GDT: Devils @ Hurricanes 7PM, MSGSN - Dano Loves You

[Bcap88]

If Sullivan were to get canned that would be my choice

 

[devilsblood]

Just do it over

I’m at the point where I just think it’s best to change the coach if we miss the playoffs. The Rangers are on their third head coach since Ruff was hired. The Flyers are on their second non-interim. The Capitals are on their third. The f***in Islanders are on their third. The f***in Jackets are also on their third (really their fourth lol but he didn’t even make it to coach a single practice) since Ruff was hired. Looks like number four (technical five) will be there next year when the assured regime change happens.

Only the Canes and Pens haven’t made a coaching change since Ruff was hired. The Pens just had their first playoff miss under that coach last year. The Canes have yet to have a playoff miss.

It’s really getting to be about that time.

There couldn’t have been too many people who weren’t shocked he survived 21-22 and you can’t tell me Fitz didn’t have his finger on the button during the 1st intermission of game 3 of last season.

And those teams have won what exactly?

 

[JK3]

I'd love to see a pre-Dougie injury and post-Dougie injury breakdown of the PP...we went from like 40% early to 0% the last month lol

Yeah the PP was insanely hot to start the season but it’s been just as cold for a while now. Somehow they’re 9th overall now.

I don’t think it’s really cost them many games at all but tonight was one of them for sure.

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

Santeri Hatakka is going to bolster our D and turn our season around. I loved the hit on Myles Wood the other night along with the stellar defensive play.

 

[JimEIV]

I don’t buy the D needing more maturity when the 2 guys who need to be better the most are 26 and have been great in the past. Luke and Nemec are already at minimum really good. Sure they’ll get even better but they’re already good enough. They are also having to carry a heavier load than they should with Siegs and Dougie out. If those 2 are healthy and Marino/Siegs didn’t suck there’s no reason a D group of Luke, Dougie, Siegs, Nemec, Marino, Miller couldn’t be a contending group.

I also don’t really buy needing more forwards. We don’t really need anyone of consequence that couldn’t be had for a mid round pick or something. Haula should be the 3C but Lindy is seemingly allergic to keeping him there. It’s not a matter of more forwards. It’s a matter of the forwards we have playing up to snuff. Our highest paid forward should not be one of our worst forwards. Mercer needs to be better. Jack needs to get back to being Jack. I don’t see how a top 9 of Bratt, Jack, Nico, Holtz, Toffoli, Mercer, Meier, Palat, Haula isn’t a talented enough top 9. Lazar’s great. Nosek is fine. Nate’s fell off this year. We don’t need more than a depth add up front. It’s not a personnel issue.

I just completely disagree on the D. They pinch at bad times, they get too high in their own zone and lose forwards underneath regularly. They hesitate in coverage often. There was a sequence tonight where Nemec was down right lost. Their play isn't crisp, it's just not. Luke is better than Nemec as far as polish goes... but Luke is soft on the puck carrier and his coverage is very loose. Yes they are talented but their games need a lot of cleaning up. Bahl needs more time than the other two

On the forwards I don't think Toffolli is a long term solution. I appreciate his goal scoring ability very much but I don't think he fits here with his lack of speed. We have two centers and Bratt and Timo. I'm not sure there is another legitimate top 6 winger after those two.
Mercer? Jury is still out... I don't think Palat is a legitimate top 6 winger either.

Nosek also is not a long term solution he's not bad as a fill in but I don't see him bringing much of anything.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Santeri Hatakka is going to bolster our D and turn our season around. I loved the hit on Myles Wood the other night along with the stellar defensive play.

The Church of Santeri?

 

[Bleedred]

And those teams have won what exactly?

Fair point, but still doesn’t change things for me.

The Rangers also made a GM change in there and hired a pretty overrated head coach, who I think we all thought was better than he really is, who also doesn’t last much more than two years anywhere in Gallant.

