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Where do we go from here


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I was going top comment on the poor play from last night, but that has been done ad naseum

I was going to comment on Marty's whinning, but that's been said

I let a night's sleep (or lack there of pass) before I gave my small rant.

..and Sutter wake up.... it's not 2-2 because your team is playing well...

The good thing that came out of that game last night was Clarkson and Shanny's goal, the continued stellar play of Gionta and the haunts that the Canes will feel. They played their best game of the season, lost a 3 goal lead and got lucky to win. That will be in their heads too.

So let's put the first 4 behind us, it is now a 3 game series with 2 at the Rock. Let's look forward at what the Devils need to do and correct.

1. Zubrus. Ironically this was an early season debate where I took the position he is a good player and should get many more minutes than Clarkson. I am thinking Clarkson last night won himself some more TOI. Zubrus is a complete mismatch for Elias. Elias is like 3 days ahead of him of the ice and they have no chemistry whatsoever. Can we end this line? And let's get Clarkson some more offensive minutes.

2. The second PP is more effective than the first. Let's switch some players or change our strategy on the 1st

3. Havelid Sucks. Sorry he just does in the "new" NHL. Can't hit the net with his weak shot and has trouble clearing the zone particularly with Salvador in there. Salvador is good in our own zone but can not get out or generate any offense.

4. Rolston needs to f-ing bury the biscuit for his $5M salary (and 4 more years!). Making one good play where he finally delivers a good check and we score is not going to earn him any kudos from me.

5. Broduer: You are the best f-ing goalie in history aren't you? Time to steal at least 1 of the next 3. Do you want your 2009 playoff highlight to be you whinning and throwing a stick tantrum? Cause right now it is the only interesting thing you've done while wearing goalie pads this playoff season.

6. Can we find away to utilize Shanny better than have him check? Maybe form a 3rd scoring line? He spends most of the game (outside the 2nd pp unit) never getting to launch his shot as he plays the Madden-Pandolfo no-offense game

7. Madden and Pandolfo.... series would be over without them... what a surprise. The Devils have regressed to the 2007 and 2008 teams + Parise and Zajac.

ok so moving forward the issues for us are we need to move some d-pairs around to improve our breakout and we need to find more than one line that can score or at least be a threat

Forward lines:

Parise-Zajac-Gionta (Gionta and Langs similar players.... Gionta has been our best player)

Elias-Madden-Shanny (3 reallys smart players with vision and a center who can win a faceoff... Let Elias set up Shanahan... this line will match Brindamor)

Rolston-Zubrus-Clarkson (Ironically I have been watching Rolston and Zubrus play similar up-down games and both will fair better against the other team's 3rd lines)

Pando-Rupp-Holik ( Pando might get lucky out there... he'll be the fastest skater on a 4th line)

pk

Madden-Pando

Elias-Shanny

Zajac-Gionta

pp1 Martin Parise Zajac Elias Clarkson

pp2 Mottau Rolston Shanny Gionta Holik (ok Zubrus if we must) (I hate Havelid on the pp)

D-pairs

Martin-Salvador

White-Mottau

Oduya-Havelid/Greene

This allows Oduya to rush the puck more and will help all 3 pairs with their break out

Does Sutter have the b-lls to mix up the team with series tied 2-2 and home court advantage?

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Putting Elias with Madden and Shanny would be the death of of him. Elias needs a play maker not 2 old slowpokes. I'd like to see Parise - Zajac - Elias (which ever winger is more comfortable switching) and trying an all eggs in one basket approach for the whole game. Rolston Zubrus and Gio could be our second line, but I wouldn't be expecting much offense from them or the other two.

Parise and Elias are the only players we have who can consistently score, but by themselves or with dead weight on their lines they don't get the puck enough or aren't in ideal shooting lanes when they do. As for why they don't click on the power play I don't know, but it's been atrocious in the playoffs anyway and was mediocre during the season. lets just hope the canes stay out of the box :lol:

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elias has had a bad series - he is still injured. i'm not expecting anything out of him - if gionta or zubrus can set him up, great, but if not, i don't think he makes any goals all by his lonesome.

the madden line has been too successful to break up, and shanahan is much slower than dainius zubrus - i like him as an x-factor on the madden line.

if i'm sutter i'm not making any changes. yeah the team came out bad - it sucks. i don't think it means carolina figured the team out.

