GDT: #19 There Will Be Blood: Devils @ Oilers, 9 PM, MSG+2

[John Pedro]

Our best scorers are all very streaky players. Hynes continue to waste PPs with four and five forwards. Worst bottom 6 in the league.

Just a bubble team not good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough to get a good draft pick.

 

[Uli Hiemer]

Well yesterday sucked....back to reality with this team.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Even when the team was good, this trip always gave them trouble.

 

[JimEIV]

Our best scorers are all very streaky players. Hynes continue to waste PPs with four and five forwards. Worst bottom 6 in the league.

Just a bubble team not good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough to get a good draft pick.

It's still pretty early. I watch teams like the Islanders, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Boston this season and I don't see anything overwhelming better. I think the east is pretty wide open.

The bottom 6 is an issue. But I don't think it will remain this way much longer. Elias can and probably will change everything. Add we are probably getting very close to seeing a call-up or two in the next month or so.

A call up may or may not perform but it should certainly lite a fire under someone's but who's job will be in jeopardy...and that is a good thing.

 

[NJDevils#4]

My assessment so far this season:

Quality coaching
Good, solid starting goaltending
Poor backup goaltending
Up-and-down defensive effort, but encouraging moments
Sparks of good offense
Reaffirmed belief in management
Youthful excitement beginning to take shape

however, at the end of the day, not enough offensive firepower and lack of experience and defensive prowess on defense. That's really what it comes down to.

Still, that's a hell of a lot more than I expected this year, so for that.

 

[Uli Hiemer]

Per TG:

The Devils dropped to 3-12-3 in the Western Canadian cities (Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg) since 2011-12.

 

[britdevil]

First back to back loss since October and people are back to trashing the team.

Remember, we aren't supposed to be very good this year...

 

[JimEIV]

My assessment so far this season:

Quality coaching
Good, solid starting goaltending
Poor backup goaltending
Up-and-down defensive effort, but encouraging moments
Sparks of good offense
Reaffirmed belief in management
Youthful excitement beginning to take shape

however, at the end of the day, not enough offensive firepower and lack of experience and defensive prowess on defense. That's really what it comes down to.

Still, that's a hell of a lot more than I expected this year, so for that.

I'd say the jury is still very much out on the coaching. Management as well.

I don't see the youthful excitement. I see veterans doing all of the scoring and heavy lifting.

I see Moore as a bad addition and a very weak defender that is taking important development time from both Severson and Merrill and he is not as good as either right now.

I see sticking with O'Neill an absolutely terrible decision and forcing Josefson into a role he can't fulfill is even a worse decison.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Our best scorers are all very streaky players. Hynes continue to waste PPs with four and five forwards. Worst bottom 6 in the league.

Just a bubble team not good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough to get a good draft pick.

Bottom 6 will be fine when Elias and Ruutu return and with the potential signing of Kennedy. Once Elias comes back, O'Neill is out of the lineup and people will get bumped down a line. Having a fourth line with guys like Tootoo, Gionta, and Ruutu/Kennedy will be serviceable.

 

[Cheddabombs]

My assessment so far this season:

Quality coaching
Good, solid starting goaltending
Poor backup goaltending
Up-and-down defensive effort, but encouraging moments
Sparks of good offense
Reaffirmed belief in management
Youthful excitement beginning to take shape

however, at the end of the day, not enough offensive firepower and lack of experience and defensive prowess on defense. That's really what it comes down to.

Still, that's a hell of a lot more than I expected this year, so for that.

I'd say the jury is still very much out on the coaching. Management as well.

I don't see the youthful excitement. I see veterans doing all of the scoring and heavy lifting.

I see Moore as a bad addition and a very weak defender that is taking important development time from both Severson and Merrill and he is not as good as either right now.

I see sticking with O'Neill an absolutely terrible decision and forcing Josefson into a role he can't fulfill is even a worse decison.

Aha

Two types of fans I guess.

 

[JimEIV]

First back to back loss since October and people are back to trashing the team.

Remember, we aren't supposed to be very good this year...

I like the team. I think it's better than anyone was willing to give them credit for.

I'm very suspicious of some of the coaching decisions right now. Both tactical and personnel decisions.

As a rule I've always waited 40 games before commenting on a new coach but some stuff seems weird to me from this staff.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Development time? Moore is 14 months older than Merrill is and is quite simply the better player. Moore has better possession numbers across the board, is logging more ice time despite being less sheltered, and has actually registered points this season.

Merrill has not been good for a while, we need to face the facts.

 

[JimEIV]

Development time? Moore is 14 months older than Merrill is and is quite simply the better player. Moore has better possession numbers across the board, is logging more ice time despite being less sheltered, and has actually registered points this season.

Merrill has not been good for a while, we need to face the facts.

Possession is the only truth in your statement and I'm not digging up the numbers again go read the Calgary thread Moore is our worst defender by a country mile. He is terrible.

 

[Unknown Caller]

I'd say the jury is still very much out on the coaching. Management as well.

I don't see the youthful excitement. I see veterans doing all of the scoring and heavy lifting.

I see Moore as a bad addition and a very weak defender that is taking important development time from both Severson and Merrill and he is not as good as either right now.

I see sticking with O'Neill an absolutely terrible decision and forcing Josefson into a role he can't fulfill is even a worse decison.

Really? What veterans, Cammalleri and Zajac? Henrique is 25 years old and Palmieri is 24, so I think they're far from veterans. Kalinin has been solid so far, he's only 24. Severson is 21, Larsson is 23, Merrill is 23, Moore is 25. What veterans are doing "all of the scoring and heavy lifting?"

