Around the League 36-But Who's Counting...

[MinJaBen]

Zac Dalpe scored.

Florida’s partying like it’s 2011 with Mo, E. Staal and Dalpe.

Prolly why they got stomped, too.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Ex-NBC Sports Exec David Preschlack, Who Also Had A 20-Year Run At Disney And ESPN, Is Named CEO Of Financially Challenged Bally Networks Owner Diamond Sports Group

Change is afoot but will it be enough?

Nah probably too late and way too much debt. Price paid for networks are killing them.

 

[sabremike]

This is incredible.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

lol Devils fans are something else with this hot start. Top goalie tandem, 2 elite centers, top 5 league wide defense, elite coach, nobody will be able to beat them 4/7 in the playoffs. Just setting themselves up for disappointment.

 

[Stickpucker]

The Devils do have a team built pretty well for the modern game. Youth, transition, speed, skill.

If their goaltending keeps up I don't think anyone needs to hate on them. That formula works really damn well in the regular season. The post season...who knows?

How well can they handle Trouba elbowing their star in the head and concussing them? How well can they deal with the Bruins hacking them to death and getting no pps to spend 14 mins on the pk each game? Can they go blow for blow with TB?

 

[WreckingCrew]

lol Devils fans are something else with this hot start. Top goalie tandem, 2 elite centers, top 5 league wide defense, elite coach, nobody will be able to beat them 4/7 in the playoffs. Just setting themselves up for disappointment.

Remember the Rags thread to start the season when they were destroying everyone? ...

 

[tarheelhockey]

This is incredible.

That's just awesome.

And kind of mind blowing when you realize they probably made it without anyone having to actually draw anything.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

The Devils do have a team built pretty well for the modern game. Youth, transition, speed, skill.

If their goaltending keeps up I don't think anyone needs to hate on them. That formula works really damn well in the regular season. The post season...who knows?

How well can they handle Trouba elbowing their star in the head and concussing them? How well can they deal with the Bruins hacking them to death and getting no pps to spend 14 mins on the pk each game? Can they go blow for blow with TB?

It's not really hating on them, I have no issues with the Devils and think they could make a run like us in '19 or the Rags last year but there are Devils fans acting like the team is absolutely perfect and no team can beat them in a playoff series. When in reality they do have plenty of flaws which their great record to start the year is masking. Like you said, how will they handle the big boys in the playoffs pushing them around. They are young and fast but they are also small and soft. How are they gonna handle Dougie underperforming in the playoffs like he has throughout his career?

A hugely important aspect of playoff success is poise. Teams like the Bolts, Bruins, Islanders, Pens, Canes, even Rags will likely have much more playoff poise than these young Devils. And poise is not easy to develop, as we've seen from our young guys and even veterans (J Will) the last several years in the playoffs. It's been a phenomenal season for the Devils so far and the fans should be incredibly happy/excited, but not to the point of delusion.

Remember the Rags thread to start the season when they were destroying everyone? ...

Lol exactly. Early season/small sample hot takes at their best.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Remember the Rags thread to start the season when they were destroying everyone? ...

And Buffalo fans at the start of each of the last 4-5 seasons now it feels like

 

[Stickpucker]

It's not really hating on them, I have no issues with the Devils and think they could make a run like us in '19 or the Rags last year but there are Devils fans acting like the team is absolutely perfect and no team can beat them in a playoff series. When in reality they do have plenty of flaws which their great record to start the year is masking. Like you said, how will they handle the big boys in the playoffs pushing them around. They are young and fast but they are also small and soft. How are they gonna handle Dougie underperforming in the playoffs like he has throughout his career?

A hugely important aspect of playoff success is poise. Teams like the Bolts, Bruins, Islanders, Pens, Canes, even Rags will likely have much more playoff poise than these young Devils. And poise is not easy to develop, as we've seen from our young guys and even veterans (J Will) the last several years in the playoffs. It's been a phenomenal season for the Devils so far and the fans should be incredibly happy/excited, but not to the point of delusion.


Lol exactly. Early season/small sample hot takes at their best.

I'm a superstitious person so I'm just hoping they're putting a big jinx to the hockey gods on their team and we can all point and laugh later.

 

[tarheelhockey]

It's not really hating on them, I have no issues with the Devils and think they could make a run like us in '19 or the Rags last year but there are Devils fans acting like the team is absolutely perfect and no team can beat them in a playoff series. When in reality they do have plenty of flaws which their great record to start the year is masking. Like you said, how will they handle the big boys in the playoffs pushing them around. They are young and fast but they are also small and soft. How are they gonna handle Dougie underperforming in the playoffs like he has throughout his career?

