GDT: Your New Jersey Devils @ Boston Bruins, 7 PM, MSG+: A Birthday Ode to Nico

[devilsblood]

He doesn’t expect Pasta to be able to cross the goal line and pasta shouldn’t have been able to with McLeod on him. Once pasta does beat McLeod he’s in a spot where he can either try to score himself or slide one over to Hall who’s coming around back door depending on what Smith does. Smith didn’t play it well but it fell apart and the bruins were in a bad spot when McLeod played soft D and got beat.

We already agreed he shouldn't be behind the net.

But if Smith gaurds the front and meets Pasta at the goal line there is no back door option.

Pasta did beat McLeod, but if our D were positioned it's a non incident. Plays like this happen all the time.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

We already agreed he shouldn't be behind the net.

But if Smith gaurds the front and meets Pasta at the goal line there is no back door option.

Pasta did beat McLeod, but if our D were positioned it's a non incident. Plays like this happen all the time.

He’s not gonna meet him there because he doesn’t expect him to beat McLeod. So he’s worried about Hall. Once he beats McLeod he’s in a dangerous spot and has options. But you can’t act like Ty know’s 88 is gonna beat McLeod at the goal line.

 

[devilsblood]

He’s not gonna meet him there because he doesn’t expect him to beat McLeod. So he’s worried about Hall. Once he beats McLeod he’s in a dangerous spot and has options. But you can’t act like Ty know’s 88 is gonna beat McLeod at the goal line.

You have to anticipate the possibility.

But as I said, gaurd the front, meet Pasta as he crosses the line, before a passing angle opens, and the back door never becomes an option. If your worried about Hall on the back door, that is still the play, because it stops it before it can happen.

Going behind the net leaving the front door open? Then whiffing as Pasta skates right by you? Looked really bad from where I was sitting.

 

[devilsblood]

But I'm out, eye's are closing on me.

I say we put the question to Sal.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

You have to anticipate the possibility.

But as I said, gaurd the front, meet Pasta as he crosses the line, before a passing angle opens, and the back door never becomes an option. If your worried about Hall on the back door, that is still the play, because it stops it before it can happen.

Going behind the net leaving the front door open? Then whiffing as Pasta skates right by you? Looked really bad from where I was sitting.

Going behind the net was bad. We agree on that. He didn’t whiff on it tho. He didn’t have time to react. And he doesn’t know what Pasta is going to do so I’m not sure how he can anticipate him beating McLeod and coming out front. He should trust that McLeod is gonna do his job and keep tight and on Hall. A reasonable option for 88 if McLeod played better D on him is to put it in a spot for Hall. In that case Smith is hopefully tight on him playing D. Hall should be Smith’s focus as it was but he took a bad route. He has no clue what 88 is gonna do so stop talking like he does.

 

[Auto Pilot]

Man is Blackwood terrible. The bottom two lines killed us. Smith is still brutal.

hughes is amazing. That was a very winnable game, and we didn’t even get a point out of it thanks to smith and Blackwood.

that kills the playoff hope given the bruins are who we are chasing.

 

[Bleedred]

I got good news and bad news for Blackwood. The bad news is that I gotta give him yet another stoppable goal on goal 5. The deflection didn’t really do anything to chance the trajectory all that much. He’s going down into the butterfly and it goes right through his legs. If anything that puck slowed down even more with the deflection. He was square to it and everything. It wasn’t even one of those pinballs that quickly goes in after a deflection. It just gets a piece of the back of Mercer’s knee or leg ever so slightly.

The good news is that he will once again dodge softy of the night, as Reimer let in a really bad goal from behind the goal line that went off his stick and in.

 

[Hisch13r]

Man is Blackwood terrible. The bottom two lines killed us. Smith is still brutal.

hughes is amazing. That was a very winnable game, and we didn’t even get a point out of it thanks to smith and Blackwood.

that kills the playoff hope given the bruins are who we are chasing.

Winning this game really wouldn't have changed much. Sure we'd only be 1 back instead of 5 but they'd still have 5 in hand. The season ended when Bernier went down.

 

[Maine Fan]

Only if Blackwood had played better, surprised it was close considering the Devils players that were out.

They are still playing well the last 4 games.

Blue Jackets next up.

 

[markog]

Thanks Blackwood. Way to blow the season.

What are you talking about? The season for New Jersey is over since middle of november. This only helps to get ANOTHER top 8 pick and the same shit will begin next season.

 

[WetWholphin]

team needs to target a young goaltender with solid fundamentals that we can further develop in a trade. zacha + boqvist + foote + picks are all on the table to get it done. blackwood has been given every opportunity to be the guy here but he just doesnt look like he has what it takes. guy is a mental midget.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Watch that goal again. Smith wasn’t cutting off his route behind the net. He was following the other bruins forward it seemed to me and trying to get in the way of a potential pass to him from Pastrnak because McLeod was with Pastrnak. He probably shouldn’t have done that but McLeod is the one who got beat clean by Pastrnak.

Watched it 12 more times. I mostly agree with you, but will have to respectfully disagree this time. Smith could have prevented the goal simply by standing still and giving Pastrnak nowhere to go. But for a reason which absolutely escapes me, Smith decided to block off the back of the net, which was the safest place to steer Pastrnak once he'd beaten McLeod. Instead, Smith rolled out the red carpet for Pastrnak to go to the most dangerous scoring area, right in front of the Devils goal.

