On Why The Devils Will Return To Prominence In The East Next Season

[Jerrydevil 60]

When I use to play street hockey with my friends, we used to have a lot of arguements during and after the game about who had a better Fenwick. Man those were some intense arguements.

Now THIS is a funny comment! Well done, DevsMan84.

[Triumph 1,285]

This system is a problem. Yeah, it's great to enjoy a winning season for 8 months, but it's a bitch losing in the playoffs so soon. This system drains the players during the season and they're spent when the playoffs begin. This team was particularly horrible in that they weren't very good for the second half of last season and it carried into the first half of this season. I think we need a new system in order to compete for the cup. Keeping your defensemen in center ice during the attack isn't any way to win a cup. And crunching the center zone in you own end isn't any way to get a breakout during transition. Even Denis Potvin says that it's draining to play 1 goal games every night. It takes a lot out of your players.

If you think the Devils are keeping their defensemen 'in center ice' under lemaire, you're not watching the games very closely. the Devils' d men pinch often when it's called for, some of them aggressively (tallinder and fayne).

[Jimmy Leeds 230]

If Kovy had put the puck in the net vs. Dallas instead of hitting that post and made it 3-0, I think we'd be looking at a completely different and probably playoff bound season.

Hell, if Chorske had put the puck in the net instead of hitting the post with an open goal from 6 feet out in Game 6 of the '94 ECF in period 2 when the Devs were up 2-0, they would've won the cup.....

That's is a bit more realistic then a different seasonal outcome because a post was hit in Game 1 of a regular season.

[GA Devil 2]

If anything, it would make for a good "Sliders" episode. Let's follow the alternate reality arc where Kovy scores to make it 3-0!

[Triumph 1,285]

Where do you get Fenwick/Corsi stats online? I can't find them on Google easily.

behindthenet.ca has corsi expressed in terms of discrete events per 60 minutes on the ice. so if andy greene was out for 10 shots+missed+blocked for and 9 shots+blocked+against in 60 ES minutes, he would be 1.00 corsi/60.

but i'm using timeonice.com

it's a little complicated, for example this link:

ht tp://timeonice.com/mplayershots1011.php?team=N.J&first=20000&last=21230

this (without the space) will give you the results of every devils game this year (it should take 3-5 minutes to run). the script uses boxscores from nhl.com, each have their own individual 5 digit code that can be found by clicking on the boxscore there - it's the final 5 digits of that link. so for instance the game against buffalo is game 21118.

to change what the range is, find the games in question and substitute them in for first and last - for instance, lemaire's first game was 20508, so if you wanted to just see lemaire's games, you'd use this link (without the space)

ht tp://timeonice.com/mplayershots1011.php?team=N.J&first=20508&last=21230

to see results w/ the score tied, just put the word 'tied' after mplayershots1011 - so it becomes mplayershots1011tied.php

to see other teams, substitute their 3 letter abbreviation - teams with two letters have a period in the middle (L.A, T.B, N.J), but otherwise it's pretty straightforward - i forget if washington is WAS or WSH, but the scripts will let you know.

for other years, remove the 'm' from mplayershots1011 and change the '1011' to '0910', '0809', or '0708'.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Triumph

[MantaRay 69]

Fantasy hockey statistics aside, next year is a new year and we "statistically" start from scratch.

Too many questions will remain particularly whether JL stays or not.

Right now we don't have the Forward depth to be a legit playoff team next year and our D is a work in progress.

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman 25]

Thank you so much Triumph.

[peteyvegas 7]

Sorry, Tri. I watch the games VERY closely. They rarely keep a puck from going into center ice. I constantly see opponents take the puck at the HALF BOARD and skate out. You never see that against us. They bring 4 guys into the zone when we have the puck. You and I disagree on this one, buddy.

[Triumph 1,285]

Fantasy hockey statistics aside, next year is a new year and we "statistically" start from scratch.

Too many questions will remain particularly whether JL stays or not.

Right now we don't have the Forward depth to be a legit playoff team next year and our D is a work in progress.

since lemaire took over this is the best defense in the league and the forward depth is ridiculously good.

[Devils731 36]

Sorry, Tri. I watch the games VERY closely. They rarely keep a puck from going into center ice. I constantly see opponents take the puck at the HALF BOARD and skate out. You never see that against us. They bring 4 guys into the zone when we have the puck. You and I disagree on this one, buddy.

I rarely see the Devils defenseman not pinch when I think they should. This is in contrast to Lemaire's first Devils run when defenseman would refuse to ever try and hold pucks in, no matter how obviously they could.

Salmela definitely makes bad choices and drops back too often, probably due to worry about his own defense. White and Volchenkov don't pinch much but do when it's obvious. Tallinder and Greene will get a little aggressive pinching. Fayne is very aggressive in staying in the offensive zone.

[ThreeCups 19]

Right now we don't have the Forward depth to be a legit playoff team next year and our D is a work in progress.

Parise, Zajac, Tedenby, Kovy, Elias, Josefson, Clarkson, Palmieri and Zubrus isn't enough at forward? That is a pretty damn good group of 9 right there

[MantaRay 69]

since lemaire took over this is the best defense in the league and the forward depth is ridiculously good.

It's only ridiculous if you think our forwards are good. We are last in the NHL in scoring for a reason.

Your also assuming Lemaire is back next year, which is probably at best 50/50.

