Post-Game Talk: Devils lose again... this time to the Leafs 4-2.

[Uli Hiemer]

If it makes you guys feel any better, Carlyle has some nice words about New Jersey, and teams don't get that from him very often.

http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console

The latest "Randy Carlyle" video

nothing is going to make us feel better, only a win
it's getting sad now.

 

[Bleedred]

nothing is going to make us feel better, only a win
it's getting sad now.

I'm not gonna be confident until this team gets a win again.

 

[Cheddabombs]

I'm not gonna be confident until this team gets a win again.

I won't be confident until this team plays an actually good game. A win like the one against the Flyers wouldn't give me confidence at all. It would help a bit, but a truly good game would be better to see.

 

[Kurt Cobain]

If Brodeur isn't injured we're on a 3 game winning streak. Two of those goals would have never went in had Marty been in net tonight. And the bi polar factions of this board wouldnt be makin rediculous statements; "most unlikeable team ever", "worst forward core ever", " gutless team we ever had". Get a grip guys well be fine and well be in the playoffs with a healthy Brodeur. And trust me no teams wants to play us come playoff time. Well make a trade if we have too and shore up the top 6. Well start winning again and some of you guys well be able to sleep at night without crying first. Life will be ok.

 

[Bleedred]

If Brodeur isn't injured we're on a 3 game winning streak. Two of those goals would have never went in had Marty been in net tonight. And the bi polar factions of this board wouldnt be makin rediculous statements; "most unlikeable team ever", "worst forward core ever", " gutless team we ever had". Get a grip guys well be fine and well be in the playoffs with a healthy Brodeur. And trust me no teams wants to play us come playoff time. Well make a trade if we have too and shore up the top 6. Well start winning again and some of you guys well be able to sleep at night without crying first. Life will be ok.

I don't think anyone can deny at this point the forward lineup isn't all that great. We're either gonna make a move, or have to get the PP going. Maybe Shaw can earn his pay.

I keep having this thought that I'm gonna get on here tomorrow, and see that we claimed Boychuk. That would be the ultimate panic move.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I was gonna ask if the board was in meltdown mode after tonight and the second post pretty much answered my question.

If anything, this loss looked WAY better than Buffalo and whoever the team we played before Buffalo was. If the Devils keep playing like that (and quit gifting opponents 1 to 2 goals a game), we'll be watching wins more than losses from here on out.

Check out a Leafs perspective, might make you feel a little better:

http://theleafsnation.com/2013/3/4/james-reimer-performs-exorcism-maple-leafs-win-4-2-inexplicably

 

[Bleedred]

Check out a Leafs perspective, might make you feel a little better:

http://theleafsnation.com/2013/3/4/james-reimer-performs-exorcism-maple-leafs-win-4-2-inexplicably

''-The other best player for the Leafs? Johan Hedberg. In no universe should Nazem Kadri's goal have gone in. While McClement was left all alone for his goal, he didn't get a good shot away and Hedberg *had* to make that save. He allowed 3 goals on 18 even strength shots, and of the Leafs' six scoring chances that were on net, Hedberg only stopped three. Talk a big game about "shot quality" but there was limited quantity *and* quality in the Leafs' shots Monday. They snuck away from a game they ought to have lost.''

Wow haha.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I don't know how anyone can watch the game I just watched and think that Elias and Zajac and Zidlicky are the problems.

What I also don't understand is why Pete would EVER start the fourth line with Tallinder and Zidlicky.

 

[Bleedred]

Ugh the more I keep thinking about it the more I can see Pete going with Moose again tonight.

 

[MadDevil]

I don't know how anyone can watch the game I just watched and think that Elias and Zajac and Zidlicky are the problems.

What I also don't understand is why Pete would EVER start the fourth line with Tallinder and Zidlicky.

Well Elias was the problem on that ******* pass he made in his own end that directly led to the Leafs second goal (although Moose should have made the save). But that's really the only time I can remember him blatantly ****ing up this season. Zajac's offense has been practically nonexistent this season, but the rest of his game has been fine. And Zidlicky has always been a high risk/high reward player.