As far as McLeod, he was beat by Pastrnak, yes. But he was physically beaten by a proven NHL superstar. I am not hating on a bottom 6 center for this. The reason I keep banging the drum for Smith to be sent down to the AHL was his mental decision -- which you can see in the goal clip provided by @SteveCangialosi123 -- to give Pastrnak the highest-danger scoring area possible so he could block off the back of the net, which was where any coach would tell Smith to steer his man.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Holtz is nowhere close to being NHL caliber right now. His skating and decision making are embarrassingly bad, he looks like Reid Boucher out there. He needs to go back to Utica for the rest of the year and keep working on his game, we have other guys to call up.

 

[Devils Trap]

Holtz is nowhere close to being NHL caliber right now. His skating and decision making are embarrassingly bad, he looks like Reid Boucher out there. He needs to go back to Utica for the rest of the year and keep working on his game, we have other guys to call up.

In his defense hes a scorer. And he is currently being set up by Mason Geertson. Its a tough job

 

[MVP Zacha]

Watch that goal again. Smith wasn’t cutting off his route behind the net. He was following the other bruins forward it seemed to me and trying to get in the way of a potential pass to him from Pastrnak because McLeod was with Pastrnak. He probably shouldn’t have done that but McLeod is the one who got beat clean by Pastrnak.

This has got be Ty posting on here.

 

[Devils731]

Good news, bad news, doesn’t really matter news for this game.

Good news: Devils were really short handed and only got a little outplayed by Boston.

Bad news: Goaltending has no short term solution it looks like.

Doesn’t really matter news: Devils lost. Losing stinks but I’d rather the Devils lose where the skaters look fine and the goalie sucks then see them win but play like garbage.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

team needs to target a young goaltender with solid fundamentals that we can further develop in a trade. zacha + boqvist + foote + picks are all on the table to get it done. blackwood has been given every opportunity to be the guy here but he just doesnt look like he has what it takes. guy is a mental midget.

Or he's in a slump - which has happened to every goaltender who has ever played the game.

 

[glenwo2]

johnsson just got elbowed in the f***ing face wtf

That's ridiculous, Johnsson got hit in the face after the whistle and no penalty?

Looking back at the game, I think what led to that was an open-ice hit by Bratt on the Rat-bastard (an act which I whole-heartedly approve of).

But yeah...the refs last night SUCKED BIG DONKEY KONG.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Only if Blackwood had played better, surprised it was close considering the Devils players that were out.

They are still playing well the last 4 games.

Blue Jackets next up.

Agreed. A shame that MacKenzie wasn't sharper and fought all night. But good to see a strong effort - and some combativeness that seemed an added element.

Not a moral victory but definitely a performance that showed some progress.

 

[devilsblood]

Watched it 12 more times. I mostly agree with you, but will have to respectfully disagree this time. Smith could have prevented the goal simply by standing still and giving Pastrnak nowhere to go. But for a reason which absolutely escapes me, Smith decided to block off the back of the net, which was the safest place to steer Pastrnak once he'd beaten McLeod. Instead, Smith rolled out the red carpet for Pastrnak to go to the most dangerous scoring area, right in front of the Devils goal.

As far as McLeod, he was beat by Pastrnak, yes. But he was physically beaten by a proven NHL superstar. I am not hating on a bottom 6 center for this. The reason I keep banging the drum for Smith to be sent down to the AHL was his mental decision -- which you can see in the goal clip provided by @SteveCangialosi123 -- to give Pastrnak the highest-danger scoring area possible so he could block off the back of the net, which was where any coach would tell Smith to steer his man.

I'm with you on this but I will throw a caveat.

We shouldn't look at McLeod as a "bottom 6 center", he's actually a good defensive center.

But I'll realign with you in that he was beaten by a proven NHL superstar. Even good defensive centers get beat. Happens often actually. Pasta getting a step on McLeod is something that needs to be accounted for. Hold the line, don't let Pasta streak across the goal mouth. Cutting off a passing lane to a player who is behind the net instead? Not good defense.

 

[MVP Zacha]

Ya it was a bad route and he was too far behind hall. But he wasn’t the one who got beat by Pastrnak. People are acting like that was him trying to play D on 88 when that clearly wasn’t the case. McLeod was on 88 and Smith tried to throw a stick in last minute when he realized 88 had beaten McLeod.

You literally have no idea what you are talking about. Smith got smoked by Pasta cutting to the net. I don't give a shit that McLeod lost him, Smith got beat, badly on that play.

 

[Devilsfan992]

What are you talking about? The season for New Jersey is over since middle of november. This only helps to get ANOTHER top 8 pick and the same shit will begin next season.

It was hyperbolic. But at the same time, picking up a 4th win in a row and having Columbus back to back could have put us back in contention.

 

[Devils731]

It was hyperbolic. But at the same time, picking up a 4th win in a row and having Columbus back to back could have put us back in contention.

Even with a 6 game winning streak the Devils probably needed a few more wins in the streak to get back into the talk.

So losing this game doesn’t really change much, the Devils need to go on a wild winning streak or play something like .650 winning percentage hockey for a good while. Boston picking up 2 more points only slightly changes that.

 

[Darkauron]

I really think Blackwood is not as bad as he has been this season. The over reliance on him now that Bernier has been out, plus it is obvious his heel injury is not fully healed, and constantly playing him as we have no alternative...is no recipe for success for anyone.

 

[Saugus]

Blackwood's problem is his maddening lack of consistency. He makes some saves he has no business making, then lets in two ultra-soft goals.

For now it's fine, because clearly the rest of our team isn't a contender yet either. But we will need a new goaltender before we have any hoping of contending in future years.