GDT: Devils @ Hurricanes - 2025 Playoffs! RD1 GM1 - 3:00 PM - MSG, ESPN

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I couldn’t really focus on the 3rd period, family was getting in the way.

Was the Devils play them taking it up a notch or more of Canes taking it easy with a lead

Score effects

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I sincerely hope their plan to beat Carolina after weeks of preparation, was not that high flip.

lol I lost all hope that it isn’t after listening to Keefe and watching his body language on the bench. He looked like the series had already been lost less than halfway into the first when it was only 1-0

 

[NjDevsRR]

Score effects

*sad Dano noises*

 

[njdevils1982]

lol I lost all hope that it isn’t after listening to Keefe and watching his body language on the bench. He looked like the series had already been lost less than halfway into the first when it was only 1-0

yep, i noticed it (as i think others did as well).... had a defeatist look on his face for everyone to see

 

[HersheyBob27]

Keefe talked after the game about finding a way to break the pressure. He has had weeks to come up with something. Adjustments are not his thing

 

[Devs3cups]

lol I lost all hope that it isn’t after listening to Keefe and watching his body language on the bench. He looked like the series had already been lost less than halfway into the first when it was only 1-0

Tbh I don’t know, feels like he always looks like that lol. Rarely shows any emotion on the bench from what I remember. Must be tough knowing you don’t have the horses.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Interesting theory I have is that a large portion of Carolina’s continued success at this point comes from an intimidation and expectation factor. Every other team sees them as this great forechecking team that you can’t breakout cleanly against or carry the puck into the zone against. So every team prepares for this and is chipping pucks out, rimming pucks in and Carolina always seems ready for this. They play like a team that knows that puck is getting chipped out 9/10 times.

I also feel like their weekside D hinges back much more than usual when teams are trying to gain the zone. Almost waiting for a hard rim or cross corner dump. I did feel like we had a little more success putting it behind them on the strong side and then forechecking hard but players don’t do that as often.

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

60 pages? I imagine chocolate bob is feeding

 

[billingtons ghost]

“Fitzy” is the reason this core ISN’T contending currently.

It is really hard to judge how much is unpreparedness due to coaching, how much is bad assessment of talent, and how much is just plain chemistry and how much is heart, leadership and playing style.

You need all of the above to win in the playoffs.

I think that we have a talented team. That is something, considering it's likely the most talented since 2012.

I do think Fitz has assembled very good players from to to bottom when healthy.

I think the defense is significantly better than we've had for 15-20 years excepting that 2022 team. But party of that is due to Keefe's team defense and our defenseman get exposed as average when our forwards ruin around. That said, the return home for Pesce was too big for him and he was ridiculous.

There's a marked difference come playoff time when you see a team like Carolina who can throw Staal at you to shut down your best line, and have rugged talented guys like Jarvis and Svech plus a string of go through the wall type guys who can also score.

I like Mercer, Glass, Cotter, and Noesen and even Bastian, but it's ugly when you hold them up to the Canes. I'm not sure I blame Fitz, bc it seems like our drafting has been terrible, predating Fitz. I don't think Rango Boqvist Holz or Zetterberg would have changed the narrative or moved the needle.

So: it becomes a leadership/heart thing, and I don't doubt that Nico or Bratt have that, but it's obvious from their first steps in traffic that they are simply physically not suited to play the type of game the Canes are going to play. With time and space, they are different players.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Tbh I don’t know, feels like he always looks like that lol. Rarely shows any emotion on the bench from what I remember. Must be tough knowing you don’t have the horses.

It’s not tough. He’s got some horses and he’s getting paid millions of dollars as an NHL coach. He should be spending every minute trying to come up with ways to increase our chances of winning. What can I do to help here? What can I do to counter this? What can we do control the play? Where are the holes in Carolina’s play? (I can promise it’s not the high flip). Instead he’s sitting there in interviews saying this is what we expected while his teams getting dominated.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It is really hard to judge how much is unpreparedness due to coaching, how much is bad assessment of talent, and how much is just plain chemistry and how much is heart, leadership and playing style.

You need all of the above to win in the playoffs.

I think that we have a talented team. That is something, considering it's likely the most talented since 2012.

I do think Fitz has assembled very good players from to to bottom when healthy.

I think the defense is significantly better than we've had for 15-20 years excepting that 2022 team. But party of that is due to Keefe's team defense and our defenseman get exposed as average when our forwards ruin around. That said, the return home for Pesce was too big for him and he was ridiculous.

