GDT: New Jersey Devils vs. Toronto Maple Leafs 7:00 PM MSG+

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

At this point I still think that it's more important that Pete left because he was creating a losing culture where players were content with calling bad, lazy efforts acceptable than because he kept the roster from the playoffs. If everything had gone right, this roster was only a borderline playoff team. The most important change is that the team has been playing with more heart and resiliency lately. Offense is still our Achilles heel and Lou will have to deal with that at sometime.

 

[Devils Trap]

Lets look at thinks with optimism

If we are winning games right now playing like ****.... When we play well, we should be winning games easily

Miracle hype ?

 

[MadDevil]

There's no doubt a fresh start with Hydra behind the bench has helped. Everything had just gotten stale over basically 150 games of spinning their wheels. And one would think that having the GM right there on the bench probably motivates a player to be on his best behavior.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Lets look at thinks with optimism

If we are winning games right now playing like ****.... When we play well, we should be winning games easily

Miracle hype ?

Well lets see how Kink handles Montreal, and how the team plays in front of the kid.

 

[Emperoreddy]

There's no doubt a fresh start with Hydra behind the bench has helped. Everything had just gotten stale over basically 150 games of spinning their wheels. And one would think that having the GM right there on the bench probably motivates a player to be on his best behavior.

Guys are regaining confidence too. Elias doesn't look quite finished yet. Zajac has improved. Cory has REALLY improved. And of course Lars.

Guys aren't fighting it anymore. Lou probably had the right idea with this group. Just simplify everything and start from scratch.

It isn't pretty, but its producing results and guys are regaining confidence and having a little fun again. 4th line is banging. Some creativity is reemerging. Defense and Cory are on their games.

Can they keep trending up to the point that they can knock off better teams? I don't know the answer to that yet.

Again tomorrow is a huge test on whether this is a REAL hot streak, or just a result of an easy schedule.

 

[Benedict Parisechuk]

Let's see if they can get to Chicago on a 5 game win streak and then we see.

Watch them do something moronic like beat Montreal and then lose to Edmonton on Monday. Don't the Oilers have a decent record against the East?

 

[Emperoreddy]

Watch them do something moronic like beat Montreal and then lose to Edmonton on Monday. Don't the Oilers have a decent record against the East?

10-8-1, which for them is pretty damn good.

If they really do something stupid and lose to the Oilers I'll never say the word playoffs again this year.

See if they lose tomorrow, I'll be a little disappointed, but then its just is what it is. They are trying, but to much is missing, and go on and enjoy the home wins and wait for the draft.

If they win tomorrow and lose to the Oilers I will seriously be pissed off.

 

[Bleedred]

I still maintain we'd see fewer shots against if we got Fraser and Harrold out of the lineup.

We might even see more shots for with Gelly in there, but that I'm not too sure about.

No coincidence that we get pinned in for long periods when Fraser and or Harrold are out there.

When the hydra first came in, shots against were down for the first handful of games from what they were before Pete left.

Then we added both the turds in the lineup and we started to see them go up, and a few of these 40+ shots against disasters.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I still maintain we'd see fewer shots against if we got Fraser and Harrold out of the lineup.

We might even see more shots for with Gelly in there, but that I'm not too sure about.

No coincidence that we get pinned in for long periods when Fraser and or Harrold are out there.

When the hydra first came in, shots against were down for the first handful of games from what they were before Pete left.

Then we added both the turds in the lineup and we started to see them go up, and a few of these 40+ shots against disasters.

They are the worst pairing. That is definitely true.

Thing is Lou wants one tough guy in the line up on defense. Lars was in that role, but has grown past it. Hulk was, but he went back to Albany. Just don't see Gely pushing anyone out right now. This is the defense until Severson gets back.

 

[schoenfeld]

the fact the team has slept in their own beds a lot the last month instead of on a bunch of Pejorative Slured road trips has certainly helped

 

[Bleedred]

They are the worst pairing. That is definitely true.

Thing is Lou wants one tough guy in the line up on defense. Lars was in that role, but has grown past it. Hulk was, but he went back to Albany. Just don't see Gely pushing anyone out right now. This is the defense until Severson gets back.

