GDT: Devils @ Blues - 9:00 PM - ESPN

[MB3]

Has nothing to do with emotionally hedging. Some people just have different expectations than you do, and that's ok.

What are your expectations for the team with the 3rd best record and 2nd best goal differential in the NHL?

 

[Bleedred]

He’s like a WR that used to run a 4.2 and was okay but now runs a 4.5 after getting hurt and is useless. He’s not even noticeably fast anymore.

He's no Joe Thornton or Dainius Zubrus in his last few years in the league or god forbid 40-something year old Jagr slow, but he's not really faster than an average player anymore.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I don't know if you guys are just emotionally hedging or whatever, but the prevailing "ohhhh it's okayyyy they'll just make the playoffs and lose in the first round but it's progresssss and I'll be prouddddd" thing gives me actual, physical, get-me-a-bottle-of-tums heartburn.

This team is on pace to break the franchise record for wins in a season. They're doing so on the back of one of the greatest offensive seasons in team history. They're getting timely goaltending. They're even getting the bounces and breaks they seemingly haven't gotten in a decade.

This was a game against a deadline-seller. This is a game they have to win if they're going to catch Carolina or stave off New York. This is a disappointing loss, capping off an inordinately lucky stretch of 10 games where the Devils truly have played some hideous hockey.

If your expectations for this team haven't changed since the season started, I feel bad for you. I don't want to emotional hedge. I want to win the Stanley f***ing Cup, because I think this team is good enough to do that. So I'm going to get emotionally invested in weekday losses to mediocre opponents.

"Good is not good where better is expected." - Lou.

Toronto lost to Columbus a few days ago. the Rangers lost to Montreal a few weeks back. Boston lost to Ottawa a few weeks ago.

again, some of you guys get too hung up on a game to game basis. Its a LONG season. You sometimes lose to bad teams, you sometimes beat elite teams. Making definitive statements on one game here or there is insane.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I don't know if you guys are just emotionally hedging or whatever, but the prevailing "ohhhh it's okayyyy they'll just make the playoffs and lose in the first round but it's progresssss and I'll be prouddddd" thing gives me actual, physical, get-me-a-bottle-of-tums heartburn.

This team is on pace to break the franchise record for wins in a season. They're doing so on the back of one of the greatest offensive seasons in team history. They're getting timely goaltending. They're even getting the bounces and breaks they seemingly haven't gotten in a decade.

This was a game against a deadline-seller. This is a game they have to win if they're going to catch Carolina or stave off New York. This is a disappointing loss, capping off an inordinately lucky stretch of 10 games where the Devils truly have played some hideous hockey.

If your expectations for this team haven't changed since the season started, I feel bad for you. I don't want to emotional hedge. I want to win the Stanley f***ing Cup, because I think this team is good enough to do that. So I'm going to get emotionally invested in weekday losses to mediocre opponents.

"Good is not good where better is expected." - Lou.

I don’t know, I’m just enjoying watching my team win lots of games and I don’t feel the need to get crazy during a very enjoyable year. Something that hasn’t been the case at all this decade.

 

[DerekDevils30]

Also, it’s beyond time to split up Nico and Bratt.

1,000%

 

[Devs3cups]

What are your expectations for the team with the 3rd best record and 2nd best goal differential in the NHL?

My expectations coming into the season were a bubble team with playoff aspirations. They're almost surely making the playoffs, so that's good.

I'm expecting a competitive first round against a team who has played a lot of playoff hockey in recent years, and I don't expect it to be easy.

Do I want them to push through and win and even get the Cup? Of course I do, I love this team. Will I be crushed that this young, learning team just turning the corner loses in the first round? Probably not, because it's part of the process and the experience is worth A LOT for this young group.

 

[Dylan9z9]

We sit Holtz for this.

And horrible in the defensive end also that's what gets me

 

[MB3]

Toronto lost to Columbus a few days ago. the Rangers lost to Montreal a few weeks back. Boston lost to Ottawa a few weeks ago.

again, some of you guys get too hung up on a game to game basis. Its a LONG season. You sometimes lose to bad teams, you sometimes beat elite teams. Making definitive statements on one game here or there is insane.

Excluding empty net goals, the Devils haven't beaten a team by more than 1 goal in over a full month. I' not concerned about this one game, I'm concerned about a month+ of truly poor hockey.

It's thrilling and awesome (and a whole lot lucky) that they've been able to fall ass backwards into winning most of those games. But it's insanely concerning that they continue to play this poor brand of hockey, and when the results inevitably start flipping (like they did tonight), it's not going to be pretty.

 

[Emperoreddy]

That was our first regulation lose in like 6 games.

Hopefully they will take the lose as a wake up call to clean up their play and on top of Jack returning they get back on track Saturday.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

You don't get more points for beating teams by multiple goals, so I truly don't care about that.

 

[DerekDevils30]

And horrible in the defensive end also that's what gets me

When they were cooking prior to Wood and Bastian’s injuries, they were absolute monsters on the forecheck. Sometimes it felt like they wouldn’t give up the puck. Was a treat to watch.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I don't really care that much about BMW's lack of production when they are used as a 4th line

But Ruff uses them way more then that.

