GDT: Star Wars Homage Night. Columbus Blue Jackets at New Jeresy Devils. 7pm MSG+

[Bleedred]

I hate to pile on Zajac but I'm wondering if he has really been carried for most of his career offensively. He has almost always had a really good play driver on his line be it Parise, then jagr, then hall last year. This he is being asked to carry the 2nd line and he isn't really capable of that, but the coaches are expecting him to be.

I'm gonna defend Zajac here and say no, what he's looked like this year, has nothing to do with what happened earlier in his career. He's a whole level of bad this year. Unlike anything we've seen before. Was he really as good as he was offensive in 08-09 and 09-10? No, but neither was Parise or Langenbrunner. Is it any wonder that Langenbrunner went from the two best seasons of his career (at 33 and 34 years old) to barely looking like a 3rd liner just 6 months later, when the next season started? Parise hasn't come close to those totals again.

 

[Sir Fenwick Corsi]

He wasn’t screened on goals 1,2,4 or 5. What about those goals?

Pretty sure he was screened by Greene on goal 2 as well but really, what does it matter? You can usually see a one timer perfectly, doesn’t mean you’re going to stop it. I was just pointing out one of the many mistakes they made in front of their overpaid and non-elite goaltender.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm going to watch the first again.. and then two more times after that and make believe we won 6-0.

Don't do it dude!

Resist the temptation!

It's like looking at the photo album of you and your ex, during happy times, then pretending you lived happily ever after!

 

[Emperoreddy]

Honestly Zajac looks like he came back too soon. He didn’t have a camp and it is showing. He seems unsure of what he should be doing.

I wonder if he needed more practices before coming back to settle in and start getting his conditioning back.

Now it looks like that is being compounded by a lack of confidence. I think he will eventually figure it out, but I have no idea how long that takes.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Pretty sure he was screened by Greene on goal 2 as well but really, what does it matter? You can usually see a one timer perfectly, doesn’t mean you’re going to stop it. I was just pointing out one of the many mistakes they made in front of their overpaid and non-elite goaltender.

I know you’re intention is to be snarky with that last sentence but it’s accurate in the context you’re talking about. Every team makes mistakes in front of their goaltender. Average goalies get victimized more frequently when those mistakes happen. It’s pretty fundamental.

 

[Its a Trap]

Pretty sure he was screened by Greene on goal 2 as well but really, what does it matter? You can usually see a one timer perfectly, doesn’t mean you’re going to stop it. I was just pointing out one of the many mistakes they made in front of their overpaid and non-elite goaltender.

I’m curious what your last comment has to do with my post. Because, again, pointing out he had a shitty game isn’t a mortal sin. He’s not he only star player on the roster anymore. He had a bad game. Just because the team did too doesn’t mean he can’t be called out on it. Is he paid to make such saves in such situations? Yes he is. Does that mean he’s not great because he shit the bed tonight? No. Does that mean i can’t call him out on it? Definitely not.

 

[Lou is God]

Drew Stafford, ELEVEN GAMES WITHOUT A POINT!

Longest point drought of any forward on the team this season. That may even be the longest point drought of any skater on the team this season. I'd have to look for that one.

I can already see Miles Wood coming out for Zacha, since we need our geriatrics.

Screw Drew, I watched him closely tonight and he's bringing nothing to the table anymore.

And for the love of God, whose stupid idea was it to put both Hayes & Boyle on the power play?

I think I was yelling about that at the game more than anything else.

 

[haak84]

Corys not great because he hasnt elevated his game to elite level consistently. Devils are a playoff team right now. They would be a legit contender if Cory was playing Vezina level. He’s bubble top 12 at the moment (as are the Devils).

 

[Sir Fenwick Corsi]

I know you’re intention is to be snarky with that last sentence but it’s accurate in the context you’re talking about. Every team makes mistakes in front of their goaltender. Average goalies get victimized more frequently when those mistakes happen. It’s pretty fundamental.

Hockey is a game of mistakes, so yes, your goalie needs to cover up for them. I’m not disputing that. But when a team plays as sloppy as NJ did tonight, how can anyone be shocked that the goaltender had a bad game? And it just gets old. Cory has kept this team in plenty of games this season that they had no business being in. Shit, he just did it in the prior game. NJ could have been routed in the first period on Tuesday. But god forbid he doesn’t stop everything. Cory blows, etc. it just doesn’t end.