A hugely important aspect of playoff success is poise. Teams like the Bolts, Bruins, Islanders, Pens, Canes, even Rags will likely have much more playoff poise than these young Devils. And poise is not easy to develop, as we've seen from our young guys and even veterans (J Will) the last several years in the playoffs. It's been a phenomenal season for the Devils so far and the fans should be incredibly happy/excited, but not to the point of delusion.

I mean, we all know where this is headed. Every year a group of fans, sometimes including Carolina Hurricanes fans, decides that their small/soft/young team's November hot streak means they will be a playoff juggernaut. And every single time, that team cools off by the end of February and then gets manhandled in the playoffs. This is an absolutely classic case of it.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I mean, we all know where this is headed. Every year a group of fans, sometimes including Carolina Hurricanes fans, decides that their small/soft/young team's November hot streak means they will be a playoff juggernaut. And every single time, that team cools off by the end of February and then gets manhandled in the playoffs. This is an absolutely classic case of it.

Yeah for sure we've had fans guilty of it in the last few years. Hopefully this year it'll be the opposite where we fans think the Canes' slow/old/unskilled team's early cold streak means we will miss the playoffs and instead the team will heat up late in the year and manhandle teams like the Devils in the playoffs

 

[bleedgreen]

Yeah….their fans are acting like MANY of this board did when we turned it around. It feels highly hypocritical to give them a hard time about it, they’ve earned it.

Y’all gave the whole main board the bird as frequently and as often as you possibly could. Let’s not be too harsh judging other fanbases when their team does what ours did.

For what it’s worth, their core is more talented than ours from its starting point. They could easily surpass us in the next couple of years. I wouldn’t know what to think if we faced them in the playoffs this year. Its not as though we play like salty, weathered, playoff tested vets in the postseason.

 

[WreckingCrew]

Yeah….their fans are acting like MANY of this board did when we turned it around. It feels highly hypocritical to give them a hard time about it, they’ve earned it.

Y’all gave the whole main board the bird as frequently and as often as you possibly could. Let’s not be too harsh judging other fanbases when their team does what ours did.

For what it’s worth, their core is more talented than ours from its starting point. They could easily surpass us in the next couple of years. I wouldn’t know what to think if we faced them in the playoffs this year. Its not as though we play like salty, weathered, playoff tested vets in the postseason.

We did because we were still being talked about as a "mickey mouse franchise" and not a team of any serious concern. And I'm pretty sure while we were thrilled and gave the finger, nobody on here was acting like we were some perfect, unstoppable force...it was more like "hey, we're a legit team (or even overperforming our talent level), stop shitting all over us"

 

[hblueridgegal]

The Devils radio crew and media teams that are on the Sirius shows and broadcasts are a fun mix of jubilation and trepidation. They're enjoying the ride but aren't counting their chickens. They come across as pleasantly surprised by it all. I like their frankness...they'll whoop it up for the good and call out and chastise the bad.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I don't care what their fans are doing. They should enjoy it just as we have. But I'd be plenty happy to get to play the Isles and Devils in our division in the playoffs should it happen. They can certainly both beat us, but I'd feel pretty good about playing either. In spite of our flaws and challenges this year (and all teams have some despite how emotional we can be on a game-to-game basis), I feel good about where we are when it matters.

 

[WreckingCrew]

The Devils radio crew and media teams that are on the Sirius shows and broadcasts are a fun mix of jubilation and trepidation. They're enjoying the ride but aren't counting their chickens. They come across as pleasantly surprised by it all. I like their frankness...they'll whoop it up for the good and call out and chastise the bad.

That's largely how we were the first year+ our team was suddenly a playoff contender. Hell after our playoff flops even still we're a mix of jubilation (regular playoff contender) and trepidation (too many issues to be a legit Cup contender)

 

[tarheelhockey]

I don't care what their fans are doing. They should enjoy it just as we have. But I'd be plenty happy to get to play the Isles and Devils in our division in the playoffs should it happen. They can certainly both beat us, but I'd feel pretty good about playing either. In spite of our flaws and challenges this year (and all teams have some despite how emotional we can be on a game-to-game basis), I feel good about where we are when it matters.

I would damned sure rather be playing the Devils or Isles than the Bruins or Leafs.

 

[Stickpucker]

We did because we were still being talked about as a "mickey mouse franchise" and not a team of any serious concern. And I'm pretty sure while we were thrilled and gave the finger, nobody on here was acting like we were some perfect, unstoppable force...it was more like "hey, we're a legit team (or even overperforming our talent level), stop shitting all over us"

probably claims like: "slavin is the best defensive dman in the league" "slavin hamilton is the best top pair in the league" "the canes have a top 3 d in the league"

?

