GDT: Devils vs Bruins and Canadiens - Preseason - 7:00 PM

[OmNomNom]

Just getting to settle in on my thoughts of the game:

- Completely agree with the sentiment that Jesper Bratt was the best player on the ice last night. He looks more confident with the puck than I can recall, even from his early rookie year. I said it earlier, but the Jesper Connection is real. Those two look to be in sync out there already.

- Hughes is so dynamic with the puck, it's so much fun to watch. His first half of the game was a bit quiet but he made the most of his opportunities. I think him and Gusev are going to have a great rapport once they've been given more time to play. Whoever gets to play with them (presumably Simmonds) is going to be the beneficiary of a lot of great passes.

- Boqvist is definitely NHL ready. His skating and his hands are strong enough that he should have no issue competing at the NHL level. I don't think it's a question that he would be one of our 12 best forwards.

- People will blow PK's turnovers out of proportion (it's preseason, he was trying to make something happen), but I thought he had a strong game overall. Yes, the two turnovers that stick out were bad but in terms of his game as a whole, I liked a lot of what he did. That stretch pass to Joey was on the ****ing money. I was in section 3 right behind him, it was a beauty to watch.

- I thought Sami was our best defender across the board, I like the early output from the Sami-PK pairing and how they play together.

i would add that i liked sharangovich's snarl and PK skills and maltsev's play

schmelzer (undrafted) did well also, even if it was basically the providence bruins out there

 

[Tretyak 20]

I thought Maltsev had a really good night. Lots of good subtle plays, gained the zone with possession a couple of times. He needs time in Bingo, but I think he has an NHL future.

 

[Patrik26]

That stretch pass to free Joey on a breakaway made me drool.

The pass was like a rocket. Too bad Anderson couldn't pot it.

 

[Hisch13r]

Bratt and Palms before Zacha. He simply doesn’t bring anything to that line.

I agree but I don't see them putting either Bratt or Palmieri in that spot. I think they like Jesper^2 and the first line is dominant and they'll probably be there to start. I don't think trying Zacha there is crazy and this is coming from someone who has literally never liked Zacha

 

[OmNomNom]

holy cow

10 TAKEAWAYS: Plenty of Excitement in Camp So Far

6. When it came to ice-time, defensemen Ty Smith and Damon Severson had logged the biggest minutes of their respective games. Monday night had the Devils in split-squad games. In New Jersey, Smith logged the most minutes of the team with 23:16 of ice time, which included 2:16 of power play time and another 1:55 on the penalty kill. He also assisted on Hughes' regulation goal and Carrick's third period goal that gave New Jersey a 3-2 lead on Boston.

i mean maybe his subpar play was just a conditioning thing. why did kowalsky push him so much, i wonder

 

[Devil X]

I didnt see Subbans turnovers so this post isnt about those directly. However, Jack is likely to have a fair share of turnovers and depending on the kind of turn over I suggested everyone ready below.



I agree with this post. If a player is trying to make a hockey play and it doesnt work, oh well it happens. It happens to all of the best players.

 

[Darkauron]

Yeah I think Maltsev looked pretty darn good out there. Considering everything.

 

[ninetyeight]

The competition wasn’t A-level and it’s still preseason and all.. but I thought Hughes had his best game since wjc. It might have taken 1,5 periods to get in the game, but after that goal he seemed to get his confidence back and was excellent. Cory continued where he left last spring, PK looked fun and entertaining, Gusev is as good as advertised, Bratt seems to have taken yet another step forward, and I thought Vatanen was by far the best defenceman in the game. One of Sami’s best performances in a devils jersey (yeah yeah preseason vs ahl team..)

Still disappointed on Ty Smith’s performance, maybe he’s just having a rough patch, but I think it’s back to WHL for him. Also Joey Anderson is not an NHL player and I dont know if he can even make it in the AHL. Maybe he’s a late bloomer, as he is still young, but he hasnt show any signs of being nhl caliber player. McLeod however has shown tons of improvement and is seriously fighting for a roster spot.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Yeah I think Maltsev looked pretty darn good out there. Considering everything.

I knew nothing about him, but he looked so good it forced me to look up his statistics.......which are not really impressive.

Hopefully he's a late bloomer.

 

[Hisch13r]

I knew nothing about him, but he looked so good it forced me to look up his statistics.......which are not really impressive.

Hopefully he's a late bloomer.

