Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2022-23 season thread part III

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Too many RangersDoggo's in here lately

surprised the real one didnt come back in here to tell us how he was right all along to be honest

 

[Bleedred]

Really, the goalie personnel decisions are the one thing that could legit sink and break this team coming up here.

If they think they're gonna experiment with 1a/1b then they need to keep Schmid up.

Not that I think he should be 1a/1b either, but he certainly gave us some real work as a backup.

Now the time has come that goaltending will be a legitimate concern going forward.

 

[NjDevsRR]

They aren’t getting outplayed. But, I see three issues that need to be sorted.

1.) Powerplay, powerplay, powerplay
- They need tog get this better so at the VERY least they aren’t giving up chances and momentum swings

2.) Smith. I like the guy but he should be your #7. Play your best players in D. Bahl Severson please.

3.) Bratt and Tatar have been incredibly weak the last two weeks. Way too much perimeter play from them. Split them up.

Tatar Hischier Zetterlund
Holtz Hughes Mercer
Sharangovich Haula Bratt
Boqvist McLeod Wood

When Palat returns all the LW’s slot down.

 

[Call Me Al]

It counts and by all means, you’re allowed to have your cry. I just don’t want to participate. That loss has absolutely nothing to do with the Dallas, Philly, or Florida losses, which are almost entirely about not scoring.

A few games of not scoring and the world is ending. I’ve been here long enough to know that’s how it goes, it’s just been a while since we’ve actually been good while it happens.

the thing is you absolutely want to participate because you’re always in here saying the haters are wrong and there’s nothing to worry about because these things happen. it’s just as antagonizing.

there is absolutely cause to worry. sure good teams have these stretches all the time, but throw away the spreadsheet and you can see this team is sinking. they can absolutely turn it around, sure, but they’re a far cry from the “best team in hockey” that they were a month ago. they have a 3-4 game buffer for the playoffs. that can disappear in a week, and we have a hellish week coming up (pun intended lol!), it’s 4 games we can easily lose if we play the way we have been.

- the power play is bad

- no lines have any chemistry lately and the coach is just throwing combos out there. hopefully some click

- the team has no fight when they get pushed around, they just watched their captain get mauled all night. that should make everyone angry

- it looks like they lost all their confidence

- no consistent scoring threats and no one fights for dirty goals

 

[Better Call Sal]

Blackwood has been recalled from his conditioning loan. We’ll see what happens for a corresponding move.

 

[Call Me Al]

gross

 

[Bleedred]

Yeah, the power play definitely sucks. This is just getting stupid at this point. It's sucked all year. It even sucked when we had like an 8 game or 7 game streak in a row of power play goals. The percentages weren't anything spectacular over that stretch. We even had a game where we went 1 for 8 and we also had one 5 on 3 goal and two 4 on 3 OT winners in that stretch. 5 on 4 the power play has been rotten garbage the whole time.

I do think Brunette has been a great asset no matter what and will be the head coach sometime this season if we don't recover from this slide/dumb goalie decisions kill us.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

the thing is you absolutely want to participate because you’re always in here saying the haters are wrong and there’s nothing to worry about because these things happen. it’s just as antagonizing.

there is absolutely cause to worry. sure good teams have these stretches all the time, but throw away the spreadsheet and you can see this team is sinking. they can absolutely turn it around, sure, but they’re a far cry from the “best team in hockey” that they were a month ago. they have a 3-4 game buffer for the playoffs. that can disappear in a week, and we have a hellish week coming up (pun intended lol!), it’s 4 games we can easily lose if we play the way we have been.

- the power play is bad

- no lines have any chemistry lately and the coach is just throwing combos out there. hopefully some click

- the team has no fight when they get pushed around, they just watched their captain get mauled all night. that should make everyone angry

- it looks like they lost all their confidence

- no consistent scoring threats and no one fights for dirty goals

No, I really don’t. At all. Sifting through that embarrassment of a GDT was worse than watching the loss itself.

If you find it antagonizing to say you’re being a baby to say the team is collapsing after a couple of hard fought losses, the shoe fits. Sorry!

 

[Homedresser]

If the fossil behind the bench actually plays him. It literally took everyone outside of McLeod stinking up the joint up front before his line finally got some late shifts.

So i guess the anti Lindy crowd is back.

 

[Bleedred]

Blackwood has been recalled from his conditioning loan. We’ll see what happens for a corresponding move.

That’s gonna be so very helpful on a 5 game losing streak.

That’s like taking a mustard stained suit and squirting ketchup and BBQ sauce all over it.

Or more extreme, taking a perfectly controlled oven fire and throwing a Molotov cocktail into it.

 

[devilsblood]

Was looking at Haula's shot rate with, and away from, Hughes.

Under 7 with, near 10 away.

For his career, 7 is around his average, so maybe those #'s, especially away from Hughes are not a good representation. But I do think it speaks to the fact that playing with Hughes is not as beneficial as one might think. Obviously zero goals with(compared to 1 goal in only a couple minutes with McLeod)

My theories on this are.

1)Haula, being tasked with the defensive responsibilities on that line, is not able to enjoy the fruits of Hughes offensive capabilities.

