Post-Game Talk: Another Point down the drain (2-1 OT Loss to Avs)

[MadDevil]

Makes no sense to me how a team can have all these chances all year long & still never, ever, ever score.

Probably has something to do with fact that our only two natural goal scorers, Ryder and Brunner, are streaky as hell. They're both great complimentary players, but when you rely on them as much as we do, its going to be ugly at times.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Missed this game but it seems like the boxscore tells me everything I need to know.

 

[Benedict Parisechuk]

Missed this game but it seems like the boxscore tells me everything I need to know.

It had all the perfect Devil ingredients. Only score 1 goal and can't put the other team away because of a lack of finish, Salvador being a disgrace to mankind, the 4th line out in the final minutes along with Harrold-Deboer who can't get out of there zone and let the opposing team tie it up after pulling the goalie. It was a Pete Deboer special if I've ever seen one.

 

[ScottyK]

Can't wait for Lou to buy at the deadline and we miss the playoffs by 1-3 pts all while Lou hums the lyrics from fall out boy sugar we're going down swinging.

 

[Devilsfan992]

Missed this game but it seems like the boxscore tells me everything I need to know.

I wouldn't say that. Devils played arguably one of there best games of the season for the first 57 minutes. Devils were swarming at times in the game where it seemed like we would have the puck in there zone for a good 2-3 shifts at a time. Devils hit 3 posts, had one puck stop on the goal line. Avalanche had maybe one or two attempts that I had to worry about. Bad puck luck + Bad coaching at the end of the game led to this loss.

 

[Bleedred]

Why did Giguere even get one of the 3 stars for this game? What a joke. He should have given up 4 or 5 goals tonight. 3 posts all of which he shouldn't have let get behind him, and the one on the goal line which was awful as well. And the goal he gave up to Carter was an absolute joke as well.

I don't even wanna hear anyone from the team say **** about a hot goalie. That's ********. We should be going on 2 straight games of being shutout if we had actually faced somebody legit. Our last 3 goals have been some of the easiest goals we've scored all year.

 

[Semak]

Because you don't ****ing follow your first line with ****ing fourth line in the third period. That's why. Idiot. Because you keep rolling your ****ing fourth line inside five minutes to defend a one goal lead.

Deboer has to go, he has to go. He's as stubborn as elephant’s leg.

 

[Buckingham Claude*]

Coach Deboer should be let go for letting this roster skate on the ice alone.

There are a few scrubs that should sot be playing at critical moments. He should know this.

 

[Buckingham Claude*]

Only 9 hits too. Doesn't Deboer tell them to hit more and make it difficult for the opponent?

 

[Basement Cat]

Only 9 hits too. Doesn't Deboer tell them to hit more and make it difficult for the opponent?

It's hard to hit the opponent when you have the puck the majority of the time.

 

[leftwing]

Gulitti:
"Those guys weren't out there with 2 mins to go. It was almost 4 and couldn't get off the ice."

"4th line and D pair of Harrold and Merrill got stuck out there for nearly 2 minutes before tying goal. Carter was only one able to change"

I don't think you can pin it on Pete if those guys are out there at the 4 minute mark, and then just can't get out and only Merrill and Carter change.

A better line would'nt have gotten pinned, and would have been able to clear the puck and get a change.

I've refrained so far from blaming DeBoer and Gionta.

My view on DeBoer was that he was limited by the tools he has, which are not spectacular. My view on Gio was that he is what he is, everyone knows it, but he's what we have.

There was absolutely no excuse for last night.

DeBoer should not have that line out there with three and change left, or he needs to make sure they know it's 30 and off, no excuses. Gio went hard forecheck against two guys on that shift, last one being Johnson who he bounced off like a pinball. That's how he got trapped on the ice.

Brilliant move by the Avs bench. They had us stitched in for a good amount of time before pulling Giggy. The bench saw 5 on 5 we were overwhelmed, our guys were getting exhausted, and there was no chance we would take any risk on an EN - our only goal if we were to get the puck would be to clear and change.

