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Post-Game Talk: Devil IV

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The Devils basically reverted to trap hockey. Biggest difference between today and 25 years ago is that they have more team speed.

It looked like the Rangers ran out of ideas.

They’re not fast enough to dump and get to the puck. They’re not getting through the neutral zone with any speed. The cross-ice pass is completely taken away.

Tampa did the same thing in 2015. They used the shit conditions at MSG to their advantage.

Then all the fans want the “heart” guys who have no talent, but they’ll throw a meaningless hit here or there.
 
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will1066 said:
Gallant needs to rethink the PP. As others have noted, we ride or die on the PP because 5v5 has been a slog. For me, it's giving PP1 the full 2 mins if possible because PP2 does not look good. And Zib needs to be back at the left circle.
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The set up isn’t the issue. It’s losing the facepofs religiously and gallant giving both pairs equal time. It’s essentially giving PP1 30 secs to score
 
will1066 said:
Gallant needs to rethink the PP. As others have noted, we ride or die on the PP because 5v5 has been a slog. For me, it's giving PP1 the full 2 mins if possible because PP2 does not look good. And Zib needs to be back at the left circle.
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We have more even strength goals than PP goals. PP goals for us have been insurance goals, not to tie it or take the lead.
 
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NCRanger said:
The Devils basically reverted to trap hockey. Biggest difference between today and 25 years ago is that they have more team speed.

It looked like the Rangers ran out of ideas.

They’re not fast enough to dump and get to the puck. They’re not getting through the neutral zone with any speed. The cross-ice pass is completely taken away.

Tampa did the same thing in 2015. They used the shit conditions at MSG to their advantage.

Then all the fans want the “heart” guys who have no talent, but they’ll throw a meaningless hit here or there.
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Exactly this. And you would think a team would build a team to match their own arena conditions, and we’ve found a way to do the exact opposite.
 
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Guys, it’s simple. They have to come out in Game 5 and want it more. The devils want it right now. We have to want it more. The games are going to be tight now. They are going to rest on one opportunistic play. Have to win puck battles. It’s not a sky is falling thing it’s a playoff hockey thing. Have to get it deep, outman them, win puck battles, and earn it. If they don’t that, the only way they will win is if the PP scores a few. And NJ smartened up playing more aggressively, the Rangers looked nervous out there
 
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mandiblesofdoom said:
The organization need to spend money on infrastructure & personnel to develop young players. Like Tampa & some other teams do. They have the money.
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I recall talking about the need for Laffy and Kakko to focus on speed and agility in Laffy's rookie season (20-21) and used Stützle as an example of a modern player. But that is not the Rangers' way of doing things. They want sturdy players to dominate the boards and now what do we have? Hughes is 50 pounds nothing and all skating technique, he's not even a power skater. That must blow the Dino Rangers' mind so much lol.
 
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PuckLuck3043 said:
Yes, I know that. My point was people are acting like the Devils dominated. They did not. They did play smart and efficient hockey and made the necessary adjustments on the PK which was enough for 2 wins. They did just enough to win in both games.
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Agreed. Each game was a Rangers bounce away from a Rangers W. But there was also an issue of effort and puck battles. We lost every single one after the hughes goal. Ironically, won the battle right before the goal
 
will1066 said:
Devils board wasnt exactly confident in Ruff after Game 2. They were packing it up. Just shows if the players want it, it can turn back.
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It’s funny because if he didn’t finally scratch Wood and re-scratch Smith for Siegenthaler like their fans were saying the Rangers might of actually won at least one of these games.
 
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What bothers me most is the players saying "We got away from doing what we did the first two games". If you know what the problem is then go back to doing what you were doing, too many players on this team have gotten too comfortable calling audibles and not doing what the team is asking them to.
 
I said it before and I will say it again. Special teams and goaltending will determine this series. 4 PP's in 2 games that we win. 0 PP's in 2 games that we lose. It also didn't help that Igor gives up a very stoppable goal with 10 minutes to go.
 
