GDT: Devils vs. Bruins - 7:00PM MSG+

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

like I said, its 4 games.

we're averaging ~5 more shots/game than we did last year. that is a marked improvement.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I don't think many of us would be sweating it if It weren't for the fact that the Devs were the lowest scoring team in the league last season.

With much less talent around the forward corps.

Look, people can be doom and gloom if they choose. That's your right. But I am not going to be jumping off the ledge just yet, and I know that things take time so I'm willing to be patient because I know the talent is there. ZBC pointed it out perfectly, shot generation is up from last year and shooting percentage is down. As long as the shot generation continues, that shooting percentage will not last.

It may be frustrating, but 4 games does not a season make.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

I think everyone knows this forward corps is more talented than last year's. That's why the lack of results--in points, not shot generation, etc---is aggravating and disappointing, especially in the context of many years of similar struggles. Until there's real improvement, it's hard to want to pat this team on the back, at least for me.

 

[NJDevs26]

Frans Neilsen could have been that guy.

I'm one of the guy's biggest fans too but he got ridiculously overpaid in term by a team desperate to keep its playoff streak alive.

 

[Lou is God]

Not only do I not think it's crossed his mind, I don't think it matters whatsoever. If that thought is even crossing any players' minds, they can only look at themselves to blame.

Amen. The notion that players care if a team is boring or not is quite laughable, they're not watching the sport, they're playing it. Ridiculous.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

With much less talent around the forward corps.

Look, people can be doom and gloom if they choose. That's your right. But I am not going to be jumping off the ledge just yet, and I know that things take time so I'm willing to be patient because I know the talent is there. ZBC pointed it out perfectly, shot generation is up from last year and shooting percentage is down. As long as the shot generation continues, that shooting percentage will not last.

It may be frustrating, but 4 games does not a season make.

Not jumping off any bridges, just looking for better efforts or can it be the system Hynes has implemented?

 

[guitarguyvic]

I propose that the term "effort" be henceforth banned from all hockey related discussion.

 

[Devils731]

Not a fan of the Cammaller - Henrique - Palmieri line, because all of those guys are opportunistic offensive players rather than creators (Cammalleri has a bit of creativity in him). They jump on loose pucks, can make a nice deke on a rush and all have good shots, but as far as creating sustained pressure in the opponents end, they don't do that.

Unfortunately, outside of Hall, we really don't have "creator" type players.

I think the Devils might do well to get Blandisi back up. He's still a work in progress but he brings some of the puck holding and distribution that the team is lacking.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Amen. The notion that players care if a team is boring or not is quite laughable, they're not watching the sport, they're playing it. Ridiculous.

You're missing the point entirely. The reason we're "boring" is also the reason we aren't going anywhere. We can't score. If you don't think that bothers an ultra talented offensive player, you're out to lunch. Hall actually took a slashing penalty that looked like it was out of frustration last game.

 

[Lou is God]

You're missing the point entirely. The reason we're "boring" is also the reason we aren't going anywhere. We can't score. If you don't think that bothers an ultra talented offensive player, you're out to lunch. Hall actually took a slashing penalty that looked like it was out of frustration last game.

It's YOU who is out to lunch BUDDY...thinking that Hall slashed the guy because he's frustrated he's playing with a team that can't score, where do you come up with this crap?

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I think the Devils might do well to get Blandisi back up. He's still a work in progress but he brings some of the puck holding and distribution that the team is lacking.

I've felt that way from the beginning honestly. He brings a unique element to the offense that is clearly missing. Not much playmaking at all in this lineup as it's currently constructed.

 

[Hypernova]

I think they are boring because they don't generate nearly enough good scoring chances. It's not so much the scoring. I wouldn't call the Devils boring if we had 10 good scoring chances a game. That will keep me awake. It's when they go 20 min and have maybe one decent scoring chance that puts me to sleep. It's frustrating that this team has been like this for multiple years.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

It's YOU who is out to lunch BUDDY...thinking that Hall slashed the guy because he's frustrated he's playing with a team that can't score, where do you come up with this crap?

lol calm down chief. He was clearly frustrated during the play. Watch it again, it's not really debatable. I'm not saying he's frustrated with being on a "boring" team or the trade or however you interpreted it, but you're living in a dream world if you don't think it's frustrating for an elite player to see 6 pucks go in the net in 4 games.