I love Moose, but he was terrible in this game. The first two goals went right through him. I know the second one was on Elias' turnover, but he still played it terribly. Their confidence is fragile enough as it is, having the goalie give up soft goals doesn't help at all.

 

[Capt Nico Poo]

thas bout it. Making the playoffs? We'll see..

 

[njdevilsftw]

You know it's bad when barch had the highest +/- with +2

 

[The Joker]

This game made me angry, because they just gave it away in the 3rd. Like they just don't care. Horrible play by Elias. Horrible performance by Hedberg. Disappearing act by Kovalchuk. Elias-Zajac-Clarkson had a good cycle going but that really NEVER resulted in a very good scoring chance, let alone a goal. Poni and Henrique doesn't work out in the slightest so far.

Want to see Kinkaid tonight. Can anyone explain me why Carter, Gionta and Bernier are again our best players out there, for every ****ing night? Certainly not because of their great talent. If the rest of the team would play with the heart of those three guys, we would have no problem. This third period was ridiculous, embarassing. Please start to care out there.

 

[Devils Unseen Hand]

The team needs a major shot in the arm tonight. So, how do you do that?

1. KinKaid starts
   
2. Call up Whitney (speedy & a great shot), Zajac (plays with his brother, double shot of excitement, plays with grit & hits) & Gelinas (our future & should be the one to replace Fayne is is HUGELY overrated imo) & play them tonight.
   
3. Play Harrold tonight. (He deserves it)
   
4. Sit out those who have played like crap in their place. (insert their names here, too many to list)
   
5. Inject some new life into the team while putting the players on notice that the trade deadline is up & if you wanna stay, SNAP OUT OF IT!!!

Begin a new winning streak tonight.

If we lose tonight, dress a tough guy team for Thursday & rough up Buffalo & send a message that a new age is coming. (I don't care if we win that game or not, its about injecting what we sorely miss; hitting & toughness)

Friday, make a major trade for someone. (new message)

Failure to do something like this, right now, will put us back to the Johnny Mac era losing streak.

Petey D. is going anywhere, nor should he....

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Call up the entire farm? Like Mac did? How did that work out for him? There really isn't anything there anyway (though I wouldn't mind giving Harrold some time).

That's not the answer. The guys on the team now are the answer, they are just not there yet for whatever reason. I don't know what it is, but they just don't look motivated to win games. They go on stretches like this from time to time, but this one is quite extended. Someone needs to light a fire under them and get the playing like they're capable of playing. I just don't know who that's going to be...

 

[Devils Unseen Hand]

Call up the entire farm? Like Mac did? How did that work out for him? There really isn't anything there anyway (though I wouldn't mind giving Harrold some time).

That's not the answer. The guys on the team now are the answer, they are just not there yet for whatever reason. I don't know what it is, but they just don't look motivated to win games. They go on stretches like this from time to time, but this one is quite extended. Someone needs to light a fire under them and get the playing like they're capable of playing. I just don't know who that's going to be...

The difference this time around is Lou will not wait to pull the trigger on a trade, especially in a shorter season. This is about sending a message.

Always remember, playing on the Devils gives players the luxury of knowing that they are almost always, a perennial playoff team.

Landing your ass via a trade onto a non-performing, crap team for a player taking your spot that you failed to keep, should be incentive enough.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

2 softies, 2 posts, zero point from our top 6 forwards, a brutal but unusual giveaway. We were still leading and playing well after 2 periods... It's like that was more difficult to lose this game for the Devils than to win it.

Being unlucky and underachieving at the same time will you do this, that can't last too long though. They need to regroup big time, it's a playoffs team but we're getting closer to the point of no return. Just win a frigging game now.

 

[NJDevs26]

I don't think anyone can deny at this point the forward lineup isn't all that great. We're either gonna make a move, or have to get the PP going. Maybe Shaw can earn his pay.

I keep having this thought that I'm gonna get on here tomorrow, and see that we claimed Boychuk. That would be the ultimate panic move.

I wouldn't call that a panic move per se. More like a 'let's just throw more crap at the wall before the deadline' move.

 

[njdevilsftw]

You know there is an issue when your best player has 27 mins of ice time and 4 power plays and he only has 3 shot the entire game.

