NJ Devils v NY Rangers at MSG, 7 EDT, NHLN, MSG

[Jersey Fresh]

I agree and disagree, we get pushed for it because we don't capitalize on power plays and stuff alike that. Why wouldn't teams take runs at us if we don't make them pay? If the Devils scored 3-4 back in February on the Bastian one then there's no shot that Rempe even plays after that ever again. Our inability to make teams pay for their stupid shit is what costs us more than our inability to actually retaliate with physicality imo. What did MacDermid do last night? Guy got caved in 5-0 SA's, you need to play hockey as well as play that physical role. As much of as turd Rempe is, he was the reason they scored the second goal with his screen. Plays and things like that are needed, not the random boarding or elbow a guy's face off.

I’m a little confused because your initial point was about targeting their players. I’m just saying we have no one that’s even willing to take it in that direction and be physical as a point, let alone target their players.

I’m not some MacDermid truther, I wouldn’t want him on the team moving forward just on the off-chance we get into a goon off. But I do think we need a player/players that A) as a matter of mentality want to take the body, and B) have enough of a screw loose to take things over the edge when guys are taking liberties with our players.

Obviously, the ideal is we’re so good we punish everything. But even then, you need some element of physical deterrence.

 

[JimEIV]

I made leftover chicken mole, roasted peppers, fried onions and Cabot Monterey Jack cheese on a toasted baguette for dinner... it was kind of like a cheesesteak. But it was missing some juicy fat from red meat....it was still really good with a beer. But most things are really good with a beer.

I should've added some butter....most things are better with butter.

Life lesson: most things are better with butter and beer.

 

[Sdevils42]

You see the bullshit narrative NYR is pushing? Started with Lavi who’s trying to defend his player (he defended Wilson vs Panarin too) and was tweeted and retweeted by their social media team…

Rempe was bracing himself headed towards the boards and he put his arms up… fanbase bought it hook line and sinker. Only issue is that he’s 5’ away from the boards in this pic. Just own it man.

 

[JimEIV]

When you get treated like bitch and you bitch about getting treated like a bitch you're really nothing more than a bitch.

Knock some teeth out or shut up.

 

[Camille the Eel]

My alarm bell went off a little after that game, when NJ lost 0-4 to Detroit on Nov 22. That was when I first thought, omg this team might actually miss the playoffs. I held onto the goalie scapegoat for a while even if I thought there were some deeper issues and it really wasn't until the post stadium series collapse when I realized this team had some big issues beyond goaltending.

They are almost too numerous, but basically I'd say:

• Bottom 6
• Left side of D
• Goaltending

are all suspect now. The best version of this team gets Palat and Haula into the bottom 6 so that means maybe even the top 6 is suspect. I'm not a doomer but the overly optimistic take just seems based on the fact that we have elite young talent, with good to great contracts.

That is a huge plus but it's gotta become a winning hockey team next year, just being talented isn't enough.

Yes I remember that Detroit game vividly. The Wings scored 3 or 4 goals in like a 5 minute stretch.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I’m a little confused because your initial point was about targeting their players. I’m just saying we have no one that’s even willing to take it in that direction and be physical as a point, let alone target their players.

I’m not some MacDermid truther, I wouldn’t want him on the team moving forward just on the off-chance we get into a goon off. But I do think we need a player/players that A) as a matter of mentality want to take the body, and B) have enough of a screw loose to take things over the edge when guys are taking liberties with our players.

Obviously, the ideal is we’re so good we punish everything. But even then, you need some element of physical deterrence.

Ah ok fair, yeah that's true but you never know who's seething or angry enough to do something. Nico ran after Rempe last night and he's pretty close with Siegs. Maybe he sees red next game and does something completely out of his nature.

My alarm bell went off a little after that game, when NJ lost 0-4 to Detroit on Nov 22. That was when I first thought, omg this team might actually miss the playoffs. I held onto the goalie scapegoat for a while even if I thought there were some deeper issues and it really wasn't until the post stadium series collapse when I realized this team had some big issues beyond goaltending.

They are almost too numerous, but basically I'd say:

• Bottom 6
• Left side of D
• Goaltending

are all suspect now. The best version of this team gets Palat and Haula into the bottom 6 so that means maybe even the top 6 is suspect. I'm not a doomer but the overly optimistic take just seems based on the fact that we have elite young talent, with good to great contracts.

That is a huge plus but it's gotta become a winning hockey team next year, just being talented isn't enough.

