GDT: Devils @ Maple Leafs - 7:00 PM - MSG

[Emperoreddy]

according to Chico’s reading of the replay no deflection. Anyway didn’t look good. The way Vanacek hung his head is also maybe a tip-off?

Chico was wrong. It absolutely deflected off Sieg's stick

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

View attachment 609521

Oooooohhhhh RR, tempting to make it my avatar but I have a rep to uphold.


Who am I kidding, I have no rep.

I’ll hang it on the fridge.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Chico was wrong. It absolutely deflected off Sieg's stick

I defer to better replay eyes then.

 

[Eggtimer]

Our 8th “best” game . Not bad to still beat a good team at home .

 

[TrufleShufle]

Hey, thanks. We're still coming to terms with it.

Yours it not though, no offence. Between the Dangle Navy and Leafs Nation echo chamber praising Dubas, your fan base seem to not realise it's a two line team with less than average defence and G issues. Murray really saved you last night.

Lol jeez man.....

"Hey guys just stopping to by to say your team is really good."

"Hey, thanks, yours sucks though."

 

[Capt Nico Poo]

Oooooohhhhh RR, tempting to make it my avatar but I have a rep to uphold.


Who am I kidding, I have no rep.

I’ll hang it on the fridge.

You do, you got like the best avatar on the forum lol

 

[JK3]

Good morning everyone.

 

[Bleedred]

The Blackwood injury was low key the best thing to happen to this team hands down. Coaching/management was too obsessed with Blackwood & he would of kept getting the starts over Vanecek if he didn't get injured even though Vanecek was clearly the superior goalie from pre season. There's 0 chance we are on a 11 game winning streak with Blackwood in net. Vanacek is clearly the #1 goalie & it's not even close. Guy is the best goalie we have had since prime Cory. At this point I would prefer to never see Blackwood in a NJ uniform again. Let's just roll with Schmid or Daws. We all know when Blackwood gets back he's going to get auto games (so he can regain his form) whatever losses he gets will be blamed on him recently being injured (same Blackwood story, just different year). I'm just so over the Blackwood rodeo. I rode this ride too many times and just want to step off it for good.

Yup, that's exactly what it will be. ''Oh, he's still injured, you gotta let him get in a rhythm!''. And then the first hot streak that he has it'll be that he's definitely back, he's gonna be good again and we should not let him walk because you can't let a young player at a key position go for nothing when we still have his rights.

I heard the same thing about Cory for probably a couple years, but here's the biggest difference between the two of them. Cory actually HAD like TWENTY good game stretches at times. Blackwood's hottest streaks haven't exceeded 5 games since like February of 2020.

 

[Guadana]

I’ll never forget one of our posters early this season saying “The Sens are what we thought the Devils would be“ or something along those lines.

Whoops!

This is very fun and they even didn't understand how correct they were.

 

[Slew Footed by Holik]

Blackwood will serve as a serviceable backup to VV. No one here should be rooting for the guy to fail. He's the Pavel Zacha of goalies here. Keep on wanting and waiting for him to breakout...

I never wanted Ruff to fail. Just didn't think he'd turn this team around. Sorry Lindy.

I'm more convinced that the players themselves turned this team around, and not Lindy. They all took the necessary steps forward (Tatar being a great example) and it took three games for them to adjust to the new systems deployed by the new assistants.

 

[Eggtimer]

If bored go over to Leaf forums and read their post game ( please fir the love of God be cordial if you feel the need to post ) . Most give us props for being a very good team and pay compliments . It’s refreshing

 

[theoptimist]

I also don't think Marner had any intent to injure Hughes. Glad there's less Marchands in the league. He bullied Hall once and that made me really upset.

 

[RNCDevil]

One year removed from a team that LOST 54 games, ended on a 6 game losing streak and 3 players over 50 points. Kudos to players, staff and management for big time improvements.

- Hughes has totally shaken off the opening week fumbles
- Bratt has successfully bet on himself
- Nico looks like...a 1C
- Marino looking like a best case scenario
- Viscount Douglas Alaistair Hamilton is back
- Zetterlund contrinbuting like Mercer did in his rookie year
- BMW causing havoc every shift
- Tatar's play clicking
- Haula has been unlucky but effective nonetheless
- VV providing the saves the teams need, allowing for some confidence

Yet...

- Palat's not back
- Mercer, and Shara, I think still have upside, but they are both defensively strong
- Severson is stuck with Smith; Smith is stuck with Severson
- BeefQuest and
- Holtz, Bahl are waiting in the wings...

I think this team could even be a smidge better, shockingly.

 

[Bleedred]

I know this almost NEVER happens. It's probably happened before at some point in hockey history, but I know it's exactly like some of the things I write off as wishful thinking. Like people actually thinking Smith was signed to be the 7th defenseman.

But what if Lindy agreed to stay on in an assistant role, trading spaces with Brunette? Like if we brought him back for one last year as the head coach in 2023-2024 and then starting in 24-25 it's Brunette as the head coach and Lindy Ruff as the assistant? Unless he chooses to retire from coaching at that point? We know Lindy has been an assistant in the league recently for several years under Vigneault/Quinn for the Rangers. So it's not like he's a veteran head coach that's never been an assistant in the NHL since finally getting a main bench boss position., Most of the vet coaches that have been assistants in the NHL were assistants before they ever even got their first head coaching gig and never went back to being an assistant ever again.

It allows us to keep this staff intact even longer, it allows us to retain Andrew Brunette before someone definitely runs to hire him to be their head coach and it also allows us to not completely run Lindy Ruff out the door. It also gives him less responsibility and pressure as he gets up there in age.

I know this is wishful thinking and there's not a whole lot of examples of this ever happening. I can't think of it ever happening, but it probably has at some point in history.

 

[Eggtimer]

One year removed from a team that LOST 54 games, ended on a 6 game losing streak and 3 players over 50 points. Kudos to players, staff and management for big time improvements.

- Hughes has totally shaken off the opening week fumbles
- Bratt has successfully bet on himself
- Nico looks like...a 1C
- Marino looking like a best case scenario
- Viscount Douglas Alaistair Hamilton is back
- Zetterlund contrinbuting like Mercer did in his rookie year
- BMW causing havoc every shift
- Tatar's play clicking
- Haula has been unlucky but effective nonetheless
- VV providing the saves the teams need, allowing for some confidence

Yet...

- Palat's not back
- Mercer, and Shara, I think still have upside, but they are both defensively strong
- Severson is stuck with Smith; Smith is stuck with Severson
- BeefQuest and
- Holtz, Bahl are waiting in the wings...

I think this team could even be a smidge better, shockingly.

I ageee that we can get even better. Shara and Mercer are capable of more . You mentioned Palat but eventually replacing Smith with Luke Hughes …. That’s what is scary for me … He has the potential to be our best Dman of the entire bunch . Taking away our “ worst” D and swapping him with a player like Luke is almost unfair lol .

 

[Cheddabombs]

I love this team, I'm so happy

 

[Eggtimer]

I'm more convinced that the players themselves turned this team around, and not Lindy. They all took the necessary steps forward (Tatar being a great example) and it took three games for them to adjust to the new systems deployed by the new assistants.

I dunno man . Tatar is what he is . I think he is just finally in a role that best suits him . Getting the most out of him now . That’s at the least partially due to good coaching . But that’s not saying it is Ruff for sure . I think the new assistants have done minor miracles . ALL of the players are doing better . Way better structure and tons of different minor details are improved . Gap control , breakouts , sticks in lanes , picking up the proper assignments , etc etc et.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Could be wrong but I think they wanted VV or MB to let competition or circumstance be the deciding factor in who took the net..Now once MB is healthy it will be up to that again...VV has made that a uphill battle....Competition will only make everyone better....I believe MB is a rfa next year if He proves worthy this year another year of this tandem wouldn't be worse thing giving Dawes and Schmid another year of experience....MB in no position to get a LT deal imo....

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I dunno man . Tatar is what he is . I think he is just finally in a role that best suits him . Getting the most out of him now . That’s at the least partially due to good coaching . But that’s not saying it is Ruff for sure . I think the new assistants have done minor miracles . ALL of the players are doing better . Way better structure and tons of different minor details are improved . Gap control , breakouts , sticks in lanes , picking up the proper assignments , etc etc et.

Better players better coaching staffs too....Just overall competition on every level is making everyone bring their A game imo....

 

[NjDevsRR]

I love this team, I'm so happy

 

[Slew Footed by Holik]

I dunno man . Tatar is what he is . I think he is just finally in a role that best suits him . Getting the most out of him now . That’s at the least partially due to good coaching . But that’s not saying it is Ruff for sure . I think the new assistants have done minor miracles . ALL of the players are doing better . Way better structure and tons of different minor details are improved . Gap control , breakouts , sticks in lanes , picking up the proper assignments , etc etc et.

Tatar himself said he came into camp on a mission...to prove he was better than last season's showing. We'll call it a perfect storm, if you will. Personal improvements, tweaks from far better assistants and growth from Lindy allowing his talent to grow. If Ruff was suddenly just making much better decisions...Smith would actually be the 7th d-man he was intended to be, I feel. And Bahl would be getting more ice even if just to make Smith earn his. Marino being a godsend also has little to do with Lindy.

 

[billingtons ghost]

....you do know Schmid played a full game right? He was fine. About same level as Blackwood really.

Yeah, and that's my point. He had a spectacular overtime, and a decent game. That's not really enough for me to be prepared to hand him the #2 job.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

If bored go over to Leaf forums and read their post game ( please fir the love of God be cordial if you feel the need to post ) . Most give us props for being a very good team and pay compliments . It’s refreshing

There’s really nothing negative that can be said anymore. We pour on the chances, give very few up, and are getting solid goaltending. And we play an uptempo fun style.

 

[Saugus]

There’s really nothing negative that can be said anymore. We pour on the chances, give very few up, and are getting solid goaltending. And we play an uptempo fun style.

One thing that has been fun on this run is seeing opposing fans before the game not believing that the Devils have turned a corner this season, and then after the game immediately buying into the hype.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I just hope that when we lose a few in a row (its gonna happen eventually), that people keep their level heads. These guys deserve the benefit of the doubt. But I am sure there will be posters screaming "SEE I TOLD YOU, THEY ARENT THAT GOOD!" whenever that happens. Hopefully we don't ever have to worry about it though!