2) Unless you are a true high skill player, It's not that easy to play with Hughes. Aside from Bratt, what player has really flourished on Hughes wing?


The latter point makes me wonder if Holtz should be put on Hughes wing. Not because Holtz's play has earned it, or even because Hughes will get the most out Holtz, but because Holtz might actually get the best out of Hughes.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Just for a source/evidence.

 

[Homedresser]

Carolina, Rangers, and Pittsburgh are never going to lose again and we have zero chance of beating them.

Boston is better than the 77 Canadiens and will break the record for most points in a season, they are never gonna slump and we will be easy pickings for them.

Washington is back in form and will take our playoff spot. These last five games are evidence that the first 25 were a fluke. We are cooked. I don’t even understand why anyone is gonna be bothering to watch anymore games this season.

Am I doing it right?

left out firing Ruff and making a blockbuster trade to shake up the locker room. At the rate this pplace is going we're about 5 weeks away from a tank the rest of the season thread starting. By the end of January some people on here may actually be worried about draft position.

 

[Bleedred]

So i guess the anti Lindy crowd is back.

I’m not sure if they ever left.

We’re still a ways off, but I currently have him as the odds on favorite to be the first head coach fired this year, but only because everybody on the hot seat has recently taken themselves off and Lindy’s replacement is already here.

A good next week will once again plummet those odds though.

Just like on moneypuck when a team goes from 60% to 30% at the playoffs in just one week.

 

[Call Me Al]

No, I really don’t. At all. Sifting through that embarrassment of a GDT was worse than watching the loss itself.

If you find it antagonizing to say you’re being a baby to say the team is collapsing after a couple of hard fought losses, the shoe fits. Sorry!

it’s not black or white and yeah some posts are extreme but this team isn’t just bad lucking into these losses and there’s valid discussion to be had about this slide

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

it’s not black or white and yeah some posts are extreme but this team isn’t just bad lucking into these losses and there’s valid discussion to be had about this slide

Of course there’s plenty to be upset at. Unacceptable play at the end of periods. Siegenthaler has been dogshit lately (possibly injury related?). Half the team has gone cold at once. Stagnant PP. Even with all of that, we’re playing teams fairly evenly lately.

I get just as pissed off, if not more, during the actual games. But to look at the standings and under the hood and come up with some of these takes…I just don’t get it.

 

[glenwo2]

So basically, Ruff's got no solutions except : Put the Puck in the net and don't Fk up your assignments when defending.

 

[JK3]

Ugh don't like that system comment from Ruff. Yes lets bury our chances of course but after curb stomping everyone for a month teams have figured us out to an extent or at least adjusted. He needs to make some tweaks too.

 

[Better Call Sal]

For what it’s worth, I truly would not expect Lindy to make any comment about system related changes to the media. He doesn’t even tell them which goalie is starting typically

 

[Guttersniped]

The streak has hilariously coincided with Carolina winning 4 in a row, the Rangers winning 6 in a row, and Pittsburgh winning 7 in a row. Washington has ticked up lately too. That’s made things seem much more dire than what would otherwise be a barely notable 5 game blip. It has definitely juiced the doomers though.

Not even picking up loser points sucked but we don’t even have to solve this immediately in this brutal stretch. Going back to picking up points right after works too.

I would want a win ASAP more for psychological reasons, though I’m very confident in the team not having the same aggressive highs and lows from the streaks.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Not even picking up loser points sucked but we don’t even have to solve this immediately in this brutal stretch. Going back to picking up points right after works too.

I would want a win ASAP more for psychological reasons, though I’m very confident in the team not having the same aggressive highs and lows from the streaks.

It’s fairly remarkable to go this stretch picking up just 1 point this early in the year while almost every other team picks up every available point and still have any lead at all, even if it’s small.

I’ll be happy with loser points in these tough upcoming games, the zero pointers need to stop.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Wins will come.

 

[Call Me Al]

Of course there’s plenty to be upset at. Unacceptable play at the end of periods. Siegenthaler has been dogshit lately (possibly injury related?). Half the team has gone cold at once. Stagnant PP. Even with all of that, we’re playing teams fairly evenly lately.

I get just as pissed off, if not more, during the actual games. But to look at the standings and under the hood and come up with some of these takes…I just don’t get it.

they shaved 4 games off their division with one and a half bad weeks. their next week looks even tougher, that’s why some people have these takes.

mixed in with the bad takes are valid concerns. not that we can do anything about it as fans; the reality is them still being in first is a miracle, but their play doesn’t inspire confidence that they can hold onto it. there’s a lot of hockey left, more than enough to fall out of the playoffs if they can’t figure it out

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

The latter point makes me wonder if Holtz should be put on Hughes wing. Not because Holtz's play has earned it, or even because Hughes will get the most out Holtz, but because Holtz might actually get the best out of Hughes.

Haula-Hughes-Holtz


They really should try it. Then Palat takes Haula's spot when he gets back.

 

[Call Me Al]

i’d try wood in bastian spot on the power play. not sure why when they need one trigger they add 2 rookies to fill that, but what they really need is someone to screen the goalie, get a stick on the puck and fight for rebounds. jacks wrist shots aren’t going to beat a goalie clean from the top of the circle