GDT: Your New Jersey Devils @ Nashville Predators, 8 PM, MSG

[Whaddagoal]

My phone autocorrects shot to shit. I thought for a while I was just fat fingering it, but I started paying close attention and it flips shot to shit like, 90% of the time

That is because it has learned this team has been taking shit shots most of the season, and now is helping you out when posting here. See the benefits....!

 

[Louskoolaid89]

Fat drunk Ozzy is the best Ozzy.

There's skinny Ozzy
Short haired Ozzy
Glam Ozzy
Grandpa Ozzy
Dementia Ozzy

But the fat drunk Ozzy is the best Ozzy.

The one wearing a St.Louis Blues shirt in his mugshot? f*** yeah. Always liked Ozzie and Black Sabbath the best from like 1969 to 1979. Solo record is Blizzard and Diary of a Madman. The rest goes too pop for my liking. There is like a million albums with different lineups and singers and I've only heard fragments of them. Besides Born Again oddly enough and some the the bigger songs with Dio.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Curtis Lazar f***ing rocks.

 

[Whaddagoal]

Curtis Lazar f***ing rocks.

@Xirik , here is what you were looking for.

Thanks B.C.Sal

 

[Cheddabombs]

I see how it is. I go to bed and they turn the game around. I'll take the hint

 

[Nocashstyle]

lazar does what he does and is more valuable than someone like andreas johnsson or drew stafford when they were here.

Lazar is one of those guys smart enough to recognize that, even though he was a high pick and clearly was an offensive guy in juniors, he wasn’t going to have a long career trying to be that in the NHL. He understands his role and does it perfectly.

Funny enough, though, he’s also only 3 points away from his career high in the NHL.

 

[Better Call Sal]

lazar does what he does and is more valuable than someone like andreas johnsson or drew stafford when they were here.

Your longstanding disdain for Andreas Johnsson will always make me laugh.

 

[DevilDog]

Cannot overstate the importance of last nights win. Beating Nashville at home in regulation for the 1st time in 15 years. Breaking the back-to-back boogeyman that’s haunted them all season and getting 2 desperately needed points.

Great effort all around.

 

[Triumph]

Lazar is one of those guys smart enough to recognize that, even though he was a high pick and clearly was an offensive guy in juniors, he wasn’t going to have a long career trying to be that in the NHL. He understands his role and does it perfectly.

Funny enough, though, he’s also only 3 points away from his career high in the NHL.

Lazar was an offensive guy in junior but he was also 5th on his junior team in scoring the year he was drafted. He knew he wasn't drafted that high because he could score goals - he was drafted high for everything else.

 

[JrFischer54]

Just got to watch replay of the no goal by preds that puck definitely went in. I know the flames goal back in the day was proven but to me he pushed it pretty close to the goal line.

Obviously it was the right call it wasn’t conclusive but it looked good to me

 

[Whaddagoal]

Your longstanding disdain for Andreas Johnsson will always make me laugh.

I still don't understand where it comes from, but it could be from his leaf stint, pretty sure? There is some Toronto overlap with them both.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Lazar was an offensive guy in junior but he was also 5th on his junior team in scoring the year he was drafted. He knew he wasn't drafted that high because he could score goals - he was drafted high for everything else.

He certainly wasn’t drafted 17th overall to be a fourth line grinder.

Even here at the 6min mark:



“…high pedigree and what I could have been…”. He’s acknowledging that he was drafted as an offensive guy.

 

[Rhodes 81]

There's been a number of times this season that felt like they could be a turning point for the team to get back to last year's heights, only to have the inconsistency kill the momentum a game later. But 4 straight in my mind where we looked clearly like a team that was either even or better than the opponent and having everyone (outside of Seigs/Hamilton) healthy is enough to give you hope that this time might be for real. No reason at all to believe it is too late.

It's also in the favor of the people saying that this coaching staff stood idle and pissed away a month or two of the season before making changes. Also there's no reason they couldn't do this after the mediocre games they were having the first month and a half. That's why the angst towards the coaching staff came from.

Just playing devil's advocate. If one of the tenants of the apparent systems change is to put more onus on the centers to play a more traditional, defensively responsible center role (which is certainly what it appears to me and what the announcers have alluded to), then Ruff may not have felt like the team could effectively handle that with McLeod as their 2nd or even 1st line center in some games, Haula in and out of the lineup/unable to play C for a chunk of the season for some reason, Mercer having to play C, and Tierney/Willman getting regular time. It's entirely possible Ruff recognized they needed to make a change but just didn't think the personnel he had available could do it. Upgrading from Hichier-McLeod-Lazar/Mercer-Tierney with Bowers and Dowling thrown in there sometimes to Hughes/Haula-Hischier-Lazar-Nosek is a major improvement to every line, given who it means is on each wing as well.

