GDT: Game One: Flyers at Devils 04/14/2010 7:30 PM

[HadesPride]

You're a moron. Score was only 2-1? Flyers should have won by much more? Flyers had a whole 14 shots on goal, and their two goals were very opportunistic - a skate deflection on the 1st goal, and a borderline too many men on the ice with the 2nd. Devils had literally 0 puck luck in this game aside from the 1 goal they scored. Granted, we didn't play our best game and a lot of players were pressing, but we definitely outchanced and outplayed the Flyers for a large part of the game.

No need for name calling; I agree with your basic point although I do think the Flyers should have won by more given the difficulties we had on our offense. Flyers got lucky and we didn't...to a certain extent you make your own luck. The Flyers focused big time on defense to shut us down and it was working. That's smart hockey. Why focus on offense when the other team is having trouble scoring.

But my basic point was, maybe not stated so eloquently, was that I'm not too disappointed with the game. As I said, the drive is there. They have the skill level. I think the guys just need to calm down and focus. We only lost by one. That gives me hope that this series is far from over.

[cubanjd305]

No need for name calling; I agree with your basic point although I do think the Flyers should have won by more given the difficulties we had on our offense. Flyers got lucky and we didn't...to a certain extent you make your own luck. The Flyers focused big time on defense to shut us down and it was working. That's smart hockey. Why focus on offense when the other team is having trouble scoring.

But my basic point was, maybe not stated so eloquently, was that I'm not too disappointed with the game. As I said, the drive is there. They have the skill level. I think the guys just need to calm down and focus. We only lost by one. That gives me hope that this series is far from over.

Honestly, how has that worked in 2010?

[Pepperkorn]

Mmmmm -- I think I'll pass judgement on a game by game basis, myself.

They have to know no fear. You need that rare individual totally focused in time. Most people arent. They live their lives in a sort of temporal blur around a point where their body actually is - anticipating the future, or holding onto the past, so busy thinking about what happens next that the only time they ever find out what is happening now is when they come to look back on it.

I have this for whoever knows where I got that from!

Edited April 15, 2010 by Pepperkorn

[DevilNurn]

I'm really glad I didn't come on here and see a bunch of topics on why they're done. Because the Devils are not. They didn't turn over and let this one happen. There's a lot of things to look at and say "hey it didn't work out" but there were a lot of things that really did work for the Devils but the finish wasn't there.

First, negatives:

1) The Flyers played a strategy that worked. I wouldn't say it was their forecheck, but I noticed a bunch of times they were firing long shots in, not dump-ins. Obviously the Richards one scored, but they know that the Devils relish on short shots/dekes and rely on turnovers to get their offense. The Flyers recognized that and using long shots instead of dump-ins or breakaways, they caught the defense out of their element. Their goals were mostly lucky but I'm talking about non-goal plays.

2) Boucher stood tall. I wouldn't say he played extraordinarily well, but more that the Devils made him look great. That is, a lot of shots at the pads. It sounds elementary but they weren't shooting high, and Boucher's a goalie you have to shoot high on. He had one good glove save but he had trouble with another that was high. The Devils didn't even take many shots at his crest, which I feel he would have bobbled too.

3) The Flyers were way more physical. Every time a Devil had the puck, either zone, there was 1.5 Flyers on him (one directly and one who left position just in case). When a Flyer had the puck, the Devils mostly laid off and anticipated the pass or the shot. To the Devils' credit, this usually worked, but you can't win games like that. Pronger had the unfortunate presence everyone talked about.

4) The power play. We knew this would be key because the Flyers take a lot of penalties and we couldn't capitalize. It had nothing to do with Boucher, he stopped 1-2 shots on each one, and there were no really good chances on the PP.

Positives:

1) Kovalchuk, Parise and company did what they're supposed to do. Kovalchuk had some great chances. He didn't capitalize (obviously), but he's no Joe Thornton. Kovalchuk, Parise, Elias and Zubrus were playing at a torrid pace, especially in the 2nd and 3rd periods. The defense couldn't keep up (with the exception of Greene). But neither could the Flyers. If we use that speed to our advantage, the Devils could negate the physical advantage that the Flyers have.

2) Brodeur had a good game. He made some key stops. He stopped the shots he should've. He didn't look tired. He got beat a couple times, and arguable a third time (the shot off the post), but he kept the Devils in it. If you have Clemmer in that game, it's 5-1.

3) The line juggling worked. Clarkson being on 1st and 3rd lines, Zajac switching between 1 and 2, Langenbrunner on 1, 2 and 3...I could hardly keep track. And I have a feeling that the Flyers couldn't either.

