GDT: Devils @ Canadiens - 7:00 PM - MSG

[crashline]

WE'RE THE DEVILSSSS

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Canadiens vs. Devils Top Six Minutes: The Habs lay a Deviled egg

Turnovers and inefficiency gives New Jersey their tenth straight win at the expense of the baby-blue Habs.

www.habseyesontheprize.com

The Devil's Trap did in the Canadiens...

Devils trapped so much that Habs got outscored in the 2nd and even the third when they were up 2. Some brilliant minds up there in Quebec.

 

[Satans Hockey]

What a game, what a hot streak, this is insane. Wish Jack would have hit that hat trick but selfishly I'd love to have his first hat trick be at home anyway.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Their D can be exposed with Muzzin and Brodie out. Their goaltending is also a big question mark. Will be a good test for our team D though. Their top 6 is really good but the depth falls off pretty quickly beyond that.

Sounds like the Oilers

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Don’t even care if we lose 1 or 2 after. Beating the Leafs would be a statement win IMO. Let’s get it done. 1 game at a time.

79-3?

It’s actually crazy to look at our record when you consider we lost the first 2 games.

We’ve won 13 of our last 14 (0.929)

To hit 100 points we literally just have to finish the rest of the season at .560
See no reason why we can’t maintain at least a .600 with the team we have.

 

[Goptor]

Don’t even care if we lose 1 or 2 after. Beating the Leafs would be a statement win IMO. Let’s get it done. 1 game at a time.

79-3?

95-3 you mean

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Some idiot on the main boards gdt is saying that if you take away our best 5-6 players we won’t be good anymore.

Gosh, didn’t know that only goes for the Devils!

My god people are stupid.

HUH? This doesn't make sense whatsoever LOL.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Patience pays, folks. Things are looking up. I figured this would happen at some point in the next 2-4 years, but I didn't really think it would happen with this particular goaltending situation.

No one thought they'd be dominating this much this year, let alone any year. Very unexpected.

 

[Bleedred]

This team is better than the 11-12 cup finals team.

I think that team probably gets overrated around here because it was the end of an era.

I’m not saying this is a cup finalist, just that this team is better.

That team didn’t have that good of a defense at all. Not even close. And outside of Zidlicky there was really no one that could score back there.

It had 3 pretty good to elite players in Elias, Kovalchuk and Parise. All of them 27 or way older. David Clarkson had by far a career year and 35 year old Petr Sykora was brought back to life by Elias.

I think Zajac only even played 15 games in the regular season?

Our bottom 6 was horrible in the regular season.

Was that also a career year for Henrique? I think it was a career high in points.

It was also an old team. Zubrus (33), Elias (35) and Sykora (35) were the 2nd line.

It had a 39-40 year old Brodeur, who turned back the clock to the Marty of old from February through June.

This team has the potential to get hot in the playoffs and go on a run, just as long as they keep playing like this. We have a ridiculous shot differential about 20% of the way into the season. But we do need to get that power play going too.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

He's not a blind homer, and it's a criticism a lot of people had, that we'd get pushed around.

I don't mean to bring this up again, but they most definitely did the last time they were in the playoffs, so it's not exactly a wild criticism. They didn't exactly get a lot bigger since then.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Most defensemen would just play the pass. Marino took the shooter out and then picked off the pass.

I hope he doesn't make that a habit. Heart attack moment right there.

 

[OmNomNom]

Their D can be exposed with Muzzin and Brodie out. Their goaltending is also a big question mark. Will be a good test for our team D though. Their top 6 is really good but the depth falls off pretty quickly beyond that.

I think nico and co can shut down their top line if matchups permit

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Sounds like the Oilers

This team is better than the 11-12 cup finals team.

I think that team probably gets overrated around here because it was the end of an era.

I’m not saying this is a cup finalist, just that this team is better.

That team didn’t have that good of a defense at all. Not even close. And outside of Zidlicky there was really no one that could score back there.

