Cocky attitude after scoring the first goal.

[slasher72]

I expect Ruff to start VV in Game 5 and if he's available, to start Graves instead of Luke. And if he does, at this point I don't care anymore. I know Fitz is going to reward Ruff with a huge contract for this year's performance so any questionable decisions Ruff makes will be made regardless. 

All I have to say is...Fitz can you please draft a Russian goalie and find us our Shesterkin?? 😁

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Weird stat…Devils have been outscored 32-7 in their 6 playoff losses…every single one of them has been a blowout, plain and simple.  And this was a team that VERY rarely was on the wrong end of a curbstomping during the regular season.

Kinda hard to make a case for the Devils coming back to win this series, though obviously I’ll continue to hope until the scoreboard tells me otherwise.  But not sure these “snowball” playoff losses are the kind of thing that will be fixed with the snap of a coaching finger.

In the end, they’re playing like the young team that they are, good AND bad.  You’re seeing signs of what they can be when it’s all clicking…and of course, the inability to win on days (or at least be competitive) when they don’t have their best stuff.  The latter is going to be the big step this group will have to take in postseasons going forward.

And this is a long way off for now but next season I give Schmid first dibs on trying to nail down the 1A gig.  Doesn’t mean he’s a lock to outplay VV, but I start the season that way and see how it goes.  I’m not down on VV the regular season goalie…he’s been solid overall in the NHL on that front.  But I just can’t bet on him as being a legit playoff option…it’s not all his fault, but the big saves that you need your goalie to make just haven’t been there nearly enough.  

Edited May 10, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976