GDT: Devils vs. Stars 8:30 MSG+ part II

[NjDevsRR]

Maybe it's just JQ doing this to me, but I think Stafford looks not that bad when compared to him. JQ looks more like frickin, what's that guy with the Irish name that we had a few years back? The one who won the AHL MVP and we acquired him from the Kings? Brian O'Neal or Neal O'Brien or some **** like that?

Stafford has been okay, serviceable at least. Don't want him back after this year under any circumstance whatsoever, but we definitely have bigger do-nothings that we're icing.

The Stafford of the last few weeks has been good. Strong on the puck, doesnt get pushed around, responsible and has been generating some scoring chances here and there. But still, JQ blows, sad to see.

 

[Nubmer6]

Ah... also forgot to mention that I liked the physicality we started showing. I feel like we did a lot of banging, and I liked it.

 

[Emperoreddy]

This is what finally got me to believe we need a coaching change. Not necessarially because the coaching staff is bad, but because the players seem to have tuned them out at this point. They keep making the same mistakes over and over.

I don’t know if it’s being tuned out. I think it’s more the staff wants them to do and focus on something else and it isn’t working or a god idea.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I want Stafford to keep playing solid so we can get a 4th for him at the deadline

 

[Bleedred]

The Stafford of the last few weeks has been good. Strong on the puck, doesnt get pushed around, responsible and has been generating some scoring chances here and there. But still, JQ blows, sad to see.

I think he's been okay, he's even been putting up points.

I'd put in Pietila over JQ at this point. Pietila sucks at offense too, but at least he'll try and he can do other things.

JQ is like Zacha when he's not scoring, only he can't PK, he can't play defense, he really does nothing.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

I’m seeing NHL veterans making these mistakes on a regular basis. This is beyond the players, its the staff as well.

It's the damn system. I don't know what system can confuse an entire squad to the point you see 2, 3 people taking the same person on a faceoff. Taking the same person in a net mouth scramble I can understand but for 3/5ths of a line confusing the read on who the are covering (which by the way is NOT that complicated a concept by basic Xs and Os) just astounds me that either we have deficient IQs on this roster or we have severely deficient systems that tell players to do things that are not aligned to the fundamentals that they and every player have learned from every coach they've had up to this point.

For a "developmental coach" who you'd think would employ a KISS concept to let young players focus on making the play more than think the play, I just don't see it playing out.

Color me unimpressed but also confused as to how these such fundamental mistakes keep happening that lead to guys being left all alone by 15-20 feet coming down the slot or even camped out in front of the net. That shouldn't happen if you have a defensive minded system that is also simplistic and plays to your roster's skillset.

Am I just too old school and channeling my inner Lemaire or am I not watching close enough to see the genius just on the cusp of shining through here?

 

[Bleedred]

I want Stafford to keep playing solid so we can get a 4th for him at the deadline

I don't think we will, but can't rule it out.

Fiddler brought back a 4th even before the deadline and he was nothing by that point.

 

[Emperoreddy]

It kind of reminds of how AV’s defensive system simply didn’t work for what the Rangers had last season. It was too complicated and didn’t work with their roster.

Not saying we are doing the same system. Just that we are using something that doesn’t really work for this team.

I have to believe the players are being told to look or do something that is counter to the basic fundamentals and it’s completely screwing them up.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

It kind of reminds of how AV’s defensive system simply didn’t work for what the Rangers had last season. It was too complicated and didn’t work with their roster.

Not saying we are doing the same system. Just that we are using something that doesn’t really work for this team.

I have to believe the players are being told to look or do something that is counter to the basic fundamentals and it’s completely screwing them up.

Based on how I see players over committing to not only the same side of the ice, but also watching the puck so much and taking the man, I think they're being told to attack the puck SO MUCH that they're jumping to the puck if they're closest rather than letting the "zone" positional player have responsibility. How else do you end up with 4 players on the boards or 2 D behind the net on the same guy? It screams both of a coach trying to push players to make up for a lack of talent by playing harder, not smarter... and players not seeing the play unfolding the same way.

Read and react is a great concept to teach and coach but I don't see read and react here, it's more like misread and overreact more often than not. Quick to the puck is also a good fundamental concept and not hard to be decent at if you have youth and conditioning but it can go south quick if a set of rules don't govern who goes where and when based on the team's positioning. If you're over-committing to being first to the puck regardless of position (zone responsibility) then everyone can get pulled out of position trying to cover while others try to support the puck. That's more of what I'm seeing as we look at the mistakes that led to the goals.

 

[Nubmer6]

Based on how I see players over committing to not only the same side of the ice, but also watching the puck so much and taking the man, I think they're being told to attack the puck SO MUCH that they're jumping to the puck if they're closest rather than letting the "zone" positional player have responsibility. How else do you end up with 4 players on the boards or 2 D behind the net on the same guy? It screams both of a coach trying to push players to make up for a lack of talent by playing harder, not smarter... and players not seeing the play unfolding the same way.

Read and react is a great concept to teach and coach but I don't see read and react here, it's more like misread and overreact more often than not. Quick to the puck is also a good fundamental concept and not hard to be decent at if you have youth and conditioning but it can go south quick if a set of rules don't govern who goes where and when based on the team's positioning. If you're over-committing to being first to the puck regardless of position (zone responsibility) then everyone can get pulled out of position trying to cover while others try to support the puck. That's more of what I'm seeing as we look at the mistakes that led to the goals.

Someone here (sorry I forgot who) said that it looks like we're playing a man defense instead of a zone. If that's the case, it's incumbent on the forwards to drop back and cover for the D if he starts chasing his man high.

