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Devil's Woes Poll


Motorcity Devil

Devils Woes  

49 members have voted

  1. 1. Try to be objective - what is the leading cause of our recent failures?

    • Forwards are to blame, this team should be able to over come 3rd period meltdowns by scoring more goals.
      18
    • Our forwards may be struggling, but the defense is to blame as they are playing like crap. (we've scored enough if we don't go to hell late in the third!)
      7
    • The Devils are suffering from bad breaks - there's not much to say when the hockey gods plot against you.
      6
    • It's not our guys - other teams have figured us out, or just want it more.
      3
    • Our players over achieved during mid-season and now they are tired and over-matched.
      5
    • Sutter and Lou are to blame because of bad moves at the deadline, etc
      1
    • I'm the owner of a "Marty is a Fraud" blog, and the goalie is to blame - he should score more, or get shutouts every other start.
      0
    • I lost my lucky socks, underwear, etc - I'm to blame. Sorry.
      3
    • Other - comment below
      6


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I can't resist starting this poll... I have never been more frustrated as a hockey fan, but I can't help but start to think that there's more to our losing streak than just poor play on our part. Honestly, as young as our team is it's possible that our players are tired, or aren't making the adjustments needed after playing so many divisional games to have success. After further thought, they shouldn't be tired as Sutter has been responsible in his # of practices.

I'm starting to think that the reason we are losing so many divisional games, and having success against teams we see less often is that our rivals (like the Rags) have figured something out... Either they are exposing our defense, playing a better system, or plain just want it more. I just can't believe that guys like Greene and Brookbank suddenly have no talent. They've made it this far - there has to be other factors.

Don't get me wrong. If I see either of those two clowns in the street, I can't promise I would swerve to avoid them!

Edited by Motor City Devil
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Probably a combination: Bad D, streaky Offense and the refs play for the other team. But if I had to choose one, its our low-powered offense. Hoping for a gem in the offseason.
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Forwards are to blame, this team should be able to over come 3rd period meltdowns by scoring more goals.

Gionta, Langenbrunner, Zajac, Elias and Zubrus should have way more goals then what they have right now. They have all under achieved this season. It is the forwards. The defenseman have been OK for the most part of the season over achieving and Brodeur IS the reason the Devils are where they are right now in the playoffs.

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I think it's the defense, not that they are playing badly(defensively), but the fact that our D seldom contributes to offense, our vaunted transitional game of yesteryear is practically obsolete.

We don't have a PP Qb like we used to in Rafalski, and I'll give an example of how important a contributing defense is to it's offense.

When the Red Wings lost Lidstrom and to a lesser extent Rafalski, the Wings couldn't score, Datsyuk and Zetterberg were clueless, they didn't know what to do, hence the Wings lost 7 or 8 games in a row but once Lidstrom came back, all was good again.

One thing is for sure, Lidstrom will retire in a year or three at the most, when he does, The Wings will be toast.

I hope Lou addresses the need for a #1 D man in the off-season, that is WAY more important than a #1 center, but getting both would be nice.

Landing Hossa would be cool, but a real scoop would be getting someone like Campbell.

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I put the blame on the forwards. The forwards have stopped skating in third periods because we had a 1 goal lead and then when the team gets bottled up in their own end the defenseman make mistakes. Then the forwards don't do anything to get the lead back and the game is over. OR, the forwards never showed up to begin with and the Devils get shutout or barely get one before losing.

The defenseman aren't great, but they've done enough (along with Marty being brilliant) to keep the Devils' GA low.

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I agree that our forwards should be able to produce more offensively.

The blame also rests on the defense, not so much, defensively, but moreso in creating a competent transition game through the zones, and being some kind of threat on the PP in the offensive zone.

Opposing teams' defense just tight box the net to force a tunover, beacuse they are not at all intimidated by the shot from the point getting anywhere near the net! (like the Isles)

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Good point on the D, DevilinLA. The transition game has been one of NJ's biggest weaknesses. Oduya and Martin show flashes of brilliance in that respect, but they don't do it often enough. They probably both fear the wrath of the coaches if they were to get poke checked and give up an odd man rush the other way.

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Their defence is mighty smelly - but I think it all comes down to psychology at the end of the day. Seriously -- this past week or two I started to wonder if maybe Sutter wasn't listing too much to Larry. I was really hoping Sutter would get rid of this weird mindset these guys have. The attitude is part and parcel with the system and it's a fine line to tread and there's just no one who can push them to the right side of the line :noclue: Larry knows what I mean.

I call it the Casablanca Complex - you appear to be being selfless giving up the dream... but in actuality light dawns and you see your focus has been fvcked up. You lost nothing - you've gotten rid of an obstacle and get to move on with achieving your real goal... you just have to wallow and be self indulgently modest and self sacrificing - until you get sick of it and go out and get what the fvck you want! You walk away a winner all the way around seeming all noble and full of humility.

Now this wallowing part is the trap you have to avoid -- it can quickly revert to Tale of Two Cities Syndrome -- which results in having your head cut off - turning into the noble loser :puke: . There's nothing noble about losing your head. 'tis NOT a far better thing -- 'twould be better to kick some ass and take names! <_<

The Quintessential Devil must suffer the Casablanca Complex - just the mix of a winner with the modesty and with the amusement and light-hearted drama of a tormented soul. Madden = Casablanca Complex all wallowing in the crap until he saw the axe falling and got off his ass and played the best hockey he can this season - THAT is what he wants - THAT makes him feel best - I actually don't know what it was he thought he wanted. You could say captaincy but I'm not sure of that.

Edited by Pepperkorn
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I agree, we need to get one or two players that the other team is really afraid of (from a scoring stand-point). Our team is comprised of a lot of role players, and some of them have over-achieved this year. Elias is a great scorer, but not a world-class scorer. Adding one or two players of his caliber would greatly improve our offense because of the additional line combinations we could put out there.
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Obviously Brodeur just isn't the hall of fame/best goalie ever that he's been touted as for years - all those shutouts were the result of having stevens, neids, dano etc etc in front of him.

Now look at him, with a decent defense, the guy can't hold onto a shut out any longer, always giving up 1 or 2 goals a game. How the hell do you expect the devils to win if their goalie continually gives up 1 or 2 goals a game.

I'm convinced, Marty really is just your everyday way above-average goaltender that any team in the league would love to have, not some superhuman space alien that he looked like for all those years that he was setting records for most shutouts and best GAA and most games played.

Actually, I blame bobby clark for putting in the stupid trapazoid - if not for that, Brodeur would lead this team in scoring, as well as having the best gaa in the league. Come on, with his puck handling skills, 20 goals and 40 assists really wouldn't be too hard to accomplish - move over Elias, out of the way Gio, here's marty going top shelf with the game winner.

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You can' t knock a winning system. 11 years in row in the playoffs is a testament to that. I was addressing all the Patty bashers for their lack of understanding.
Edited by Motor City Devil
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