I'm not even sure why Hulk was sent back in favor of Fraser. I figured that they probably don't view him as an every night guy in the future at the NHL level, actually much like the way they viewed Fraser back when he was younger. He certainly wasn't nearly as bad as Fraser though IMO.

the fact the team has slept in their own beds a lot the last month instead of on a bunch of Pejorative Slured road trips has certainly helped

We BETTER not have 26 of the first 42 games (or whatever dumb **** it has been) on the road again next year. This is ridiculous.

Some believe that Lou and management personally requested more home games down the stretch, instead of early in the season. I really have a hard time believing that they're actually asking for it to be that way though.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'm not even sure why Hulk was sent back in favor of Fraser. I figured that they probably don't view him as an every night guy in the future at the NHL level, actually much like the way they viewed Fraser back when he was younger. He certainly wasn't nearly as bad as Fraser though IMO.

We BETTER not have 26 of the first 42 games (or whatever dumb **** it has been) on the road again next year. This is ridiculous.

Some believe that Lou and management personally requested more home games down the stretch, instead of early in the season. I really have a hard time believing that they're actually asking for it to be that way though.

Blame the new schedules. Have to play one game in every arena.

 

[Bleedred]

Blame the new schedules. Have to play one game in every arena.

And I like that, they just have seemed to particularly schedule us favoring road games heavily early in the season.

We must seriously lead the league in blown shutouts in the final 8-9 minutes of regulation.

Or at least it seemed to happen about 4 times just on this homestand since the ASB ended.

Shutout blown in the last Leafs game with 8:20 remaining

Shutout blown in the Pens game with 3:11 remaining

Shutout blown vs the Panthers with 1:29 remaining

Shutout blown tonight with 8:09 remaining

 

[Bleedred]

I didn't wanna bring this up before the game, but we were 0-2-2 on Friday games coming into this one.

Last win on a Friday was a 3-2 shootout win over Tampa Bay on December 19th.

 

[hutter]

The only way this will be possible is if Schneider "Haseks" them in

 

[NJDevs26]

We BETTER not have 26 of the first 42 games (or whatever dumb **** it has been) on the road again next year. This is ridiculous.

Some believe that Lou and management personally requested more home games down the stretch, instead of early in the season. I really have a hard time believing that they're actually asking for it to be that way though.

I actually think it was more ownership that wanted the home-heavy schedule from the holidays on for ticket sales. And to that degree it's worked cause attendance has stayed level despite the poor season. I don't think they wanted this many back-to-backs though, which is ridiculous. Or the sheer amount of games early when we constantly had three or four more games played than other teams.

Of course a lot of teams will sell more tickets after the holidays than through October-December but it doesn't matter to the ones that are getting sellouts regardless like the Canadian teams, Minnesota and the Dolans.

 

[Csonked Out]

The only way this will be possible is if Schneider "Haseks" them in

Exactly, because we are playing like poo. Got out shot by a 2-1 margin again last night.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Everyone who keeps talking about the "team" playing better should simply look at Schneiders numbers the last 10 games. As Elias pointed out, it's all goaltending. Schneider should be a vezina candidate.

 

[Csonked Out]

Everyone who keeps talking about the "team" playing better should simply look at Schneiders numbers the last 10 games. As Elias pointed out, it's all goaltending. Schneider should be a vezina candidate.

If we some how fart our way into the playoffs with him playing Pejorative Slured like this he will be.

 

[Tundra]

Let's face it, Pete ruined our season

Eh. Team is still largely garbage. The wins are anomaly getting outshot every night. Pete probably helped more than hurt by possibly forcing Lou to deviate from his Status Quo organizational stance. The only drawback was that DeBoer was horrific with the handling of young players.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Exactly, because we are playing like poo. Got out shot by a 2-1 margin again last night.

Ehh. We were much more dangorious with our fewer shots then the vast majority of the Leafs shots.

I was surprised by the numbers by the 2nd considering the score, and hoe much time we were around Riemer forcing him to cover up.

 

[Bologna 1]

still think toronto ends up with either babcock or pete behind the bench next season.

 

[Emperoreddy]

still think toronto ends up with either babcock or pete behind the bench next season.

Babcock said he doesn't want a project which the Leafs clearly are. Especially since a fire sale is about to begin there.

They will end up with Pete my guess.