GDT: Devils vs. Penguins - 7:00 PM MSG+2

[JimEIV]

Since the Sami Vatanen trade, only the Boston Bruins have allowed fewer shot attempts against than we have.

Travis Zajac returned to the lineup only a few days before that.... I think that was bigger for our defense. Vatanen wasn't very good in his first 10 games here.

 

[glenwo2]

So after that awful January, we are back in 2nd place, which is exactly where we were before that big slide started.

So can we use this and pretend January never happened?

 

[Cheddabombs]

meh. hes no nico. getting on the scoresheet woud help his case. nico doesnt score and u notice him. PZ doesnt score and u gotta look for him.

I wasn't actively looking for Zacha at all, he just had a solid game. And no he's not Nico and I wouldn't expect him to be, Nico is phenomenal talent. But Zacha controlled the play very well again today, especially from the defensive zone through the neutral zone. He has incredible hands and, recently, incredible poise in tight to get away from dangerous situations with ease - like Bratt.

I don't know if it's me just really wanting Zacha to succeed (it probably is) or his actual play, but watching Zacha wind up from end-to-end with the bravado he has going for him right now is a thing of beauty. He is a really fun player to watch when he plays like this.

 

[glenwo2]

i know what to argue about. i think we should have a beavis and butthead GDT next game. FIGHT ME

You are NOT the Great Cornholio.


But I think we can put Travis in the next GDT *WITH* Beavis&Butthead.

 

[AveryQuietMan]

kinkaid, just piling up the wins. if you had told me a month ago that we’d be winning on the backs of kinkaid and zajac, why i would have socked you one right in your ball bag

a month ago it wouldve been deserved. amazing what a line change and a new 'backup' will do.

 

[Blender]

At the end of the day, this season has already been a huge success. Just need to keep playing at a decent clip down the stretch to secure a playoff spot. Most of the mainboard and the media had us as a bottom 5 team in the league.

 

[Nubmer6]

I think most of the people HERE had us bottom 5.

 

[glenwo2]

I hear Katheryn Tappen is looking for work

I would accept her with open arms....among other things.

For once Steve mentioned something and it didn't actually happen.

''Crosby has been sitting on 399 goals for 7 games!''. Said that in 2nd period some time, and luckily nothing happened, outside of that BS goal that wound up not counting for obvious goalie interference.

I was thinking the same thing. There goes Steve jinxing thing again.

THANKFULLY, the goal didn't happen. Let it happen to their next opponents.

 

[The 29th Pick]

That is the worst show in the history of terrible shows

I guess you never saw the Ropers or Three's a Crowd !

 

[BenedictGomez]

meh. hes no nico. getting on the scoresheet woud help his case. nico doesnt score and u notice him. PZ doesnt score and u gotta look for him.

Yeah, I mean, Zacha has had some of his best games recently, but if you're calling him out for great play tonight, you're seeing what you desperately want to see.

 

[AveryQuietMan]

I wasn't actively looking for Zacha at all, he just had a solid game. And no he's not Nico and I wouldn't expect him to be, Nico is phenomenal talent. But Zacha controlled the play very well again today, especially from the defensive zone through the neutral zone. He has incredible hands and, recently, incredible poise in tight to get away from dangerous situations with ease - like Bratt.

I don't know if it's me just really wanting Zacha to succeed (it probably is) or his actual play, but watching Zacha wind up from end-to-end with the bravado he has going for him right now is a thing of beauty. He is a really fun player to watch when he plays like this.

i get what ur saiyng and i see him to. he does create plays but they dont pan out. he can look great but if he doesnt contribute whats the point?

there is a reason why the globetrotters dont play in the NBA

 

[JimEIV]

I wasn't actively looking for Zacha at all, he just had a solid game. And no he's not Nico and I wouldn't expect him to be, Nico is phenomenal talent. But Zacha controlled the play very well again today, especially from the defensive zone through the neutral zone. He has incredible hands and, recently, incredible poise in tight to get away from dangerous situations with ease - like Bratt.

I don't know if it's me just really wanting Zacha to succeed (it probably is) or his actual play, but watching Zacha wind up from end-to-end with the bravado he has going for him right now is a thing of beauty. He is a really fun player to watch when he plays like this.

Another solid game with no points. Last 15 games 3 assist. A Defenseman can be solid with 3 assist in 15 games not a top 9 forward.

 

[Cheddabombs]

At the end of the day, this season has already been a huge success. Just need to keep playing at a decent clip down the stretch to secure a playoff spot. Most of the mainboard and the media had us as a bottom 5 team in the league.