Furthermore, my point wasn’t that coaching changes made those teams better, as much Ruff has been here a while. Nor really long, but certainly long enough to wonder how much longer is long enough?

 

[njdevils1982]

The Church of Santeri?

some kind of drinking church please.

 

[billingtons ghost]

People underestimated how good of a roster it was to have Damon f***ing Severson as your 3RD, they also got super lucky with injuries last year for the most part. It was a pretty charmed season in that regard.

This. And it's because Marino/Graves was rock solid, and Hamilton/Siegs was rock solid.

Right now we do not have one rock solid defensive pairing.

 

[Devs3cups]

I just completely disagree on the D. They pinch at bad times, they get too high in their own zone and lose forwards underneath regularly. They hesitate in coverage often. There was a sequence tonight where Nemec was down right lost. Their play isn't crisp, it's just not. Luke is better than Nemec as far as polish goes... but Luke is soft on the puck carrier and his coverage is very loose. Yes they are talented but their games need a lot of cleaning up. Bahl needs more time than the other two

On the forwards I don't think Toffolli is a long term solution. I appreciate his goal scoring ability very much but I don't think he fits here with his lack of speed. We have two centers and Bratt and Timo. I'm not sure there is another legitimate top 6 winger after those two.
Mercer? Jury is still out... I don't think Palat is a legitimate top 6 winger either.

Nosek also is not a long term solution he's not bad as a fill in but I don't see him bringing much of anything.

Nemec seems way more polished to me. But, growing pains with both these guys is to be expected. I'll say I've been happy with their play generally and I've been pleasantly surprised.

Lucky to have those two moving forward though. Looking like absolute studs on D for years to come.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I don’t buy the D needing more maturity when the 2 guys who need to be better the most are 26 and have been great in the past. Luke and Nemec are already at minimum really good. Sure they’ll get even better but they’re already good enough. They are also having to carry a heavier load than they should with Siegs and Dougie out. If those 2 are healthy and Marino/Siegs didn’t suck there’s no reason a D group of Luke, Dougie, Siegs, Nemec, Marino, Miller couldn’t be a contending group.

I also don’t really buy needing more forwards. We don’t really need anyone of consequence that couldn’t be had for a mid round pick or something. Haula should be the 3C but Lindy is seemingly allergic to keeping him there. It’s not a matter of more forwards. It’s a matter of the forwards we have playing up to snuff. Our highest paid forward should not be one of our worst forwards. Mercer needs to be better. Jack needs to get back to being Jack. I don’t see how a top 9 of Bratt, Jack, Nico, Holtz, Toffoli, Mercer, Meier, Palat, Haula isn’t a talented enough top 9. Lazar’s great. Nosek is fine. Nate’s fell off this year. We don’t need more than a depth add up front. It’s not a personnel issue.

Marino needs a partner to depend upon to play his game - especially if he's top pairing. When Fitz stole this guy he was 3rd pairing and having troube staying in the lineup.

Nemec/Hughes are super talented - more talented than Sevs/Graves - but they aren't seasoned and they make rookie plays, including losing their check, reversing the puck blindly.

They are far more settled and calm than we had any reason to believe they'd be at this point - but let's be clear, at this point - they are barely NHL third pairing defensemen at this point on any team, much less one trying to do damage in the playoffs. Smith and Miller are actual 3rd pairing defensemen but not on a good team.

You could say any defense group could be a 'contending' group - but for what?

I don't even want to think about comparing them to Carolina's d corps - that's just unfair - but the team that is blowing things up had Hanifan, Weegar, Tanev, and Anderson - and each one of those guys is better than anything we have in our own zone even with a healthy squad, and that should say enough.

 

[My3Sons]

Marino needs a partner to depend upon to play his game - especially if he's top pairing. When Fitz stole this guy he was 3rd pairing and having troube staying in the lineup.

