GDT: #7 - NJ @ OTT - 3 in a row? Could it happen?

[Bleedred]

Haha wasn't baiting you, just making a Ponikarovsky joke.

I loved him 11-12, Poni version 2.0 in 2013 was a disaster though.

I think that trade would have worked out better if we had used that pick on Steve Sullivan in February, instead of Poni, Sullivan had 2 fewer points in 21 fewer games played with us that season.

I was in favor of the second Poni trade and wanted him re signed in 2012 before he left to Winnipeg, while we waited on Parise.

I just never expected him to turn into floating space junk just less than a year later. I even predicted he would be in the KHL within a year after us, he wound up not even playing another year in the league. Straight to the KHL after that, probably cause he couldn't get an NHL contract after that season because he was so horrible.

Is Ponikarovsky currently in the KHL? 8 points in 32 games last season, 15 points in 51 games the season before in 13-14. He's scored 8 goals in 83 games since leaving the NHL, I bet Kalinin had more than that in the last 2 years. Jesus Christ he sucks horribly. You would think he would have been a decent KHL player, he was as bad in the KHL as he was his last season in the NHL.

 

[Bleedred]

Meh double post, sorry I didn't realize the first post actually went through.

My computer sucks horribly, I've had 8 year old computers using windows 98 and dial up internet that were better than this year old JUNK.

 

[Chessarmy]

Gionta has been limited to the role he should be in. He made a dumb mistake last night put its really not a big deal.

It also seems that Gio is a very very good locker room and team guy which all teams need. He also shows a lot of energy every shift.

Some people take heat just because with this team.

This is preposterous. If the Devils had lost the game last night the tone around here would be much different.

Just because they found a way to rally back doesn't make Gionta's penalty any less stupid.

 

[Bleedred]

This is preposterous. If the Devils had lost the game last night the tone around here would be much different.

Just because they found a way to rally back doesn't make Gionta's penalty any less stupid.

I thought it was too, it did seem like just to kneejerk reaction though.

I don't think he's a malicious person or player, I think he just did it out of a reaction and it was a vast overreaction at that.

I've done things like that, so I can understand it. Not physically violent things, but I know I've said things to people in the past that I instantly regret or that I wouldn't have said if I had more than a second to think about it.

Doesn't make it right though, but I do understand why he did it. Not trying to justify it though. We've seen other players and even a couple of our own do things out of a reaction like that, haven't seen anything that overboard in a while though. Just a simple punch would have been a lot more understandable.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I don't think anyone thinks Gio is a dirty player or it was really malicious.

It just doesn't change the fact you flat out can't do that. It hurts the team badly (and it did, luckily the team rallied back).

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

On Gionta, fine, it's great that he is apologetic, but I would expect him to be, and it doesn't really change my opinion that he should be in the press box for a game or two, because at his age, "sorry" isn't good enough for almost costing the team the game with that undisciplined penalty that is something a hockey player just flat-out shouldn't do. I don't think we'll have this problem with Gionta again, but that isn't even the point. The point is he made a really bad judgement call there, and there are consequences for that.

He's just a fourth liner. Team has tons of those and can replace him for a game (and have proven they can win basically without him since they rallied back to win the game after Gionta was kicked out of it). He's not so essential to the team that he can't be benched to really make the point about the importance of discipline. Want discipline to continue to be an issue? Respond in a lax way to this, in my opinion.

Now I do agree with Hynes not blasting Gionta publicly in that interview when he was asked if he was angry at Gionta. That conversation can and should take place in private. Don't need to humiliate Gionta, just sit him out for a game or two.