Parise, Zajac, Tedenby, Kovy, Elias, Josefson, Clarkson, Palmieri and Zubrus isn't enough at forward? That is a pretty damn good group of 9 right there

Parise, Elias and Kovy are studs. Everyone else is average at best.

[DevsMan84 1,704]

Parise, Zajac, Tedenby, Kovy, Elias, Josefson, Clarkson, Palmieri and Zubrus isn't enough at forward? That is a pretty damn good group of 9 right there

I'm sorry but Palmieri and def Clarkson should not be considered that damn good. I find Clarkson to still be terrible and is laately playing well lately because he is where he should be, the 4th line.

It's only ridiculous if you think our forwards are good. We are last in the NHL in scoring for a reason.

Very true, but it is hard to guage a season where the coaching change brought a sort of Day and Night difference. I wonder how our scoring numbers would be if Lemaire was in the entire season. The only coach to really bring out the scoring in this team since 2001 was really Sutter.

[MantaRay 69]

Very true, but it is hard to guage a season where the coaching change brought a sort of Day and Night difference. I wonder how our scoring numbers would be if Lemaire was in the entire season. The only coach to really bring out the scoring in this team since 2001 was really Sutter.

regardless of Lemaire, we don't have the depth, talent or the defensemen to apply a more offensive game.

Sutter had more to work with particularly with Martin and Oduya to get the puck to our forwards.

[DevsMan84 1,704]

regardless of Lemaire, we don't have the depth, talent or the defensemen to apply a more offensive game.

Sutter had more to work with particularly with Martin and Oduya to get the puck to our forwards.

True but I never thought much of Oduya and Martin. To me they were always overrated.

[MantaRay 69]

True but I never thought much of Oduya and Martin. To me they were always overrated.

They weren't stat guys. But they were smart and subtle defensemen who could skate, stick handle or pass the puck to our forwards better than most. They kept play out of our zone and allowed the forwards to play up more instead of collapsing our defensive zone.

We don't have that type of defensemen now and it shows, particularly the first half of the season when our forwards HAD to come back to help.

[PaDevsFan 5]

It's only ridiculous if you think our forwards are good. We are last in the NHL in scoring for a reason.

Your also assuming Lemaire is back next year, which is probably at best 50/50.

Parise, Elias and Kovy are studs. Everyone else is average at best.

Zajac is better than average, and while they are young and prone to mistakes Josefson and Tedenby have improved and should only get better...

[MantaRay 69]

Zajac is better than average, and while they are young and prone to mistakes Josefson and Tedenby have improved and should only get better...

I really like Zajac, he is a solid two player who IS getting better, but I don't see him as nothing more than a #2 Center.

Josefson and Tedenby look like they will be studs in 2-3 years. But they are still learning the major league game.

Like I said the future looks bright, not it will not be for a while before we see their impact.

[Zubie#8 193]

I really like Zajac, he is a solid two player who IS getting better, but I don't see him as nothing more than a #2 Center.

Josefson and Tedenby look like they will be studs in 2-3 years. But they are still learning the major league game.

Like I said the future looks bright, not it will not be for a while before we see their impact.

You gotta get bergy in a panther uniform in your signature

Edited March 29, 2011 by Zubie#8

[MantaRay 69]

You gotta get bergy in a panther uniform in your signature

or change to Oduya.

[Devils731 36]

Oduya hasn't been good this season, just like he wasn't very good last season. Oduya has struggled this year and last to get more in the other teams zone than in his own.

Next we'll be hearing about how Cormier has really destroyed the league in his time this season.

[MantaRay 69]

Oduya hasn't been good this season, just like he wasn't very good last season. Oduya has struggled this year and last to get more in the other teams zone than in his own.

Next we'll be hearing about how Cormier has really destroyed the league in his time this season.

Oduya's play this season has more to do with playing with a struggling Eric Bogosian who is second guessing himself and forcing to many mistakes, which forces Oduya to be less aggressive offensively.

Cormier is at least three years away.

[Triumph 1,285]

Oduya's play this season has more to do with playing with a struggling Eric Bogosian who is second guessing himself and forcing to many mistakes, which forces Oduya to be less aggressive offensively.

Cormier is at least three years away.

just keep saying blabber. cormier played 21 games in the nhl this year and he will probably play 50+ next year.

oduya's play this season has more to do with him not being very good. he was never an aggressive player offensively. he's an average defender. nothing at all to be missed.

[MantaRay 69]

just keep saying blabber. cormier played 21 games in the nhl this year and he will probably play 50+ next year.

oduya's play this season has more to do with him not being very good. he was never an aggressive player offensively. he's an average defender. nothing at all to be missed.

He played 21 injury plagued games. He will be fine.

Your wrong about Oduya, just look at his numbers:

If you look at Oduya's FLAVIN during the 20 minute mark of each game, he was a +15 on the Shadobee scale and lead the league. Clearly a Norris Candidate.

[Triumph 1,285]

He played 21 injury plagued games. He will be fine.

Your wrong about Oduya, just look at his numbers:

If you look at Oduya's FLAVIN during the 20 minute mark of each game, he was a +15 on the Shadobee scale and lead the league. Clearly a Norris Candidate.

why don't we just use the numbers you do? points. oduya has a huge 29 points in his last 142 games. but clearly he's an offensive dynamo. mark fayne is probably just about as good as oduya ever was.