Post-Game Talk: Devils lose to Canucks in Shootout

[slammer]

to sum it up: it took 10 games for DeBoer to realise, we have an amazing D in the AHL waiting to get his NHL debut and play better than 2/6 of our recent Defense...

Gelinas was great, if this guy's sent back, i stop believing...

 

[Emperoreddy]

to sum it up: it took 10 games for DeBoer to realise, we have an amazing D in the AHL waiting to get his NHL debut and play better than 2/6 of our recent Defense...

Gelinas was great, if this guy's sent back, i stop believing...

That isn't what happened. Sal had a death in the family and Harrold ran out of gas so we needed another defenseman up. What we saw was Gelly telling the organization he deserves to stay though.

IT is on Lou now to make room for him. Nothing Pete can do because the roster is way to full.

 

[Wingman77]

Gotta give this one some more love, some nice work out of that line last night, the goal aside

 

[billingtons ghost]

Larsson's pride finally woke up a bit with Gelinas there. He had someone who was in danger of taking his job.

I think it has a lot less to do with PDB than this board makes it out to be.

The guy wasn't stepping up - wasn't playing with urgency. He's a 20 year old kid so he's fragile - but I think it was more about "I'm a #4 draft pick, they won't sit me..." and garbage like that. He's had a pus on his face, and his Euro cigs, and he just has never shown any hunger or desire.

Finally, when he watches Gelinas fly past him on the depth chart, maybe the realization that #4 draft picks don't always stay in the NHL hit him.

The above is probably a little over the top - but I think his being 'scared' might just be him taking criticism badly.

The problem is less here with PDB than it is with Larsson and his persona.

Face it - we have no idea what is going on in the room or during practice.

 

[NJDevs26]

Larsson's been scratched on and off the past two years. How exactly was he in 'no danger' of losing his job? Fayne's been **** too since he started getting scratched on and off too.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Gotta give this one some more love, some nice work out of that line last night, the goal aside

God that was so filthy. That line looked great all night. Keep them together!!!!

 

[GameSeven]

The Gélinas-Larsson pair gave us a game that I haven't seen from two of our blueliners in ages. They were moving the puck quickly, skating with it, took several shots on goal... IN THE SAME SHIFT, they didn't get pinned in their own zone for a extended period of time, etc.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=71296967&postcount=61



For real, though. While they were protected minutes, Gelly's debut was pretty damn good and seemed to inspire Larsson a bit. He gave management every reason to believe he belonged so I'll look forward to the dimension he brings and will be interested in if he can keep it up once the adrenaline of his callup subsides.

If Merrill is the real deal as well, we certainly have reason to be optimistic about our future on the blueline.

Now, about our anemic forwards...

 

[Mory Schneideur*]

I haven't been on HF for the past 24 hrs, so I don't know if this has been said yet but whatever.

The Gélinas-Larsson pair gave us a game that I haven't seen from two of our blueliners in ages. They were moving the puck quickly, skating with it, took several shots on goal... IN THE SAME SHIFT, they didn't get pinned in their own zone for a extended period of time, etc.

If that performance didn't convince both Pete and Lou to keep this kid up with the club and waive one of #28 or Harrold, then it'll only confirm that both guys need to GTFO and fast. That performance is one of the main reasons we played our best game of the season so far and it's all thanks to speed and moving the puck quickly up the ice. I'm pretty certain our coaching staff told Gélinas to just play his game cause he played like he didn't have any fear whatsoever and by playing that way, it kind of "unleashed" Larsson as well. We saw the Adam Larsson of his rookie days and that's the player we all like and want to build around, not the "safe" Adam Larsson who seems to be crapping his pants everytime he touches the puck in fear of creating a turnover. I saw Adam rush up the ice with the puck for the 1st time in maybe a full calendar year and he looked great doing it. When a player that age has the squill set he does, you should work based off the qualities he actually has and work from there but for whatever reason, we told him to slow things down and only work with what he's not comfortable with.