Having a slow defense, it seems stupid to play man on man. A zone D seems much more suited if we can't keep up with our assignments.

 

[BomaLightDevils]

How was Blackwood??

 

[BurntToast]

25-4 shot differential to start the game. Blackwood made some great saves and the team left him hanging. This team has only played a handful of “complete” games.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

It's the damn system. I don't know what system can confuse an entire squad to the point you see 2, 3 people taking the same person on a faceoff. Taking the same person in a net mouth scramble I can understand but for 3/5ths of a line confusing the read on who the are covering (which by the way is NOT that complicated a concept by basic Xs and Os) just astounds me that either we have deficient IQs on this roster or we have severely deficient systems that tell players to do things that are not aligned to the fundamentals that they and every player have learned from every coach they've had up to this point.

For a "developmental coach" who you'd think would employ a KISS concept to let young players focus on making the play more than think the play, I just don't see it playing out.

Color me unimpressed but also confused as to how these such fundamental mistakes keep happening that lead to guys being left all alone by 15-20 feet coming down the slot or even camped out in front of the net. That shouldn't happen if you have a defensive minded system that is also simplistic and plays to your roster's skillset.

Am I just too old school and channeling my inner Lemaire or am I not watching close enough to see the genius just on the cusp of shining through here?

It's basically what happens when you tell a bunch of guys with very little talent to play street hockey.

 

[BahlDeep]

If I coached this team, all 4 of them would be starters.

Tell Bleed what is absolutely redundant is to allow 5 goals a game

 

[NJDevs26]

Never seen a game where a team is outshot 25-2 in the first half and then proceeds to outshoot the other team 32-15 in the second half.

It was 27-2 lol...and then 32-13.

 

[BahlDeep]

Anyone who has watched closely how Santini played and think he hasn't been one of our best defenseman in his own zone is delusional.

His dzone% start is at 68% this year down from 80% last season, and his Corsi increased dramatically. Currently at 45%.

He's our only defenseman taking the body and not fishing for the puck with his stick all the time.

Yesterday, there was a play he made in the Dzone where he outmuscled 2 Stars players and retrieved the puck while all the other players were basically watching him.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Our forwards being a poor defensive unit makes it a lot worse too.

 

[NJ DevLolz]

Anyone who has watched closely how Santini played and think he hasn't been one of our best defenseman in his own zone is delusional.

His dzone% start is at 68% this year down from 80% last season, and his Corsi increased dramatically. Currently at 45%.

He's our only defenseman taking the body and not fishing for the puck with his stick all the time.

Yesterday, there was a play he made in the Dzone where he outmuscled 2 Stars players and retrieved the puck while all the other players were basically watching him.

He was absolutely brutal on Heiskanens first goal.

 

[Billdo]

Despite the loss, I take a couple positives out of this game.

1. Mac was outstanding again, and (more importantly to me) didn't seem emotionally fragile. He didn't just cave in after giving up goals.
2. Stafford had probably his best game since the beginning of last year. It gives me some slight hope he can become somewhat serviceable.

Stafford in isolated and controlled minutes is fine. If we don't have anyone who can take those minutes than that's more on them than him.

 

[Bleedred]

Tell Bleed what is absolutely redundant is to allow 5 goals a game

We’ve allowed 5 or more non-empty net goals 10 times this year.

And Cory (who is awful and shot and needs to be put out to pasture) started 4 of them.

 

[BahlDeep]

He was absolutely brutal on Heiskanens first goal.

He wasn't, he had to cover the back door. Where was the other defenseman? Or all the other players?

 

[BahlDeep]

We’ve allowed 5 or more non-empty net goals 10 times this year.

And Cory (who is awful and shot and needs to be put out to pasture) started 4 of them.

And that trend will keep on going until we fix the defense.

And I honestly think it's more about the structure then the personel. I mean how hard is it to cover the back door

 

[Maine Fan]

The way I see it, there's definitely 2 huge problems with this team. The defense and the coaching staff. Now the question is, does the defense truly sucks that much or is the coaching staff the reason the defense sucks so bad. Maybe it's a combination of both, but I think one or the other has to be addressed FAST. Now if I had to take a guess, I'm definitely starting to join the group who thinks the coaching staff is absolutely ******ed, because if you just look at the not too distant pass, we used to get so MUCH more out of very ordinary defensive squads. It was all down to coaching, structure and having a system in place. It's becoming clearer and clearer that we have a bunch of clueless idiots behind the bench and that they're definitely not getting the most out of our players. Shero needs to take action. Enough is enough, we're not going anywhere with these guys behind the bench. If not Hynes, fire whoever is in charge of teaching this team how to play defense and playing without the puck.

It is really hard to pinpoint the cause. Greene doesn't belong any longer, and Lovejoy should go. Vatanen is a veteran and the rest are young players doing OK for their time in the NHL. So is it coaching or the GM that didn't get at least one quality Defenseman in the off season. I am inclined to blame the GM.

 

[Bleedred]

And that trend will keep on going until we fix the defense.

There’s no goalie in the league as bad as Cory has been this year, so it likely won’t happen as much as you think, unless Blackwood really isn’t as good as he’s shown or we allow 40 or more shots regularly. Cory greatly skews these numbers.

He’s allowed 5 goals in 3 of his 7 starts and was yanked after 4 goals in half of regulation in another one that ended up being a 5+ goal against game.

 

[Maine Fan]

Unfortunately. a point would have been nice in this game......... both standings wise and for morale...

Certainly Blackwood deserved a point based on his play. If only he wasn't supported.