 

[Lou is God]

lol calm down chief. He was clearly frustrated during the play. Watch it again, it's not really debatable. I'm not saying he's frustrated with being on a "boring" team or the trade or however you interpreted it, but you're living in a dream world if you don't think it's frustrating for an elite player to see 6 pucks go in the net in 4 games.

Look a here Sparky, I saw the play too and at the time we were not losing, he was trying to make a play and he got careless, no way possible could you know if he was frustrated, especially when he came off a two goal game the game before.

And if he was frustrated, it's probably more because he didn't score on that empty net the period before, but either way I highly doubt it was because of the team he's on.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Six years of losing with the Oilers.

Three games of only moderate failure and one game of success with the Devils.

Yeah... I say we'd better move him quick before he becomes a cancer.

Personally, I think the fact that we lost Kennedy, Stempniak and Gionta and (temporarily Kalinin) and replaced them with guys who are trying to find their way is the problem.

phase one: the Bennets, DSPs, Bouchers, Woods, Speers and JJs figure their games out
phase two: the lines gell a bit
phase three: Rico, Cammy, Trav and Palms can all stop watching Taylor and play their own game.

Profit.

Edit: I missed phase four: collect underpants.

 

[HBK27]

Look a here Sparky, I saw the play too and at the time we were not losing, he was trying to make a play and he got careless, no way possible could you know if he was frustrated, especially when he came off a two goal game the game before.

And if he was frustrated, it's probably more because he didn't score on that empty net the period before, but either way I highly doubt it was because of the team he's on.

I saw the same thing - watched the play a couple of times last night and didn't get the sense he was frustrated at all.

 

[Bleedred]

One thing that is alarming despite the increased shot generation, there's also been an increase in shots against. If we could get the shots below 30 again, that would be pretty nice.

Cory didn't even allow a goal until like the 31st or 32nd shot of the game last night.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Look a here Sparky, I saw the play too and at the time we were not losing, he was trying to make a play and he got careless, no way possible could you know if he was frustrated, especially when he came off a two goal game the game before.

And if he was frustrated, it's probably more because he didn't score on that empty net the period before, but either way I highly doubt it was because of the team he's on.

No we weren't losing at the time, but as per usual we had zero goals. And Chara poked the puck away, he didn't miss the net.

 

[Bleedred]

Hall missing that empty net.

Meant to reply to this earlier.

Hall missing the empty net turned out to be completely meaningless. I'm pretty sure that came on a delayed penalty call, which eventually became the power play that we scored on. So if Hall scores there, we don't get the power play that we scored on, due to Hall scoring that goal.

If that happened at any point when the game was still 1-0 or 1-1 or 2-1, it would have been very painful. I don't think it was painful at all or a factor, with how the game was 0-0 and we were going on the PP anyway. The PP which wound up putting us up 1-0.

It was kinda like when Josefson missed that wide open net on an easy tap in on Marty night. It wound up not being a factor at all, since Boucher scored on that same power play less than a minute later. If Hall scored last night on that, we wouldn't have went on the power play for Palmieri to score that goal and it would have been 1-0 still.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Also, for the billionth time, Hall didn't miss an empty net, Human Large Beast Thing Chara knocked the puck away.

 

[Lou is God]

I don't think he missed that empty net, I think Chara made a Hall of Fame play and chipped it away before Hall could bang it home.

None Shall Pass and Steve might want to try reading, one I said above earlier today Chara made a great play and two my last post didn't suggest he missed the empty net but didn't score on it, which is true.

None Shall Post if your snippy post wasn't directed at me then you can exclude yourself here.

 

[Lou is God]

No we weren't losing at the time, but as per usual we had zero goals. And Chara poked the puck away, he didn't miss the net.

You're really reaching

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

You're really reaching

Being in the basement of the league offensively isn't frustrating for great offensive players, got it.

 

[Lou is God]

Being in the basement of the league offensively isn't frustrating for great offensive players, got it.

You're absolutely all over the place

 

[AfroThunder396]

This team obviously needs an adjustment period. It doesn't surprise me at all that some things look awful right now.

Hall is going to need to take a little while to get into gear. Remember, he's not pure goalscorer like Ovechkin or Kovalchuk. We can't expect him to be a one-man offense. He's two steps ahead of everyone on the ice, we need to give him and the rest of the team enough time to become familiar and anticipate.