As I said earlier, speed is the #1 reason why we played a solid game yesterday. Speed and using our pointmen as actual outlets instead of decoys. We moved the puck around like we were on a PP when in fact, we were at even strenght and you can't do that if you're playing 3 on 5 down low. I think in one offensive zone presence, Gélinas had about 3 shots and Larsson had one as well... when was the last time you saw that from any pairing we'd have for the past 7 years or so? Those are exactly the type of players we need to get the maximum out of forwards. Remove the dead weight (Salvador and #28) that is sinking our team towards a lottery pick we won't have and insert the youngsters who have more speed, more hockey IQ and more determination to earn a spot (Fayne, Larsson and Gélinas) and you'll end up with a better hockey club, I'll garantee it.

With that said, I would also like to see Josefson and Tedenby in the lineup over someone like Olesz. If we can ice our best skaters, it'll help us on the forecheck and it'll create more turnovers. We can't sit our rookies in favour of a player that was banished to the AHL the past couple of years. Olesz should be our 13th forward, nothing more. I do like Gionta, despite all the negative comments he get's from this board, cause he brings speed and finishes his checks and in Pete's sytem, that's all you can ask for from a 4th liner. Take away his speed and he's nothing more then a fringe ECHL player but that isn't the case ATM.

I don't know if it was a mistake or not but at one point we had a line of Zubrus-Zajac-Bernier who were just killing it on the cycle. Those 3 guys should stay together cause they can work the cycle, are close to impossible to knock off the puck and they'll tire the crap out of the opposing d-men. They had a wonderfull shift only to see Bernier head back to the 4th line two shifts later.

If I had it my way, I'd go with something like this...

Elias-Loktionov-Jagr
Zubrus-Zajac-Bernier
Brunner-Henrique-Ryder
Carter-Josefson-Gionta
Tedenby

Greene-Fayne
Gélinas-Larsson
Salvador-Zidlicky
Harrold

Schneider
Brodeur

Wait, you mean we're not supposed to be pinned in our own zone for extended periods of time? Stop making sense!

 

[billingtons ghost]

Larsson's been scratched on and off the past two years. How exactly was he in 'no danger' of losing his job? Fayne's been **** too since he started getting scratched on and off too.

My point is: having Gelinas there lit a fire under him, no?

If you say 'yes', then why?

If a fire was needed to be lit under him - what can a coaching staff do?

Are you trying to say that if they just kept playing him every night he'd eventually just round out into form and be the dynamic #1 Dman we've been waiting for?

I don't think so - I think he needed a push. The coaches were trying to do that by benching him - maybe way too harshly.

I really don't think they suddenly said last night: "Ok Larsson, since Gelly is here NOW you have no leash - go skate with the puck for once..."

Maybe Larsson just didn't understand he had a longer rope than he thought he did?

 

[Unknown Caller]

God that was so filthy. That line looked great all night. Keep them together!!!!

Gelinas and Larsson got screwed out of a plus there. They're clearly on the ice to get the puck out of the zone and up the ice, but they change as the puck is going in (you can see Zid and Volch coming onto the ice).

 

[billingtons ghost]

Gelinas and Larsson got screwed out of a plus there. They're clearly on the ice to get the puck out of the zone and up the ice, but they change as the puck is going in (you can see Zid and Volch coming onto the ice).

yeah - Chico pointed out Gelinas screening the D to let Elias make the play.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Wasn't Ryder robbed on the 2nd power play too last night? He has really helped the PP out this year so far.

 

[Mory Schneideur*]

Seriously we should have iced Gelinas, Merrill & Urbom to start this season. They have the legs we need oh so badly the last few seasons.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Larsson's pride finally woke up a bit with Gelinas there. He had someone who was in danger of taking his job.

I think it has a lot less to do with PDB than this board makes it out to be.

The guy wasn't stepping up - wasn't playing with urgency. He's a 20 year old kid so he's fragile - but I think it was more about "I'm a #4 draft pick, they won't sit me..." and garbage like that. He's had a pus on his face, and his Euro cigs, and he just has never shown any hunger or desire.