It had 3 pretty good to elite players in Elias, Kovalchuk and Parise. All of them 27 or way older. David Clarkson had by far a career year and 35 year old Petr Sykora was brought back to life by Elias.

I think Zajac only even played 15 games in the regular season?

Our bottom 6 was horrible in the regular season.

Was that also a career year for Henrique? I think it was a career high in points.

It was also an old team. Zubrus (33), Elias (35) and Sykora (35) were the 2nd line.

It had a 39-40 year old Brodeur, who turned back the clock to the Marty of old from February through June.

This team has the potential to get hot in the playoffs and go on a run, just as long as they keep playing like this. We have a ridiculous shot differential about 20% of the way into the season. But we do need to get that power play going too.

Team was also super reliant on the shootout too, they were like 12-4 or something. I doubt we get to 10 SO games this year. Kovy and Parise were absolutely lethal in it and yeah I think this is the best team I've seen in my lifetime as a Devils fan and I only became a fan in 08'. A lot of the post lockout Devils teams were just Marty one man armying the regular season and then dying come playoffs.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't mean to bring this up again, but they most definitely did the last time they were in the playoffs, so it's not exactly a wild criticism. They didn't exactly get a lot bigger since then.

Meh

We lost that series because Tampa was a way better team and they continued to prove it in the years after.

Tampa has only lost one playoff series since then to a team that wasn’t the eventual cup winner. And only three in total.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Jacks line was struggling and they put Haula Jack and Mercer together and they played much better. Yegor just isn’t clicking with jack. Haula was good, just didn’t finish, BUT, it will come. He is creating space for Jack and getting the puck to him. Haula is also getting in scoring position.

I hope they put Palat back with Jack when he returns from injury. Same role, but much better offensively.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Devils trapped so much that Habs got outscored in the 2nd and even the third when they were up 2. Some brilliant minds up there in Quebec.

The Devils trapped the Canadiens into thinking the Canadiens had a chance to skate with the Devils once New Jersey stepped on the ignition. But that was the only trapping done all night at the Bell Center.

 

[Bcap88]

this team is really going to be skating circles around teams once smith gets axed for Luke (hopefully)

 

[Satans Hockey]

This team is better than the 11-12 cup finals team.

I think that team probably gets overrated around here because it was the end of an era.

I’m not saying this is a cup finalist, just that this team is better.

That team didn’t have that good of a defense at all. Not even close. And outside of Zidlicky there was really no one that could score back there.

It had 3 pretty good to elite players in Elias, Kovalchuk and Parise. All of them 27 or way older. David Clarkson had by far a career year and 35 year old Petr Sykora was brought back to life by Elias.

I think Zajac only even played 15 games in the regular season?

Our bottom 6 was horrible in the regular season.

Was that also a career year for Henrique? I think it was a career high in points.

It was also an old team. Zubrus (33), Elias (35) and Sykora (35) were the 2nd line.

It had a 39-40 year old Brodeur, who turned back the clock to the Marty of old from February through June.

This team has the potential to get hot in the playoffs and go on a run, just as long as they keep playing like this. We have a ridiculous shot differential about 20% of the way into the season. But we do need to get that power play going too.

I'll just be so damn happy to wave a towel in the air at a playoff game lol game 3 in 2018 was such a tease

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I don't mean to bring this up again, but they most definitely did the last time they were in the playoffs, so it's not exactly a wild criticism. They didn't exactly get a lot bigger since then.

They lost game 4 and 5 by a 2-1 score (I know game 5 was 3-1 by Callahan scored an empty net super late) and the GWG was scored by a guy who should've gotten a major in game 4 + suspended in Game 5, so not sure how they got owned physicality that series.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I hope he doesn't make that a habit. Heart attack moment right there.

He just read it really well and adjusted. Caulfield was a bit behind to start and he needed to force Suzuki out wider so he wasn’t walking in alone. Did that and then adjusted once he’d put Suzuki in a worse position.

