GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (9-2) @ Edmonton Oilers (3-7-1), 9 PM, NHL-N + MSG+

[Bleedred]

We need to stop allowing so many shots. It's understandable when we have a big lead, like in the Toronto or Colorado game, but tonight was a real dud, if we've seen one this season. We've had some ugly wins, but this was as ugly as I've seen this season.

Outside of the last half of the 1st period and most of the 2nd, we were really bad. We were really bad in the 3rd period, for a team that was trailing by multiple goals.

We need to find a way to cut back on these shots against, while also not cutting back on our own shots for. No matter what, since the Hynes era started, we've had this disparaging shot differential. We either turn on the offense, but bleed the shots, or tighten up the chances against and stifle our own chances. We should have enough talent that we should be seeing a bit of an improvement in the puck possession department, even if it's not perfect.

 

[Emperoreddy]

We aren’t going to have steady possession down a forward and the lines being changed every other shift.

 

[Bleedred]

We aren’t going to have steady possession down a forward and the lines being changed every other shift.

That would explain the last couple of games, but it was still a problem even early on. Even when the goalies have played well, we still allow a lot of goals, because we're allowing way too many shots/chances in most games. We've just been able to outscore everybody.

When Zajac comes back, it should get better, but Hynes needs to find a way to play a better puck possession system, and no going back to this ultra-conservative stuff, like 15-16 and last year, when Cory stopped making saves. I don't wanna see that again. It shouldn't be an option in year three.

 

[Bramskii]

Missed the game. Did they look as bad as they did 2 nights ago or was it like the Sharks game.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Missed the game. Did they look as bad as they did 2 nights ago or was it like the Sharks game.

They were alright overall. Started slow, but most of tonight was bad puck luck and the inability to get a call.

We just need to get healthy. We also need to do betterin faceoffs. Really hard to keep possession when you lose 2/3s of faceoffs.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Prout is awful. Takes an incredibly dumb and needless penalty which leads to PP goal. Engages in a pointless and needless fight while the team has possession in the o-zone. Later tries a stretch pass through the neutral zone hat is easily intercepted, and loses his man in front of the net on the ensuing play resulting in yet another goal against.

These coaching decisions are f***in asinine. Why the f*** would you go with 11 forwards and 7 D when that seventh guy is Dalton f***in Prout and the team has a slew of forward injuries and you're in the middle of the brutal western Canadian road trip?

Regardless of whatever improvements this team makes this season, I don't trust Hynes. Guy doesn't seem to be an NHL caliber coach to me.

 

[guitarguyvic]

They were alright overall. Started slow, but most of tonight was bad puck luck and the inability to get a call.

We just need to get healthy. We also need to do betterin faceoffs. Really hard to keep possession when you lose 2/3s of faceoffs.

Forget face offs, puck management in the defensive zone was abysmal and it's been that way for a few games now. I don't think I've ever seen a team commit as many turnovers as this one.

Once the forwards get the puck they are very good at making quick decisions and moving up ice. The defensemen on he other hand frequently hesitate and often turn back or try slow things down while the opposition fore checks the shut out of them. I feel like it's a purposeful strategy because no other team in the league seems to do it as much as ours.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Prout is awful. Takes an incredibly dumb and needless penalty which leads to PP goal.

Prout is awful, but to be fair, can you honestly BLAME him for that penalty?

In the context of this game, where NOTHING was called to the point Oilers players who 2-arm grab Devils and toss them the ice do NOT get a penalty, THAT gets called?

The Prout penalty was the #1 most bizarre part of the entire game, and of course, it cost the Devils a goal.

 

[Bleedred]

Missed the game. Did they look as bad as they did 2 nights ago or was it like the Sharks game.

Even worse than two nights ago. We didn't look good two nights ago, but we started out this game incredibly bad. Went down 2-0 early, then got back in it and really tilted the play in our favor by the time the 1st period ended. Early in the 2nd period, we tied the game, then Mr Softy paid us a visit about a minute later. Quite literally a minute later. 61 seconds later. And the Oilers led for the rest of the night. We actually looked decent until the 3rd period last game against the Canucks. We didn't look good in this one, except for maybe half the game.