There are obviously guys putting up points like Stempniak, but (a) he's not doing heavy lifting and (b) he was specifically brought in to bridge the gap for young guys like Blandisi, Quenneville, and Zacha, who management doesn't want to rush.

Bottom line is you're going to jump on management the minute the team hits a bump in the road because they replaced the guy you loyally supported for 30 years.

 

[JimEIV]

Really? What veterans, Cammalleri and Zajac? Henrique is 25 years old and Palmieri is 24, so I think they're far from veterans. Kalinin has been solid so far, he's only 24. Severson is 21, Larsson is 23, Merrill is 23, Moore is 25. What veterans are doing "all of the scoring and heavy lifting?"

There are obviously guys putting up points like Stempniak, but (a) he's not doing heavy lifting and (b) he was specifically brought in to bridge the gap for young guys like Blandisi, Quenneville, and Zacha, who management doesn't want to rush.

Bottom line is you're going to jump on management the minute the team hits a bump in the road because they replaced the guy you loyally supported for 30 years.

Cammalleri, Zajac, Henrique Stempniak and Palmieri are 100% of the devils scoring that is not youthful sorry.

And Andy Greene IS doing ALL of the heavy lifting on the back end again not youthful. It's nice that there are younger players on the roster but the team is being carried by veterans. No maybes here.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Really it was Edmonton's go ahead goal in the second period, their game winner, that turned this entire thing around. And then us failing to score on the 5 on 3. Where we got some good looks.

On that go ahead goal, I did think our goaltender was overcommitted to his left, beyond the crease at about 10:30 hours imagining center ice to be high noon - and then he took a very poor path across his crease. When the puck went across the ice, instead of pushing hard immediately for the right goal post, he circled the top of the crease and never got there.

He didn't read the play and his positioning was poor. But the defense also let the puck cross the ice badda bing badda boom to a wide open wing on the back of the play.

To be honest, to win any game the Devils need outstanding goal tending. If our goalies give up anything soft we will seldom be in a game. That's just the nature of our club at this point in the rebuild. But I don't mean to say that was a soft goal either. But we didn't get top goalie play last night and that was a big reason we got down so far.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Cammalleri, Zajac, Henrique Stempniak and Palmieri are 100% of the devils scoring that is not youthful sorry.

And Andy Greene IS doing ALL of the heavy lifting on the back end again not youthful. It's nice that there are younger players on the roster but the team is being carried by veterans. No maybes here.

So, Larsson is doing nothing to contribute? He's just riding the coattails of Greene and playing average hockey at best? Because if that's the case then I need to get myself checked for glasses because that's the farthest thing from what I've watched this season.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Cammalleri, Zajac, Henrique Stempniak and Palmieri are 100% of the devils scoring that is not youthful sorry.

And Andy Greene IS doing ALL of the heavy lifting on the back end again not youthful. It's nice that there are younger players on the roster but the team is being carried by veterans. No maybes here.

Henrique and Palmieri aren't youthful? What exactly qualifies as youthful?

 

[JimEIV]

Henrique and Palmieri aren't youthful? What exactly qualifies as youthful?

I don't really consider 5th year players 25/26 years old, drafted going on 7 years ago youthful, do you? That is is middle-aged in hockey life. But I don't want to get into semantics most of the critical elements of this team are established players.

 

[JimEIV]

So, Larsson is doing nothing to contribute? He's just riding the coattails of Greene and playing average hockey at best? Because if that's the case then I need to get myself checked for glasses because that's the farthest thing from what I've watched this season.

You know that is not what I'm saying. Well, not totally, my previous statement may have implied that...but Andy Greene has been the anchor of the entire defense for more than three years now. It hasn't mattered if it was Fayne, Severson or Larsson riding shotgun the performance has been the same.

 

[Cheddabombs]

You know that is not what I'm saying. Well, not totally, my previous statement may have implied that...but Andy Greene has been the anchor of the entire defense for more than three years now. It hasn't mattered if it was Fayne, Severson or Larsson riding shotgun the performance has been the same.

I didn't know what you were saying, I mean saying Greene has done "ALL" the heavy lifting certainly seems indicative of otherwise. I can get on board with that last statement, but this season it has been the Greene AND Larsson show on defense. Both of them have played great, it's not one of them carrying the load.

 

[Unknown Caller]

I don't really consider 5th year players 25/26 years old, drafted going on 7 years ago youthful, do you? That is is middle-aged in hockey life. But I don't want to get into semantics most of the critical elements of this team are established players.

For starters, Henrique is 25 and Palmieri is 24. I definitely consider them to be young players. Almost nobody plays in the league at 18 or 19 years old, so essentially your definition of a young player is only 20-23 years of age?

 

[JimEIV]

I didn't know what you were saying, I mean saying Greene has done "ALL" the heavy lifting certainly seems indicative of otherwise. I can get on board with that last statement, but this season it has been the Greene AND Larsson show on defense. Both of them have played great, it's not one of them carrying the load.

I'm honestly not trying to diminish anyone, but let's be honest, Andy is the glue that is holding this entire defense together.

You think if we're replace Greene on that top pairing with any other left handed dman we have it looks the same?

You think Larsson can anchor the the top pairing right now without Greene?

Again, I'm not trying to take away from any of our younger defensemen's progress just let's give credit where credit is due. Andy Greene is a rock.

 

[JimEIV]

For starters, Henrique is 25 and Palmieri is 24. I definitely consider them to be young players. Almost nobody plays in the league at 18 or 19 years old, so essentially your definition of a young player is only 20-23 years of age?

Both of their birthday's are in 3 months. They will be 25 and 26 in February. Not really young.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

We still need a very good pick this year. And hopefully Zacha, JQ & Blandisi are ready to contribute next season. At least two of the three.