I don't necessarily agree with that conclusion if that is the case, but this is why it's difficult to judge coaching decisions when the coach is working within roster limitations. I feel like both the "it's all the goalies fault" and the "it's all Ruff's fault" crowds have been ignoring the elephant in the room that our roster, particularly at center, has been filled with AHL talent all season due to injuries and that is finally not the case.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

There's been a number of times this season that felt like they could be a turning point for the team to get back to last year's heights, only to have the inconsistency kill the momentum a game later. But 4 straight in my mind where we looked clearly like a team that was either even or better than the opponent and having everyone (outside of Seigs/Hamilton) healthy is enough to give you hope that this time might be for real. No reason at all to believe it is too late.

Just playing devil's advocate. If one of the tenants of the apparent systems change is to put more onus on the centers to play a more traditional, defensively responsible center role (which is certainly what it appears to me and what the announcers have alluded to), then Ruff may not have felt like the team could effectively handle that with McLeod as their 2nd or even 1st line center in some games, Haula in and out of the lineup/unable to play C for a chunk of the season for some reason, Mercer having to play C, and Tierney/Willman getting regular time. It's entirely possible Ruff recognized they needed to make a change but just didn't think the personnel he had available could do it. Upgrading from Hichier-McLeod-Lazar/Mercer-Tierney with Bowers and Dowling thrown in there sometimes to Hughes/Haula-Hischier-Lazar-Nosek is a major improvement to every line, given who it means is on each wing as well.

I don't necessarily agree with that conclusion if that is the case, but this is why it's difficult to judge coaching decisions when the coach is working within roster limitations. I feel like both the "it's all the goalies fault" and the "it's all Ruff's fault" crowds have been ignoring the elephant in the room that our roster, particularly at center, has been filled with AHL talent all season due to injuries and that is finally not the case.

I mean fair but at the same time doing the same thing for 30 ish games and getting your head cranked in isn't exactly a hallmark of a good coach either. If he was legit trying to do other things and they weren't working, I'd be more willing to understand where he was coming from as a fan

 

[devilsfan950003]

Lazar was an offensive guy in junior but he was also 5th on his junior team in scoring the year he was drafted. He knew he wasn't drafted that high because he could score goals - he was drafted high for everything else.

All for a 4th round draft pick. Some Canucks fans didn't want him traded, as he started to become a fan favorite. He battled through injuries though.

 

[Triumph]

He certainly wasn’t drafted 17th overall to be a fourth line grinder.

Even here at the 6min mark:



“…high pedigree and what I could have been…”. He’s acknowledging that he was drafted as an offensive guy.

Almost everyone drafted in the 1st round these days is drafted as an offensive guy, but Lazar would be way, way down the list for forward PPG in junior hockey, and even less so when you take into account the strength of his team. So, no, he wasn't drafted to be a 4th line grinder, but neither was he drafted with the expectation that he could ever become a top-line player. He was a low-ceiling, high-floor sort of player.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

All for a 4th round draft pick. Some Canucks fans didn't want him traded, as he started to become a fan favorite. He battled through injuries though.

We will end up trading him to make room for the Toffoli extension....

 

[Nocashstyle]

Almost everyone drafted in the 1st round these days is drafted as an offensive guy, but Lazar would be way, way down the list for forward PPG in junior hockey, and even less so when you take into account the strength of his team. So, no, he wasn't drafted to be a 4th line grinder, but neither was he drafted with the expectation that he could ever become a top-line player. He was a low-ceiling, high-floor sort of player.

Yes, a high floor player. Doesn’t mean Ottawa didn’t think he had the tools and skill to potentially develop into a top 6 talent. No team is drafting someone at 17 OA with the intention of them being just a 4th liner. Not sure why you feel the need to “correct” me either. The entire point of my post was that Lazar embraced and accepted a role that’s going to keep him in the NHL longer.

 

[Guttersniped]

Almost everyone drafted in the 1st round these days is drafted as an offensive guy, but Lazar would be way, way down the list for forward PPG in junior hockey, and even less so when you take into account the strength of his team. So, no, he wasn't drafted to be a 4th line grinder, but neither was he drafted with the expectation that he could ever become a top-line player. He was a low-ceiling, high-floor sort of player.

Yes, Lazar was more of a goal scorer than PPG player, while seen as a two-way center and a character guy. (He wore an A for 2 years and then was Captain.)

