GDT: Devils @ Kraken - 10:00 PM - MSG+

[Bleedred]

Dawes was way too deep in the net and just watching the play on goal number one. He also wasn’t square to the shot nor was he in the middle of his net. His positioning if awful sometimes He needed to come out and challenge that shot. But then again he did that better a couple of times later in the game. So we are seeing improvement.

He also did do a better job of finding pucks through screens and fighting through traffic.

I only saw the first 2 periods. We were backing in on D very badly all that time and not standing up in center ice. Two poor teams turning the puck over constantly and exchanging crazy rushes in the 2d. When then we we couldn’t complete plays cleanly. Everything was just a bounce or a stride off all the time.

The most ragged game I’ve seen all year as to our passing. By them too. Was the ice bad? Also quite a physical game. We got chipped and bumped a lot. Lots of blown assignments and guys left free coming in late on D. But then again, Colton White? And we were missing Graves so the D was improvised.

Our power play lost us the game. Hamilton is so soft running things, but it’s not just him. We were better all the same a few weeks ago when Severson was up top.

I thought he was very low key bad last night. Like Gillies in the LA game, where he finished with like 3 goals against on like 35 shots, which is a pretty good on paper game for him.

He didn't look so bad in real time, but going over and watching those again, I didn't like the first two goals. Both kind of went through his arm and probably should have hit him and I thought he had enough time to get set. Same goes with Grubauer on the Boqvist goal.

 

[Guttersniped]

Hard disagree.

I don't recall it being mentioned much if at all around here, but he was the #1 ranked North American goalie when he was drafted. Throw him into the fire in a lost season and see what his gumption is.

He's 21, not 18. And he hasn't disappointed me.

Edit: Blackwood is gone. Either via injury issues, trade, or free agency. No sense talking about him unless we make the playoffs next year with him still on the roster. He unfortunately strikes me as our Mike Smith. Or even worse, Bryzgalov.

Daws age doesn’t matter, it’s his complete lack of pro hockey experience.

Goalies don’t jump straight from Canadian Juniors to the NHL for a reason. Goalie is not like the other positions, you need to build on the experience in lower levels. You don’t just have raw “goalie talent”. That’s true to a certain extent with defensemen too, unless your leaning in with explosive offensive play (which comes early).

Carter Hart is the closest example of a guy doing that. Hart was a much more of a blue chip prospect who had a lot more hockey in the preceding years before he was rushed into the NHL.

And people think his development was messed up by being ridiculously rushed. And it for the exact same reason, the Flyers used a record 8 goalies in 2018-19. Hart of course did better than Daws.

I won’t say this is “ruining” Daws but the goalie crisis screwed up what could have been a very nice development year for our two rookie goalies in the AHL. This wasn’t good for them, you let them grow in the AHL without throwing them to the wolves.

 

[Bleedred]

Daws age doesn’t matter, it’s his complete lack of pro hockey experience.

Goalies don’t jump straight from Canadian Juniors to the NHL for a reason. Goalie is not like the other positions, you need to build on the experience in lower levels. You don’t just have raw “goalie talent”. That’s true to a certain extent with defensemen too, unless your leaning in with explosive offensive play (which comes early).

Carter Hart is the closest example of a guy doing that. Hart was a much more of a blue chip prospect who had a lot more hockey in the preceding years before he was rushed into the NHL.

And people think his development was messed up by being ridiculously rushed. And it for the exact same reason, the Flyers used a record 8 goalies in 2018-19. Hart of course did better than Daws.

I won’t say this is “ruining” Daws but the goalie crisis screwed up what could have been a very nice development year for our two rookie goalies in the AHL. This wasn’t good for them, you let them grow in the AHL without throwing them to the wolves.

I'm surprised more people (our fans) don't have an issue with him playing so much, considering there's been so many times over the years where people have questioned on skaters (we never had a goalie come in this early, not even Brodeur, outside of a few games as a 19 year old in 91-92) whether we brought this guy up too early or that guy up too early. Or maybe this guy should have gotten a year in the AHL.

In the end, Daws will be in the AHL next year, so it's not like he's here to stay like some of those other players we questioned, but I'm actually surprised more people aren't at the very least slightly perturbed by how much he's been used. Especially if people actually have hope in him to ever be an NHL goalie.

And let's be serious here, I don't understand how he hasn't disappointed. If he were playing on the Rangers or Flyers doing this right now, I think a lot of our fans that seem so impressed with him would be making fun of him and talking about the 21 year old sieve across the river or down the turnpike.

It's not his fault that he's had to play so many games, but I think he's been pretty disappointing since about 5-6 weeks ago. Whenever that shootout win over the Ducks was. It's been downhill since that Canada trip.

Blackwood was FAR more impressive as a rookie than Daws. What's that? Blackwood was a year older and had several years of pro/AHL experience before we called him up? Yeah, that's exactly my point.

Daws has now surpassed Fleury in games played during his first call up in his first pro season, though he is 2 years older.

