Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part IV

[JimEIV]

Realistically, Detroit can have a rough 7 gm stretch..... i can see 1-3 pts only attained..... biased mixed in with questionable objectivity.....
Det next 7:
@NAS
@Wsh ' we "dont lose" with a w/l here by DET imo
@car '
@FLA
@TB
v NYR
v Buff

Very possible to be shut out on that away game stretch...

Then they have Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Montreal for their final 2. I mean they're gonna get 5 or 6 wins at least.

 

[CalamityX23]

Then they have Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Montreal for their final 2. I mean they're gonna get 5 or 6 wins at least.

I should've written it, in same model/hopeful projection, I have us going 9 wins of the last 12.... It's going to take a minimal of 9 wins.... and 9 wins against the most obvious of course.

After that 7, I have DET winning 4/5... if detroit goes no more than 3 pts in the first 7, they need to win 5/5 in the last 5 to overcome our 9 wins in that dream scenario.

 

[Bleedred]

So..... The Ducks finally got their first shutout of the season last night. I think they were the last team other than us that haven't gotten a shutout this year.

Even the Sharks and Sens have shutouts. Ingram from Arizona has 6 and he didn't even get to play us either time this year or he'd probably have 8.

Hopefully since the turds have been purged, we may get that elusive shutout in the remaining 12 games, I think we've only had 3 seasons as the Devils without a shutout. I can't remember what years they were, but I posted about it about a month ago.

I think it was the 82-83, 85-86 (or 86-87) and 89-90 teams?

 

[Whaddagoal]

Well sometimes you just need to be believe

View attachment 839839

I bet 6 leg parlays often enough where you saying this is actually giving me more hope, thanks pal, I needed that.

It seems like a huge hill, but if we can string together at least 4-5 wins preferably in a row, the dynamics change alot for other teams right with us. They will really start mentally noticing the risk impending for them.

Either those teams stress out or win hard.

Then we string another 4-5 and you won 8 or 9 of your last 10.

We did it last season so why not, anything can happen in Jersey!

Isles already flaking, same with Philly. Hard to tell what will happen to Detroit and Caps though. Those teams are bipolar teams, too!

 

[Ripshot 43]

Lazar is great.

Just rolled out of bed. What, did you go to a dog groomer? (Talking about Luke’s hair)

 

[JimEIV]

I should've written it, in same model/hopeful projection, I have us going 9 wins of the last 12.... It's going to take a minimal of 9 wins.... and 9 wins against the most obvious of course.

After that 7, I have DET winning 4/5... if detroit goes no more than 3 pts in the first 7, they need to win 5/5 in the last 5 to overcome our 9 wins in that dream scenario.

If we get 18 of 24 remaining points we end up with 90 points.

That means Detroit needs 13 of 24 to hold us off with 91 points. 13 of 24 is .542%. That's right in line with their .551% on the year.


And then there's the other two ...

Washington needs 16 of 28 to get 91

Philly needs 12 of 24 to get to 91...

 

[HBK27]

Can someone put out the Bleedred signal?

 

[TrufleShufle]

I’d love to know what kind of six leg parlays you’re betting on.

This isn’t like betting that all the top two leaders in each division are going to make the playoffs. This is the equivalent of parlaying four bets where at least half of them are already long shots on their own. The odds are massively slim.

It's a joke, the people still enjoying the small glimmer of hope don't need a reminder about how extremely small that glimmer is... we get it.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

I wish there were more (if any) highlights of it on YouTube. It's hard to find much of anything from that season before the Ranger series.

I do remember that night distinctly when we won the division, it was wild.

Best I could find…

 

[Whaddagoal]

It's a joke, the people still enjoying the small glimmer of hope don't need a reminder about how extremely small that glimmer is... we get it.

Basically. It's possible and most everyone realizes slimly possible.

Have to find also good reasons to keep watching the games and be somewhat excited to go to games.

(Particularly for those still having tickets like season ticket holders)

I'd like to envision a scenario where this team can still pull through all the stupid adversity that they created and also faced. Some of the 12 games will have direct implications for the teams we are chasing, too.

