Post-Game Talk: Devils lose to Canucks in Shootout

Tretyak 20

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Dec 4, 2003
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Not to sound too overly optimistic, but there is reason to be pleased with what we saw tonight despite the loss. Hopefully this game opened Petes eyes a bit too. The D was the biggest reason they looked so good. Gelinas hasn't been brainwashed by the coaching staff yet and Larsson seemed to feed off of that and get a bit of his swag back.

Bingo! The six D out there tonight could take us places. Major improvement from the first 9 games. Did anybody notice that with five mobile guys out there, even Volchenkov looked ok? Tonight we only had two weak links on D - Volch and Zids. That's manageable. Most nights we have four weak links - Volch, Zids, Harrold and Sal. That's a disaster.

The only other thing to help would be to do something about the line that was -2 (all three players) in a 3-2 shootout loss. Perhaps putting them out a little less often?

Would also be nice if our "greatest goaltending tandem in the NHL" would start acting like it.
 

Wingman77

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Mar 16, 2010
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Gelinas has looked better in a handful of pre-season and regular season games than Larsson really ever has (the goals completely aside)

Chico: YEAH BABY!

 

Mgd31

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I agree. As a whole Henrique has been a lot worse. The last 2 or 3 games? Zajac has been just as bad.

Again I've defended Travis this entire season. Gave him a pass the first time he pulled this. Was a little upset the second time. Now? I'm just pissed. I want to know what's wrong.

I expect at least elite defense from Trav and elite positioning and, i don't know, some finish.

I feel like an idiot for defending him like I did.

Yea I think we are all disappointed in both. Henrique has just been non-existant though.

Zajac seems to have an inability to be successful in making that "final play" in the offensive zone.
 

Shinkaruk

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Jul 13, 2013
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This was also a Vancouver team on the sixth game of a seven-game trip and according to the radio crew they had NINE healthy forwards by the end of the game. Yes we did outplay them but we just cannot afford to let a win slip away with the record as it is already, and the next twelve games upcoming.

Yea, we have 6 injured forwards now (4 of which were injured on road trip) so we only played with 9 F majority of game cause Booth and Weise were injured in gm. But that isn't a reason you should take anything away from how devils played...like I said, you guys deserved the win, it was such a solid effort. Devils looked really good, I was impressed by Jagr, kind of got scared every time he had the puck.
 

Devils Dominion

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Feb 16, 2007
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Zajac's awful. He's got Larsson disease shooting the puck (he'll only fire soft wristers now and he actually HAS a hard shot), and he couldn't even win a couple of key faceoffs late which is supposed to be his last redeeming feature.

I posted in the game thread that Zajac should wind up and unleash a slap shot when he has the time and space. He had a few opps to due so, and instead chose to send a weak floating wrister into the crest.

He has a good shot, needs to use it.
 

Captain Lou

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Apr 2, 2004
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But that's just it. Every time we see a glimmer of hope Pete snuffs it out with a stupid personnel decision. I'd be willing to bet when Sal comes back Larsson gets benched. Gelinas will be taken off the PP, Lokti will go to the third line, Olesz will move up to the first, and the 4th line will play 3/4 of the game. It's like he's doing it on purpose. I honestly wonder if he's trying to lose games. You can't identify anything by shuffling everything around every single game. Guys are never going to play well coming off the bench, playing one game, then going back. There needs to be some consistency and continuity. It shouldn't take Pete this long to realize who his best players are.

I think Pete is actually coaching desperately. When he uses the word excellent to describe Gelinas, that tells me changes are coming. Lou may need to find a trade partner for a defenseman. And Harrold definitely has to have seen his last game for a while.
 

ThePSEGPowerPoster

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Feb 23, 2013
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Pete said the shootout is "uncoachable"

really, the coaches send the players out there last time I checked.

Fire this clown please

If he said that there's no excuse for not firing him. None at all.

At the very least he controls the 3 guys that go out there. And, you know, shootout practice isn't just a "fun" thing you do to let Volchenkov feel good about his offense jackass.
 

NJDevs26

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Mar 21, 2007
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It's almost to the point where we should pull the goalie in the last minute of OT, especially against the West teams. And yes, I'm being serious.

Don't you actually lose the one point if you get scored on with an empty net though?

