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

[My3Sons]

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.

Wait! You are now saying that once Blackwood gets over his injury he will bounce back and NJ should offer him a sizable contract extension? I’m surprised after your earlier posts that you are now Blackwood’s biggest fan.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

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.

I’m sure it’s true for opposing fans too, but just seeing Nico do “wow” stuff on a nightly basis now is what really made me think this team is different. We knew Jack could pull stuff like that, but having Nico too flashing that and having those guys out there for half the game…we are tough to handle.

I would’ve been happy with Nico just being a solid, unsexy center to pair with Jack, but the dude looks like a star himself.

 

[Lou is God]

I was just thinking if someone told me after me started the season with two losses that we would be either 3-14 or 14-3, I would crumble and die thinking 1000% it was the former and not the latter. Unbelievable.

 

[Ripshot 43]

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.

 

[Clam Jensen]

Another thing I love about this win streak and the general excellence of the team, is that I enjoy watching out of town games so much more.

 

[Lou is God]

Another thing I love about this win streak and the general excellence of the team, is that I enjoy watching out of town games so much more.

I've always been the same way.

 

[xigon]

 

[MartyOwns]

love it

 

[youryeah]

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.

 

[OmNomNom]

Leafs fan coming in peace.

your team is f***ing scary.

thanks man!

diff opinion - murray is a gem. he had some really good looks. your core is def there (a bit pricey), and 9-5-4 is no joke. it's good you got a ton coming off the books, and idk if keefe is the answer for coaching, but this coming offseason is gonna be a big one for you - could be really good

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Crazy how good Nico is when he has 2 competent wingers next to him as opposed to garbage Zacha attached to his wing. Also this team has been so fun to watch. Everyone on the roster is pulling their weight, hopefully they can keep it rolling against Ottawa.

 

[TBF1972]

Then he traded Ty Smith for 5 years of John Marino @ $4.4m.

We literally have Siegs & Marino locked up through their primes for a combined $7.8m. Fitz is actually a wizard.

Games like tonight worry me a little bit because we should have finished them off way sooner. In my estimation we could still use another scoring winger, someone who puts the puck in the net with a little more regularity.

Maybe it’ll be Holtz, if not I hope we swing for the fences and trade for one later in the season, this team is absolutely a contender playing like this.

Palat will be a nice boost when he returns, and the eventual additional of Luke Hughes.

there are few players with po experience on the roster. i would treat the po as gravy. vtec, hamilton, marino, palat and haula aren't enough to expect wins over more experienced teams. give hischier, hughes and bratt a taste of po without the biggest expectations.

now were hoping Seattle beats the Rangers I guess.

if not for bedard i would hope the rangers lose every single game.

 

[TBF1972]

i had the impression hughes played the refs, until he realized, they scored the winner. atleast he did better than ciro immobile

 

[Whaddagoal]

Leafs fan coming in peace.

your team is f***ing scary.

Thank you. Your team is no pushover. Definitely should be a fun season for both sides this season.

In my opinion, Probabaly the best team we faced so far along with EDM and COL so far. Although EDM since fallen off with Kane injury.

 

[MasterofGrond]

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!

I mean, we’re literally never going to lose again, so I’m not worried.

KISS

 

[Slew Footed by Holik]

Honestly I wasn’t even worried when they went to OT

I just had a feeling (and also we’re 3v3 monsters)

We should be confident at 3v3. After all we've got 5 d-men that can move the puck that can be rolled out with any of a trio of dynamic scorers (Bratt, Hughes, Hischier) or any configuration of high energy forwards that can cause chaos and/or give opposing teams fits. Our speed instills panic and causes the opposition to react quicker than they're normally accustomed to... triggering mishaps on their part for us to capitalize on.

It's like coupling the best affects from Lemaire's more conservative style with 80s run and gun offence. If it wasn't for "earning" a point for reaching OT...teams should be afraid to reach sudden death against these Devil's!

 

[Slew Footed by Holik]

Ottawa were this years offseason championship. Was everyone's preseason darling to take a big step forward.

That's partly because hardly anyone knew who or what John Marino was, many failed to recognize Palat's contribution to the Tampa championship machine, most didn't see the potential in Vanecek and plenty believed that Nemec wasn't the club's preferred pick.

 

[Rhodes 81]

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

I may need to consult a doctor

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.

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.

I think Ruff has to get some credit here, at least. I think many sports fans assume if results improve, there had to be a change in process. But if you can appreciate how loosely tied results normally are to the process, particularly in sports like hockey, you can appreciate that these changes can be overrated a bit.

The system they're playing is not that different compared to what they were doing last year. They just haven't had players executing at nearly this level. The players definitely get credit for continuing to improve, learning the system better. The assistants get credit for the tweaks they have made and for the clear improvements they've made with special teams. And the goaltending definitely gets credit (including Blackwood when he has played), for being more dependable, which allows the team to stick to what they do better. All of these things are interconnected and therefore all and none of them deserve as much credit or blame directly as they get for results.

It's very easy for coaches and management in sports to be reactionary to appease fans, and much more difficult to stick to their plan. Another way of saying this is, it's easy for coaches to look bad when they're coaching bad teams.

So let's give some credit to Ruff for sticking to his plan and knowing the results would come. Let's give credit to the players and assistants, both old and new, for giving him a better team and support system to work with, and let's give credit to Fitz for making some damn solid moves this offseason to bolster a group he believed in.

 

[Guttersniped]

Why does @TheBrattPack63 bother people so much? The guy is a die hard Devils fan, and has gotten social media buzzing about not just Bratt, but the Devils. It really seems like people are just really jealous.

Jealous? Seriously? And I don’t even think he bothered people much after his initial blunder.

He was originally criticized, correctly, when he said he Bratt was signed long term. According to him, he said that because he got a rumor about the Devils initial offer. (That’s why he said Bratt signed for a surprisingly low number lol.)

He should have understood the difference between an offer and the player accepting that offer. He had a lot of Devils followers at the time and get seen by a lot more, his rumor got around.

To me He’s a just random not interesting Twitter (RIP) poster because he’s not particularly funny and he has nothing interesting to say about hockey while posting endlessly.

The Bratt fan club and attention the hashtag got is cute and nice and fun. He did beg for the attention the attention he got, but the overall vibe is pretty earnest and positive. I don’t see people crapping on the Devils fandom part.

I just have to give some pushback on him being treated unfairly, because nay, not buying it.

He’s kind of easy to poke fun of if anything and that’s what Twitter is about, but I find the dopey tone of their fandom endearing.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I may need to consult a doctor


I think Ruff has to get some credit here, at least. I think many sports fans assume if results improve, there had to be a change in process. But if you can appreciate how loosely tied results normally are to the process, particularly in sports like hockey, you can appreciate that these changes can be overrated a bit.

The system they're playing is not that different compared to what they were doing last year. They just haven't had players executing at nearly this level. The players definitely get credit for continuing to improve, learning the system better. The assistants get credit for the tweaks they have made and for the clear improvements they've made with special teams. And the goaltending definitely gets credit (including Blackwood when he has played), for being more dependable, which allows the team to stick to what they do better. All of these things are interconnected and therefore all and none of them deserve as much credit or blame directly as they get for results.

It's very easy for coaches and management in sports to be reactionary to appease fans, and much more difficult to stick to their plan. Another way of saying this is, it's easy for coaches to look bad when they're coaching bad teams.

So let's give some credit to Ruff for sticking to his plan and knowing the results would come. Let's give credit to the players and assistants, both old and new, for giving him a better team and support system to work with, and let's give credit to Fitz for making some damn solid moves this offseason to bolster a group he believed in.

I'm not the biggest Ruff fan but one of the things I absolutely loved that he's done is he's let the kid sink or swim. A lot of other teams don't do that, whether it's due to market pressure to be good (Rangers- Laf/Kakko) or it's just the coach being new to the league/stuck in his ways (Detroit- Lalonde this year). A lot of my problems with Ruff stemmed from his lineups. He couldn't do anything about the ECHL goaltending without neutering this team's greatest asset which was speed which would've been a repeat of the Hynes era. This team would've been in shambles if they neutered the offensive games of guys like Bratt/Jack/Nico. They're also not built to play like that as a roster. Getting goaltending was always the main issue with this team the past few seasons.

 

[MVP Zacha]

Jealous? Seriously? And I don’t even think he bothered people much after his initial blunder.

He was originally criticized, correctly, when he said he Bratt was signed long term. According to him, he said that because he got a rumor about the Devils initial offer. (That’s why he said Bratt signed for a surprisingly low number lol.)

He should have understood the difference between an offer and the player accepting that offer. He had a lot of Devils followers at the time and get seen by a lot more, his rumor got around.

To me He’s a just random not interesting Twitter (RIP) poster because he’s not particularly funny and he has nothing interesting to say about hockey while posting endlessly.

The Bratt fan club and attention the hashtag got is cute and nice and fun. He did beg for the attention the attention he got, but the overall vibe is pretty earnest and positive. I don’t see people crapping on the Devils fandom part.

I just have to give some pushback on him being treated unfairly, because nay, not buying it.

He’s kind of easy to poke fun of if anything and that’s what Twitter is about, but I find the dopey tone of their fandom endearing.

He got a rumor wrong and a couple people in this forum wanted to fight him. What an absolute overreaction. Go look at the Trade forum on here and tell me how many of those "rumors" come true. Anyone threaten to dummy Kevin Weekes?

 

[Ripshot 43]

We should be confident at 3v3. After all we've got 5 d-men that can move the puck that can be rolled out with any of a trio of dynamic scorers (Bratt, Hughes, Hischier) or any configuration of high energy forwards that can cause chaos and/or give opposing teams fits. Our speed instills panic and causes the opposition to react quicker than they're normally accustomed to... triggering mishaps on their part for us to capitalize on.

It's like coupling the best affects from Lemaire's more conservative style with 80s run and gun offence. If it wasn't for "earning" a point for reaching OT...teams should be afraid to reach sudden death against these Devil's!

Just looking at your join date…. Did you perhaps ever have a previous name that rhymed with Smevil Smogo?

 

[Slew Footed by Holik]

Everybody, including Ruff, deserves credit for what's currently taking place with Jersey's team. I'm just attributing more to the players themselves and Fitz's acquisitions. I don't necessarily believe that Ruff is as integral to this turnaround as some. Whose to say that any number of other head coaches couldn't be standing behind the bench of this team right now, enjoying the same success?

I'm not high on Lindy. But I don't dislike him, either. I think we've had far more influential coaches in the past (Lemaire and Burns...just to name two) that had a greater degree of stake in team success.

With all that said...all your points are valid. This is just my opinion based upon what I've seen (and all the information available to me up to now).

 

[Slew Footed by Holik]

Just looking at your join date…. Did you perhaps ever have a previous name that rhymed with Smevil Smogo?

Sorry. That's a negative. What is the username you're referring? You're talking about the RangerDoggo person I keep seeing mentioned..??

 

[Guttersniped]

He wasn't the worst assistant we've ever had, I'll leave it at that.

He might not have been a terrible assistant here. I know one assistant that was WAY worse than him that we made our head coach (permanent head coach, not interim, although that was nothing permanent about it. it was I think it was the shortest non-interim head coaching stint in franchise history.) and GROOMED to be our head coach for years.

There was also at least one other assistant here last year way worse than him, as well as Tricky Dick Kowalsky who was an assistant for a couple years here and and the (BAD) AHL head coach here for even longer.

I don't think Nas was as bad as this board thinks he was, but yeah he needed to go cause he was here for so long. He was one of the longest tenured non-goalie coach assistants we've had with the NHL team. He was here for 7 years as assistant, with an interim head coaching stint in between. Sergei Brylin was actually with our AHL team as an assistant for even longer than Nas was on the NHL team's coaching staff.

I don’t think the board thinks Nasreddine was the worst, I certainly don’t. He was here forever for some reason, I guess the PK, which is doing just as well this year without him.

I just push back against any one suggesting we couldn’t improve by getting rid of him. Not only because Fitz could find a better coach who fits the current system more but a new voice and perspective helps a ton too.

It’s bad too have too much coach turnover, like the Taylor Hall-era Oilers, but we at no point have recently suffered from that.

Yet we had people saying “maybe it wasn’t Recchi’s fault” when our much better PP still struggles, as if Brunette wasn’t a huge upgrade over a guy I’m not sure is going to coach much more.

People wanted this team to get better and then get weird about the bodies we threw overboard to do it. Good riddance to everyone we shipped out because we’re better without them, they weren’t helping much any way.