Only reason I remember that game vividly was because that's the day I got my wisdom teeth taken out, safe to say that surgery was less painful than watching NJD that night lol

 

[MadDevil]

Dude has played 10 games, injured multiple people, and picked up a 4 game suspension. Can we be done with this sideshow now?

 

[Camille the Eel]

My alarm bell went off a little after that game, when NJ lost 0-4 to Detroit on Nov 22. That was when I first thought, omg this team might actually miss the playoffs. I held onto the goalie scapegoat for a while even if I thought there were some deeper issues and it really wasn't until the post stadium series collapse when I realized this team had some big issues beyond goaltending.

They are almost too numerous, but basically I'd say:

• Bottom 6
• Left side of D
• Goaltending

are all suspect now. The best version of this team gets Palat and Haula into the bottom 6 so that means maybe even the top 6 is suspect. I'm not a doomer but the overly optimistic take just seems based on the fact that we have elite young talent, with good to great contracts.

That is a huge plus but it's gotta become a winning hockey team next year, just being talented isn't enough.

2 losses to Washington even earlier in the season, in both of which we got blown out in the first period, were also a sign of things to come.

Our forward group was much much much weaker this year without Wood, Shara, Boqvist, Tatar and with Hughes out or largely incapacitated by injury for very significant periods. Subtract Hamilton, Graves and Severson and that was as much as half of last years team that turned over. We simply aren’t the same team this year. We had a great locker room and cohesion, an identity and style of play. All that vanished this season and who knows when we get it or the equivalent back. In hind sight, if we had to rebuild the defense, every effort should have been made to keep the rest of the core group together, in order not to lose our identity. With contract considerations as to Tatar and Wood, may not have been possible. But I fully think the Shara and Boqvist deals were mistakes. When Jack got hurt both of them would have been highly serviceable.

 

[Mgd31]

It’s really pathetic that we sucked so bad last night that the whole day we had to talk about this Rempe bullshit.

Next time score some goals guys.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

It’s really pathetic that we sucked so bad last night that the whole day we had to talk about this Rempe bullshit.

Next time score some goals guys.

The sad part is they were so bad, and still could have won. Haula SH breakaway, Bratt on a breakaway and then fanning a great chance, Hughes post. They didn’t deserve it, but was there for the stealing.

 

[JimEIV]

2 losses to Washington even earlier in the season, in both of which we got blown out in the first period, were also a sign of things to come.

Our forward group was much much much weaker this year without Wood, Shara, Boqvist, Tatar and with Hughes out or largely incapacitated by injury for very significant periods. Subtract Hamilton, Graves and Severson and that was as much as half of last years team that turned over. We simply aren’t the same team this year. We had a great locker room and cohesion, an identity and style of play. All that vanished this season and who knows when we get it or the equivalent back. In hind sight, if we had to rebuild the defense, every effort should have been made to keep the rest of the core group together, in order not to lose our identity. With contract considerations as to Tatar and Wood, may not have been possible. But I fully think the Shara and Boqvist deals were mistakes. When Jack got hurt both of them would have been highly serviceable.

It's a tough sell to tell me Wood, Sharangovich, Boqvist and Tatar were better options than Timo Meier. And really that was the choice.

Meier didn't deliver. He missed expectations by a wide margin... he's currently sitting at 18 goals if he was sitting at 30 goals no one would mention Wood, Boqvist, Sharangovich or Tatar. Yeah that a lot of team speed to lose but Jack, Nico and Timo not producing at last years levels is what makes the depth an issue in my opinion.

 

[billingtons ghost]

It's a tough sell to tell me Wood, Sharangovich, Boqvist and Tatar were better options than Timo Meier. And really that was the choice.

Meier didn't deliver. He missed expectations by a wide margin... he's currently sitting at 18 goals if he was sitting at 30 goals no one would mention Wood, Boqvist, Sharangovich or Tatar. Yeah that a lot of team speed to lose but Jack, Nico and Timo not producing at last years levels is what makes the depth an issue in my opinion.

I think a bigger part than just points here is the spark that we lost. I liked Zetterlund's engine. Rango was a captain overseas, and there's a reason for that. Tatar and Boqvist were good soldiers. Maybe he didn't captialize, but Wood was a shot manufacturing threat and a big body. Sevs was a never my favorite but he was the longest tenured guy and was a luxury for us in his role stabilizing one D pair. Graves and Marino had chemistry and were a legit shutdown pair we could throw out in every situation - and he was a big goofy lug that took up space in our own zone.

I like Timo - and when healthy he is going to be a marquis player, but there was alot of character to backfill there.