Much bigger issue is how badly they get caved possession wise. They are like the opposite of an energy line right now.

Fitz needs to get some bottom 6 help on top of Timo IMO. We need some energy down there and I think Wood and Bastian are too hurt to provide that for the rest of the season

 

[Emperoreddy]

Also everyone hates Smith, but outside of the stupid penalties he is solid in his role and is better then Bahl currently is.

 

[Camille the Eel]

@Guttersniped The Devils had 6 shots in total in the 3d. That’s what I meant.

 

[guitarguyvic]

When they were cooking prior to Wood and Bastian’s injuries, they were absolute monsters on the forecheck. Sometimes it felt like they wouldn’t give up the puck. Was a treat to watch.

I never understand how things like this can be so fickle in hockey. How do they go from being that good to this bad within a few weeks? It’s not like they were just scoring lucky goals by bouncing the puck off their asses or something. They were legit playing well all over the ice, and now they are a net negative. It’s so goddamn frustrating and mystifying.

 

[Bleedred]

Once again, not worth getting bent out of shape over. No Jack and our best goalie, who has been our second best player since Christmas was on the bench.

That's two pretty good players out of the lineup.

 

[Guttersniped]

@Guttersniped The Devils had 6 shots in total in the 3d. That’s what I meant.

Yeah, I figured that out myself, which is why I deleted the post.

 

[Bleedred]

Also everyone hates Smith, but outside of the stupid penalties he is solid in his role and is better then Bahl currently is.

I thought he was better than Smith early on, but then when he started getting in a lot of games he showed that he is certainly not better than Smith.

I don't think he has a future here long term, if he has one in the NHL.

What's he like our fifth best ''Prospect'' on defense? We got at least 4 better prospects on D and then there's guys that are locked up for a long time like Dougie, Siegs and Marino. There's really no clear path to a long term tenure here for him.

 

[DerekDevils30]

I never understand how things like this can be so fickle in hockey. How do they go from being that good to this bad within a few weeks? It’s not like they were just scoring lucky goals by bouncing the puck off their asses or something. They were legit playing well all over the ice, and now they are a net negative. It’s so goddamn frustrating and mystifying.

It‘s a team-wide thing too. We had the puck on our sticks for the majority of our games through the middle of December. There has clearly been adjustments made to our system that have affected our attack. They need to adjust to those adjustments.

 

[MadDevil]

What are your expectations for the team with the 3rd best record and 2nd best goal differential in the NHL?

The same team that is one of the younger ones in the league that has made the playoffs once in the last decade? To make the playoffs and see what happens. Most teams who have rebuilt don't just go deep in the playoffs right away. There's going to be a learning process for guys who have zero or limited playoff experience. It would be kind of disappointing to lose in the first round (especially since it looks likely we'll be playing the Rangers) but this season is already a resounding success.

 

[Bleedred]

That 4th line is a drain

It's hard to tell if all of them are useless right now or if Wood is causing the other 2 to be useless.

He's the obvious first guy that needs to sit.

 

[Killing Joke]

And horrible in the defensive end also that's what gets me

So offensively they are a -24% under the average. Defensively they are a plus 4% under the average. They’re literally a net negative. Defensively they’re bad, but offensively they’re f***ing atrocious

 

[DerekDevils30]

The same team that is one of the younger ones in the league that has made the playoffs once in the last decade? To make the playoffs and see what happens. Most teams who have rebuilt don't just go deep in the playoffs right away. There's going to be a learning process for guys who have zero or limited playoff experience. It would be kind of disappointing to lose in the first round (especially since it looks likely we'll be playing the Rangers) but this season is already a resounding success.

Yep. Look at Tampa, Carolina, Toronto as prime examples. All 3 perennial contenders. It took Tampa some serious work to get to the promised land. Carolina is still trying to get there after several attempts. Toronto is still waiting to win a damn series. There are other examples but picked those off the top of my head. I hope we can have a Ranger-like run but won’t be too disappointed if we don’t. Maybe we can run into a Domingue and Raanta along the way lol. This is just the beginning.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'm also confident Timo is going to be a Devil and his arrival will change the complexion of the team.

This current group won't be the same group in the playoffs in two months

 

[guitarguyvic]

The same team that is one of the younger ones in the league that has made the playoffs once in the last decade? To make the playoffs and see what happens. Most teams who have rebuilt don't just go deep in the playoffs right away. There's going to be a learning process for guys who have zero or limited playoff experience. It would be kind of disappointing to lose in the first round (especially since it looks likely we'll be playing the Rangers) but this season is already a resounding success.

I feel like there are just as many teams that got playoff success right away as ones who took time. Penguins in ‘08, hawks in ‘09 are two that come to mind. Also the lightning got their assess handed to them by Columbus in the first round before they won the cup, but before that they were already winning series pretty regularly once they got out of the basement (they just didn’t get over the finish line until 2020). Shit people are talking about the rangers like they’re a playoff savvy veteran group…they made the playoffs post-rebuild for the first time just last season and immediately made it to the conference final.