GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (7-5-1, 15 Pts, 4th in Metropolitan) vs. Winnipeg Jets (7-5-2, 16 Pts, 3rd in Central), 8 PM, MSGSN

[devilsblood]

Prior to injury....not injuries. Definitely singular not plural.

Stop. Acting like Nico, even if he wasn't playing great, is not now sorely missed, is silly.

 

[Emperoreddy]

No reason to write off the team. They are .500 and are going to be getting back their MVP candidate in the next game or two. They were 7-3-1 before the injuries hit. Thankfully they built that bit of cushion. This stretch wiped it out, but there is proof of concept that the team will good when healthy.

Of course they have to get healthy, but it looks better on the front (though I would feel better with an update on Nico).

Our one poster that has some inside connections says Nico might be back Saturday.

I think both will be back at worst by Thanksgiving if that is true

 

[jkrdevil]

Prior to injury....not injuries. Definitely singular not plural.

Fortunately it seems he will be back soon. Though the last year and the year before it took about a week or two to get going after coming back.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Stop. Acting like Nico, even if he wasn't playing great, is not now sorely missed, is silly.

A team having defensive breakdowns 1000% misses their best defensive forward. Total crazy talk

 

[JimEIV]

I like Mikey, but McLeod in your top 6 isn't going to lead to wins. Tierny isn't a NHL player.

Smith is not only a massive negative on his own, he drags his partner down with him leaving us with two pairs that end up over matched.

These are all fixes the team will or can make that will lead to more wins.

The goaltending and PK are another matter

Yeah. I'm not sure why Haula and Mercer aren't the top two C"s

 

[devilsblood]

I like Mikey, but McLeod in your top 6 isn't going to lead to wins. Tierny isn't a NHL player.

Smith is not only a massive negative on his own, he drags his partner down with him leaving us with two pairs that end up over matched.

These are all fixes the team will or can make that will lead to more wins.

The goaltending and PK are another matter

McLeod has been great though.

We talk about the breakdowns happening all over the ice. Well they aren't happening when he is on the ice. Not 5v5.

Bratt too.

 

[guitarguyvic]

You do seem to ignore though that they were winning games at a decent enough clip prior to the injuries.

I agree the number of breakdowns have been atrocious this year, but we were still winning. If we were healthy, and cleaned up those breakdowns, then we'd likely get rolling.

Because I don't care about the results if the play looks like shit. They were beating bottom tier teams on the back of Jack Hughes solo efforts. It's not sustainable and it's showing itself in the results now.

"If" we cleaned up those breakdowns...they've had fourteen games to do it and have failed, with Jack and without him. The fact that they haven't been able to tighten up with the injuries is actually an indictment...good teams fall back on their structure and responsible play when they are missing big guns. We are absolutely failing, this tells me they may not be the great team they were billed as prior to the season.

 

[devilsblood]

Yeah. I'm not sure why Haula and Mercer aren't the top two C"s

Dude, you've been so far off lately. McLeod has been excellent.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

The big problem I saw with tonight's game is that players are just lobbing grenades at each other as "passes" and almost running into each other every other play.

Its like watching a orchestra try to play without a conductor.

This is where Jack is missed. He's arguably one of the best at transitioning the puck in the NHL and it's missed badly. Bratt is good at it too but his game has taken a significant drop without Jack. It's kind of sad because we paid him good money and he isn't having a bad year but you look to guys like him to be a leader without Jack and Nico. There's other players like Mercer , Meier , Palat etc... but Bratt is one of the highest paid and longest tenured Devil.

 

[jkrdevil]

I wouldn’t say McLeod has been great. You need to score in that role.

 

[JimEIV]

Dude, you've been so far off lately. McLeod has been excellent.

He's not a good hockey player. He's just not. He's barely a plug

 

[Emperoreddy]

McLeod has been great though.

We talk about the breakdowns happening all over the ice. Well they aren't happening when he is on the ice. Not 5v5.

Bratt too.