 

[Bleedred]

Corys not great because he hasnt elevated his game to elite level consistently. Devils are a playoff team right now. They would be a legit contender if Cory was playing Vezina level. He’s bubble top 12 at the moment.

I don’t agree with that. We allow too many shots most nights, which makes an almost .920 goalie on this team have a GAA of 2.7 per game.

I think Cory is facing more shots per game this year than he did last season. We’re just getting a few more shots and scoring a lot more goals than we did last year.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I don’t agree with that. We allow too many shots most nights, which makes an almost .920 goalie on this team have a GAA of 2.7 per game.

I think Cory is facing more shots per game this year than he did last season. We’re just getting a few more shots and scoring a lot more goals than we did last year.

He is stopping more this year as well.

Tonight was too hideous for anyone to cover up though. The breakdowns were really really bad.

 

[AveryQuietMan]

Look. I can understand being sentimental. I can understand not wanting to jump on the hate train because he’s quite literally one of the last links to the golden days where we made the playoffs every year.

But he’s literally hurting the team. He is contributing 0 positives and yet commits many negative plays a night. He’s just like Greene. They are the only2 holdouts left from the old days and they are having a hard time keeping up.

Yea zajac came back early and that’s something he should take pride in I guess, but that’s sure looks like a huge mistake now and like he rushed back. He is very very bad. At too many things.

Again I understand not wanting to trade him because he’s freaking Travis zajac and he’s literally been a devil his whole career...but **** happens. And he ain’t happening anymore :/

i see the same plays you do. i just dont think hes a bad as you are making him out to be. he just got back...... im not going to go catalog every play and point out where it wasnt his fault. in the end its a game and i dont really care all that much. but the fact is simple...... he is a guy we need going forward and should never be mentioned in trade talks. you hold onto him till he chooses to leave. you leave him on his line even if its in name only and his ice time dwindles. if any player makes a bad play this board goes crazy... i wonder if they are really that cynical or if they are a bunch of ranger trolls trying to destroy morale....... maybe u can answer.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I don’t think Zajac has lost it honestly. I think he is just having a real rough go at it right now.

I would be much more worried about Greene being the one falling off the cliff.

 

[Bleedred]

I don’t think Cory played as bad as he looked tonight. One bad goal, I can’t ding him on goal 1, goal 2 sucked, goal 3 was a perfect screen by Colin Whi I mean Travis Zajac. Goal 4 he almost got but was not nearly in position to make the save when the shot was taken. Goal 5 was a deflection, I think?

This is what Kinkaid looks like every night since last October, yet no one but me and a very select few call him out. If anything, we might flushing points if we continue to receive his current level of goaltending and we continue to start him in every back to back, god forbid Hynes starts playing him in a random mid-week start.

I’d actually put this on par with Kinkaid’s last game against Arizona. 5 goals against, but only one goal where he really had a chance on. I thought Cory has played much worse games this year (Arizona and Edmonton) where his play on paper was better and he allowed fewer goals, but allowed multiple bad goals. I think games like tonight and that Winnipeg game even it out a little bit.

 

[NJDevs26]

Screw Drew, I watched him closely tonight and he's bringing nothing to the table anymore.

And for the love of God, whose stupid idea was it to put both Hayes & Boyle on the power play?

I think I was yelling about that at the game more than anything else.

That's just so mind-bogglingly bad it's actually worse than when Lemaire said **** it and put Colin White on the power play. He only did it for a couple of shifts after the team checked out anyway against the Flyers. This is now going on multiple games that Hynes/Ward have continued this madness. I actually have less of a problem playing Hayes and Boyle together even-strength when you can slow the tempo down on that one line, as opposed to on the PP where you just sap too much skill off the ice.

 

[glenwo2]

a tough Metro too

I read that in Pete Deboer's voice.

 

[NJDevs26]

I read that in Pete Deboer's voice.

I almost miss the hot goalie, tough building meme. Funny thing is neither really applied tonight, well maybe the tough building one considering we only have six wins in 13 games in NJ

 

[Emperoreddy]

Special teams is also my biggest concern after tonight.

We can clean up the rest of the junk, but the PP has been shooting blanks for a few games now.

It needs to be shufflEd

 

[haak84]

I don’t agree with that. We allow too many shots most nights, which makes an almost .920 goalie on this team have a GAA of 2.7 per game.