The 3rd period was arguably our worst of the entire season. It was a very poor period for a team that was down by 2 goals. We barely could gain the O-zone by that point. The 3rd period of the Sharks game was pretty bad too.

Team was gassed by that point. The need to play 7D/11F (Prout as 7th D) was probably a major gaffe in hindsight. I understand the need for ''Dat physical presence'' against a ''Physical'' team like the Oilers, but that plan backfired.

And worst of all, the ''Is Larsson for Hall trade the worst of the last decade?'' thread has been bumped after this game, in which Larsson got the first start of the game, for 13 credited hits and one assist. That thread is a PERFECT example of flip flopping and fence jumping and fickleness among hockey fans, who judge trades by what team does better, and not who got the best player. The thread was only even made in the first place, probably because of the Oilers lousy start and our red hot start. And if theit was the other way around, I doubt very much that that many people would be agreeing that we won the trade. Even though we did get the much better player, they're just saying it for the wrong reasons.

 

[Emperoreddy]

And you bump that stupid thread again with a rant about Cory?

Why complain if you are going to not only keep it alive, but drag it off topic?

 

[Jets012]

No reason for Noesen not to be playing every game if we are going to have JQ and Blandisi sit in the minors. That's on Hynes. If he's going to go with 11 forwards, Noesen has to be one of them. He's better than Hayes and we need dependable, smart fillers that know how to maintain possession and make the smart plays.

Desperately missing Zajac. We simply need someone who can balance the team out possession wise. Henrique belongs on the 3rd line at this point. That's where he excels. When you ask him to center a 2nd line, he's going to run into major trouble. I think I'm done with the Stafford experiment on the first line too. Might as well put MoJo, Bratt, or Palms alongside Hall/Nico when they get healthy.

 

[Emperoreddy]

How many times does it need to be repeated that JQ is out with a concussion until he stops being mentioned?

 

[Jets012]

How many times does it need to be repeated that JQ is out with a concussion until he stops being mentioned?

Even before the concussion Hayes shouldn't have been getting NHL minutes over him. That's my point. Thanks

 

[Emperoreddy]

Even before the concussion Hayes shouldn't have been getting NHL minutes over him. That's my point. Thanks

It is an incorrect point since JQ is better served getting top pairing minutes right now in Bingo over bottom pairing minutes on his off wing.

Reminder he is a LW, not a RW.

 

[Jets012]

It is an incorrect point since JQ is better served getting top pairing minutes right now in Bingo over bottom pairing minutes on his off wing.

Reminder he is a LW, not a RW.

We have some flexible forwards that we could move around. If we really wanted to, there's no reason to get JQ up playing LW over Hayes. And forget JQ for a second. Blandisi is healthy and was certainly more impressive last year and this pre-season than Hayes. Plus he makes more sense with this team.

Hayes isn't an NHL player. Florida fans told us he was trash. Boston fans told us he was trash. He doesn't fit what the team is trying to do and he can't help a line possession wise. Major liability out there right now.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Hayes isn't an NHL player. Florida fans told us he was trash. Boston fans told us he was trash. He doesn't fit what the team is trying to do and he can't help a line possession wise. Major liability out there right now.

Well, Hayes snagged the Devils an important 2 points last game with his snipe.

Hayes IS an NHL player, the problem is he is a round peg in a square hole on this Devils team because he's too slow.

 

[Bleedred]

And you bump that stupid thread again with a rant about Cory?

Why complain if you are going to not only keep it alive, but drag it off topic?

Bump was not a good word on my part, although there was one post that coincided with the ending of the game, in which a poster brought up how great Larsson had played, and from there, the thread got pretty hot again with the game being over.

Second of all, I hardly ranted on Cory. I critiqued him for two sentences in that post. Actually, make that three sentences, and one other sentence that references goaltending, (not by the name of a goalie) and puck possession/systems problems being the cause of our problems. The poster that I was replying to, turned out to be replying to the OP, who is a Leafs fan. I didn't notice him ever on our board, but I figured that maybe he was a Devils fan?

