GDT: New York @ New Jersey

[Devils01]

nice win devils!

clemmer was da bomb great to see him play well

[brodeurrocks]

Clemmer and Zajac looked great. Good game team.

Yeah, Clemmer looked pretty solid....Zajac was good and it was nice to see the PP click better tonight.

[DEVILS>Rangers]

that was win numero 1/8

[maltieri]

All..check out www.channelsurfing.net I was able to watch the whole game with Doc and Chico.

[Triumph]

Didn't like much of what I saw out of tonight's bunch. I mean, Parise is a great scorer, but besides that -

Salmela was surprisingly physical. As an offensive player he didn't do much though.

Fedorov has a ton of skills but he's just not good at the simple play - I don't think he's going to make it, honestly. A worthwhile gamble, but he's not consistent enough on the top two lines, and on the bottom two lines he's just an oddity. It'd be nice if he could go to Lowell and score 25 goals but I don't see it. There's a lot of Viktor Kozlov in this one - it's not so much a lack of effort as it is a lack of focus. At one point on the PP, Vrana made a pass to where Fedorov should've been, but he was in no-man's land instead, and the Rangers cleared the puck.

Clarkson seemed to repeat all his problems of last year - foolishness in not getting the puck deep, selfishness with the puck, selfishness in taking an instigator penalty. I suspect he is not long for the 3rd line.

Andy Greene didn't show me anything he hadn't shown last year. There's plenty of time for him to demonstrate otherwise, though.

Edited September 25, 2008 by Triumph

[Prucenterrules]

Great win by the Devils. This should help their confidence beating the rags. Great goals by Parise and what a shot by Lags. Like several of you have said Clemmer and Zajac played great as well. It sucks the Devs aren't on tv again till Saturday.

[Cowutopia]

Didn't like much of what I saw out of tonight's bunch. I mean, Parise is a great scorer, but besides that -

Salmela was surprisingly physical. As an offensive player he didn't do much though.

Fedorov has a ton of skills but he's just not good at the simple play - I don't think he's going to make it, honestly. A worthwhile gamble, but he's not consistent enough on the top two lines, and on the bottom two lines he's just an oddity. It'd be nice if he could go to Lowell and score 25 goals but I don't see it. There's a lot of Viktor Kozlov in this one - it's not so much a lack of effort as it is a lack of focus. At one point on the PP, Vrana made a pass to where Fedorov should've been, but he was in no-man's land instead, and the Rangers cleared the puck.

Clarkson seemed to repeat all his problems of last year - foolishness in not getting the puck deep, selfishness with the puck, selfishness in taking an instigator penalty. I suspect he is not long for the 3rd line.

Andy Greene didn't show me anything he hadn't shown last year. There's plenty of time for him to demonstrate otherwise, though.

I agree with most of this. Salmela was very physical, you could tell he was trying hard, but he is definitely not ready for the major leagues when you look at his gaffes and missed checks, and sometimes he just looked confused or panicky when play happened around the net. I'd extend his preseason more though, he is promising. Reward his effort.

Clarkson...yeah. I'll repeat what I said up there, he just pisses me off, especially when he tries to get fancy. He ought to the spot all the guys are fighting for...I just don't quite know which of the forwards chomping at the bit will fit into the checking line. I don't really like Zubrus on that line either.

Greene looked faster, actually. But not smarter.

Fedorov...that's a good way to put it. He's got physical skills but doesn't look like he can put them together with consistent effort and hockey sense to become a complete player. He looks like a guy that has rightly been in and out of the NHL. You can tell a guy to work harder but you can't make him smarter. There's still hope for him...but he's 27 so his window of opportunity is closing.

I don't know though..the vets looked great. Madden/Pando looked great. Zajac played better than he has in the past. Parise was a monster. Langs is...Langs. He looks like Langs. So when you say "this group" I hope you mean just the rooks.

[westcoastdevfan]

and capt. pessimistic has entered the building....

but, seriously...these guys are trying to prove themselves. I liked the wat Federov looked and skated. I guess for me it's more about the effort then the result, especially in pre-season.

[95Crash]

Hopefully someday the Devils won't have to share their preseason broadcasts with other announcers. It was hard for me to concentrate fully on the action with Doc, Chico and Maloney yapping all game long. Next time I'll just turn the sound down.