 

[NJDevs26]

Yeah I've just about had it with that too. Watching him tonight on the point, and it hit me. His shot rarely gets through, and when it does the goaltender is usually in perfect position. You need a screen in front to get that through, and our team doesn't really know how.

Last year everyone wanted him off cause it was causing a lot of shorthanded goals. This year it's causing nothing really. No coach will do this though as he's been on the point his whole time here, and he was from what I remember in Atlanta. You would think Shaw would come in, and change it if he didn't like him there. Hopefully he'd have the freedom to make such a change if he thought it was necessary. Personally I see Kovy going back to the left wing before being moved off the point on the PP.

They changed him from LW to RW, you would think moving him on the PP wouldn't be such a big deal. Even him being on the point is an improvement from him lining up in the right faceoff circle though, which he's done frequently on the PP this year, and they waste thirty seconds circling around. At least you could argue him being on the point, but him starting in the right faceoff circle on the PP literally makes no sense. Clarkson taking PP faceoffs makes more sense than that.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Thank goodness the people who actually make the decisions don't think along the same lines as many posters here. Some absolutely insane "solutions" being thrown around in here. Panic panic panic.

 

[Devils Unseen Hand]

You know there is an issue when your best player has 27 mins of ice time and 4 power plays and he only has 3 shot the entire game.

I missed that stat. Gees.

 

[Devils Unseen Hand]

Thank goodness the people who actually make the decisions don't think along the same lines as many posters here. Some absolutely insane "solutions" being thrown around in here. Panic panic panic.

Yeah, because it worked so well back in the Johnny Mac era, right?!?

Its not panic, but a shot in the arm & a message.

Poor play is like cancer; if not stopped early, it spreads & continues to grow until a radical solution is forced to be taken.

 

[guitarguyvic]

For those of you who insist that this is the worst group of forwards we have had in years, please explain to me how these lineups look significantly better than what we currently have:

1/1/10
Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Niclas Bergfors
Brian Rolston - Rob Neidermayer - Patrik Elias
Jay Pandolfo - Dean McAmmond - Jamie Langenbrunner
Andrew Peters - Rod Pelley - Vladimir Zharkov

3/5/10 (fully healthy lineup)
Parise - Zajac - Langenbrunner
Kovalchuk - Zubrus - Elias
Rolston - Niedmybrother - Clarkson
Pandolfo - McAmmond - Zharkov

10/8/10 (fully healthy lineup - this one is actually pretty good; too bad they still played like **** for two months)
Zach Parise (9) | Travis Zajac (19) | Ilya Kovalchuk (17)
Patrik Elias (26) | Jason Arnott (25) | Jamie Langenbrunner (15)
Brian Rolston (12) | Danius Zubrus (8) | David Clarkson (23)
Pierre LeBlond (22) | Rod Pelley (10)

2/3/11 (Parise out with injury)
Kovalchuk-Zajac-Tedenby
Rolston-Elias-Zubrus
Zharkov-Arnott-Palmieri
Pelley-Sestito-Clarkson

10/22/11
Zach Parise-Patrik Elias-Petr Sykora
Ilya Kovalchuk-Dainius Zubrus-Nick Palmieri
Mattias Tedenby-Adam Henrique-David Clarkson
Rod Pelley-Brad Mills-Cam Janssen

 

[guitarguyvic]

Yeah, because it worked so well back in the Johnny Mac era, right?!?

Its not panic, but a shot in the arm & a message.

Poor play is like cancer; if not stopped early, it spreads & continues to grow until a radical solution is forced to be taken.

The Johnny Mac era? That is a completely different set of circumstances. There was one major issue there - the coaching. You can argue that Lou took about 4 weeks too long to can him. That was a far simpler and more obvious problem than what we are seeing now. Aside from the coaching change, there wasn't much else Lou did; and it worked. You are proposing several radical changes at once. That's why it is panic.

Edit: Just remembered he also traded Langs. But again, that was an easy and obvious decision to make (aging declining player with questionable locker room presence).

Who are we firing or trading that is going to make this team better right now? The only obvious trade I see is maybe a defenseman for a forward. Maybe fire Shaw? That''s about it.