But he isn't going to drive play and create lots of good scoring chances.

He is playing as well as he can, but a team isn't going to win a lot with him in their top 6. Especially when we need to score a bunch to win games.

 

[devilsblood]

Because I don't care about the results if the play looks like shit. They were beating bottom tier teams on the back of Jack Hughes solo efforts. It's not sustainable and it's showing itself in the results now.

"If" we cleaned up those breakdowns...they've had fourteen games to do it and have failed, with Jack and without him. The fact that they haven't been able to tighten up with the injuries is actually an indictment...good teams fall back on their structure and responsible play when they are missing big guns. We are absolutely failing, this tells me they may not be the great team they were billed as prior to the season.

Except it isn't because Hughes and Nico are not playing.

And again, they were playing very sloppy with them. But assuming they stayed healthy, cleaned up the slop(which you know will coincide with a magical improvement in goal tending), they likely win games at a high rate.

He's not a good hockey player. He's just not. He's barely a plug

you also have not been watching then.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Fortunately it seems he will be back soon. Though the last year and the year before it took about a week or two to get going after coming back.

Looking at that last week of November when the turn around starts in earnest assuming the centers are back by next week.

 

[Bleedred]

Again, it's not Schmid's play. Certainly not tonight it wasn't.

And they can't send him down because they have no other option.

But if they were to send him down, it would be to protect his psyche from this slop being played in front of him.

That snippet I saw from Fitz only about a week ago almost made it sound like they would line him in the AHL.

But we don’t have other options. Kallgren and Kinkaid are both not good at the NHL and both are pretty bad at the AHL so far this year.

 

[devilsblood]

But he isn't going to drive play and create lots of good scoring chances.

He is playing as well as he can, but a team isn't going to win a lot with him in their top 6. Especially when we need to score a bunch to win games.

Actually he very much is driving play. Doesn't create great chances, but he is dominating in chances for and against.

Did again tonight.

 

[Devs3cups]

 

[guitarguyvic]

Except it isn't because Hughes and Nico are not playing.

And again, they were playing very sloppy with them. But assuming they stayed healthy, cleaned up the slop(which you know will coincide with a magical improvement in goal tending), they likely win games at a high rate.


you also have not been watching then.

But we don't have any evidence that they, as currently coached and constructed, can clean it up. Fourteen games is a long time to have such glaring problems without an ounce of improvement. It's a big red flag. At this point, I don't think the evidence suggests that improvement moving forward is a given.

 

[Emperoreddy]

They also don't need to be a finished project in 2023. They just need to win games and get themselves into a good position for the postseason and work out the kinks by March.

This roster healthy will win enough games and give themselves time to try to sort the rest out.

 

[NjDevsRR]

I need Bratt to take stuff to the net more. This is the 5th or 6th straight game he has had two or less shots

Cmon Bratter

 

[MadDevil]

Damn, even Novo is getting in on the party lol

 

[Emperoreddy]

Does kind of feel like the December swoon came early.

 

[guitarguyvic]

I understand the comparison, but it's really not the same. At no point in that stretch did they look this inept outside the offensive zone. I recall that time vividly...there were some bad games mixed in with some decent and good ones where they just weren't getting breaks. That is not what is happening right now.

 

[devilsblood]

That snippet I saw from Fitz only about a week ago almost made it sound like they would line him in the AHL.

But we don’t have other options. Kallgren and Kinkaid are both not good at the NHL and both are pretty bad at the AHL so far this year.

Is Kinkaid on loan to Chicago or something? Why is he being talked about here?

Seriously though, could we possibly give Poulter a run? Not that I think it would help much, but just to let Schmid clear his head.

But we don't have any evidence that they, as currently coached and constructed, can clean it up. Fourteen games is a long time to have such glaring problems without an ounce of improvement. It's a big red flag. At this point, I don't think the evidence suggests that improvement mocing forward is a given.

I dunno, I feel like last year was pretty good evidence.

 

[Devs3cups]