[Triumph]

and capt. pessimistic has entered the building....

but, seriously...these guys are trying to prove themselves. I liked the wat Federov looked and skated. I guess for me it's more about the effort then the result, especially in pre-season.

Well, I mean, they won. And yeah, Fedorov is competing, but he lacks a certain something. There's some guys who just have a ton of skill and yet it never translates into goals and assists at the NHL level.

We'll see, I hope he sticks around because he's fun to watch and root for, if not here than in Lowell.

[HockeyR53]

Am I the only who thought Parise was playing a lot more physical? He had a couple huge hits.One in the first period caused a turnover and led to a 3 on 1.

I like Parise more and more everyday.

[westcoastdevfan]

Well, I mean, they won. And yeah, Fedorov is competing, but he lacks a certain something.

The Devils are made up of a cast of players that lack that certain something. What I like about Federov is that he obviously has the potential to be very good. A coach like Sutter should be able to wrangle those skills in a make him a productive player. I would much rather watch Federov play then suffer through another 500 missed opportunities by less skilled regulars on the Devils.

Edited September 25, 2008 by westcoastdevfan

[devilsfan26]

Am I the only who thought Parise was playing a lot more physical? He had a couple huge hits.One in the first period caused a turnover and led to a 3 on 1.

I like Parise more and more everyday.

Definitely, he is the man. I'm not sure how he played against the Flyers since I missed that one, but if he keeps this up throughout the season, he will be a serious force.

[TrentonPwnedFlorida]

Definitely, he is the man. I'm not sure how he played against the Flyers since I missed that one, but if he keeps this up throughout the season, he will be a serious force.

That line wasnt in the lineup for the flyers game.

[Sarge18]

Federov has shown what has really kept him out of the nhl, its not his skill set or his work ethic anymore. He is just not a system player, he does too much on his own and doesnt play within the framework of a 5 man unit. I feel that over the course of the 2 games that bergfors and vrana have been the more impressive of that line.

Vrana is largely in the right position all the time, he has shown a lot of hockey smarts. Tonight he looked more comfortable, was skating better and had more play with the puck on his stick.

But it was Bergfors that looked like the waterbug out there, he was keeping his feet moving and engaging the puck carrier at both ends of the ice. I was impressed to see his awareness to assume the center defensive spot when he was the first guy back to the zone, and he held his own doing it. He was also a lot more active along the boards and going to the net than i thought he would be, i came across with a strong impression that he isnt going to shy away from traffic at all. Looked a little like Zach his rookie year.

The forwards are making a pretty good case that Mike Rupp is not going to have much of a role or job with this team. Honestly id like to see a 4th line with Vrana/ Holik/ Clarkson. A strong veteran presence with two young forwards, on a pretty balanced line, Vrana can play the speed aspect to help compliment the two bigger guys, and he has enough heft with him that he wont have to get knocked around as much. It also gives the two big guys a faster guy who can carry the puck through the neutral zone for them. Just an idea if we want to play with a real 4th line that can play a role beyond banging this year.

The thing that most impressed me was how well Martin and Salvador worked together, despite not being a pair but for 5 days. Sutter seems to have been right when he thought that the styles would really compliment one another.

Salmela was doing his best to play some hard nosed hockey, but i got the feeling that it doesnt come all that natural too him, i would like to have seen him be more comfortable with the puck on his stick, though i see he could take a guy like Mottau's job with a good camp, but I dont see mikes job as anything close to safe.

Ulimately i think one of the goals of camp is to find Oduya a new partner, if Sutter is serious about this martin Salvador and White Mottau pairs, it means we need a steady partner of Johnny, and it seems pretty obvious that the coach is letting these guys find out who that is going to be by their play

[HockeyR53]

Definitely, he is the man. I'm not sure how he played against the Flyers since I missed that one, but if he keeps this up throughout the season, he will be a serious force.

I too missed the Flyer's Game; I live in CT and only get MSG so I only see em when they play the Rags for preseason.

