CaptainScotty Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Two preseason Islander rapings.... Doesnt bode well for the Devils. Somehow I think the Isles are more grittier (aside from pansy-ass Yash), and when Peca comes back thats only going to get better. Not good for us. The way they are playing, I can envision them finishing atop the Atlantic, maybe even atop the east, Devils bringing in a close second. I think its finally true, the Islanders are stocked with talent from being doormats for so long. We need a #1 center bad... Atlantic Division Predictions: Islanders Devils Pens Flyers Rangass! I think a Niedermayer for #1 center and wing should be even. Question is, what will it do to the team to see the 10year fixture on defense gone? Even though theres talent, Nieds is just a Fixture.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 I really don't think the Pens will be above the Flyers...and even the Rangers at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainScotty Posted October 6, 2002 Author Share Posted October 6, 2002 Im not so sure, especially if Daigle comes around, Lemieux plays and Kovalev signs (did he sign yet?) Im not prediciting big things for this division either, perhaps I should have put points listings as well. I think the Northeast will take over as the premier division for the east. Maybe the Isles will break 100, but not the rest of the division. I think I am one of those pessimistic Devils fans...., probably because Nieuwendyk just doesnt belong in New Jersey and he turns me off the first line altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Kovalev is signed, they are trying to get him to sign a new contract before this one is up. Mario wont play more then 60 games, and Straka is a ? I dont see Daigle having that big of an impact, i want him to suceed and get rid of that bust label, but 40 pts for him would be huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackjack Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Don't worry about the Islanders, I just came from the game and I was not impressed. I'm almost convinced that Burns had the team throw the first two periods, even Mike Danton was playing without emotion; you really had to see it to believe it. I'm not joking, the first line didn't do anything, the second line didn't do anything, the third line (Pando-Madden-Gionta) was terrible defensively and the fourth line wasn't that physical. We had 4 offensive dmen and we couldn't seem to get the puck out of our own end. But in the third period, when The Devils decided to play, they completely outclassed the Islanders, holding them to two shots and keeping the puck in the offensive end for almost the entire period, save for the odd Icing. Our puck-rushing d more than lived up to the hype, they did a terrific job of keeping the puck in the zone, rifled shots from the blueline and played fantastic defense. It really looked like the Islanders did not know what hit them in the third period. We could have easily scored 3-4 goals if not for some eye popping saves from Osgood. Consider that we had 13 shots on goal in the first two periods, and 14-15 shots on goal in the third period. The Islanders had 24 shots on goal in the first two periods, and 2 shots on goal in the third. That's how much we dominated. I have no idea why Burns did this, but there is no doubt in my mind that the players were given explicit instructions to not play hard in the first two periods. Maybe he wanted to see how the team would perform when they're down a goal or two, or maybe he wanted to keep the emotion down considering what happened in the last game. I just don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Burns had some quotes at newjerseydevils.com and he was not pleased at all with what he saw the 1st 40 minutes. So there goes the sandbagging idea. It just seemed that they didnt wanna play the first 2 periods, and then the Isles went into defense mode in the 3rd, exactly when the devils woke up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackjack Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Yeah, but it wasn't just the fact that they went on offense, it was completely different playing. They were not even hustling in the first two periods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Why would a team half-ass it in their final preseason game in front of home fans? The "real season" starts in a few days and they dogged it? I don't know if I would feel encouraged by that discovery. One thing's for sure. The Islanders haven't taken their exhibition schedule lightly. We'll find out what it means soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainScotty Posted October 6, 2002 Author Share Posted October 6, 2002 Whats to say the Isles didnt bag it for the third? After all, the game was wrapped up, no need to injure anybody before the season.... I dont know, this may be a return to last years listless devils hockey. Especially with burns saying guys cant lean on the endboards during practice, I have a hard time believing he would tank two periods worth. I hate to say it, but I think Stevens is the problem. Hes been mailing it in for a while now, and as the captain goes, the ship follows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Umm, last I checked, Stevens didn't even play this past game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilsFan Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 I totally agree with BlackJack. I was at the game too yesterday and for some reason, I felt Devils were taking it easy and looked like they did not want to get injured... Maybe, Burns did not instruct them to do so, but they might have done it on their own. When they try to score some goals in the third period, it was total domination... I hope that they really took it easy in the first two periods because they looked really lousy... Go Devils!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilsFan Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 If you look at the comments after the last game against the Islanders, Stevens said "these things will not happen in reg. season". Stevenson said "most of these players wont be in the roster come reg. season". It is pretty clear that Isles did not have a very busy off-season, their line-up is pretty much set and they just want to send a message out that they are tough.... Devils realized that in the last game and since this is the last pre-season game, they did not want to really get injured. I say this because I was at the game. Devils in third period looked very different from the team that played the first two periods. Go Devils!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 I don't see why everyone is so worried about the last PRESEASON game for god's sakes. If they lose 6-1 on Opening Day (the way they did last year) then you can start to worry a little, because if you're not ready for the first game of the year that is a legit bad sign. But I think this team should be more professional than that this year. And I'm not convinced about the Isles yet either. I have to see them win some games that count without Peca first. They do always play us well anyway even in the years they stunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddDog Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Has is right, Isles seem to have Devs number; they would beat us even when that team was pathetically sad and terrible . I really don't know why anyone gives a crap about the pre-season if you are thinking it predicts regular season. It really doesn't. For example, the Whalers had the BEST pre-season record in the NHL one yr and then managed to MISS THE PLAYOFFS . If they take off 1-2 periods come October 10th, I'll be more than a little irritated though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insanity_gallops Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 If one were to judge teams based on the preseason, then the Canadiens would be considered one of the best teams in the East, if not the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeah, I suck Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 then the Isles went into defense mode in the 3rd, exactly when the devils woke up. duh, What were the Devils doing, sleep skating? Reminds me of last season. Please don't tell me this is what we're looking foward to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackjack Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Wow, the Islanders certainly had an odd 'defense mode' considering they gave up more shots and goals in the 3rd period than the did in the rest of the game. Reminds me of last season Were you at the game? The way the Devils skated in the first two periods was very different from the frustration of last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJayDevil Posted October 6, 2002 Share Posted October 6, 2002 Yeah me and probably others have come to the conclusion that he isn't a Devs fan and just likes to say the same thing over and over again. We say something about the Devils, it's always the same answer back "Oh man, looks like the Devs are in for a long year...or...Prepare for the 2002-03 season". He's like an answer machine, same thing over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 then the Isles went into defense mode in the 3rd, exactly when the devils woke up. duh, What were the Devils doing, sleep skating? Reminds me of last season. Please don't tell me this is what we're looking foward to. Kd if you have a problem with what i say, or how i act on the boards, bring it up on a pm. Otherwise, cut the sh!t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeah, I suck Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 then the Isles went into defense mode in the 3rd, exactly when the devils woke up. duh, What were the Devils doing, sleep skating? Reminds me of last season. Please don't tell me this is what we're looking foward to. Kd if you have a problem with what i say, or how i act on the boards, bring it up on a pm. Otherwise, cut the sh!t. I have nothing personal against you Sarge, I was just commenting on what you said, cause it is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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