 

[Camille the Eel]

It's a tough sell to tell me Wood, Sharangovich, Boqvist and Tatar were better options than Timo Meier. And really that was the choice.

Meier didn't deliver. He missed expectations by a wide margin... he's currently sitting at 18 goals if he was sitting at 30 goals no one would mention Wood, Boqvist, Sharangovich or Tatar. Yeah that a lot of team speed to lose but Jack, Nico and Timo not producing at last years levels is what makes the depth an issue in my opinion.

At the end of last year we had all of them and Meier. I get it that we maybe couldn’t afford Meier and all of those contracts. But that doesn’t change that what has hurt us most is the breaking up of an entire team that had great success last year and had won a playoff series together. There were 6 to 8 players (when Timo also was out) who were different this season at times and it was a different team. Maybe we had no choice. That’s possible.

But I see the large turnover in personnel as the big difference this year and the results speak for themselves. This wasn’t the same team. It didn’t play like the same team.

Could we have perhaps kept enough of it together so that the foundation of the structure didn’t collapse like it did? I think now we should have tried. The mass of changes is what I think did us in as much as anything.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Dude has played 10 games, injured multiple people, and picked up a 4 game suspension. Can we be done with this sideshow now?

Look at the garbage team he plays for, they eat it up

 

[HoliksGhost]

We went undefeated in the preseason though

And the best PP

 

[Guttersniped]

I agree if the situation was reversed because other teams are willing to go there as a team. Hischier completely incidentally was involved with Barkov on a faceoff and they spent multiple games going after him. You expect from Florida and they have the roster to do it.

Us? Our players will not do that. Who would you peg for it beyond MacDermid? There just isn’t that element in our roster and that’s why we get pushed around and brutalized over and over.

That second Florida game was 4 days later and Barkov was still injured. It wasn’t shocking they were salty over it.

Nico plays big minutes against Tkachuk, Bennett, etc. They had their opportunities.

MacDermid was the main guy who went after Rempe because he’s 6’7” 240 and played for 4 minutes.

I mean in terms of them seething blood and actually going after Rangers players, I actually would take their top guys + play Quick if I were them. I'd also go without Rempe. Why would you even entertain the chance that the Devils take out a superstar with all that happens 2 weeks before the playoffs? if the situation was reversed and say it was us, I'd take out all our guys and probably eat the fines from the league that come from it. Not worth a shitty ass April game to lose your Cup chances on

Our players aren’t going to target another team’s stars and have the team “eat the fines”. No team does this.

People act like we’re the only fanbase to have a meltdown over this sort of thing but we aren’t.

Yet players on other teams never exact any of sort of retribution some people here are fantasizing about.*

We’ll get some fights, some scrums and some misconducts. It will be goofy and/or anti-climactic.

*No going back to 80s or 90s, with guys clubbing each other with sticks and steroided out enforcers punching each other bloody. (Not sure the retribution was all that great back then either but it was a different time.)

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Just wait until Apr 3rd when the Rags will scratch him just to piss everyone off.

 

[Bleedred]

Just wait until Apr 3rd when the Rags will scratch him just to piss everyone off.

He may even be back in Hartford by then. It's entirely possible. The shine may have worn off after injuring several players, a 4 game suspension and really doing nothing other than being a goon.

If it hasn't worn off now, it may by that point.

 

[Dylan9z9]

Dude has played 10 games, injured multiple people, and picked up a 4 game suspension. Can we be done with this sideshow now?

Not until we mess this f***er up .. or make it hard for them in the playoffs

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Our players aren’t going to target another team’s stars and have the team “eat the fines”. No team does this.

People act like we’re the only fanbase to have a meltdown over this sort of thing but we aren’t.

Yet players on other teams never exact any of sort of retribution some people here are fantasizing about.*

We’ll get some fights, some scrums and some misconducts. It will be goofy and/or anti-climactic.

*No going back to 80s or 90s, with guys clubbing each other with sticks and steroided out enforcers punching each other bloody. (Not sure the retribution was all that great back then either but it was a different time.)

I don't care or want to them to do anything, they clearly don't do enough on the scoreboard to prevent these things from happening. Anything physical is moot at this rate.

 

[My3Sons]

That second Florida game was 4 days later and Barkov was still injured. It wasn’t shocking they were salty over it.

Nico plays big minutes against Tkachuk, Bennett, etc. They had their opportunities.

MacDermid was the main guy who went after Rempe because he’s 6’7” 240 and played for 4 minutes.




Our players aren’t going to target another team’s stars and have the team “eat the fines”. No team does this.