From 2:32 to whenever the goal went in was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. DeBoer was totally outcoached in those critical last four minutes and our fourth liner got caught taking an unacceptable risk at the same time. It's on them now.

Also, I spent a fair amount of time last night watching Zajac away from the puck. First wasn't that bad. Second and third, the guy literally looks lost. Wandering around with no purpose or just standing there.

And lastly, Jagr has really grown on me, which says alot because I really dislike the guy from his Rags/Caps days. The guy is fantastic at getting the puck into scoring positions - through the crease in coverage, with people on him, etc. If his linemates wake up and get weakside or to the slot when Jagr has it down low they should be getting two goals to every one of Jagr's and Jagr should be leading the team and a good part of the League in assists. I lost count of the number of times Jagr laid a great centering pass with no one even close to being there. The guy is dream linemate, he gets the puck and does the hard work, I go hard to the net stick down, and more likely than not it winds up on my stick in front.

Despite what DeBoer wants to bark at reporters, the basics are just not that hard.

 

[NJ CUP*]

I wouldn't say that. Devils played arguably one of there best games of the season for the first 57 minutes. Devils were swarming at times in the game where it seemed like we would have the puck in there zone for a good 2-3 shifts at a time. Devils hit 3 posts, had one puck stop on the goal line. Avalanche had maybe one or two attempts that I had to worry about. Bad puck luck + Bad coaching at the end of the game led to this loss.

puck luck? how about we make our own luck. is that what we are basing our game plan on? puck luck?

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Cry havoc! And let slip the extra point.

 

[Camille the Eel]

. . . Brilliant move by the Avs bench. They had us stitched in for a good amount of time before pulling Giggy. The bench saw 5 on 5 we were overwhelmed, our guys were getting exhausted, and there was no chance we would take any risk on an EN - our only goal if we were to get the puck would be to clear and change.

From 2:32 to whenever the goal went in was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. DeBoer was totally outcoached in those critical last four minutes and our fourth liner got caught taking an unacceptable risk at the same time. It's on them now.

Only two things to add to your absolutely correct synopsis are how Ryder and Fayne then lost us the game after the game tying goal:

1. Ryder (not Gionta, not the fourth line) turns the puck over to Duchene during a line change with forty-eight seconds left, sending Duchene in alone on Schneider. Ryder's got the puck along the Devils bench, is trying to get off, somebody goes to hit him, but instead of throwing it towards the Av's blue line he hands it off to Duchene about five feet away, who then streaks towards the Devils goal all alone, Green has to slash him to stop the breakaway. 4 on 3 in overtime.

2. In OT Mark Fayne misplays the game winner. He's on the wrong side of the scorer, is slow to react to the play, and the centering pass - parallel to the goal line - gets through down low; where Fayne doesn't have the scorer's stick locked up. End of Game.

One other thing to re-iterate - as bad as Deboer's line change was with Gionta et al. on the game tie goal, Patrick Roy's immediate move, his instinctive sense, to pull his goalie at that precise point in the game was that damn good. As good a game management move by a coach, as quick and sure, as any I've ever seen.

 

[leftwing]

All good points. My seats are on the Devs x2 end so other than the obvious breakaway I missed most of the game winner.

By your description it all again goes back to basics, both with Ryder and Fayne. Which to me is on the coach.

I am still in awe of the pull as you say at that exact moment. I may try to find a replay to see how much time actually elapses between the puck first getting to our end and Giggy getting pulled. The Avs bench waited until they knew there was nearly no chance of an EN. If our guys get possession even they know they can't risk an icing at that point and just pitchfork it. Nice game management.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

Giving Roy too much credit.

It's an elementary decision at best to pull your goalie against AHL caliber players. It's really elementary. Well, at least, it should be.