 

[It Takes 2 To Tango]

How could I forget, that was when I first joined HFBoards. I remember going to NHL.com to pull up the radio feed so I could listen along with everyone else in the GDTs. John Hennessey and Randy Velischek, miss those guys.

Elias was a machine, he pretty much Superman'd the Rangers all by himself that first round.

You just unlocked so many great memories for me. Was in high school at the time and listened to every damn game online. 05-06 was a wild wild season.

 

[HBK27]

I'm starting to get a faint sense of hope in this team, which is usually the point at which they completely shit the bed against an inferior opponent. Checks out that Ottawa and a pair of back-to-back games are on deck.

Sens have dropped 3 straight by at least 3 goals while the Islanders are on their own 6-game losing streak.

These next two games are absolutely must wins.

 

[bossram]

I bet 6 leg parlays often enough where you saying this is actually giving me more hope, thanks pal, I needed that.

This is not good my man.

 

[TrufleShufle]

This is not good my man.

Yea? Tell that to my wallet.

It would probably agree with you.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Yea? Tell that to my wallet.

It would probably agree with you.

Can't quit now though

 

[NjDevsRR]

Can someone put out the Bleedred signal?

 

[JrFischer54]

is it too soon to place my jake allen playoff mvp bet in?

 

[Brodeur]

I do remember that night distinctly when we won the division, it was wild.

That was a wild couple of hours. My memory gets fuzzier by the day, so it's always fun for me to reconstruct the standings. Entering the game:

CAR (112 points)
OTT (111 points)
NYR (100 points)
----
BUF (108 points)
NJD (99 points)
PHI (99 points)

Ottawa was playing the Rangers, Sens needed a win (and a Carolina regulation loss) to leapfrog for the #1 seed. Flyers were playing the Islanders.

By the second intermission, it was looking like we'd be the #6 seed playing against Philadelphia.

When Gionta/Elias scored to tie it, there was the possibility that it was now a #4/#5 matchup against Buffalo which was arguably a harder first round matchup.

And then when Langs scored, it was us as the #3 seed against the Rangers.

 

[Bleedred]

Can someone put out the Bleedred signal?

I believe Blackwood had 2 shutouts in his first 3 starts. I think they came in starts 2 and 3 and were back to back shutouts. For some reason I wanna say they were both afternoon games around New Years.

For what it's worth, .897% was actually an above league average save percentage in both the year Brodeur made his NHL debut in 1991-1992, as well as his rookie year/first full year in the NHL in 93-94. League average was .888% in 91-92 and .895% in 93-94.

I had to cheat through game logs. I remember his debut, but couldn't tell you how many of his 4 regular season games in 91-92 were starts.

It appears his first 2 games of 91-92 were starts, then the next two were relief. His third game was a relief appearance for Craig Billington, who may have left injured as he played 20:00 minutes and allowed 1 goal on 8 shots. Brodeur played 38:41 of that game, which was a 5-4 Devils loss to the Flyers with Brodeur allowing 4 goals on 25 shots. It's pretty easy to deduce that he came into that game in relief.

His fourth game that year was also another relief appearance, where he allowed 2 goals on 9 shots in 20 minutes in a 7-0 blowout loss to the Islanders. Terreri played the first 40 minutes and allowed 5 goals on 25 shots. There were 2 goals in the 3rd and Brodeur played 20 minutes, so the conclusion has to be that he played the 3rd. And both goals were from Steve Thomas (f***IN GROSS!!!!!) who had 4 goals in that game lol.

 

[HBK27]

https://theathletic.com/5359926/2024/03/22/nhl-eastern-conference-playoffs/

New Jersey Devils​

34-32-4, 72 points

Playoff chances: 3 percent

Why they’re still in it: The Devils have put together a season of mediocrity and are the beneficiaries of other teams’ inability to pull away. There isn’t much hope left for the Devils — their odds of making the playoffs are under 10 percent — but there is a mathematical possibility. They’ll have to do something they haven’t done all year, though: put together a hot streak.