People blaming Pete on the shootout lineup or going last are being silly. Like Bleed (I think it was) pointed out in the other thread, all our other coaches deferred anyway. We don't have the great shootout players anymore where you can count on a score and put the pressure on the opponent. I have more confidence - by default - in our goalie making the save and getting off to a good start that way than I do in us scoring our first attempt...or any attempt.

And we couldn't score and lost both ways anyway (deferring and leading off), so wtf is the difference? Literally my only complaint with DeBoer's shootout lineup is his refusal to try Zidlicky, especially when he's been playing his best hockey as a Devil. Apparently Vancouver realizes you can run out defensemen in the shootout with their choice of Edler.
 

MrLouniverse

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Bleedred

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So I went down behind the Devs net for warmups just to snap a few photos.

Was about to take a pic of Gelinas when Volchenkov unloads on a slapper. It rips off the crossbar and goes flying up in the air over the black netting. I'm like, wow that's coming right at my face :laugh: It hung in the air for what seemed like forever...reached my hand out and caught it one handed. A bunch of people gave me a cheer which was kinda cool.


Moral of the story? I'd swallow that puck whole for a win right now :laugh:

Glad you had a good time.

Despite how bad it's been, I haven't gotten bored of this season yet. I'm just glad we have hockey back. Can we just get some more wins?:cry:
 

Mgd31

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So I went down behind the Devs net for warmups just to snap a few photos.

Was about to take a pic of Gelinas when Volchenkov unloads on a slapper. It rips off the crossbar and goes flying up in the air over the black netting. I'm like, wow that's coming right at my face :laugh: It hung in the air for what seemed like forever...reached my hand out and caught it one handed. A bunch of people gave me a cheer which was kinda cool.


Moral of the story? I'd swallow that puck whole for a win right now :laugh:

Haha pretty great story BC :handclap:
 

ThePSEGPowerPoster

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Feb 23, 2013
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Don't you actually lose the one point if you get scored on though?

People blaming Pete on the shootout lineup or going last are being silly. Like Bleed (I think it was) pointed out in the other thread, all our other coaches deferred anyway. We don't have the great shootout players anymore where you can count on a score and put the pressure on the opponent. I have more confidence - by default - in our goalie making the save and getting off to a good start that way than I do in us scoring our first attempt...or any attempt.

And we couldn't score and lost both ways anyway (deferring and leading off), so wtf is the difference? Literally my only complaint with DeBoer's shootout lineup is his refusal to try Zidlicky, especially when he's been playing his best hockey as a Devil. Apparently Vancouver realizes you can run out defensemen in the shootout with their choice of Edler.

Players better at shootouts than Adam Henrique: Loktionov, Olesz, Zidlicky, Jagr, Brunner, Ryder...
 

NJDevs26

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Henrique did have the best shootout attempt we had all season at least :laugh: I was to the point where I was at least glad Pete tried something 'new'.
 

Bleedred

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Henrique did a lot of little things to piss me off tonight. Next time somebody gets mad that he isn't in the top 3 (Or even top 6) in the shootout, just remember how bad he was tonight. He Luongo down and couldn't even bury it. In his small body of shootout work he is still one of the worst on the team at it. Not that anyone has even scored a shootout goal yet this year, but he's not good at it.
 

Bleedred

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Henrique did have the best shootout attempt we had all season at least :laugh: I was to the point where I was at least glad Pete tried something 'new'.

More I think about it, I can't be too mad that he let them shoot first.

Deboer is actually the first Devils coach to elect to shoot first in the shootout at home. Robinson, Lou, Julien, Sutter, Lemaire, all of them would let the visiting team shoot first.

Now that I think about it, I think Johnny Mac also chose to shoot first at home. I can't remember many home shootouts with him or many shootouts at all. I remember like 2 in a row against the Flyers and Calgary. We won both and I think we chose to shoot first.
 

Lindys Lazy Eye

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Oct 20, 2012
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- Why are we starting the likes of Peter ****ing Harrold over Gelinas?
- How sad is it that a 41 year old is our best forward?
- Why wasn't Damien Brunner out in the shootout?
- How many games does Schneider sit for gift wrapping this game for Vancouver?

So many questions.

Also Andy Greene was horrid tonight.
 

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