4) The PK. The PP left a LOT to be desired, but that first power kill for the Devils was extremely well played and even the later ones were. Yes, they got scored on (a garbage goal, they happen), but I saw some players play well in the PK that hadn't before. Langenbrunner, Rolston, even Niedermayer. Skoula played well on the PK as well.

Good games:

Brodeur, Kovalchuk, Zubrus, Zajac, Niedermayer, Parise, Skoula, Greene, Martin, Elias

Not-so-good Games:

Langenbrunner, Clarkson

Anyone else I didn't mention I'd say was average.

All in all, I'd say this is what we expected. It's gonna be a tough series and whichever team gets out of it is going to feel it. But since tonight's game was close I don't think there's anything unexpected or worrying about tonight's effort. Give the boys a few days to look at the tape and figure out how to break Philly's forecheck and the goals will come. Still say Devils in 6.

Edited April 15, 2010 by DevilNurn

[sundstrom]

Like I said before, it's Lemaire's series to lose. He's off to a start.

i'm so on board with this comment. game one of the playoffs is no time to tinker with the lines and leaving clarkson (who i generally like) w/ parise and zajac was a fvcking anchor for the first two periods. surprisingly, i had no other issues with frenchie mcgenius tonight. minor quibble is that line 4 went out after both goals but that's really looking for something for the sake of looking.

anything less than a top 6 of parise-zajac-langenbrunner-elias-kovalchuk-zubrus has simply no defense. NONE

They lost this game by not winning the 1st period, and because of the same things that gives you the feeling this team wasn't doing anything as far back as February.

The PP sucks. It's sucked all season and it isn't going to improve enough to be a weapon now.

i actually think they played well in the first. if by "win the period" you mean "score more goals" well, that's something else. but the devils did lots right in the first even with clarkson holding back parise and zajac.

the PP had their chances early and didn't cash in - more a case of the flyers pk being very good - which it was. the devils weren't formulaic and didn't stand still. philly just played it really well.

i'm disappointed - really. but again - the devils owned carolina game one last year to the point that we didn't think the canes would "win a period". and look how that turned out. game 2 is always pivotal. win and you're square. lose and you're out. the devils did plenty tonight to win. they just didn't.

[dejaentendu2101]

Does Kovy not move around a lot on the PP like he did in Atlanta?

[Amberite]

No need for name calling; I agree with your basic point although I do think the Flyers should have won by more given the difficulties we had on our offense. Flyers got lucky and we didn't...to a certain extent you make your own luck. The Flyers focused big time on defense to shut us down and it was working. That's smart hockey. Why focus on offense when the other team is having trouble scoring.

But my basic point was, maybe not stated so eloquently, was that I'm not too disappointed with the game. As I said, the drive is there. They have the skill level. I think the guys just need to calm down and focus. We only lost by one. That gives me hope that this series is far from over.

You are contradicting yourself. You're saying you agree about the fact that the Flyers had almost no scoring chances in this game and very few shots, plus you acknowledge that the 2 goals they got were lucky / opportunistic, and finally you say they didn't have to play offense in this game and just focus on defense, but yet they should have had more goals? How does that make any sense?

What the Flyers were doing was not smart hockey. I should know, since the Devils play the exact same brand of hockey in many 3rd periods after getting a 1 goal lead, and it usually comes back to bite us in the ass at which we point we have to play scrambly hockey in the end of the game to get our lead back. The Flyers sitting back for most of this game and letting us come at them is playing with fire. It is absolute dumb luck, plus terrible puck luck on our end, that won the Flyers this game.

[devilsfan26]

Honestly, how has that worked in 2010?

Yea fo serious! Second place is disgraceful!

[Devils731]

Tough game. Devils pretty much out everything'ed the Flyers except in goals. Devils were the better team tonight but the better team doesn't every time. Play like this on Friday and I think we'll all be cheering a win.

[Jerrydevil]

It is absolute dumb luck, plus terrible puck luck on our end, that won the Flyers this game.

I just can't take any solace in that, and I won't look at it that way anyway. Your luck is my squandered opportunity.

[UnderDogX]

Rolston should never play another game in a Devils' sweater...period.

[Triumph]

Tough game. Devils pretty much out everything'ed the Flyers except in goals. Devils were the better team tonight but the better team doesn't every time. Play like this on Friday and I think we'll all be cheering a win.

power play has to get better though, real tough to score 3 even strength goals.

