GDT: Devils @ Avalanche - 9:00 PM - MSG+

[Devs3cups]

They added an assist to Hischier

My night is complete!

 

[Guttersniped]

I liked Hammond's game enough that I feel better about losing Schnarr even though he scored a meaningless goal in a 6-0 win tonight.

Schnarr is/was ahead of Foote (barely, and hopefully not for long, Walsh too if we're including D), Schmelzer, Gambardella, Clarke, Flynn, and Talvitie in Pt/G. Laval could keep second place in the division.

I care less about Schnarr’s lost production and more that he was the team’s best true center, and Utica had very few true centers to begin with. Hard to get & keep possession without centers.

Schmelzer & Talvitie are centers, Thompson transitioned to the position in his last year in college, and some of the others can do it in a pinch but have played wing more for a while.

 

[Guttersniped]

They added an assist to Hischier

 

[njdevils1982]

court in session!!!

 

[glenwo2]

Bratt and Nico Points.

As far as the result of the game?

 

[theoptimist]

Our goal tending is sooooo bad that outside of Daws who has been avg to below avg. I've been conditioned to think any puck that doesn't hit our goalie dead on is a good save. Like "Oh shit our goalie got a blocker on it or got a part of his glove on it. They must be playing pretty good." Then these stinkers happen and I'm like "Oh yeah they just suck."

Well you gotta ask yourself - where is Ty Smith? On the ice, scary. Off the ice, goaltending has a chance….

 

[Mgd31]

Was Hammond good enough to send Daws back to Utica?

Yea he was fine.

 

[AfroThunder396]

1st period was surprisingly good, 2nd period was dreadful, didn't watch the 3rd. Hammond played pretty well from what I saw and I'm happy we didn't get shutout. Whatever.

I'm actually kind of astonished we've only been shutout one time this year, the California road trip against Anaheim.

 

[ScottyK]

Thought Hammond was really good in the 1st....fell asleep didn't see the rest

 

[Camille the Eel]

You could see Colorado working on the defensive side of things as a way of gearing up for the playoffs. They focused on shutting our scoring forwards down rather than attacking our iffy goaltender fire wagon hockey style.

And weren’t focused on getting one star points or goals as they chase records like two Canadian teams have a tendency to do even late in the season.

Manson and Lekhonen are good additional players for their post season.

Manson was on the ice for that shift by the Aube-Kubel line in the second period where they took over the game. That was the turning point, first an icing and then a succession of face offs and attempted clears where we never could seem to get real possession, sustained possession of the puck, and they just cycled and crashed the net until they got their first goal. Lekhonen had two points in the game. Both play the style they need for playoff hockey. Manson had a bunch of heavy hits last night, it seemed like one just about every shift.

I am also impressed by Makar's pure defensive skills. He's not the largest or heaviest guy, but time after time he made defensive plays efficiently and decisively, as in the puck goes to the boards in their end as we try to dump it in, he takes two strides, cuts off our forward completely from the puck, wins the battle effortlessly, regains possession, and bingo they are off the races again. I didn't appreciate how strong, well positioned and efficient he is as a defenseman and not just an offensive D man. He's not another edition of a Torey Krug type. He's very strong on his skates, well balanced, and much more physical than I had given him credit for.

I don't know how you choose between him and Jossi for the Norris trophy. I think it depends on whether Jossi gets to the 100 points.

It was interesting that it was the Aube-Kubel unit that turned the game their way. Not the McKinnon line.

 

[Mgd31]

Manson and Lekhonen are good additional players for their post season.

Manson was on the ice for that shift by the Aube-Kubel line in the second period where they took over the game. That was the turning point, first an icing and then a succession of face offs and attempted clears where we never could seem to get real possession, sustained possession of the puck, and they just cycled and crashed the net until they got their first goal. Lekhonen had two points in the game. Both play the style they need for playoff hockey. Manson had a bunch of heavy hits last night, it seemed like one just about every shift.

I am also impressed by Makar's pure defensive skills. He's not the largest or heaviest guy, but time after time he made defensive plays efficiently and decisively, as in the puck goes to the boards in their end as we try to dump it in, he takes two strides, cuts off our forward completely from the puck, wins the battle effortlessly, regains possession, and bingo they are off the races again. I didn't appreciate how strong, well positioned and efficient he is as a defenseman and not just an offensive D man. He's not another edition of a Torey Krug type. He's very strong on his skates, well balanced, and much more physical than I had given him credit for.

I don't know how you choose between him and Jossi for the Norris trophy. I think it depends on whether Jossi gets to the 100 points.

It was interesting that it was the Aube-Kubel unit that turned the game their way. Not the McKinnon line.

Yea Makar impressed me a lot on the defensive side too. He's the complete package.

 

[Bleedred]

Did McLeod seriously only play a minute and change in the 3rd period? And Bratt played nearly half the period.

I clearly remember Bratt having 9 minutes and some odd seconds after 2 and he finished with 17:52. And I think McLeod also had 9 something after 2 or maybe 8:51 or something and he finished with 10:02.

 

[RangerDoggo]

Could have been worse!

 

[Camille the Eel]

Did McLeod seriously only play a minute and change in the 3rd period? And Bratt played nearly half the period.

I clearly remember Bratt having 9 minutes and some odd seconds after 2 and he finished with 17:52. And I think McLeod also had 9 something after 2 or maybe 8:51 or something and he finished with 10:02.

I figured McLeod had to be injured. Haven't heard anything more about it though.

 

[Bleedred]

I figured McLeod had to be injured. Haven't heard anything more about it though.

I think it was probably Ruff and the staff wanting to go balls out to score some goals. Bratt’s ice time was very low in the first 2 periods and Zacha’s was also pretty damn low early on.

 

[Guttersniped]

I think it was probably Ruff and the staff wanting to go balls out to score some goals. Bratt’s ice time was very low in the first 2 periods and Zacha’s was also pretty damn low early on.

The Nico line with Zetterlund & Shara got Nichushkin’ed (either with a checking duo of Lehkonen/Compher or Mac/Rant) so Ruff did redo the lines around then.

Nico/Bratt/Zacha got put back together.

Zetterlund replaced Bratt with Mercer/Tatar. Shara replaced Zacha on Boqvist/Kuok line.

The new Boqvist line did great defensively against Mac/Rant/Nuke after doing not great against random crap earlier. (Zacha doesn’t do well on checking lines, film at 11.)

No playing the 4th line once in the 3rd was wild. We did have 2 PP (and Ruff didn’t put McLeod line on out there after!) and pulled the goalie, but still.

 

[glenwo2]

nevermind.

 

[Emperoreddy]

1st period was surprisingly good, 2nd period was dreadful, didn't watch the 3rd. Hammond played pretty well from what I saw and I'm happy we didn't get shutout. Whatever.

I'm actually kind of astonished we've only been shutout one time this year, the California road trip against Anaheim.

Scoring 5 on 5 goals really hasn't been a problem for this team overall.