GDT: Devils @ Creamsicle Wannabe Aviators - 30 Nov @ 7p

[devlman]

Words cannot express how much I hate seeing Brendan Smith on the ice with his boneheaded penalties at the WORST possible times.

Nate Bastian has been invisible all year. I wish we could sit him a game.

Great performance by Schmid, Hughes, bros., McLeod. 

3 in a row. Let’s heat up this heater.

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Oh, and to accentuate the positive…continued happiness for Holtz.  

Just goes to show you that patience and letting your kids develop properly is the way to go.

[Nicomo]

2 minutes ago, devlman said:

Just goes to show you that patience and letting your kids develop properly is the way to go.

I actually think they handled his development pretty poorly at times tbh. Fitz basically admitted as much last season. Good on Alex though for never getting too down and actually putting in the work (skating coach, two-way play, etc) to get better. 

[devlman]

9 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

I actually think they handled his development pretty poorly at times tbh. Fitz basically admitted as much last season. Good on Alex though for never getting too down and actually putting in the work (skating coach, two-way play, etc) to get better. 

Correct. I mean this year the development has been handled much better. And the patience with him has to be there from the management to the fans.

I’ve been astounded at the number of fans wanting to ship him out last year despite him still growing and not getting much opportunity. It’s like, are you serious? This kid oozes talent.

Btw, big shout out to the devils fans in Philly. You guys were loud, heard on tv. Way to rep the black and red.

[RizzMB30]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

What sucks is that the team absolutely tries on the ice, most of the time.

But the coach isn’t smart so the team doesn’t always play smart.

This is wild logic. So if the team has a smart coach they would always play smart?

[RizzMB30]

Holy sh!t I just watched the LHughes hit by Hathaway. 

Good hockey hit to be frank and it pisses me off even more that the refs were so incompetent that they went to VIDEO REVIEW and deemed it a game misconduct for boarding. That's not even what the rule for boarding says and Luke barely touched the boards. They could have gotten away with roughing and said it was rough stuff after the whistle, but holy sh!t. fvck every ref and linesman on the ice tonight responsible for that sh!t show. 

They were covering their own asses where a player got hurt because THEY DIDN'T BLOW THE WHISTLE. 

fvcking refs asleep at the wheel man. There should be jobs lost and fines levied. 

I'm pretty sure that is why Tortorella got so mad too. He was saying they missed a whistle and was using his hands to show how close the players were before the ref blew it dead and his guy didn't know he had to slow up because he didn't hear it. I would have expected Lindy to be just as enraged if a call like that went against us. Holy fvck that was dogsh!t. 

Jack let them hear it too tonight. 

"Do your fvcking job!"

Edited December 1, 2023 by RizzMB30

[Nicomo]

Apparently the underlying numbers suggest Smith had a VERY good game outside of the penalty. Too bad he had to go and kill all of the good will he had been building recently. 

Some serious Damon Severson vibes with this one. 

[moustic]

Ok oook okokok... You were right (this time : )) with Akira... He was fiiiine : )

But but but ! I was right for Alex! : ) 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

2 hours ago, devlman said:

Words cannot express how much I hate seeing Brendan Smith on the ice with his boneheaded penalties at the WORST possible times.

Nate Bastian has been invisible all year. I wish we could sit him a game.

Great performance by Schmid, Hughes, bros., McLeod. 

3 in a row. Let’s heat up this heater.

Just goes to show you that patience and letting your kids develop properly is the way to go.

Re:  Holtz, what Nicomo said…he’s doing what he’s doing in spite of the Devils, in some ways…as we all know, even Fitz admitted the Devils didn’t do a great job with him last year.

I thought he was going to have to start the season in Utica and quite possibly spend the whole year there, but it’s absolutely looking like he won’t ever see the AHL again.

I’m usually plenty patient, but with Holtz I was definitely concerned about the lack of speed (seems to be less of an issue) and his overall game sense.  Even when Jack had a tough time early, I wasn’t worried about him because I could see the talent was there…earlier on it felt like Holtz was a guy with a big shot, but not much else.  It’s great to see the rest of his game improving so drastically in such a short period of time, truly.  I absolutely had my doubts that he had that in him, and I’m so happy that he’s proving otherwise.

One last way to put it:  I expect some growing pains, but Holtz has absolutely established a new baseline.  No longer will it be “Should he really be up here with the big club?”  Now it’s “What’s his NHL ceiling?”  Kid belongs here.  Major major victory for Alex.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

6 hours ago, RizzMB30 said:

This is wild logic. So if the team has a smart coach they would always play smart?

Yeah I worded that badly, but I think a better tactician/systems coach would help the Devils stop looking so friggin’ disheveled when the other team figures out what they’re doing and applies pressure.