And it was questioned for years whether or not Fleury should have been brought up in the 03-04 season. Fleury started out hot (like Daws) that year, but was sent back to juniors (not the AHL) after his first streak of struggling. And it took a LONG time for Fleury to consistently be a good goalie. He had good seasons in his 20's and won a cup (while playing kind of mediocre), but he didn't really put it all together until he was pretty close to 30. His best consistent stretch of years was in his 30's. It's also long since been questioned if Fleury's slow and unimpressive first several years could be attributed to his premature insertion into the NHL.

 

[Call Me Al]

i’m sure everyone wishes he played in the ahl and we had more and better goalie depth but it’s kind of beating a dead horse now, no?

 

[Bleedred]

i’m sure everyone wishes he played in the ahl and we had more and better goalie depth but it’s kind of beating a dead horse now, no?

Playing him every game is the definition of beating a dead horse.

I will say, I fully expected him to play last night and was pleasantly surprised with him sitting for Hammond in Colorado. I never expected that, but how much is enough? At what point do we say when with him? It’s been 25 games. Just go with Hammond and it sounds like Blackwood is probably gonna be ready by the first game back, if he not by tomorrow night.

If Blackwood dresses for 6 games, I expect he’ll probably play 5 of them.

 

[BurntToast]

At this point.. perfect game for a crap team. Team got a point, most of the players you want to produce produced, team still lost (helping reduce the chances of falling out of the top 5). There is a solid chance they end up 6/7 (pre lotto).

 

[Triumph]

i think the injuries provide a convenient excuse for our coaching staff. no way we fire recchi and/or nas this summer.

what i think happens is lindy gets an EXTREMELY short leash to fix their shit, and fitz makes big moves to fix defense, and possibly goaltending. if we're not hot by thanksgiving, full staff firings.

i'd prefer all the staff be fired (don't get me wrong). but for people calling for recchi to get fired, i think our dumb management will give him a pass because

1. firing assistant coaches without firing the head coach is rare
2. he will get a pass on his shit powerplay bc our ES scoring is okay (we're tied w tampa for 12th for 5v5 scoring)

GMs know they can't have extremely short leashes for people in the way you're describing. If they have any doubt about the coaching staff, they have to go. If Fitzgerald waits until next season to fire Ruff, he will be gone too, maybe not until the end of the season, but he'll be in big trouble unless the Devils somehow make it to the playoffs.

It's so much harder to clear out a staff mid-season because people aren't typically seeking work in hockey during the season.

There is no 'big move' to fix the defense. The easiest move is to fire the coaches, all of them, and I think/hope Fitzgerald will do that.

 

[Bleedred]

GMs know they can't have extremely short leashes for people in the way you're describing. If they have any doubt about the coaching staff, they have to go. If Fitzgerald waits until next season to fire Ruff, he will be gone too, maybe not until the end of the season, but he'll be in big trouble unless the Devils somehow make it to the playoffs.

It's so much harder to clear out a staff mid-season because people aren't typically seeking work in hockey during the season.

There is no 'big move' to fix the defense. The easiest move is to fire the coaches, all of them, and I think/hope Fitzgerald will do that.

Exactly.

If we make a coaching change mid-season, we're probably getting interim Nas 2.0 or Dineen.

Like I said, I don't think it's Ruff's fault, but I don't see this getting better with him and this staff still here. Does he deserve a shot with better goalies? Sure, you can argue he does, but I think we've seen enough.

 

[Camille the Eel]

I thought he was very low key bad last night. Like Gillies in the LA game, where he finished with like 3 goals against on like 35 shots, which is a pretty good on paper game for him.

He didn't look so bad in real time, but going over and watching those again, I didn't like the first two goals. Both kind of went through his arm and probably should have hit him and I thought he had enough time to get set. Same goes with Grubauer on the Boqvist goal.

"Low Key Bad" ha that's perfect. Couldn't agree more. It was an okay game and he did some things better, like dealing with screens and responding to some plays more aggressively.

One play I remember was a guy picking up the puck at the blue line and coming unchecked right down the slot at him at full speed, to within about 25 feet of the goal, and Dawes immediately jumped out on the shooter, above the blue paint (the crease), and made the save. He gave him nothing to shoot at and that's the way to make that save. (He's been beat repeatedly by staying in the net like a deer in the headlights and giving the shooters all kinds of room) - Last night on that play was only the second time I've seen him respond to it right, but it made me think he's learning, processing some of this.

 

[glenwo2]

Bratt ruins 69.... Sadge.

Bratt gets 70 points. Ka-ching, Ka-ching says Bratt's agent. $$$

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Seattle has zero reason to trade him now, they need some center depth to actually play on the team. They can’t just throw their prospects to the wolves with no one else there.

Agree he is the type of player we definitely need as well though..

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

As for the coaching staff imo if Fitz has doubts or feels he'll pull trigger after a slow start next year he needs to make the changes at the end of this season....I like Ruff but I am not sure he is the long term solution as the coach.