Not only do I hope Parise does good cuz' I'm a Devils Fan but because he is on both my fantasy teams

[westcoastdevfan]

I really think for the Devils to make any strides this year they need to infuse some of the young offensive talent. the mentioned line or Vrana/Holik/Clarkson might be just what we need. I'm tired of watching the same players fail year after year. Let some new blood in there Brent!

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

I will talk about one player, Petr Vrana. Most of his best plays aren't noticed by many other then the coach. He thinks the game at a high level which makes it easier for a smaller player like himself to compete, Halischuk has that same hockey smarts. Petr Vrana is lightning quick and his smart positional play allows for his teamates to get open easier and get rewarded. He is an easy player for two others to play with on the ice, he makes their game simple. Add to the fast that he is a good playmaker and lightning fast. It reminds me of Martin Straka, one of the better complimentary players of the last decade. The only problem I see is that he is pretty small and can be handled by a bigger center. I think his intelligence level is high enough to play right wing or left wing and I would like to see him out with Elias and Rolston on the right side for a preseason game.

[Triumph]

Solid post, Sarge. Of course I agree about Vrana/Holik/Clarkson. Vrana has looked good out there. I wasn't too impressed with Bergfors tonight but you noticed more about his game than I did, that's for sure.

I think the White and Mottau pairing was a disaster and should be broken up ASAP, but if that's what Sutter is set on - there's no way Mottau deserves more minutes than Oduya based on last year's play.

I swear, if the three extras on this team are Pelley, Rupp, and Brookbank, I'm going to be very upset.

[DevilinLA]

Solid post, Sarge. Of course I agree about Vrana/Holik/Clarkson. Vrana has looked good out there. I wasn't too impressed with Bergfors tonight but you noticed more about his game than I did, that's for sure.

I think the White and Mottau pairing was a disaster and should be broken up ASAP, but if that's what Sutter is set on - there's no way Mottau deserves more minutes than Oduya based on last year's play.

I swear, if the three extras on this team are Pelley, Rupp, and Brookbank, I'm going to be very upset.

I agree.

OK Tri (and others) - so who's yoru 3 picks then?

In the other thread you(and others) extolled the necessisity of Mike Rupp in the lineup to take on the heavies.

Personally, for forwards I think Sarge is right:

1.) Vrana/Holik/Clarkson is a winning deal so far.

The burning questions:

2.) I just want to see what Pelley's got once and for all to end this issue, is he another Madden (of a sort)?

3.) Can Bergfors be molded to a top 6, 'cause he'll be wasted on the 4th.

4.) The "new" defense is a crapshoot of consistency so far....

Edited September 25, 2008 by DevilinLA

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

This is where the problem comes in, someone has to play on that checking line. From what we seen Gionta and Langenbrunner are capable but being used on the top 2 lines. Maybe trying Bergfors on that line is the next step. I for one do not like the prospects of using a rookie of the checking line.

Edited September 25, 2008 by Jas0nMacIsaac

[Sarge18]

Solid post, Sarge. Of course I agree about Vrana/Holik/Clarkson. Vrana has looked good out there. I wasn't too impressed with Bergfors tonight but you noticed more about his game than I did, that's for sure.

I think the White and Mottau pairing was a disaster and should be broken up ASAP, but if that's what Sutter is set on - there's no way Mottau deserves more minutes than Oduya based on last year's play.

I swear, if the three extras on this team are Pelley, Rupp, and Brookbank, I'm going to be very upset.

Im about as big of a detractor of Mottau as there is on this board, and id love to see him be replaced asap, his footspeed is a disaster, and being paired with White makes it that much worse. However i dont think we see two rookies in the lineup this year, given that someone is taking the probable spot on oduya's side. Right now from what i know about Johnny and what ive seen from the others( and 1 game for everyone isnt fair at all) maybe its salmela's style that will best fit. They both seem capable of playing an all round game. We dont have an extra stay at home guy to play in this spot, but if Salmela can stay solid in his own end while improving his puck moving at the nhl level it seems like the logical place to put him.

This leaves it up to Andy Greene to elevate his play to a level that could knock Mottau from the lineup, he is the logical compliment to Whites style, but still has a lot to prove this year, and its going to take a pretty good performance to take his spot back.