There's a marked difference come playoff time when you see a team like Carolina who can throw Staal at you to shut down your best line, and have rugged talented guys like Jarvis and Svech plus a string of go through the wall type guys who can also score.

I like Mercer, Glass, Cotter, and Noesen and even Bastian, but it's ugly when you hold them up to the Canes. I'm not sure I blame Fitz, bc it seems like our drafting has been terrible, predating Fitz. I don't think Rango Boqvist Holz or Zetterberg would have changed the narrative or moved the needle.

So: it becomes a leadership/heart thing, and I don't doubt that Nico or Bratt have that, but it's obvious from their first steps in traffic that they are simply physically not suited to play the type of game the Canes are going to play. With time and space, they are different players.

They were absurdly good at drafting up front under Shero, they just couldn't field a proper defense which some of had to do with them going with picks up front so often + Lou left Shero with utter garbage with Severson being a 1D on most of those Shero teams. His demise was the defense, Fitz's demise will be up front, drafting and putting himself in a hole with the shit UFA's he's signed

 

[Nocashstyle]

They ruined goddamn Easter

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It’s not tough. He’s got some horses and he’s getting paid millions of dollars as an NHL coach. He should be spending every minute trying to come up with ways to increase our chances of winning. What can I do to help here? What can I do to counter this? What can we do control the play? Where are the holes in Carolina’s play? (I can promise it’s not the high flip). Instead he’s sitting there in interviews saying this is what we expected while his teams getting dominated.

I was pretty high on Keefe with his hire and defended him at points this year but the too many men on the ice on a powerplay + the goalie pull were f***ing pathetic dogshit from him

 

[Emperoreddy]

Yeah enough with offseason talk. We have tge regular discussion thread for that.

Talk about this series only. There are still at least three more games to go.

 

[NjDevsRR]

I’d obviously give Keefe the benefit of the doubt. No NHL coach is competing with the Canes with this roster. Fitz did him a huge disservice in his first season.

Only way NJ can win this series is goaltending and timely scoring

 

[Cheddabombs]

 

[billingtons ghost]

I thought they played slightly better in the third. I think the canes felt bad for our injured guys tho

 

[Emperoreddy]

Have to win the special teams battle Tuesday.

Potentially a different game if the PK blanks them and the PP finds one

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I’d obviously give Keefe the benefit of the doubt. No NHL coach is competing with the Canes with this roster. Fitz did him a huge disservice in his first season.

Only way NJ can win this series is goaltending and timely scoring

Game 2 will be telling

 

[VoidCreature]

I’m still happy the team is in the playoffs. Hope they can get a couple wins for us.

 

[NJDevs26]

FWIW we did get outshot in every game by Carolina this season although a couple of the shot totals were close. But still it just rubs you the wrong way to hear a coach concede we're not going to get as many shots as them before the series starts.

 

[NjDevsRR]

FWIW we did get outshot in every game by Carolina this season although a couple of the shot totals were close. But still it just rubs you the wrong way to hear a coach concede we're not going to get as many shots as them before the series starts.

People overthinking this to a crazy degree

Carolina outshot their opponents 77 out of their 82 games this season. I am not joking. 77 out of 82.

Keefe is saying what every single player in that room knows. It’s not a crazy soundbite everyone is making it out to be. Its literally fact and why NJ needs to find ways to win.

Edit: Always double check AI results. It was more of around 65 games

 

[Emperoreddy]

FWIW we did get outshot in every game by Carolina this season although a couple of the shot totals were close. But still it just rubs you the wrong way to hear a coach concede we're not going to get as many shots as them before the series starts.

I dont agree because its just what Carolina is. No one is consistently outshooting them because they lob everything at the net.

If its 30 perimeter shots you take that all night because you shouldn't be getting hurt back there.

That didnt happen tonight. They let Carolina get in close too many times.

The shot counter doesn't matter. Its about where tge shots are coming from and if you are capitalizing on what you get the other way

 

[Dialamo]

I’m still happy the team is in the playoffs. Hope they can get a couple wins for us.

The team has never provided any positive surprises so far this season. Game 2 would be a fantastic time for them to surprise us.

 

[Hisch13r]

I’d obviously give Keefe the benefit of the doubt. No NHL coach is competing with the Canes with this roster. Fitz did him a huge disservice in his first season.

Only way NJ can win this series is goaltending and timely scoring

I both don’t think he’s all that good of a coach and think he was dealt a bad hand. I do think how we’ve played since Christmas is on him though. This team should not be THIS bad. Like literally worst hockey we’ve played in half a decade. This roster is better than that level. That’s a huge indictment on him.