Devils 2017-18 team discussion (player news and notes) VII - Playoff push; read warning in OP first

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NJDevs26

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Continue discussion about the rest of the team - injuries, lines, etc...except for the goalies. Since the team thread became the goalie dissection thread we figured due to multiple requests and the way discussion was going it was time for a reset and seperation since at this point the goalie discussion is pretty much its own megatopic. For the forseeable future all goalie talk goes here (and in general GDT's):

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/devils-goalie-dissection-thread.2467865/

Any attempt to start or continue the goalie debate here will result in deletions and OT warnings. There's plenty else to talk about here like our returning players or lineup decisions.
 

haak84

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Posted on the main board and the other thread but can't get over this.

V6DuwaS.png


we are average in just about every category. i find this so relatable.
 

Bleedred

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Posted on the main board and the other thread but can't get over this.

V6DuwaS.png


we are average in just about every category. i find this so relatable.
PDO of 100 is average, so that's us.

The thing is that (I'm not trying to get into goaltending specifically here) luckily the slightly below average save percentage has been aided a bit by a slightly above average shooting percentage. Before that Vegas game, I think our shooting percentage was finally down to 9.1 for the first time all season. Then it crept back up.

Our PDO was actually 99.8 before the most recent 3 game winning streak.

If you look at that, our shots against aren't that bad, they're not as bad our reputation for having a ''BAD defense'' is. Our shots for are still a bit too low though. We actually had a positive shot on goal differential before the Nashville game to start that 3 game winning streak.
 

haak84

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Yeah we're definitely trending upward and I believe our young core is much more above average than our older players.
 
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Bleedred

Travis Green BLOWS! Bring back Nasreddine!
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Our PDO was like 101.3 or something right before that skid in late December started. I've been keeping track of it all year. We were like top 5-10 in PDO for the first 2.5 months of the season. Up until like close to game 40.

We had like a 10.5% shooting percentage and the save percentage above .915% up until then.
 

I Hate Tie DOMI

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Posted on the main board and the other thread but can't get over this.

V6DuwaS.png


we are average in just about every category. i find this so relatable.

Makes sense since we are battling to be the 8th seed in a 16 team Eastern conference and sitting in 18th place overall in a 31 team league. That's average.
 

haak84

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We're trending upwards and teams don't just magically turn it around in one season like the main board thinks.
 

haak84

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The offensive improvement for the team has been huge.

The fact that Hischier/Bratt/Butcher are 2-3 seasons ahead of development is a huge plus. I think there is going to be more of a soph slump with Bratt/Butcher but I don't think it will result in overall regression. I think Severson is at the cusp of turning another corner if all goes well. Hall will be MVP caliber (barring injury) for the next couple seasons. Our bottom 6 is solidified. Our core is more than solid.

For me, the x-factor is Nico. I really think he is going to be a special player in this league. He continually exceeds expectations and I don't think that is going to change. I haven't felt this optimistic about a Devil since Brodeur and to a slightly less degree, Elias. Great company to have.
 

haak84

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To think that Nico is going to be 23 when Hall turns 30 is absurd. Nico will just be entering his peak and Hall will be settling into his legacy. The next 4 years are going to be special with those 2.
 

haak84

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LJ is the Colin White of this year's Devils. You need those type of players.
 

NJDevs26

Once upon a time...
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Adding guys that know what it takes to win like Lovejoy goes a long way

Honestly it's hilarious that our vocal leaders (aside from Hall) are more or less Boyle, Lovejoy and Stafford at this point...arguably the three most marginal players in the lineup. Which also tells you why they're all here in the first place.
 
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