Finally, when he watches Gelinas fly past him on the depth chart, maybe the realization that #4 draft picks don't always stay in the NHL hit him.

The above is probably a little over the top - but I think his being 'scared' might just be him taking criticism badly.

The problem is less here with PDB than it is with Larsson and his persona.

Face it - we have no idea what is going on in the room or during practice.

I just completely disagree with this, but to each their own I suppose.

 

[Mory Schneideur*]

i mean henrique's shot should of went in and do we even practice shootouts

For anyone who has ever played hockey, sometimes a good 25% of your practices are practicing shootouts... Or what they used to call them in the olden days, "breakaways". End of every practice.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I just completely disagree with this, but to each their own I suppose.

that's cool - no worries...
I know he is in your avatar and all, so...

but do you or don't you think Gelinas lit a fire under him that the coaching staff couldn't? or was it just that he got some confidence from not being the low-man on the totem pole and being 'the vet'.

I thought it was more a - 'this guy is passing me' moment for him - but I don't know anything

 

[R8Devs]

Gotta give this one some more love, some nice work out of that line last night, the goal aside

Loktionov should be scratched though

 

[billingtons ghost]

Seriously we should have iced Gelinas, Merrill & Urbom to start this season. They have the legs we need oh so badly the last few seasons.

mmmm.. yeah, I really liked this idea too...

but the reality is we've only seen two regular season games of Gelinas, and I'm sure there are going to be bigtime 'learning moments' to come.

With those three _and_ Larsson on the ice it might just have been a little too chaotic.

Plus, I think it was great for everyone that he and Merrill tore it up for a few weeks in the A.

 

[Emperoreddy]

mmmm.. yeah, I really liked this idea too...

but the reality is we've only seen two regular season games of Gelinas, and I'm sure there are going to be bigtime 'learning moments' to come.

With those three _and_ Larsson on the ice it might just have been a little too chaotic.

Plus, I think it was great for everyone that he and Merrill tore it up for a few weeks in the A.

I much prefer Merrill getting a full season in the A first and foremost. I think he has the potential to be excellent for us, but he needs some seasoning down there first.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

My point is: having Gelinas there lit a fire under him, no?

If you say 'yes', then why?

If a fire was needed to be lit under him - what can a coaching staff do?

Are you trying to say that if they just kept playing him every night he'd eventually just round out into form and be the dynamic #1 Dman we've been waiting for?

I don't think so - I think he needed a push. The coaches were trying to do that by benching him - maybe way too harshly.

I really don't think they suddenly said last night: "Ok Larsson, since Gelly is here NOW you have no leash - go skate with the puck for once..."

Maybe Larsson just didn't understand he had a longer rope than he thought he did?

So you think Larsson started to play his game because he was worried about Gelinas stealing his spot? That's absurd.

I honestly think it's the opposite. I think Larsson kind of gave the middle finger to our coaching staff because of how Gelinas was playing and because there was a player that was lower on the pecking order, so the odds of him getting benched when there's a AHL'er with 2 games played at the NHL level, was pretty low if not impossible.

When he's in the lineup, he's the easy target since he knows our veterans are immune of everything and anything, so he can't decide to just say "**** it, I'm playing my game and Stevens can **** off with his BS coaching tips" and give us what he gave us yesterday.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

that's cool - no worries...
I know he is in your avatar and all, so...

but do you or don't you think Gelinas lit a fire under him that the coaching staff couldn't? or was it just that he got some confidence from not being the low-man on the totem pole and being 'the vet'.

I thought it was more a - 'this to guy is passing me' moment for him - but I don't know anything

Sorry for this late response but what I think happened is that Larsson saw Gelinas doing what he used to do and said "**** Pete, I'm playing the game I know how to play". That means taking some chances. Pinching, going deep into the zone, skating the puck out instead of just chipping it off glass. I think Gelinas inspired Larsson to take back the game Pete stole from him.

I see DATW and I are on the same page here. In fact, I used the same middle finger comment last night and this afternoon