An aside, seems like Slavin is having a rough go of it lately. Even the first goal last night where he skated the puck straight into Staal and a Duck just to cough it right up into the slot.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I would damned sure rather be playing the Devils or Isles than the Bruins or Leafs.

well Leafs would be an auto advance but I'm sick of playing the Bruins/refs and the Bolts. They don't scare me but I'd much rather see NJ or NY (either team) in the first few rounds

 

[tarheelhockey]

well Leafs would be an auto advance but I'm sick of playing the Bruins/refs and the Bolts. They don't scare me but I'd much rather see NJ or NY (either team) in the first few rounds

Yes, this. The Metro is a tough division but I'd much rather be here than in the Atlantic. That's going to be a bloodbath between a bunch of teams who are all under pressure to advance.

 

[WreckingCrew]

probably claims like: "slavin is the best defensive dman in the league" "slavin hamilton is the best top pair in the league" "the canes have a top 3 d in the league"

?

An aside, seems like Slavin is having a rough go of it lately. Even the first goal last night where he skated the puck straight into Staal and a Duck just to cough it right up into the slot.

...I mean, Slavin is one of the best defensive d-men in the league (though he's struggled a bit this year)...and Slavin-Hamilton was one of the leagues best pairings...and we did have a top 3D with Slav-Ham-Pesce-Faulk (etc). Making a few statistically true claims isn't the same as saying "we're a perfect bestest team in the league and r stronk everywhere"...which we never did that I can recall

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

We did because we were still being talked about as a "mickey mouse franchise" and not a team of any serious concern. And I'm pretty sure while we were thrilled and gave the finger, nobody on here was acting like we were some perfect, unstoppable force...it was more like "hey, we're a legit team (or even overperforming our talent level), stop shitting all over us"

There was definitely some of that, but remember, in 18-19 we were one of the worst teams in the NHL on Jan 1st and went on to get into the playoffs by a couple of points because of an insane 2nd half. We didn't have time to gloat as we weren't even sure we'd make it until a week or so left in the season. Even the next year we struggled a bit and were at risk of not making the playoffs when Covid hit if not for Geekie winning a couple of games for us.

It wasn't really until the past 2 seasons where we came in hot and played incredible right off the get go and were a top team in the NHL like the Devils are. And there certainly were a few Canes fans on the mainboard acting in a similar manner as the Devil's are.

Also, in terms of "mickey mouse franchise", the Devils have gotten a lot of that from Ranger's and Isles fans in recent years.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

probably claims like: "slavin is the best defensive dman in the league" "slavin hamilton is the best top pair in the league" "the canes have a top 3 d in the league"

?

An aside, seems like Slavin is having a rough go of it lately. Even the first goal last night where he skated the puck straight into Staal and a Duck just to cough it right up into the slot.

I'm assuming you mean the 2nd goal, since the first was the one that caught Pesce in the throat.

That goal was interesting, because it was (IMO) the result of Slavin and Burns simply not being comfortable on the ice together. Slavin is feeling pressure from... McTavish, I believe...and retreats behind the net. Burns is trailing those two along the boards the entire time, I assume because he's expecting Slavin to reverse the puck back to him.

Instead, Slavin runs out of room to maneuver, McTavish forces the turnover, and the goal scorer is literally all alone in front of the net, because instead of protecting the front, Burns is along the corner boards waiting for a reversal.

Those two just don't seem to mesh well together, which puts the team in a bit of a problem, since we can't break up Pesce/Skjei and we can't justify putting Slavin or Burns on the 3rd pairing.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I'm assuming you mean the 2nd goal, since the first was the one that caught Pesce in the throat.

That goal was interesting, because it was (IMO) the result of Slavin and Burns simply not being comfortable on the ice together. Slavin is feeling pressure from... McTavish, I believe...and retreats behind the net. Burns is trailing those two along the boards the entire time, I assume because he's expecting Slavin to reverse the puck back to him.

Instead, Slavin runs out of room to maneuver, McTavish forces the turnover, and the goal scorer is literally all alone in front of the net, because instead of protecting the front, Burns is along the corner boards waiting for a reversal.

Those two just don't seem to mesh well together, which puts the team in a bit of a problem, since we can't break up Pesce/Skjei and we can't justify putting Slavin or Burns on the 3rd pairing.

I disagree. It takes time to get comfortable playing on a D pair with a new partner for both guys, sorting the communication out, etc. It's been 26 games. I think they'll be much more comfortable playing together come March/April.