I’ll obviously keep taking the wins and points right now, but even with the wins over the Isles and Flyers, there’s been plenty of those “everyone running around” moments, with Lindy & Co not appearing to have any way to adjust.  Jack does a lot of bailing out…it’s so great to have him here (as well as the others who are clearly a big part of things), but I do feel like as this team tries to find higher ceilings, that Lindy’s going to get in the way, even though his players like him and do play hard for him.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Nicomo]

Watch him get more than Trouba got for chopping a guy in the head. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

2 hours ago, Nicomo said:

Watch him get more than Trouba got for chopping a guy in the head. 

Man this feels rather selective, but at the same time, Smith is incapable of not making at least one infuriatingly stupid mistake per game.  Even though the slash was retaliatory, it was still a colossally idiotic thing to do at the time.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[jagknife]

1 hour ago, Nicomo said:

Watch him get more than Trouba got for chopping a guy in the head. 

So we’ll see Nemec or Foote tonight and Sunday when he gets two games? 

The wheel of discipline surely will not be in our favor on this one for lack of being an original 6 team

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

Jack is on pace for 148 points across an 82 game season.

He still leads the league in P/G at 1.81. I hate to think what this team would look like without him.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Chimaira_Devil_#9

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

2 minutes ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

Jack is on pace for 148 points across an 82 game season.

He still leads the league in P/G at 1.81. I hate to think what this team would look like without him.

We already saw what the Devils look like with no Jack for five games…bleech.

The GWG from the Flyer standpoint…the announcer clearly knew once the Hughes bros were headed up the ice, that the Flyers were screwed heh heh:

https://twitter.com/DevilsJointX/status/1730420799591297057/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1730420799591297057&currentTweetUser=DevilsJointX

 

[MadDog2020]

7 hours ago, Nicomo said:

I actually think they handled his development pretty poorly at times tbh. Fitz basically admitted as much last season. Good on Alex though for never getting too down and actually putting in the work (skating coach, two-way play, etc) to get better. 

Bratt helped him a lot this offseason too. Kudos to Jesper.

1 hour ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

Jack is on pace for 148 points across an 82 game season.

He still leads the league in P/G at 1.81. I hate to think what this team would look like without him.

We know what this team looks like without him, and it ain’t good.

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

We already saw what the Devils look like with no Jack for five games…bleech.

The GWG from the Flyer standpoint…the announcer clearly knew once the Hughes bros were headed up the ice, that the Flyers were screwed heh heh:

https://twitter.com/DevilsJointX/status/1730420799591297057/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1730420799591297057&currentTweetUser=DevilsJointX

 

Yeah I liked that. There was an immediate sense of inevitably in his voice. Watched that back a few times.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

14 hours ago, NJDfan1711 said:

I didn't wanna muck up a GameDay thread with general convo, but since others have already kind of gone there, I guess I just want to ask what some here, since I seem to be in the minority, see in Schmid, or rather, don't see in VV?  Reason I ask is because based on last game, at least in my eyes, 3 of the 4 goals he allowed were really not his fault. Goal #1 was on the PP and the Isles had great luck movement. Hard for any goalie to stop Horvat's one-timer there. Goal #2 was a breakaway....yet again, hard to stop, the shooter always had the advantage there. Goal #3 was odd and probably weak - I'll chalk that one up as a softie that should've been stopped. Goal #4 was off a tip/deflection from a guy in front where the puck completely changed direction and VV had to desperately dive for it; literally no chance there.  Obviously 14 saves on 18 shots for a .770 sv % is awful, but I don't think it tells the whole story. Raanta let in 8 goals on 14 shots a few nights ago and I can almost guarantee at least half of them probably weren't his fault. 

I know everyone says your goalie has to bail you out every now and then, which I fully agree with and I'd say VV isn't doing that, but I wouldn't say by any means that there's a huge difference between the two goalies right now, or that one is outplaying the other by any large stretch. 

Meant to reply to this earlier.

As far as VV goes, I still don't put it ALL on him, for the reasons you stated...the Devils have made plenty of bad reads and mistakes in front of him.  I still see the Devils' problems as a bit of a three-headed monster, even in some of the wins...Lindy being unable to either make adjustments in game and/or having his team ready to play from the start, the D looking disorganized and making bad decisions (the whole team is guilty of this in its own zone far too often), and the goaltending simply not making enough "Bail his team out" saves.

My take is that I can't help but wonder how constantly giving up 3+ goals (even when it's not all on the goalie) starts to affect him...there's gotta be a bit of "Here we go again" after awhile.  I just feel like VV could use a little breather or at least become the 1B to Schmid's 1A, even if it's only temporary...maybe VV finds his game...Schmid's stopping some more pucks for the moment, so might as well roll with him, as far as giving him more starts for a bit. 

I think VV's better than what he's showed so far...maybe not quite 2022-23 good (with the extended terrific runs), but I think he could at least find his way to being the average netminder that he was with the Caps.  

