We've played some good games of late, but have been let down by our goaltending.
Post-Game Talk: Devils lose to Canucks in Shootout
- Thread starter glenwo2
- Start date
We've played some good games of late, but have been let down by our goaltending.
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
Last year was different, we couldn't get a lead for our lives. We couldn't score at all and we NEVER scored first.
I think we can have an easier time fixing this not being able to hold leads problem over not being able to even get a lead.
Though we did NOT play a good game against Columbus. That was a poor performance
glenwo2
LINDY RUFF NEEDS VIAGRA!!
I was alluding more to his LINEUP for the Shootout as the "coaching" part. He can "coach" that, yet he says it's uncoachable. But I guess I'm just splitting hairs here....nevermind.
BTW, how about ELIMINATING THE SHOOTOUT ALTOGETHER???
Or, if not, how about putting in 15:00 minutes of 4-on-4 hockey that would almost assuredly guarantee a victor. And if there's no victor, THEN you can go to the Skills competition.
15 minutes because 5 minutes is just TOO DAMN SHORT and teams would rather play for the shootout than the win.
glenwo2
LINDY RUFF NEEDS VIAGRA!!
I have to disagree there since the players would be pretty damn tired with a bunch of open ice. I found it odd that they didn't increase the 4on4 to 10 minutes.
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
IT is hard when literally no one can shown anything on our shootouts. Loki is the only starting forward without an attempt yet right? I'd like to see him get a shot, but this is why shootouts suck. It is just rolling the dice.
- May 1, 2011
- 130,161
- 57,501
That too.I doubt it.
I bet 75% would end in a victory.....for the other team.
I would bet 50% of the game still go to a shootout. Our OT record under Deboer is 4-6. Those are the games decided in the overtime period since Deboer has been here. Only 10 out of 39 games have ended in OT. That has ''Play for the shootout'' written all over it.
I could understand that when we had Kovy and Parise, but we have been terrible in the SO the last two season.
I think our going to the SO is because we need 30+ shots to score 2 goals. We are lucky to get 5 shots in the 5 min overtime.
- May 1, 2011
- 130,161
- 57,501
You're right. We do need 30 shots to score 2 goals usually, and that's why I'm arguing that this system is pretty useless at this point.
Our shooting percentage is well below league average the last two years, and it hasn't improved this year.
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
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
ThePSEGPowerPoster
LOSER POINTS!
- Feb 23, 2013
- 11,822
- 0
No idea how you can justify sitting Volchenkov in favor of Fayne/Greene based on recent play.
(Sorry to focus on only this part of your great post. I agree with all of it except your analysis of 28/Sal as dead weight).
- May 1, 2011
- 130,161
- 57,501
Over the past two years Fayne has been much better than Volchenkov. I wouldn't expect Volchenkov being better than Fayne to continue.
Though it just might. Fayne hasn't looked as good since he started being scratched all the time.
#28 has been nothing short of a black hole on our team for the past several seasons. A player with his "qualities" shouldn't be nothing more then a #7, just like Douglas Murray or Hall Gill.
He brings nothing to the table we currently lack other then maybe "fiestiness" in front of the net but I'd rather pass on the only quality he has left and go with someone who can actually contribute away from the puck and with the puck... something #28 hasn't done in forever.
If you have players like #28 or Salvador, you have to pick one of them and sit the other. You can't have a cement skater on 2 of your 3 pairings, you just can't compete that way. By doing so, you basically tell the other coach to send a speedsters down the right wing 66% of the time and they'll gain the zone 100% of the time by doing just that. The game has past them by, it's a faster game that implies alot of skating and it's their weakest "quality" when talking about the overall skillset of both players.
Sitting Greene in favour of two cones won't get you anywhere. Didn't you realise how much better we were in the offensive zone yesterday and how long we actually stayed there, buzzing and creating solid scoring chances? That's all linked with the mobility and skill of our pointmen who were keeping the play alive instead of fumbling the puck at the blueline, wich does nothing but kill any kind of pressure we had going on.
Yesterday was our best game of the season and it's not coincidence that it happend without Salvador and with Fayne, Larsson and Gélinas. You can also add that my all time favorite Devil earned less then 20 minutes in a game that went to overtime.
Lou and Pete need to get with the program and what that means is more speed and less cement skaters.