Kanerbomb said:
What bothers me most is the players saying "We got away from doing what we did the first two games". If you know what the problem is then go back to doing what you were doing, too many players on this team have gotten too comfortable calling audibles and not doing what the team is asking them to.
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It’s kind of like making plans with friends who don’t ever actually show up. It’s the right idea and you want to believe them but you’ve seen this all too many times before
 
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Kovalev27 said:
The set up isn’t the issue. It’s losing the facepofs religiously and gallant giving both pairs equal time. It’s essentially giving PP1 30 secs to score
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After spending the whole season at the left circle, Zib finds himself in the bumper. That can't be muscle memory for him. They're setting him up for the one time from the high slot, where Schmid doesn't have to move post to post.
 
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Machinehead said:
I really do think there's enough compete on this team if they have the horses.

Back in the day, when most defensemen were 6'4" cement trucks and the game was much slower, maybe getting to the dirty areas was about wanting it. In 2023, it's all about getting to the dirty areas before the puck is gone.

The Devils have an underrated defense corps that are all good at moving the puck. They had the jitters in game 1 and Lindy had a horrible gameplan in game 2 (including scratching an excellent defenseman for no reason and going totally out of the way to hit a much bigger team because that's playoff stuff). Now that they're playing Devils hockey again, the puck is gone before we even think about forechecking. And our defense is way too poor at moving the puck to be a skill/rush team.

So we can't check and we can't do finesse, and we sit here and wonder why we have one goal. Really bad combination. Like you said, we need to either get fast enough to check, get better at transition so we can use our skill, or better yet, both.

I do think Panarin could be more effective on a team that had any semblance of a rush, but then again, he needs to find a way at some point like Kreider and Kane have found a way.
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At the end of the day it's an issue with mentality. It's this organization's MO to beef it in these situations. I remember the same shit happened in 2008. Went up 2-0 to Washington winning the first two in their barn, lost the next three, won Game 6 at home with their backs against the wall, and lost in heartbreaking fashion in Game 7.

The next two games will tell us everything we need to know about this group. Lay eggs again and the core should be nuked. They got too big for their britches and thought they'd coast at home after winning the first two away after getting lucky on the power play (yes they did) and thought the Devils would roll over and accept their fate. Now the Devils are the team that looks in control with the plan while the Rangers look like they have no idea what to do, a complete reverse Uno card of a situation compared to the first two games.

I said Rangers in 6 before the series started and I'm sticking by it. If Games 3 and 4 were the best the Devils have, as long as the Rangers make adjustments, I still like their chances. Gut check time for this core. They're acutely aware that this year is their shot. I expect them to leave it all out there win or lose for the next two (or three) games. Go out with a whimper and they'll see their legacies on this team blackballed forever. Drury has that ruthless side to him. Firing Gallant a day after a Game 6 loss would be just the start.
 
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PuckLuck3043 said:
Yes, I know that. My point was people are acting like the Devils dominated. They did not. They did play smart and efficient hockey and made the necessary adjustments on the PK which was enough for 2 wins. They did just enough to win in both games.
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I don't give a shit about the Devils. The Rangers are deeply flawed in their base approach. That is the issue. Especially on home ice and that has been evident all season. This series would have been over if Gallant & Co weren't so badly out of date riding all kinds of ridiculous hobby horses that make life needlessly difficult for the team. Away is slightly different because it's easier to counter attack and prey on the other team's mistakes than carry the game yourself (see game 1 & 2).
 
Kanerbomb said:
What bothers me most is the players saying "We got away from doing what we did the first two games". If you know what the problem is then go back to doing what you were doing, too many players on this team have gotten too comfortable calling audibles and not doing what the team is asking them to.
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That's just players saying what they usually say after a loss. The way I see it is the Devils didn't allow the Rangers to do what did the first 2 games.
 
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