I don't know what your issue with me critiquing him is. He's been mediocre for 69 games now. Stats, eye test, every metric tells me this. There's no more giving him the benefit of the doubt, until he can put together a consistent stretch of good goaltending.

And that's the last post I'll make about him, until he inevitably does something to piss me off next game or the game after that.

One argument that's come up before in the Larsson for Hall thing among Oilers fans, is Schneider's decline seeming to coincide with the departure of Larsson, as well as Talbot having strong play since the arrival of Larsson. Except that is not true in Talbot's case. He was barely better last year than the year before. He played almost 20 more games though.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Most of the goals were weird bounces or poor defense but that 3rd goal allowed was deflating.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Bump was not a good word on my part, although there was one post that coincided with the ending of the game, in which a poster brought up how great Larsson had played, and from there, the thread got pretty hot again with the game being over.

Second of all, I hardly ranted on Cory. I critiqued him for two sentences in that post. Actually, make that three sentences, and one other sentence that references goaltending, (not by the name of a goalie) and puck possession/systems problems being the cause of our problems. The poster that I was replying to, turned out to be replying to the OP, who is a Leafs fan. I didn't notice him ever on our board, but I figured that maybe he was a Devils fan?

I don't know what your issue with me critiquing him is. He's been mediocre for 69 games now. Stats, eye test, every metric tells me this. There's no more giving him the benefit of the doubt, until he can put together a consistent stretch of good goaltending.

And that's the last post I'll make about him, until he inevitably does something to piss me off next game or the game after that.

One argument that's come up before in the Larsson for Hall thing among Oilers fans, is Schneider's decline seeming to coincide with the departure of Larsson, as well as Talbot having strong play since the arrival of Larsson. Except that is not true in Talbot's case. He was barely better last year than the year before. He played almost 20 more games though.

His play isn’t worth half a page of ranting all night. His one bad goal tonight was bad, but we did not lose tonight because of him.

It is overkill.

 

[Bleedred]

Most of the goals were weird bounces or poor defense but that 3rd goal allowed was deflating.

It sucks, because we looked good up until then, minus the first 10-12 minutes of the game, where it looked like the Oilers had a power play every shift. The Oilers looked like they were on a 5 minute major, for the first 5 minutes of the game, which is roughly right around the time that Prout actually took that penalty.

I was disappointed with the 3rd period. It was really lousy.

No need for 7D after that. I don't remember a head coach that liked playing 7D as much Hynes. Pete did it a few times, especially because he could play bis boy Petey Jr as a forward and a defenseman.

Everybody does it sometimes, but I feel like Hynes does it at least 7 times per year. Maybe even 10 times per year. This is already either the second or third time that he's done it this year. Which is one of the negatives of having 8D on the roster.

 

[Desert Devil]

The third goal was bad timing but it wasn’t a total softie. The puck was rolling and looked like it dipped a bit. Those shots are tough to read. That’s basically an NHL style Fulton Reed knuckle puck haha

 

[EliasFTW]

Well you better win the next 3 you turds.

 

[EliasFTW]

I 100% blame Cory for the 3rd goal

 

[Bleedred]

Hischier's ice time, under 14 minutes, in a game where only 11 forwards played. Why must this be?

Can't knock him for not scoring enough, I'd bet his points per 60 is near the team lead, outside of maybe Gibbons and his out of control shooting percentage. Not knocking Gibbons, he's been REAL good. He just isn't the offensive dynamo that we've seen so far.

There's another Brian Gibbons, that I found on hockey reference. A defenseman, that played 228 games in the WHA from 1972-1976. Born in 1947 and went to Boston College. Think that's his dad? The same name (even though it's probably fairly common) and a Boston College alumnus, our Gibbons is from Massachusetts, seems like it might be. Can't find any connection though. Might just be a coincidence, with the same name and both being Boston College alumni.

Miles Wood might be one of the most improved players in the league this season. He's been loaded up with defensive zone starts, yet still has a positive relative corsi and fenwick, at least before this game. Don't have tonight's stats. He doesn't get trapped in the D-zone as much and doesn't make the stupid plays that he seemed to be making last season and this preseason.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Missed half the game. Did the Edmonton media make Larson the 1st star because he’s an ex Devil?