If they knock mottau out of the lineup, he probably becomes the number 7 with Brookbank being waved. It seemed the general consensus after the Flyers game was that Corrente and Eckford both need ahl time, but everyone was fighting off some nerves that night.

Tri the one thing that really stood out about both Bergfors and Vrana was how well they moved the puck in the offensive zone, both on the powerplay and at even strength. They both played a good cycle game despite their size by using speed, and once they had room they both made good decisions with the puck. Im not quite sure if Bergfors is ready as he doesnt appear to be able to play anything but a scoring line role, but hes damn close. He probably starts the year in the AHL, but has definately shown he deserves a good look. Its not due to anything spectacular, but by playing the type of solid all around game that the organization desires from all its players.

[maxpower]

Federov has shown what has really kept him out of the nhl, its not his skill set or his work ethic anymore. He is just not a system player, he does too much on his own and doesnt play within the framework of a 5 man unit. I feel that over the course of the 2 games that bergfors and vrana have been the more impressive of that line.

Vrana is largely in the right position all the time, he has shown a lot of hockey smarts. Tonight he looked more comfortable, was skating better and had more play with the puck on his stick.

But it was Bergfors that looked like the waterbug out there, he was keeping his feet moving and engaging the puck carrier at both ends of the ice. I was impressed to see his awareness to assume the center defensive spot when he was the first guy back to the zone, and he held his own doing it. He was also a lot more active along the boards and going to the net than i thought he would be, i came across with a strong impression that he isnt going to shy away from traffic at all. Looked a little like Zach his rookie year.

The forwards are making a pretty good case that Mike Rupp is not going to have much of a role or job with this team. Honestly id like to see a 4th line with Vrana/ Holik/ Clarkson. A strong veteran presence with two young forwards, on a pretty balanced line, Vrana can play the speed aspect to help compliment the two bigger guys, and he has enough heft with him that he wont have to get knocked around as much. It also gives the two big guys a faster guy who can carry the puck through the neutral zone for them. Just an idea if we want to play with a real 4th line that can play a role beyond banging this year.

The thing that most impressed me was how well Martin and Salvador worked together, despite not being a pair but for 5 days. Sutter seems to have been right when he thought that the styles would really compliment one another.

Salmela was doing his best to play some hard nosed hockey, but i got the feeling that it doesnt come all that natural too him, i would like to have seen him be more comfortable with the puck on his stick, though i see he could take a guy like Mottau's job with a good camp, but I dont see mikes job as anything close to safe.

Ulimately i think one of the goals of camp is to find Oduya a new partner, if Sutter is serious about this martin Salvador and White Mottau pairs, it means we need a steady partner of Johnny, and it seems pretty obvious that the coach is letting these guys find out who that is going to be by their play

I agree with your assessment of Federov 4,000%. From what I saw tonight, I will be shocked if he makes the team, because although he has the skill level and the energy to play here, he does so many little things during a game that are going to make Sutter seethe.

[Triumph]

This is where the problem comes in, someone has to play on that checking line. From what we seen Gionta and Langenbrunner are capable but being used on the top 2 lines. Maybe trying Bergfors on that line is the next step.

Nah, c'mon, Bergfors and Vrana can't both make the team without a deal being made.

Actually, lol, DevinLA, those would be my extras, the ones I just said were horrible. I'd send Fedorov down or waive him or let him go back to Russia. Salmela and Corrente would be sent down too.

Sarge, I don't see why Mottau out of the lineup demands 2 rookies in - put Corrente or Salmela in, move Brookbank to the minors, profit.

This would give you:

Salvador-Martin

White-Oduya

Salmela-Greene

Edited September 25, 2008 by Triumph

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

I agree with your assessment of Federov 4,000%. From what I saw tonight, I will be shocked if he makes the team, because although he has the skill level and the energy to play here, he does so many little things during a game that are going to make Sutter seethe.

Sutter mentioned that yesterday, so many bad habbits to break. If Fedorov agree's to play as a 13th or 14th forward he may get better with time but I don't believe Fedorov's ego will allow that.

I know two rookies will not make the team unless they wow the socks off both Sutter and Lou but if Gionta continues to be average why not move him to clear cap space and try two rookies. Then again that certainly isn't a Lou type move.