Undersold Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 We all know how a hot goalie can steal a series for a team. Hell, we've seen it with this exact same team a few seasons ago (hello, Kevin Weekes). And Ward's being pumped up to be this amazing fearless kid who came out of nowhere to be the next great young Canadian goalie. But not so fast. Ward, although he played really well against Montreal, won't look nearly as great as he did in that series. For one, the Habs' offense compared to New Jersey's (especially the one we've seen during the winning streak) is nowhere near as explosive, especially after they lost Koivu. So he will be tested more often and with better chances, and it'll be interesting to see how he deals with it. I actually wouldn't be surprised too much if we saw Gerber back in net sometime this series (he should be in better shape by now too). When you compare the teams as a whole, even if we give the Canes' offense the benefit of the doubt and say they can keep up with the Devils, it comes down to Marty vs. Cam Ward. We definitely shouldn't take Carolina and Ward lightly, but you have to take a step back and realize that New Jersey is the better team as it stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anhkheg Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 I am not as worried about Canes goal tending as I am about their ability to shut down lines and generate offense, on PP and PK included. I think we will figure Cam Ward, but Canes can sereiously trouble us in our own zone, unlike the Rangers who rely solely on Jagr being on the ice, this is an altogether different matchup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hattrick Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 (edited) No concern here. Not yet, anyway. This sought of reminds a little like the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals against Jiggy. He was hot, also, but the Devils took care of business. Edited May 4, 2006 by hattrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 About as much as Rhodes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOULAM1 Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 NO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbdf Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 unfortunately the devils have made a habit out of making unknown goalies look like superstars - I can't count how many different penguins goalies they've made look like the next great goalie, and weekes, jeez, that still irritates me. moreso than the goalie, i am worried about the canes offense - they're no one trick pony - sure, we need to "pandolfo" staal, but they've got more offense after that kid. And, they play defense - not just play lip-service to defense like the rangers do, they actually do play defense, they clog up the neutral zone in order to neutralize their opponents speed and not allow a guy like gomez to skate in and set up shop. This is going to be a long, tough series. Oh, and even if ward falters, their "backup" goalie didn't have such a bad season until games 1 and 2 of the first round too. Can't wait for Saturday afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogonjdevil Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 I think Cam Ward is gonna be much more scared of Marty than the Devs are gonna be of Cam Ward. It's amazing to me how much the press is now building him up and talking about the Canes amazing 4 wins in a row. Did everyone forget the 15 IN A ROW the Devils have? Just bizarre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaRay Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 No. Gio is going to have a big series because he will cause havoc that Ward did not see againinst Montreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostondevil11 Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Every goalie scares me until the Devils beat them 4 times and move on to the next scary goalie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masked Fan Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chort Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 i remember like yesterday when quite a few of the posters here argued that Weeks was the real thing......and that he was a future HOF goalie. my position was always that he just "got lucky" at the right time. Where is he now? do not fear Cam Ward................... nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 my position was always that he just "got lucky" at the right time. Where is he now? We've had a history of bad goalies "getting lucky". The more unknown/uncelebrated the goaltender, the more useless we have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 (edited) Weekes had the talent to become a starter but he just can't seem to stay focused. He lets in too many weak goals, but he still makes lots of saves other goalies don't. Damian Rhodes - okay, he just sucked, but it didn't help that we had Elias and Sykora as healthy scratches when Scott Daniels got to play, and Ottawa got a ton of help from the refs in that series. I think everyone forgets the fluky goalies we dominated too easily - Brian Boucher, Johan Hedberg, Blaine Lacher, etc. etc. This whole uncelebrated goalie thing is nonsense. Edited May 4, 2006 by Triumph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section 110 Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 their ability to roll lines on a par with (or better than) any team in the league concerns me much more than the goalie. The additions of Weight and Recchi make them much deeper than ever before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exit56 Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 I like it when the devils play scared and just let loose.. it's more exciting, like the last game of the regular season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorcity Devil Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 (edited) Not scared... Cam Ward is not (yet) a starting NHL goalie. He may be some day, but he isn't today. I've played goalie at various levels all my life - but never as a starter. One thing to remember is that there is a monumental difference (mentally) being a back-up versus a starter. In round 1, Ward had NOTHING to lose. If he wins four games, he's a hero... If he loses, then it's "good try, better luck next year". As a starter, there is a big difference in responsibilities and how you approach the game. Very few goalies have ever made that transition. As much as I loved Glen Healy, he couldn't even do it. We have two examples of that this year: Manny Legace, and the kid from Nashville. Career back ups, pressed into starter duties and couldn't make the adjustment. Some of the key differences are subtle, but to a goalie it can be a heavy load to carry. When you are standing at your own net (alone), a lot of things go through your head. In a back-up role, there is less pressure because you're "cleaning up someone else's mess". As a starter, there is a different set of expectations placed on you from the staff and other players. We'll see what happens when the first few goals are scored - if he hangs his head and lays on the ice like Manny did in Detroit - you know he's not ready. I think Ward is going to show up at the rink, see Marty at the other end... and sh!t himself. (Seriously) I just hope he thinks he has to out play Marty to win. If that happens we've all ready won. Edited May 4, 2006 by Motor City Devil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njdevil26 Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 yeah i was at the game vs. atlanta in december where atlanta won 1-0 ... devils didnt play bad at all... but this garnett kid that was in goal (who we will probably never see again) stood on his head... i think like three different goalies from atlanta beat us this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Fan Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 habs did not create any traffic in front of him and that is why he can make tons of saves. But we have a lot of crease-crashers and he is beatable, just like giguere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaRay Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 "unfortunately the devils have made a habit out of making unknown goalies look like superstars - I can't count how many different penguins goalies they've made look like the next great goalie, and weekes, jeez, that still irritates me." I don't think this apply's to this years squad. For the first time --ever--- we actually have a potent PP. I have never seen a Devils team move the puck and just play with such patience and confidence with the extra skater. Its pleasure to finally see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threestars Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 habs did not create any traffic in front of him and that is why he can make tons of saves. But we have a lot of crease-crashers and he is beatable, just like giguere. I have to agree. That is something I noticed, it just stood out as being odd. The Habs players didn't seem to be hanging out in front of Ward, even on the PP. Have they not heard of screening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils26 Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 There's probably a Hurricanes board where there is a thread just like this and everyone is scared of OUR goaltender. Going by purely the stats, Marty had a better GAA at 1, to Cam Ward's 1.54. He also has a better save % at .965 to Ward's .940. If there's a goaltender that can shut another team down and steal the series almost by himself, it's the one between the pipes on our end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 There's probably a Hurricanes board.... I tried to find one and all I came up with was this: http://www.angelfire.com/sports/nocanes/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyDevil86 Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 I tried to find one and all I came up with was this: http://www.angelfire.com/sports/nocanes/ http://www.letsgocanes.com/forum/index.php Someone over at letsgocanes.com created this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Hrm. Yes. They do not appear to be, uhm, "scared" of Brodeur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils26 Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Hrm. Yes. They do not appear to be, uhm, "scared" of Brodeur. I have confidence that after a few games of this series they will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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