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I didnt think Marty was whining,in fact i thought he was pretty contrite and calm in interviews after the game.

Whats the status with Langs ??????????

I meant whinning by throwing his stick after giving up a bad goal

Jamioe has apparently an injured knee and tomorrow would be very optimistic fro him to play

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1. Zubrus. Ironically this was an early season debate where I took the position he is a good player and should get many more minutes than Clarkson. I am thinking Clarkson last night won himself some more TOI. Zubrus is a complete mismatch for Elias. Elias is like 3 days ahead of him of the ice and they have no chemistry whatsoever. Can we end this line? And let's get Clarkson some more offensive minutes.

I can

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it's been my experience that I lose it most when I'm mad at myself.

I think that is what caused Brodeur to slam his stick on the boards.

Hopefully he channels that energy into a stellar Game 5 performance.

Our # 30 has to be # 1 tomorrow night

yeah he gave up 4 goals, 2 with possible interference, but he still kept them in that game, the shorthanded attempt that he stop when it was 3-1??

Without Marty that game would have been over right there, that would have been 4-1. And he was pissed at the ref's. Every year its the same thing, they let contact go until someone complains then calls it tightly for a few games. That inconsistency is what frustrates people including Marty. Both instances have been called at different points during the season but not this past game. Granted other factors could have prevented both goals.

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People are mad at Marty because of him losing it after that goal. But I'm actually glad we've seen some frustration from him. You watched these videos on YouTube with Roy torturing the pipes of a goal with his stick after allowing a goal on a penalty shot. Or that guy throwing stuff and hitting the glass with his stick in the AHL after the refs fvcked him twice in the shootout. I used to think Marty is too calm and he should do this kind of stuff sometimes when he's frustrated, it shows his passion.

Someone stated in another thread that Brodeur plays his best when he's pissed. I'm not too sure about it, still having the last year's Rangers series in mind and seeing Marty not being able to play well with Avery in his head. But I hope this is a different thing. Remember how Roy responded after playing poorly in game 5 of the 2001 finals. He brought his A+ game the next to match-ups and ended up allowing just one goal in games 6 in 7. I believe Marty is capable of doing the same and he will be at his best tomorrow in Newark.

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yeah he gave up 4 goals, 2 with possible interference, but he still kept them in that game, the shorthanded attempt that he stop when it was 3-1??

He kept us in the game when we were down 3-1, but he was one of the key reasons why we were down 3-1 in the first place. He was giving up horrible rebounds on weak shots

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We have to get into Cam Ward's face like they do Marty. Ward has gotten it too easy and the only one who's been doing it right is Clarkson, parking in front on him. If they are going to pull this crap on us, we have to do the same. Screen him, get in his way, and occasionally fall on him.

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We have to get into Cam Ward's face like they do Marty. Ward has gotten it too easy and the only one who's been doing it right is Clarkson, parking in front on him. If they are going to pull this crap on us, we have to do the same. Screen him, get in his way, and occasionally fall on him.

Whatever, however. Just score more than them. I don't care if it's on goalie screens, finishing odd-man rushes, tic-tac-toe passing on the power play ... just beat this gnat of a team.

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Our D has largely been sh!t with the exception of some excellent play by Oduya and Martin. Brodeur should have never had to make that save in the last second of the game, nor should the Devils yet again have been playing "sit back and wait for overtime" hockey after quite literally shelling the Blowicanes in the 3rd period. Put your boot on their throat and finish the job in regulation. But no, we tied it up and then sat back and waited for the game to end.

The real problem now is, other than yet another inexplicably poor effort by a team that is trying to win a playoff series, we have again been bitten by the injury bug. It started with Weekes and now has hit Elias, Langenbrunner and Salvador. Even if we survive this series, we are in trouble unless these guys all have a major bounce back.