Couldn’t really have played that better. If he just takes the pass to start Suzuki is pretty much walking in all alone due to the positioning and Marino’s gonna have to chase him down leaving Caulfield as a back door tap in option or just let Suzuki have a breakaway.

I think 9/10 times a defensmen is gonna go after Suzuki like that. But most aren’t gonna do as well forcing him out and putting pressure on him and then also be able to adjust back to read and cutoff that pass.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

They lost game 4 and 5 by a 2-1 score (I know game 5 was 3-1 by Callahan scored an empty net super late) and the GWG was scored by a guy who should've gotten a major in game 4 + suspended in Game 5, so not sure how they got owned physicality that series.

you're bringing up the final score as some indicator of how physical it was? They got bullied, it's ok to admit it. I never said that was why they lost but that is what happened.

 

[Satans Hockey]

This team is better than the 11-12 cup finals team.

I think that team probably gets overrated around here because it was the end of an era.

I’m not saying this is a cup finalist, just that this team is better.

That team didn’t have that good of a defense at all. Not even close. And outside of Zidlicky there was really no one that could score back there.

It had 3 pretty good to elite players in Elias, Kovalchuk and Parise. All of them 27 or way older. David Clarkson had by far a career year and 35 year old Petr Sykora was brought back to life by Elias.

I think Zajac only even played 15 games in the regular season?

Our bottom 6 was horrible in the regular season.

Was that also a career year for Henrique? I think it was a career high in points.

It was also an old team. Zubrus (33), Elias (35) and Sykora (35) were the 2nd line.

It had a 39-40 year old Brodeur, who turned back the clock to the Marty of old from February through June.

This team has the potential to get hot in the playoffs and go on a run, just as long as they keep playing like this. We have a ridiculous shot differential about 20% of the way into the season. But we do need to get that power play going too.

Also it's kinda wild how close that year was to being 1 round and done. Had to win game 6 and 7 in ot against Florida. I know there's always a little bit of luck sometimes but being 1 shot away from being eliminated in the first round that year and it would have been just another forgettable year like the vast majority of the 10s(so weird to call a decade that lol)

 

[StevenToddIves]

this team is really going to be skating circles around teams once smith gets axed for Luke (hopefully)

I'd assume it's a matter of time before Bahl supplants Smith on the blueline, which would make the Devils even better.

The Devils still need another interior/power F for the top 9, a need I feel they'll address at the trade deadline. I'm really curious what it would take to get Ivan Barbashev out of St. Louis, and I'm curious if Vancouver's cluelessness would see them ready to give up on Podkolzin, whom I feel would thrive in NJ.

I think the youth and impending additions to this Devils team will make them even more dangerous come playoff time than they are right now. I'm extremely optimistic.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

He just read it really well and adjusted. Caulfield was a bit behind to start and he needed to force Suzuki out wider so he wasn’t walking in alone. Did that and then adjusted once he’d put Suzuki in a worse position.

Couldn’t really have played that better. If he just takes the pass to start Suzuki is pretty much walking in all alone due to the positioning and Marino’s gonna have to chase him down leaving Caulfield as a back door tap in option or just let Suzuki have a breakaway.

I think 9/10 times a defensmen is gonna go after Suzuki like that. But most aren’t gonna do as well forcing him out and putting pressure on him and then also be able to adjust back to read and cutoff that pass.

He wouldn't have been on a breakaway like you're claiming. They were all about evenly spaced out. It was a 2 on 1 really. I hate when d-men chase the puck carrier in those situations. If Marino didn't time it perfectly, that's a goal. Doing something that relies on you to be perfect is not a good strategy.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

you're bringing up the final score as some indicator of how physical it was? They got bullied, it's ok to admit it. I never said that was why they lost but that is what happened.

You would think they lost by more if they got "bullied physically", no? Also hits in that series were pretty even too besides game 5 where the Devils got outhit by 6...