People act like we’re the only fanbase to have a meltdown over this sort of thing but we aren’t.

Yet players on other teams never exact any of sort of retribution some people here are fantasizing about.*

We’ll get some fights, some scrums and some misconducts. It will be goofy and/or anti-climactic.

*No going back to 80s or 90s, with guys clubbing each other with sticks and steroided out enforcers punching each other bloody. (Not sure the retribution was all that great back then either but it was a different time.)

It’s why the sociopath strategy would work. Nobody is ever called to account and the league does relatively nothing after the fact.

 

[Dylan9z9]

Just wait until Apr 3rd when the Rags will scratch him just to piss everyone off.

Well they better scratch Panarin, Zebanafag, and a few others if he don't show up

 

[njdevils1982]

Just wait until Apr 3rd when the Rags will scratch him just to piss everyone off.

and on top of that, they pull their goalie in OT to get the 4on3

 

[billingtons ghost]

That second Florida game was 4 days later and Barkov was still injured. It wasn’t shocking they were salty over it.

Nico plays big minutes against Tkachuk, Bennett, etc. They had their opportunities.

MacDermid was the main guy who went after Rempe because he’s 6’7” 240 and played for 4 minutes.




Our players aren’t going to target another team’s stars and have the team “eat the fines”. No team does this.

People act like we’re the only fanbase to have a meltdown over this sort of thing but we aren’t.

Yet players on other teams never exact any of sort of retribution some people here are fantasizing about.*

We’ll get some fights, some scrums and some misconducts. It will be goofy and/or anti-climactic.

*No going back to 80s or 90s, with guys clubbing each other with sticks and steroided out enforcers punching each other bloody. (Not sure the retribution was all that great back then either but it was a different time.)

The op's main point stands. If we had players that all collectively had a wee bit of asshole in them, we could weather this shit, but the truth is we are soooo devoid of that sort of stuff that Fitz actually had to go out to purchase a 100% bona fide goony goon. He may go out and get another. This is the exact opposite of what we want.

You bring in a Palat, and a Toffoli, and a Haula for some basic jam, but the hell if those guys are going to make a peep when the other team has four or so guys on the ice that have *at least* the same level and likely 4x as much facewashing skill. They just try to disappear into the backdrop ASAP - I think there were multiple times where guys like that all go trying to find Panarin during a scrum. I'd only trust Lazar right now to even make a peep and forecheck, or grab someone during a scrum.

Siegs is a nice guy. Swiss, for chissakes. That's how nice. I think Bahl *could* go hulk mode if someone got under his skin, but... Dougie? Marino? Luke? If Brandon Smith were a true, good defensemen, then that would help.

It bothers me that Nemec HAS to stand up for himself out there or get boarded game after game like he's been. It bothers me that NICO might have to be the guy to answer.

The point? Rebuild the bottom 6. If there's a top6 guy with annoying qualities and an RFA contract or might be a value trade, please be in on it.

 

[My3Sons]

The op's main point stands. If we had players that all collectively had a wee bit of asshole in them, we could weather this shit, but the truth is we are soooo devoid of that sort of stuff that Fitz actually had to go out to purchase a 100% bona fide goony goon. He may go out and get another. This is the exact opposite of what we want.

You bring in a Palat, and a Toffoli, and a Haula for some basic jam, but the hell if those guys are going to make a peep when the other team has four or so guys on the ice that have *at least* the same level and likely 4x as much facewashing skill. They just try to disappear into the backdrop ASAP - I think there were multiple times where guys like that all go trying to find Panarin during a scrum. I'd only trust Lazar right now to even make a peep and forecheck, or grab someone during a scrum.

Siegs is a nice guy. Swiss, for chissakes. That's how nice. I think Bahl *could* go hulk mode if someone got under his skin, but... Dougie? Marino? Luke? If Brandon Smith were a true, good defensemen, then that would help.

It bothers me that Nemec HAS to stand up for himself out there or get boarded game after game like he's been. It bothers me that NICO might have to be the guy to answer.

The point? Rebuild the bottom 6. If there's a top6 guy with annoying qualities and an RFA contract or might be a value trade, please be in on it.

A thug on the fourth line isn’t the end of the world. The problem is playing a Smith on defense where he is harder to hide. As you’ve noted they need more sandpaper in the lineup. McLeod is gone and Bastian doesn’t play with much edge anymore. Adding a guy like Tierney does nothing and I’d rather have MacDermid than Tierney. I’m sure Fitz is seeing what we are seeing and will work to tweak the bottom six.