I think Cory is facing more shots per game this year than he did last season. We’re just getting a few more shots and scoring a lot more goals than we did last year.

i figured we wouldnt agree. i think cory plays a style that is a net negative for his team on shots against. he is miserable at deflecting any puck coming through the crease. he is absolutely predictable in where he is going to play in the net. and its great in terms of bulk shots and being independent of in game scenarios but those soft goals are going to happen whether its within a 40 shot game or a 20 shot game effort. when looking at the totality of everything, goalies that play that style will have a higher save percentage overall but big saves at big moments are unquantifiable and shift a losing game to a winning one.

case in point the past couple of games. 41 shots and 1 goal allowed even with torts saying columbus had no second chances.
game 2 28 shots and nearly every goal scored on the first chance. that says something. it was on corey to make those almost highlight reel saves (like in between period nice saves- not sportscenter top 10 highlight reel) but he didnt. the devils scored 3 goals on a good goalie and good team.

 

[Its a Trap]

i see the same plays you do. i just dont think hes a bad as you are making him out to be. he just got back...... im not going to go catalog every play and point out where it wasnt his fault. in the end its a game and i dont really care all that much. but the fact is simple...... he is a guy we need going forward and should never be mentioned in trade talks. you hold onto him till he chooses to leave. you leave him on his line even if its in name only and his ice time dwindles. if any player makes a bad play this board goes crazy... i wonder if they are really that cynical or if they are a bunch of ranger trolls trying to destroy morale....... maybe u can answer.

He hasn’t just got back he’s played plenty of games already. I was all for the “he just came back” argument at the 10 game mark but we’re at 15 or 16 now and he’s still a steaming pile of crap

 

[Cult of Hynes]

Special teams is also my biggest concern after tonight.

We can clean up the rest of the junk, but the PP has been shooting blanks for a few games now.

It needs to be shufflEd

Don't expect them to fix it unless the team goes on a big losing streak. That is what got them to accept it was shit last year and finally change things up.

 

[glenwo2]

Special teams is also my biggest concern after tonight.

We can clean up the rest of the junk, but the PP has been shooting blanks for a few games now.

It needs to be shufflEd

Who's this "Ed" you're referring to?

 

[Bleedred]

He is stopping more this year as well.

Tonight was too hideous for anyone to cover up though. The breakdowns were really really bad.

I don’t think it’s any more fair to blame Cory for tonight than it is to blame Kinkaid against Arizona, outside of the fact that we scored 3 goals tonight and scored 0 against Arizona.

Occasionally there are games where a goalie gets lit up and doesn’t play badly. Then he’ll have a game where he stops a zillion shots and allows one goal, like what Cory did last game.

Martin Jones allowed 3 goals on 4 shots in the 1st period last night, and I think maybe one of them might have been stoppable. Jones has allowed some softies this year, but he’s had much worse games than last night. Single game stats for goalies are not a great way to declare a goalie of having a bad game. The same way that single game advanced stats are not indicative of a skater having a good/bad game. Kevin Rooney had a positive relative corsi and fenwick after 2 games last year. The eye test told me every game he played, he looked like the worst player on the ice and the worst forward to play for our team since Rod Pelley. Sure enough, it only took another 2 games for him to have numbers worse than Miles Wood did last season.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I don’t think Cory played as bad as he looked tonight.

He was pretty bad.

At the end of the day, your goalie needs to make some saves.

None of the goals he let in, on their face, would people call "bad" goals, however, the fact is Columbus' goals all came on some of their only real scoring opportunities, meaning that Cory pretty much saved all the easy, routine attempts, and stopped virtually none of the tough chances. Your #1 guy has to stop some tough chances.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Hockey is a game of mistakes, so yes, your goalie needs to cover up for them. I’m not disputing that. But when a team plays as sloppy as NJ did tonight, how can anyone be shocked that the goaltender had a bad game? And it just gets old. Cory has kept this team in plenty of games this season that they had no business being in. ****, he just did it in the prior game. NJ could have been routed in the first period on Tuesday. But god forbid he doesn’t stop everything. Cory blows, etc. it just doesn’t end.

Characterizing the team as a whole as being sloppy in front of Cory today doesn’t seem like a fair assessment. Two vets made dumbass plays and their goalie failed to cover for even a single one of those mistakes.

You can ding the special teams for failing to cash in on the PP, but that doesn’t have any bearing on Cory’s performance.

Your assessment just reeks of rationalization to me. Stealing some games while being a factor in just as many losses is a wash. Precisely what you would expect from an average player. Not an elite one.