100%

And not even just this season. This is something we can really build on. Nico and Bratt have been revelations, first line players as teenager rookies. Butcher being a legit Dman for us. I'm going to wait a little longer to see how Zacha performs down the stretch but if he can keep this up that would be massive. Hall stepping up in a huge way. Severson is playing well, the inclusion of Vatanen to the fold. Bottom 6 guys like Coleman and Noesen stepping up, and not just today. And we still have veteran guys that are struggling like Palms and MoJo (whenever he's able to return) that will really help us once they get going.

There's a lot going for us this season but also moving forward and it's really exciting.

 

[glenwo2]

Another solid game with no points. Last 15 games 3 assist. A Defenseman can be solid with 3 assist in 15 games not a top 9 forward.

So is Zacha quickly turning into Josefson 2.0? That's what I'm fearing right now.

There's still time for him to turn it around, of course, but thus far, it's like I'm watching YaYo again(but with better puck handling skills).

 

[Nubmer6]

So is Zacha quickly turning into Josefson 2.0? That's what I'm fearing right now.

There's still time for him to turn it around, of course, but thus far, it's like I'm watching YaYo again(but with better puck handling skills).

Them's fight'n words 'round here.

 

[njdevils19]

i get what ur saiyng and i see him to. he does create plays but they dont pan out. he can look great but if he doesnt contribute whats the point?

there is a reason why the globetrotters dont play in the NBA

In what way are the Globetrotters an accurate analogy here? Zacha has played very well defensively and been creating chances for his teammates for a month. How is any of that in the hockey world compared to the Globetrotters in the basketball world?

Obviously down the line he will need more production but he absolutely has been noticable on the ice for a while. Forget the between the legs pass. How about the forecheck and strip of Malkin to get the puck to begin with?

Josefson never looked like this, ever.

 

[Blender]

I'd have to say that was easily Zajac's best game of the season, and I'm not just saying that because he got 3 points. He was all over the place and completely neutered the Pen's top line along with Noesen and Coleman.

 

[Cheddabombs]

i get what ur saiyng and i see him to. he does create plays but they dont pan out. he can look great but if he doesnt contribute whats the point?

there is a reason why the globetrotters dont play in the NBA

Another solid game with no points. Last 15 games 3 assist. A Defenseman can be solid with 3 assist in 15 games not a top 9 forward.

The point is progression. Because it wasn't that long ago, like a few months, that he wasn't creating these plays. That he wasn't standing out in a positive way like he has recently. That he wasn't playing with such confidence and being trusted by the coaching staff in every situation.

Everyone wants instant gratification these days and it's really annoying. I want to see progression. I want to see an upward trajectory. And sure, come back with the points argument again I don't really care. The difference between Zacha these past few weeks and Zacha before is absolutely night and day. And being that he's only 20 years old, yea excuse me if I want to be a little more patient with him and appreciate how his game is coming along.

 

[Call Me Al]

this zacha argument is tired and dumb

 

[Tretyak 20]

Travis Zajac returned to the lineup only a few days before that.... I think that was bigger for our defense. Vatanen wasn't very good in his first 10 games here.

You're really trying hard to push a narrative. Zajac f-ing sucked for a LONG time after his return.

 

[The 29th Pick]

So is Zacha quickly turning into Josefson 2.0? That's what I'm fearing right now.

There's still time for him to turn it around, of course, but thus far, it's like I'm watching YaYo again(but with better puck handling skills).

I'd like to see him in the shootout, then we can say he's Yayo 2.0 !

 

[NJDevs26]

i think if LJ was asked, he'd understand. we can't keep rolling 11/7 and shafting JQ

I mean it seems obvious it should be Lovejoy but they kept giving him and Mirco Mueller of all people big minutes down the stretch protecting a lead, and they're the two guys you'd figure would be borderline on playing.

I think they can have 11 forwards without Hall playing 27 minutes (they did the previous games) it just seems that with two days off before the next game, playing a big rival this was the time to do it and if the D keeps playing well they aren't going away from 11-7 anytime soon. If they do rest a D I suspect some Butcher rest days are coming since he only played like nine even strength minutes but boy I'd hate to see the PP with Severson after his shot was magnetically attracted to defenders on that first period PP.

 

[Emperoreddy]

The argument is stupid because no one should expect him to go from 0-60 in a few months.

A few months ago he was playing very poorly and getting scratched regularly.

He has taken some big steps forward since then. The points will continue to come.

Also silly to decide to knock him when he was on the scoresheet just the other night.

 

[JimEIV]

You're really trying hard to push a narrative. Zajac f-ing sucked for a LONG time after his return.

He was put up against stiff competition and took the most important faceoffs from time he returned. By his 4th game after missing 3 months he was playing 18 minutes a night and was even+/- after his first 20 games while only scoring 4 points.

His offense wasn't very good but he was doing a good job defensively.

 

[Nubmer6]

Ok... I feel better now that there's arguing. It didn't feel like a win without it.

It also wouldn't feel like a win without a tweet from Kinky: