Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - playoff edition

[NjDevsRR]

So happy the angry emoji is back

Should be Dano face

 

[Whaddagoal]

Should be Dano face

You need to lobby the global mods

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I'll take the Ollies

 

[NjDevsRR]

You need to lobby the global mods

We did actually lmao

 

[NjDevsRR]

I'll take the Ollies

Ok. Lets remove the confused girl face with the Dano

 

[MadDevil]

#GoalsForMarky

 

[MadDevil]

You need to lobby the global mods

The local mods are too busy getting the last word in on the GDT.

 

[JK3]

The local mods are too busy getting the last word in on the GDT.

Whoa whoa whoa, I lobbied for a Dano emoji a looooong time ago but they said no. It's 2025, apparently you can send vapid dipshits to the edge of space but nooooo we can't have a custom emoji.

However, if they did, it would have to be universally applied to every team board, which would be awesome lol. I bet everyone would be spamming Dano emojis no matter what team.

 

[The Wumpus]

Should be Dano face

 

[devilsblood]

So there is a chance that we might have Siegenthaler (even an 80% Jonas)....

Would be really nice to have Pesce and Siegenthaler in the game, even if we can't have Luke. Safe to say Luke is not back until we extend the series. That early pre-season shoulder injury i can presume came back at some point and he's dealing with it?

Is Lazar fully cooked? Is he just the odd man out or is there a lingering injury that makes him not even thought of as a choice here.

He fell on it in game 1.

 

[devilsblood]

Pretty sure it's not the same shoulder.

Not the same shoulder? So Luke, like Jack, has 2 bum shoulders? Wtf?

Dowling plays C and Sprong is basically Holtz. They flash every once in a while and look good but are largely irrelevant and wouldn't be in the lineup for most playoff teams. Having said that I'd rather run with Sprong than Bastian.

Ya Dowling is a fairly dependable center. Sprong is not replacing him.

Somewhat similarly is Bastian is a dependable winger and that is why he has gotten that nod thus far. Though I could see Keefe making that switch.

 

[Guttersniped]

He can bounce back if he uses enough avocados.

 

[NJDfan86]

Also its a crazy dynamic that Fitz traded for Sprong and basically he cannot even beat out Keefe on Dowling (whether that's coaches personal pet player or his own failures).

I mean, this is a 40pt NHLer in the past.

Center vs wing aside, It’s really not that surprising that Keefe has prioritized defense over offense as he has done that to our detriment all year.

 

[My3Sons]

View attachment 1021863

I haven’t looked that good since 2003

 

[devilsblood]

Center vs wing aside, It’s really not that surprising that Keefe has prioritized defense over offense as he has done that to our detriment all year.

Sprong played a bunch late in the season. Played fairly well imo.

But in game 1 he played like a guy who does not belong in the playoffs.

Though I admit, I'm not sure the too many men was his fault, and the offsides was likely more Cotter's bad. Still it all added up to looking very bad.

 

[NJDfan86]

Sprong played a bunch late in the season. Played fairly well imo.

But in game 1 he played like a guy who does not belong in the playoffs.

Though I admit, I'm not sure the too many men was his fault, and the offsides was likely more Cotter's bad. Still it all added up to looking very bad.

Not really about Sprong per se - just Keefe’s MO thus far.

 

[Devils731]

Not really about Sprong per se - just Keefe’s MO thus far.

Also Sprong’s MO. Despite his talent he’s basically out of the NHL at this point. Teams don’t trust him to help them win, despite his abilities.

He looks like a guy who may have realized his play has played himself out of the NHL but he can’t just become a guy that can play within a system overnight. He’s going to have to put the work in and if he doesn’t or can’t then he won’t be in the NHL much longer.

 

[MadDevil]

Not the same shoulder? So Luke, like Jack, has 2 bum shoulders? Wtf?

Ya Dowling is a fairly dependable center. Sprong is not replacing him.

Somewhat similarly is Bastian is a dependable winger and that is why he has gotten that nod thus far. Though I could see Keefe making that switch.

Honestly, the 4th line has been fine for a 4th line. As much as I find it annoying that a career AHL guy has played half the season, Dowling has been okay in that role.

The problem is that there isn't enough between Nico/Bratt and the 4th line. Timo, while I think is actually playing well, couldn't score on an empty soccer net right now. Mercer is basically an empty calorie player. Haula and Palat are both washed. Tatar works his ass off but his scoring touch is nonexistent. Noesen has like 4 goals in his last 30+ games after a great first half of the season.

 

[devilsblood]

Honestly, the 4th line has been fine for a 4th line. As much as I find it annoying that a career AHL guy has played half the season, Dowling has been okay in that role.

The problem is that there isn't enough between Nico/Bratt and the 4th line. Timo, while I think is actually playing well, couldn't score on an empty soccer net right now. Mercer is basically an empty calorie player. Haula and Palat are both washed. Tatar works his ass off but his scoring touch is nonexistent. Noesen has like 4 goals in his last 30+ games after a great first half of the season.

I agree though Dowling and Bastian's on ice numbers are worse then what the eye test tells me. I thought Bastian has looked pretty good in the playoffs. But then I see his cf%. Woof.

And of course neither guy produces offense......but are pretty good at keeping the opposition from potting goals, despite getting caved possession wise.

 

[JK3]

What a f***ing pathetic state of this team and management, Sprong, Daniel f***ing Sprong, I can't believe we're even talking about him. He's not worth the pixels on your screen nor the electrons to put them there holy f***.

Hey! I know this dude from Sport-O Rama that I used to play with, he might be available Fitz.

 

[Dylan9z9]

I think it’s worth the risk to bring him back.

I feel like there are a number of cases where players have off years after the birth of a child. I believe this was Palat’s first and it started pretty hard. I’m not sure how it’s gone (hopefully well). Possible he plays better next year.

Meanwhile, a buyout means we’re stuck with dead cap and then need to replace Palat with an unknown. If we had someone in the minors that could take his spot, then fine. But trying to find a cheap UFA that could overperform? I’d rather roll the dice on another year of Palat.

We never got the Palat we paid for from day one the having a kid thing is about the biggest stretch of the imagination I've heard yet! Why would you want to keep rolling out this deadbeat year after year? He has to go no 2 ways about it

 

[TrufleShufle]

What a f***ing pathetic state of this team and management, Sprong, Daniel f***ing Sprong, I can't believe we're even talking about him. He's not worth the pixels on your screen nor the electrons to put them there holy f***.

Hey! I know this dude from Sport-O Rama that I used to play with, he might be available Fitz.

 

[Bleedred]

#GoalsForMarky

I'm surprised Blackwood is that high, despite being down 2-1. Colorado must be allowing A LOT of dangerous chances and shots on their model. Colorado must be playing pretty poorly on their model.

 

[Devilsgrl35]

I can hear this gif. I love this guy.

But seriously, Sprong is a depth guy needed for emergencies and unfortunately.. yeah..

 

[Billdo]

Not the same shoulder? So Luke, like Jack, has 2 bum shoulders? Wtf?

Ya Dowling is a fairly dependable center. Sprong is not replacing him.

Somewhat similarly is Bastian is a dependable winger and that is why he has gotten that nod thus far. Though I could see Keefe making that switch.

Bastian has fine defensive metrics but he contributes NOTHING offensively so it's teetering on a net negative player.