He's not expected to ever be a big scorer but his numbers are pretty impressive. The Russian leagues are pretty low scoring and it's hard for younger players to get a lot of playing time in their pro leagues. He lead his team in PPG 2 seasons ago as a 19 year old in the 2nd highest Russian league. Last year he wasn't as good but his teammates were also playing better so I assume he got pushed down the lineup more

 

[TrufleShufle]

3. P.K. Subban dominated the Sunday scrimmage and played well Monday against the Bruins. He dictated the scrimmage with his ability to retrieve the puck, protect it and distribute it. Hynes called him a one-man breakout afterwards. One one play, he shielded off a forechecker and then snapped a perfect pass to Wood — a prime example of something he can do that only a select few at that position can.
He attempted more 100-foot stretch passes to the far blue line in the preseason game than the Devils did last year in a week’s worth of games. He committed one bad turnover, but also a half-dozen Grade A-plays.

This is a pretty good summary of how Subban played to those saying he played poor. To be fair they didn't address his most glaring problem though, his overzealous celebrating....

 

[JimEIV]

I fell asleep right around the end of the 1st period... reading through the comments it seems as though I missed a lot.

 

[Auto Pilot]

Smith had two assists on the night. He was anything but bad last night. He also logged over 23 mins of ice time if I recall correctly. Idk what people expect from him. He’s not an extremely flashy player. He made quite a few great defensive plays / reads and broke up some shots against with his stick or blocking shots. Had good breakouts as well. His puck moving on the PP was solid. He was a big part of the Carrick goal with his gaining the offensive zone and his use of skating to spine around to get a defender off him to get the puck to Bratt who then set up Carrick for the one timer.

 

[glenwo2]

I fell asleep right around the end of the 1st period... reading through the comments it seems as though I missed a lot.

You're kidding me, right?

How? HOW can you miss a game that had Hughes, Gusev, Subban, Bratt, and so forth??

(unless the game you missed was the Habs game in which case, I don't fault you for falling asleep)

I think we can agree that Hughes has made the team. I also heard that McLeod had a good night. If he continues to impress we could see him starting on the fourth line.

He got a fortunate wacky carom off the end-boards giving him the easiest goal he'll ever get.

Would like to see him score goals when the Goaltender is in Net. lol

 

[billingtons ghost]

How did Conor Carrick play?

I have a feeling Hynes likes him in the lineup and Smith may need to wait 1 more year.

Noticably well. I like his game, and with Vats moving to the left side, it opens up his spot.

It makes it tougher for Smith and especially Mueller, though. Assuming opening night looks like:
Vats Subban
Greene Sevs
Butcher Carrick

Butcher/Greene could swap. Smith could steal time.

 

[Lou is God]

I think Ty Smith makes the opening night lineup to be honest, the only thing Carrick really has over Smith is experience.

 

[Lou is God]

I didnt see Subbans turnovers so this post isnt about those directly. However, Jack is likely to have a fair share of turnovers and depending on the kind of turn over I suggested everyone ready below.



I agree with this post. If a player is trying to make a hockey play and it doesnt work, oh well it happens. It happens to all of the best players.

Just now I went through each NBA team stats in the Eastern Conference from last year, 15 teams, 10 of the teams leaders in turnovers were the point guards, the players who handled the ball the most. Same concept but that won't matter with the anti-Hughes crowd.

 

[JimEIV]

You're kidding me, right?

How? HOW can you miss a game that had Hughes, Gusev, Subban, Bratt, and so forth??

(unless the game you missed was the Habs game in which case, I don't fault you for falling asleep)



He got a fortunate wacky carom off the end-boards giving him the easiest goal he'll ever get.

Would like to see him score goals when the Goaltender is in Net. lol

I've been getting up at 4:00am every morning and the 1st period was really boring.

 

[Lou is God]

I've been getting up at 4:00am every morning and the 1st period was really boring.

It was boring as hell, a few minutes into the second I just wanted someone to score hoping it would wake up both teams.

 

[FooteBahl]

I think Ty Smith makes the opening night lineup to be honest, the only thing Carrick really has over Smith is experience.

Speaking of opening night lineups, what are the odds of Laine/Connor/Buff being in the jets lineup? I want to get off to a good start...I dont care if they're missing top guys lol

 

[Hisch13r]

Speaking of opening night lineups, what are the odds of Laine/Connor/Buff being in the jets lineup? I want to get off to a good start...I dont care if they're missing top guys lol

Didn't you hear? Laine will be playing in that game but he'll be a Devil

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

You're kidding me, right?

How? HOW can you miss a game that had Hughes, Gusev, Subban, Bratt, and so forth??

(unless the game you missed was the Habs game in which case, I don't fault you for falling asleep)



He got a fortunate wacky carom off the end-boards giving him the easiest goal he'll ever get.

Would like to see him score goals when the Goaltender is in Net. lol

I don't think Mcleod will ever be a big goal scorer. From what I've seen so far, he just seems to pass the puck 100% of the time.