GDT: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 1: Your New Jersey Devils (WC2) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1E)

[My3Sons]

This experience is eye opening for the young players. Hard to know if one game is enough for them all to adjust and relax. To me, that's what they need to do, just relax and play. If they are all focused on line matching and new details that will make them think everything through and that will slow a young player down. Hopefully practice today is just practicing line matching and whatever other tactics Hynes wants them to apply.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Expecting a better game 2 performance. Really do think the occasion was a bit big for some of the guys. Nothing like a loss to snap out of it.

 

[Camille the Eel]

To me "must win" is not what you tell your club. It's too much stating the result.

The message has to be to find another gear. To pick up the intensity to what it was the last week of the season, or even a sixth gear that's higher than that. That the level of being aggressive, of taking it to the Bolts instead of being reactive, the level of focus, the battle level, the collective will just to beat this club, has to be higher. Let's play our best hockey ever in this series, win or lose. Leave it all on the ice.

I think we came out tight and cautious and scared and over thinking things in game one. Let's just take it to them from here on in. You can't play scared.

 

[New Jersey]

is it a good time to also remind everyone that in nearly 36 years of history the devils have NEVER been swept out of a playoff series? (two game sweep by the flyers on the rockies doesn't count)

let tampa fans think this will be cakewalk.

 

[MartyOwns]

member when we got shutout in a three-goal defeat to the rags in game 1 in 2012?

 

[RandoDoomer]

I've had to talk my 15-year-old daughter off the ledge after that loss. She has become a hard core fan the last couple years. Watches every minute of every game, including preseason. But this is her first playoff run. I warned her the intensity and tension is orders of magnitude greater than regular season. There are ebbs and flows, ups and downs. These series are long and anything can happen at any time. After I made the case to her this morning that this wasn't all that bad, her optimism began to return. One-goal game in the 3rd, even after a clusterfink 1st period. This is totally fine. I expect them to win game 2 and then we're high on the hog again.

 

[Bleedred]

He never saw the fourth one.... heck on replays looking at the goalie you couldn't even see kk, that's how screened he was. How any goalie is supposed to see that is beyond me

Obvs we disagree on the last part which is fine.... But that's for another day.

I actually do agree with you there. It was a rising screen where a couple players jumped up, which was weird.

 

[New Jersey]

Let's just draw a shitload of penalties in game 2 and go like 3/5 on the power play.

The boys need to come out FLYING though.

 

[Nocashstyle]

member when we got shutout in a three-goal defeat to the rags in game 1 in 2012?

And we lost game 1 to Philly too.

I don't remember how the Florida series started

 

[New Jersey]

And we lost game 1 to Philly too.

I don't remember how the Florida series started

they went up 3-0 and held on after looking like shit for the second and third periods in a 3-2 win.

also, actually both losses to the nyr were 3-0 shutouts.

ebb and flow.

 

[PWiz30]

And we lost game 1 to Philly too.

I don't remember how the Florida series started

Flyers in 3, bruh.

IIRC, we blew an early 3-0 lead in game 1 against Florida but bounced back to win the game. 3-0 leads were the worst in that series.

 

[New Jersey]

Flyers in 3, bruh.

IIRC, we blew an early 3-0 lead in game 1 against Florida but bounced back to win the game. 3-0 leads were the worst in that series.

they never lost the lead but looked like dog shit and held on for a 3-2 win.

they went up 3-0 in game 3 in newark and imploded to lose 4-3 and fall behind 2-1 in the series.

that series was a f***ing heart-stopper.

 

[New Jersey]

it's not even game two and i had to use the ignore button... on a panthers fan?

main board causes cataracts.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

at least once in every cup year the Devils went down in the series losing the first game of a round only to come back and win it - many times rattling off 3 wins in a row. Lots of time left to correct the mistakes that were apparent last night.

 

[Cheddabombs]

it's not even game two and i had to use the ignore button... on a panthers fan?

main board causes cataracts.

I feel like I know who you're talking about lol

 

[Devils Dominion]

it's not even game two and i had to use the ignore button... on a panthers fan?

main board causes cataracts.

We should all ignore that drain bamaged FLA "fan" on HF.

He's cookoo for coco puffs .

Henrique Game 7 must be swirling in his head around the clock.

 

[EliasFTW]

it's not even game two and i had to use the ignore button... on a panthers fan?

main board causes cataracts.

 

[billingtons ghost]

at least once in every cup year the Devils went down in the series losing the first game of a round only to come back and win it - many times rattling off 3 wins in a row. Lots of time left to correct the mistakes that were apparent last night.

I'm not sure about 'many' and I don't see Scott Stevens in the room, but I'm with ya.

If we score first in game2, there might be a collective 'ruhroh' in Tampa and there could be a pretty big sea change in sentiment.

 

[billingtons ghost]

btw - watched Patty-night ceremony again to feel better last night. We're a pretty damn good organization.

 

[EliasFTW]

I'm Honestly not mad or sad about last night. Lots of inexperience form the Staff down. They went into i looking at it as another game. They quickly learned the playoffs are a different beast and should play a better game tomorrow. At least i hope so on a National broadcast.

 

[New Jersey]

btw - watched Patty-night ceremony again to feel better last night. We're a pretty damn good organization.

we're a small market team that consistently needs to fight and claw for relevancy in the massive, overcrowded nyc sports market and has carved out a crazy devoted fan base despite the presense of an original six team, original expansion team, and former dynasty with a history of success and franchise icons in less than four decades.

what's not to love?

 

[Bleedred]

is it a good time to also remind everyone that in nearly 36 years of history the devils have NEVER been swept out of a playoff series? (two game sweep by the flyers on the rockies doesn't count)

let tampa fans think this will be cakewalk.

People saying we're gonna be swept are way insufferable right now.

And I'm usually very pessimistic, but step the f*** off the ledge. I'm glad this is my first read in about 14 hours.

 

[HoliksGhost]

Columbus looking like a team of destiny for quite a while now.

Did they steal our MoJo ?

 

[The Wumpus]

That one Panthers fan has been poking Devils fans in the eye over and over for days on end, and then repeatedly accuses anyone who notices of stalking him. It's beyond childish and kinda veers into psychopath territory.

I can picture him driving to New Jersey and standing outside our arena alone, in the pouring rain, digging his fingernails into his palms, muttering about 2012.

He probably has a shrine with skulls and candles, the walls covered with newspaper clippings of Devils players with the eyes cut out.

It's like Ray Finkle from Ace Ventura is now a hockey fan.

 

[Bleedred]

Really might have to enjoy game 2 from my couch again and not at Amalie Arena, I am f***in sick as f***.

Sickest I've been since 2013, maybe even longer. Got sent home early from work.

Really don't wanna miss a Devils playoff game that's played 40-45 minutes from me. I do think the likelihood of their being a game 5 is very high, but when I used to get this sick, I'd stay this sick for 2-3 weeks sometimes.

Really wanna go, but don't wanna cough all over people and blow my nose all over everybody, get snot all over my hands in public or barely be able to open my f***in mouth. I sound like a f***in zombie right now. The guests at work probably thought a zombie was on the loose haha.