Nemec/Hughes are super talented - more talented than Sevs/Graves - but they aren't seasoned and they make rookie plays, including losing their check, reversing the puck blindly.

They are far more settled and calm than we had any reason to believe they'd be at this point - but let's be clear, at this point - they are barely NHL third pairing defensemen at this point on any team, much less one trying to do damage in the playoffs. Smith and Miller are actual 3rd pairing defensemen but not on a good team.

You could say any defense group could be a 'contending' group - but for what?

I don't even want to think about comparing them to Carolina's d corps - that's just unfair - but the team that is blowing things up had Hanifan, Weegar, Tanev, and Anderson - and each one of those guys is better than anything we have in our own zone even with a healthy squad, and that should say enough.

Nemec looks better to me than a third pairing defender even if Luke is still prone to some rookie gaffes.

 

[njdevils1982]

Marino needs a partner to depend upon to play his game - especially if he's top pairing. When Fitz stole this guy he was 3rd pairing and having troube staying in the lineup.

Nemec/Hughes are super talented - more talented than Sevs/Graves - but they aren't seasoned and they make rookie plays, including losing their check, reversing the puck blindly.

They are far more settled and calm than we had any reason to believe they'd be at this point - but let's be clear, at this point - they are barely NHL third pairing defensemen at this point on any team, much less one trying to do damage in the playoffs. Smith and Miller are actual 3rd pairing defensemen but not on a good team.

You could say any defense group could be a 'contending' group - but for what?

I don't even want to think about comparing them to Carolina's d corps - that's just unfair - but the team that is blowing things up had Hanifan, Weegar, Tanev, and Anderson - and each one of those guys is better than anything we have in our own zone even with a healthy squad, and that should say enough.

they do play calm

 

[JimEIV]

Nemec seems way more polished to me. But, growing pains with both these guys is to be expected. I'll say I've been happy with their play generally and I've been pleasantly surprised.

Lucky to have those two moving forward though. Looking like absolute studs on D for years to come.

Nemec is just a smarter player but his game isn't as advanced as Luke's. Luke sees the ice much better and his feet open up a lot more opportunities for him at both ends of ice.

They're both great young players with fantastic futures...but right now, they not quite their yet..if we are talking about competing for a Stanley Cup, their play is nowhere near that level right now...if I was going to sit one out for the playoffs for a more veteran presence right now it would be 100% Nemec. I think his game is a little further behind both Bahl and Luke.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I just completely disagree on the D. They pinch at bad times, they get too high in their own zone and lose forwards underneath regularly. They hesitate in coverage often. There was a sequence tonight where Nemec was down right lost. Their play isn't crisp, it's just not. Luke is better than Nemec as far as polish goes... but Luke is soft on the puck carrier and his coverage is very loose. Yes they are talented but their games need a lot of cleaning up. Bahl needs more time than the other two

On the forwards I don't think Toffolli is a long term solution. I appreciate his goal scoring ability very much but I don't think he fits here with his lack of speed. We have two centers and Bratt and Timo. I'm not sure there is another legitimate top 6 winger after those two.
Mercer? Jury is still out... I don't think Palat is a legitimate top 6 winger either.

Nosek also is not a long term solution he's not bad as a fill in but I don't see him bringing much of anything.

All of the above makes sense to me. I think our team is sloppy and careless with the puck all over the ice, especially in our defensive zone. I'm not worried about Mercer as his game is the type that contributes every night. Toffoli, Holz (and as it turns out Meier) have skill sets that could succeed in the right environment, but I'm not sure they'll find the right environment.

Our lack of scoring tonight can be also chalked up to what happens when a team with really good defensemen, and forwards with a commitment to defense play a very good positional game and limit the chances on a goalie who can make those saves. Carolina is one of the best in the league at that - and our offense when it doesn't have chemistry - doesn't really have an answer.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Nemec looks better to me than a third pairing defender even if Luke is still prone to some rookie gaffes.