We're so accustomed to really dumb coaching that we look at this very basic, expected move by a coach and think it's amazing. Don't get me wrong, Roy is solid, but Pete put the game on his plate. I kept yelling "get the fourth line off the ****ing ice" but I guess Pete didn't hear me.

I do that every game by the way. Pete has a tendency to put the fourth line out there with <4 minutes to go. Sometimes less than 2. Sometimes he'll end the game with Gionta - Bernier - Zajac or some wacky combination of guys he's convinced are great defensively.

And every game I yell and scream and holler "get Gionta off the ****ing ice. What is Bernier doing on the ice? Where is Zubrus, Zajac, Patty, Jagr, Henrique, Clowe - guys who should be fresh to carry the load down the stretch. Pretty damn simple this game of hockey when you think about it. Our idiotic coach just makes it harder and harder.

 

[jagrgodr]

Jagr was playing some crazy hockey at the end of the game. I don't think i've seen him fly around like that in the offensive zone in awhile. He was literally unstoppable.. so sad he didn't score or setup a goal.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

I know they only play the goal horn when the Devils score at the rock but we really need a Price is Right sad trombone goal horn for when they get scored on in the final minutes and OT.

http://www.priceisrightfail.com/

 

[leftwing]

Giving Roy too much credit.

It's an elementary decision at best to pull your goalie against AHL caliber players. It's really elementary. Well, at least, it should be.

My point is different. Yes it's elementary to pull your goalie against a weak line even with alot (relatively) of time remaining. Just as elementary as yanking him against any line with less than a minute left.

The brilliance here is that he did not yank Giggy against that weak line immediately when he could have. He waited until the situation was such that there was no realistic chance that we would even attempt an EN. He took a high risk, throw in the towel brain dead type move (yanking the goalie) and timed it so that there was nearly no risk associated with it.

And did it on the fly, because at four minutes left down one when to yank the goalie is not necessarily the first thing on a coach's mind.

It is that type of coaching that moves teams into and deep in playoffs. It is that kind of coaching we do not have.

 

[NC107*]

The Devils' talent isn't there so we need to point the finger at Lou not Pete.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

My point is different. Yes it's elementary to pull your goalie against a weak line even with alot (relatively) of time remaining. Just as elementary as yanking him against any line with less than a minute left.

The brilliance here is that he did not yank Giggy against that weak line immediately when he could have. He waited until the situation was such that there was no realistic chance that we would even attempt an EN. He took a high risk, throw in the towel brain dead type move (yanking the goalie) and timed it so that there was nearly no risk associated with it.

And did it on the fly, because at four minutes left down one when to yank the goalie is not necessarily the first thing on a coach's mind.

It is that type of coaching that moves teams into and deep in playoffs. It is that kind of coaching we do not have.

I agree. Waiting for our weak line to tire out all but guaranteed a goal. It just shouldn't have ever come to that. I feel like Pete got outcoached last night and Cory and Pete both know it.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

The Devils' talent isn't there so we need to point the finger at Lou not Pete.

I disagree. I think we have plenty of talent. Do we have the best team in the world moving forward a year or two from now? Probably not. But we should be fine this year.

Manage the roster correctly and then we can talk about how all of this is Lou's fault.

 

[Mory Schneideur*]

I disagree. I think we have plenty of talent. Do we have the best team in the world moving forward a year or two from now? Probably not. But we should be fine this year.

Manage the roster correctly and then we can talk about how all of this is Lou's fault.

I think we have a solid team too. If anything we are missing an impact player to take the pressure off the other guys and give us key goals and plays when needed.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Gionta, Bernier, Harrold and Merrill were on the ice for the tying goal.
Merill is not ready and the other 3 are either too small or too slow to be able to get the puck out.

In the net.

Then Ryder makes a rookie play that leads to the penalty.

Clowe and Brunner absolutely invisible once again too.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

Bernier is approaching Yakupov levels of defensive incompetence. At what point do you look at his +/- in comparison to his teammates and conclude "hey, maybe this guy is a problem?"