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Our D has largely been sh!t with the exception of some excellent play by Oduya and Martin. Brodeur should have never had to make that save in the last second of the game, nor should the Devils yet again have been playing "sit back and wait for overtime" hockey after quite literally shelling the Blowicanes in the 3rd period. Put your boot on their throat and finish the job in regulation. But no, we tied it up and then sat back and waited for the game to end.

The real problem now is, other than yet another inexplicably poor effort by a team that is trying to win a playoff series, we have again been bitten by the injury bug. It started with Weekes and now has hit Elias, Langenbrunner and Salvador. Even if we survive this series, we are in trouble unless these guys all have a major bounce back.

That's what I don't get about this team- there seems to be a lack of killer instinct. It's almost like they have multiple personalities. It was the same in game 3- the whole 3rd period they sat around and let Carolina take the play to them. Then they come out in the OT and blow right over them. In the game 2 OT, they also just sat back and let Carolina go after them. It's really getting on my nerves. Hit the gas, and don't let up until the 'Canes are roadkill. When are they going to figure out that these passive streaks within games are costing them? If we do survive this series and have to play Pittsburgh or Washington in the next round, this type of on-again/off-again attitude will get us bounced in 5 games.

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Our D has largely been sh!t with the exception of some excellent play by Oduya and Martin.

I can't say I agree with you. What happened yesterday is coloring your opinion of the whole series. I think you need to include White and Mottau as defensemen who have played pretty well, for the most part. That's what I see, anyway.

Havelid and Salvador, not as much. But not atrocious (except for 40 minutes yesterday ... the whole team was bad in that stretch).

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You're right, he doesn't react well to it. That's whay every team we play consistently does it- they know it gets him off his game. The unfortunate thing is since the lockout ended and the rules changed, defensemen can't clear the crease anymore or they get called for cross-checking, interference, or whatever stupid call a ref feels like making. The NHL has to do a better job of protecting the goaltenders, and this has been a major issue in the post-lockout NHL. The goaltenders are basically left to fend for themselves because their defensemen can't do it for them anymore. It sucks, but it's the reality of the "new" NHL.

I hear what you're saying.

And it's not only Marty who sometimes doesn't handle adversity well. Our entire defense has a major problem. They friggin panic under pressure almost every time, and it will only get harder for them in the second round whether we play Pittsburgh or Washington.

Someone get Lou on the horn and tell him to get Larry Robinson into practice pronto! Someone needs to school these guys on how to calmly move the puck out of our own zone!

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You can play musical chairs with the lines all you want. It won't fix the fact that we are weak at center. There's no fixing that hole. I'm just thankful, and surprised, that the Madden line has played so well through four games and that the penalty killing has rebounded.

I can't agree more with this. This really hurts Patty and Gio the most. Add the fact that are defense has come back down to earth and aside from a few is playing pretty ordinary at best. I am really disappointed with Havelid's play. I knew he was not going to add a ton of offense, but I thought he would be alot more steady in our zone. I still think this series is ours to win if the Devils prove they want to and play a 60 minute hockey game.

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I hear what you're saying.

And it's not only Marty who sometimes doesn't handle adversity well. Our entire defense has a major problem. They friggin panic under pressure almost every time, and it will only get harder for them in the second round whether we play Pittsburgh or Washington.

Someone get Lou on the horn and tell him to get Larry Robinson into practice pronto! Someone needs to school these guys on how to calmly move the puck out of our own zone!

Oh God, I don't even wanna think about how those teams would make us pay for some of these mistakes. Of course, we have to get there first to even start thinking about it.

I can't agree more with this. This really hurts Patty and Gio the most. Add the fact that are defense has come back down to earth and aside from a few is playing pretty ordinary at best. I am really disappointed with Havelid's play. I knew he was not going to add a ton of offense, but I thought he would be alot more steady in our zone. I still think this series is ours to win if the Devils prove they want to and play a 60 minute hockey game.

I'm still trying to figure out how Havelid was a plus player on that awful Atlanta team. It's mystifying.

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