They both look like first pairing defenders - at times - but you saw a few games back where he did the Severson broken controller routine on a 2-on-1.

And that might've been his only big gaffe whereas Luke has had a number of blowouts and ill advised turnovers...

But I think it's the subtle stuff that is harder to catch - a failed clear, a bad reverse, losing a puck battle.

I'm actually thrilled with this kid's game - but he's not ready to face down top lines - and I think he gets alot of help from Miller who might actually be our steadiest defensemen through this patch.

 

[Pazucha]

I don't think Ruff is the answer but I also don't think this team is ready to be competitive as is.

I think our defenders need a couple more years of maturity.

I think we need a couple more forwards and probably a better bottom 6 center option too.

I think we need another goalie.

I don't think Ruff is our biggest problem

And on top of all that, if Jack isn't firing on cylinders I don't think this team is difficult to beat

The Montreal Canadiens have almost the same amount of points as the Devils and this is their 2-3-4 line forwards:

Evans, Pearson, Anderson, Harvey-Pinard, Armia, Pezzetta, Gignac, Condotta, Ylonen.

That's an AHL roster

I don't think the Devils can use "we need more and better forwards excuse" when they have Hughes, Toffoli, Bratt, Meier, Holtz, Hishier, Palat

 

[Brooklyndevil]

I think our defense is to young and needs more experience and better coaching. It sure looks like this isn’t their season To many injuries to key playersI wish they were more like iron Mercer.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I’m in agreement that we passed up quite a few open looks at shots again to try and make the perfect play. I’m starting to think it’s encouraged by the staff because it happens with way too much regularity. I know we’ve got tons of talent at forward, but sometimes the simple play of getting the puck on net is the smartest play to make.

Meanwhile the Hurriwhalers know damn well to get pucks to the net when they could because Vitek’s rebound control is suspect. Thankfully, he made amends for last game and played his best game of the season. He deserved a better fate tonight.

 

[Blackjack]

This. And it's because Marino/Graves was rock solid, and Hamilton/Siegs was rock solid.

Right now we do not have one rock solid defensive pairing.

What on earth are you talking about? Graves was awful, if you go back to last season we complained about him plenty. Siegs struggled significantly the second half of last season too.

Graves is a big guy who skates really well for his size and can provide some offense, that's pretty much it. He's brutal on the defensive side.

"Rock solid" Good god man.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

What on earth are you talking about? Graves was awful, if you go back to last season we complained about him plenty. Siegs struggled significantly the second half of last season too.

Graves is a big guy who skates really well for his size and can provide some offense, that's pretty much it. He's brutal on the defensive side.

"Rock solid" Good god man.

I agree that he's not good but that pairing last year was pretty damn good especially on the PK

Re-watching this game because I missed most of it last night but lol @ the Kotkaniemi headhunt on Holtz not being called, never seen a bum occupy free real estate or own us more

 

[Nocashstyle]

I didn’t catch it all, but Jack still looks like he’s got some rust on him

 

[Devs3cups]

Re-watching this game because I missed most of it last night but lol @ the Kotkaniemi headhunt on Holtz not being called, never seen a bum occupy free real estate or own us more

Missed the game and followed here for the 3rd period/OT. Not sure I’m even going to watch the highlights lmfao.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Missed the game and followed here for the 3rd period/OT. Not sure I’m even going to watch the highlights lmfao.

I'm watching the full replay cause I fell asleep during the game, first full Devils game I missed in 15 years as a fan. They've broken me lol

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

What on earth are you talking about? Graves was awful, if you go back to last season we complained about him plenty. Siegs struggled significantly the second half of last season too.

Graves is a big guy who skates really well for his size and can provide some offense, that's pretty much it. He's brutal on the defensive side.

"Rock solid" Good god man.

I think Graves isn’t very good and has sucked this year. And I’m glad we moved on. BUT the Graves-Marino pairing was outstanding and handled incredibly difficult minutes very well.