[Devilsfan118]

So someone talk me out of it, because I'm finding myself souring on Bratt again.

He's just such a frustrating player. When he's on, he's dynamite, dynamic, make things happen out there every shift. But then he goes on these long streaks where he's, at best, seemingly replacement level if not worse in some games.

I just wish his floor was higher, but again maybe I'm just seeing what I want to because I've always been tough on him.

[Rob_Ottawa]

Ya Smith did have a good game, but that one retarded move was inexcusable and gave a free point to a team we are chasing

[nessus]

As far as I’m concerned, Smith needs to be out of the lineup indefinitely after that penalty at the end of the game. That is completely inexcusable. He has had his fair share of late stupid penalties, but this was another level of stupid, and shows no awareness in what was a critical part of the game. He could have very easily cost us the win there. It was overshadowed by an amazing finish by Jack and Luke, but that does not make it any better. I don’t care what the advanced stats say in this case, it could have been a regulation win without that. A win is a win, but we are trying to pass the Flyers in the standings so every point counts, including the ones we give to them. That could have easily been an OT or SO loss .

Another great game from the McLeod line. It’s crazy the strides he has taken lately. I never expected this from him. He looked like a fringe NHLer not so long ago. 
 

It was a strong showing from Holtz again. It’s so interesting how much circumstance plays a role in a player’s success. Without the Foote injury, Holtz may have had a shorter leash. And he started off the season not playing as well as he is now. If he gets scratched early on for Foote (who is not waivers exempt), we could be looking at another year wasted in the AHL. So happy for him that he has started to work out as an NHL player!

[Nicomo]

8 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

So someone talk me out of it, because I'm finding myself souring on Bratt again.

He's just such a frustrating player. When he's on, he's dynamite, dynamic, make things happen out there every shift. But then he goes on these long streaks where he's, at best, seemingly replacement level if not worse in some games.

I just wish his floor was higher, but again maybe I'm just seeing what I want to because I've always been tough on him.

He’s been kind of quiet lately, but I don’t think he’s been particularly bad. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

14 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

So someone talk me out of it, because I'm finding myself souring on Bratt again.

He's just such a frustrating player. When he's on, he's dynamite, dynamic, make things happen out there every shift. But then he goes on these long streaks where he's, at best, seemingly replacement level if not worse in some games.

I just wish his floor was higher, but again maybe I'm just seeing what I want to because I've always been tough on him.

Bratt is what he is.  He can obviously be electric and look like a guy who can finish any given season with 100+ points and be almost as dynamic as Jack, but in reality he'll be more of a 70-80 point guy (maybe he flirts with 90 here and there), with stretches where he'll look disengaged or just be kind of quiet.  But you can do a hell of a lot worse than this, really.    

Given his cap hit, I can live with what he is overall.  Just hope he can do more in the playoffs in the years to come. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Satans Hockey]

What an awesome ot play and redemption for Luke. Glad to get the 2 points and keep the winning streak going. 

That being said, Smith who is supposedly here for his veteran leadership can't take that absolutely selfish penalty that late in the game when we were already down a man. Complete nonsense by him.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Satans Hockey

[Satans Hockey]

13 hours ago, SeanMac16 said:

Omg nico laughing at the singer in Philly 🤣

 

13 hours ago, Aznjsn said:

English may not be his first language, but even Nico knew that was not great 🤣

 

13 hours ago, HughesCorporation said:

Im glad you said this, I thought it was bad too but didnt want to Diss the anthem

Holtzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Flyers have V-Tek in net, oooops 

She's been there for years and years now, I haven't heard in a long time cause they normally don't show the anthems on TV but I've never heard her sing it like that before lol 

[capo]

9 hours ago, RizzMB30 said:

Holy sh!t I just watched the LHughes hit by Hathaway. 

Good hockey hit to be frank and it pisses me off even more that the refs were so incompetent that they went to VIDEO REVIEW and deemed it a game misconduct for boarding. That's not even what the rule for boarding says and Luke barely touched the boards. They could have gotten away with roughing and said it was rough stuff after the whistle, but holy sh!t. fvck every ref and linesman on the ice tonight responsible for that sh!t show. 

They were covering their own asses where a player got hurt because THEY DIDN'T BLOW THE WHISTLE. 

fvcking refs asleep at the wheel man. There should be jobs lost and fines levied. 

I'm pretty sure that is why Tortorella got so mad too. He was saying they missed a whistle and was using his hands to show how close the players were before the ref blew it dead and his guy didn't know he had to slow up because he didn't hear it. I would have expected Lindy to be just as enraged if a call like that went against us. Holy fvck that was dogsh!t. 

Jack let them hear it too tonight. 

"Do your fvcking job!"

I think the Devils felt the same way the way they pissed away that power play.