[bdubdevs]

Throughout the regular season, anytime we had a tough loss where we outplayed the other team but just somehow ended up on the losing end, I was okay with it. As long as we looked good. But now we're in the playoffs. Every game is huge, and there's not enough time to just say, "Hey, we were the better team, we'll get the next one." Because if we lose Friday night while outplaying them again, great for being the better team two games in a row, too bad we're not going to advance to the second round.

I still feel after tonight's game that we will take this series in 6 or 7, but we can't settle for the morale boost of "Don't worry, we played great." We need to win, end of story. Because while we certainly outplayed them tonight, I think we'd all trade "being the better team" for being up 1-0 in the series in half a second.

[HellOnICE]

Three things I don't understand.

Clarkson on the top line.

Martin and Greene together.

Our Powerless Play.

Someone take Rolston out back.

[hit the post]

Not worried too much, Brian Boucher will not have this luck all series. Devils in 6.

Thank you...a voice of reason......most here thought we were going to sweep them I guess.

[sundstrom]

Three things I don't understand.

Clarkson on the top line.

Martin and Greene together.

Our Powerless Play.

Someone take Rolston out back.

i already stated my disgust w/ clarkson on line one.

i'm not going to go crazy w/ martin and greene - the d pairs were switched a bunch tonight. i was fine with them.

PP had some chances - and philly was good.

rolston had no bearing on tonight good or bad which i will take every game in the playoffs. sure he played a little PP time and didn't keep the puck in once but kovalchuk did that too so whatever. rolston's issue will come after july 1 if/when he prohibits other moves from being made.

[HellOnICE]

Another thing - If Zharkov is healthy enough - I'd like to see him in for Leblond. Leblond really has no place.

I disagree about Rolston sundstrom - he was a fvcking abomination.

[95Crash]

rolston had no bearing on tonight good or bad which i will take every game in the playoffs.

Except for that little love tap he gave to Pronger's back immediately before Chris banked one off of him and past Marty

I know, you meant on offense.

Edited April 15, 2010 by 95Crash

[Cowutopia]

Can we just talk about how awful Mike Mottau is for a minute?

And Zharkov should be in for Rolston, not Leblond.

[cubanjd305]

Three things I don't understand.

Clarkson on the top line.

Martin and Greene together.

Our Powerless Play.

Someone take Rolston out back.

[HellOnICE]

I would have no problem if Zharkov was in for Rolston either. In fact that what I said first, but I don't see it happening.

[sundstrom]

Another thing - If Zharkov is healthy enough - I'd like to see him in for Leblond. Leblond really has no place.

I disagree about Rolston sundstrom - he was a fvcking abomination.

also thought leblond was fine and don't think zharkov brings anything more. perhaps different, but not more. the 4th line actually played fine tonight.

Except for that little love tap he gave to Pronger's back immediately before Chris banked one off of him and past Marty

I know, you meant on offense.

meh - who's gonna bury him there? will langenbrunner? neidermayer? zajac? that's a penalty every time and the devils just don't do that. and its not like chris pronger is a willow out there. there's a reason he's in front of the net - you just can't move him that easily.

look - i HATE brian rolston. but i'm not looking at him as a reason for tonight's outcome.

[maxpower]

Haven't seen that game before. kinda a cross between Rangers '08 and the Sens series.

I know you can say "they won't get that lucky", "we'll play better", etc. but there's two options here... the Flyers played a pretty "meh" game. now, they can either play much, much better than that (period 1 vs. the Rangers on Sunday, for example)... or they're gassed. better hope it's 2.

Edited April 15, 2010 by maxpower

[Cowutopia]

Mike Mottau was the direct cause of three chances and numerous failed clears.

[msweet]

my 2 cents:

Rolston was brutal.

Greene and Elias were our best players tonight.

PP: Replace Rolston with Andy Greene... get Kovy away from point.

Top lines needs to be:

Parise-Zajac-Zubrus

Kovy-Elias-Langs

The remaining 6 players were bad tonight. McAmmond-Pelley-Clarkson is all we've got. Dump the other 3 (PL3, Nieds, and Rolston)

Skoula-Salvador were scary and Skoula's turnover after he was exhausted and Salavdor standing still on the 2nd goal was hard to watch.

With these defensive parings I think Fraser should play instead of Skoula.

At home we need to try and get Greene-Martin out there with the top lines. Too may times in the O-zone and the d-pairing is a lame Skoula-Salvador

More pucks to the net. Too many, "he shoots wide"

all in all if Genius Lemaire can make some minor adjustments we can beat this team.

Still haven't won 3 in a row since December.