This BR scouting report from June 2013 ended up being pretty on the nose.
Link

Full Scouting Report
Lazar has an NHL-ready shot, but most scouts view him as a two-way center rather than as a big goal scorer once he reaches the NHL. His skating ability is an asset. Lazar also has earned a reputation for standing up for his teammates when necessary, as he did in the CHL Prospects Game when he dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse. Lazar is good in his own zone and should be a responsible defensive center in the NHL.

Before the draft, International Scouting Services had this to say about Lazar:

“Lazar is a gritty and hard-working 200-foot player that also has some high-end offensive ability,” says Ross MacLean, head scout for International Scouting Services. “He’s a very good linear skater with good hands and a strong release on his shot, making him a very dangerous shooting option off the rush. He is intelligent around the net, has good vision and can set up in the perimeter effectively as well. Lazar is an all-situations capable player who has the skill to compete against top opposition and always seems to up his game when the stakes get higher. I would expect him to start putting up some significantly higher offensive numbers the remainder of his junior career.”

NHL Player Comparison
Lazar is a poor man's Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins. He is a hard worker, takes the body when called upon and, while not an elite scorer, will come up with big goals in clutch situations.

NHL Timetable
If he's willing to accept a third- or fourth-line role, Lazar could be in the NHL by the 2014-15 season. The key may be adding a little more muscle to his 5'11", 193-pound frame, which would help him when playing against older and larger players than what he faced in the WHL.

Top-End Potential
At the very least, Lazar figures to be a third-line checking center who will slow down opposing teams' top scorers, drop the gloves when needed and score the occasional goal. Because he takes coaching well and is popular with his teammates, he may wear a letter after a few years in the NHL. His top-end potential is probably as a second-line two-way center who can score 20 goals and put up impressive plus/minus numbers and kill penalties.

 

[Triumph]

Yes, a high floor player. Doesn’t mean Ottawa didn’t think he had the tools and skill to potentially develop into a top 6 talent. No team is drafting someone at 17 OA with the intention of them being just a 4th liner. Not sure why you feel the need to “correct” me either. The entire point of my post was that Lazar embraced and accepted a role that’s going to keep him in the NHL longer.

The point I was trying to make is that a player drafted that high with relatively mediocre stats usually doesn't need to 'adjust' anything - they're already playing an NHL style of game. They're drafted that high for that reason - because they are willing to do 'the little things'. I guess there are guys who get a big ego after that and don't think they have to put in the work, but I think the majority of the guys of this sort are drafted here because teams see that they will put in the work.

 

[Guttersniped]

Yes, a high floor player. Doesn’t mean Ottawa didn’t think he had the tools and skill to potentially develop into a top 6 talent. No team is drafting someone at 17 OA with the intention of them being just a 4th liner. Not sure why you feel the need to “correct” me either. The entire point of my post was that Lazar embraced and accepted a role that’s going to keep him in the NHL longer.

We saw Vesey do this, not sure anyone had him pegged as a future 30 year old two-way PKing bottom six forward when he floundering after his first stint on the Rags.

It’s presumably easier if you’re already a two-way center so Lazar did had an advantage there.

I don’t know if you’ll see a guy who vocally relishes the bottom six role more than Lazar though.

I wish I could remember when someone (Ruff I guess) had an amusing reaction to Lazar raving about how much he loved grinding. They had never heard someone say they love it before lol.

 

[JimEIV]

They're drafted that high usually because it's a shitty draft year...not uncommon to see a slew of checking forwards and 3rd pairing Dmen go early in a shitty year....like 2013 was

 

[Nocashstyle]

They're drafted that high usually because it's a shitty draft year...not uncommon to see a slew of checking forwards and 3rd pairing Dmen go early in a shitty year....like 2013 was

Not that I want to even dignify this pointless exercise any further than I already have, but that’s the case for pretty much every draft year. You can point out guys from the first round in just about every draft who ended up being grinders or bottom pair defenseman. That doesn’t mean the team drafting them thought that was their absolute ceiling.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Still, it gets tiring reading the only reason we were good last year because of the genius in Nashville who's done nothing better than par performances as a head coach.

I suppose that's true. I think the success of last season was largely due to good luck with injuries, and just having the perfect roster to fit what Ruff wanted honestly. Also just wanted to say, Nashville's roster is pretty ass outside of Saros so....

Looks like we had outclassed Nashville with the speed and 'throw pucks into areas we can out stake them' idea. It clearly worked because we generated so many rushes

Is it just me or did they just start doing that?

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

But no good bad coach is changing a system a month into a season coming off a great season a year before.

I agree there