Blender
Registered User
- Dec 2, 2009
- 51,424
- 45,314
What was the longest Gelinas-Larsson were ever trapped in our own zone? 15 seconds maybe, not sure. They did something last night we haven't seen in a very long time, the ability for our defense to coral the puck and quickly move it out of the zone on a consistent basis.
Gelinas' skating was amazing for a guy that size. I was really impressed to see him take it around the net and break away from the forward with ease, he did this multiple time last night against some fairly fast players.
Gelinas' skating was amazing for a guy that size. I was really impressed to see him take it around the net and break away from the forward with ease, he did this multiple time last night against some fairly fast players.
I brought up the same point in my "novel" of a post. That's the 1st thing that hit me when I saw them in our own zone.
They didn't run around like idiots and didn't get caught "puck watching" either. A very, very, very solid performance from both kids and if for whatever reason, we don't see them together tomorrow... I'll be ****ing livid.
Yea Gelinas was our best player last night. Pete better not break him and Larsson up. I think Gelinas is going to push Larsson to be more aggressive on the ice. Greene-Fayne were by far our worst pairing. I thought ZIdlick and Volch were pretty damn good as well.
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
If the defense isn't locked I think Fayne is in the most danger of sitting. Even Pete wouldn't bench those two considering how well they played. They give us a chance. I hope he locks the D, but I think Larrson and Gelinas are safe right now.
My guess Harrold gets waived before Sal comes back in the lineup. Fayne becomes the 7th defender. There was never the need to have Harrold, but with Gelinas up (PP/3rd pairing) there is no way we keep him on the team.
Fayne and Larsson (outside of yesterday in regards to Adam) are both playing like they're scared.
They're playing like they have one eye on the action and one eye that is constantly looking over their shoulder, just to make sure Pete won't yank their chair from underneath them. You can't play without any confidence, especially when it's the guy that should be giving you the most confidence out of anyone on our team/roster.
Walking on egg shells isn't productive for anyone, I don't care if you're a 4th liner or a superstar. You need to know and feel that your coach is 110% on your side and if that isn't the case, we can't expect a player to perform at level he's capable of.
That might not be entirely true when talking about veterans but when you're dealing with rookies or players that aren't even old enough to step in a bar (in the US), they need to know that the coaching staff won't steam roll them the second they **** up.
Big Bird was like Adam's mentor and he took the time to talk to him each and every time he came back to the bench after his shift and I'm certain it ment the world to Larsson when he got the input of one of the all time greats at least 15 times a game.
They're playing like they have one eye on the action and one eye that is constantly looking over their shoulder, just to make sure Pete won't yank their chair from underneath them. You can't play without any confidence, especially when it's the guy that should be giving you the most confidence out of anyone on our team/roster.
Walking on egg shells isn't productive for anyone, I don't care if you're a 4th liner or a superstar. You need to know and feel that your coach is 110% on your side and if that isn't the case, we can't expect a player to perform at level he's capable of.
That might not be entirely true when talking about veterans but when you're dealing with rookies or players that aren't even old enough to step in a bar (in the US), they need to know that the coaching staff won't steam roll them the second they **** up.
Big Bird was like Adam's mentor and he took the time to talk to him each and every time he came back to the bench after his shift and I'm certain it ment the world to Larsson when he got the input of one of the all time greats at least 15 times a game.
Last edited by a moderator:
JerryGigantic
Old Skool
I am all aboard the Gelly-Lars train, and they were awesome. But they played largely protected, home game minutes (aside from Gelly on the PP). We need to ease back on expectations.
And yes, Harrold should be waived or traded for pick/prospect and Fayne become the injury replacement guy (as much as I love him). If anything else happens I will want to riot.
With the performance we saw last night, I'm still scratching my head as to why our coaching staff didn't play them more then they did. I mean, they were head and shoulders better then the 4 others and yet, we saw the #28-Zidlicky pairing at the end of the game
Let's show some confidence in our rookies instead of trying to teach them every little single thing. Let them loose and see what happens... if they fall on their faces, then you can "coach" them, in the meantime, just let them play.
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
Really the only to get Gelly in there the rest of the way. Unless adding Tedy in somehow sweetens the pot for a team to take Volch, Harrold or Fayne have to go.
You are on a roll with your postings tonight. Keep them coming. Another great post!