Why they can get in: The Devils addressed their goaltending at the trade deadline, bringing in Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen. Goaltending has been an issue for the team all season, and Allen brings stability. He has looked good through two starts. The team still has star-level talent, too, with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt at forward. Perhaps most importantly, Timo Meier has shown improvement since the coaching change.

Why they can’t: The math isn’t in their favor, plus the team has roster holes caused by injury (Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler are both out) and trades (Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller are on the Jets now). But perhaps most importantly, the Devils have shown an inability to get hot and sustain momentum throughout the season. It’s hard to see that changing now.

Will they be here again next season? With a good offseason, Tom Fitzgerald can have this team in a better spot this time next year. The core pieces are there, and young defensemen Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes should take steps forward after promising but inconsistent rookie campaigns. Fitzgerald indicated he wants to go “big-game hunting” for a starting goaltender to play in front of Jake Allen, who has another year left on his contract. If the Devils address that need and have better health in 2024-25, they could return to what they were during a successful 2022-23 regular season. — Peter Baugh

 

[Better Call Sal]

Best I could find…

Doc's call on Patty's goal was fantastic.

 

[JrFischer54]

https://theathletic.com/5359926/2024/03/22/nhl-eastern-conference-playoffs/

New Jersey Devils​

34-32-4, 72 points

Playoff chances: 3 percent

Why they’re still in it: The Devils have put together a season of mediocrity and are the beneficiaries of other teams’ inability to pull away. There isn’t much hope left for the Devils — their odds of making the playoffs are under 10 percent — but there is a mathematical possibility. They’ll have to do something they haven’t done all year, though: put together a hot streak.

Why they can get in: The Devils addressed their goaltending at the trade deadline, bringing in Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen. Goaltending has been an issue for the team all season, and Allen brings stability. He has looked good through two starts. The team still has star-level talent, too, with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt at forward. Perhaps most importantly, Timo Meier has shown improvement since the coaching change.

Why they can’t: The math isn’t in their favor, plus the team has roster holes caused by injury (Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler are both out) and trades (Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller are on the Jets now). But perhaps most importantly, the Devils have shown an inability to get hot and sustain momentum throughout the season. It’s hard to see that changing now.

Will they be here again next season? With a good offseason, Tom Fitzgerald can have this team in a better spot this time next year. The core pieces are there, and young defensemen Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes should take steps forward after promising but inconsistent rookie campaigns. Fitzgerald indicated he wants to go “big-game hunting” for a starting goaltender to play in front of Jake Allen, who has another year left on his contract. If the Devils address that need and have better health in 2024-25, they could return to what they were during a successful 2022-23 regular season. — Peter Baugh

Said it before but will say it again nhl should have only conference games for the final month of the season. It’s crazy there is inter conference games this late in the year.

 

[HBK27]

Said it before but will say it again nhl should have only conference games for the final month of the season. It’s crazy there is inter conference games this late in the year.

11 of the final 12 Devils games are against Eastern Conference teams. Also checked on Detroit and their last 11 games are all against Eastern Conference teams while Philly plays 14 of their last 15 games (including the last 7 overall) against Eastern Conference teams, so it seems like the league largely already does this.

 

[Bleedred]

Elias was still yellow from Hepatitis, skinny and gaunt and just dominated.

If there are any pictures of him then he was definitely not fully well and he was incredible and it inspired the team too obviously. Honestly one of my favorite Devil memories.

I remember reports of him weighing either something like 120 pounds or 150 pounds at one point. Maybe it was 120 when he first got it and then maybe he was up to 150 by the summer of 2005? That's still pretty deathly skinny for a guy that had a playing weight of 190. That was probably from his last season and most recent weigh-in before the 15-16 season, but I'm pretty sure he held steady between 190-195 throughout most of his career.

I remember someone mentioning they saw him walking down the street at some point either in the summer of 2005 or possibly after the season had already started, and he was described as looking very thin and sickly. I think it was in response to if he's ready to play or not and his description seemed to indicate that he was nowhere near ready.

 

[JrFischer54]

11 of the final 12 Devils games are against Eastern Conference teams. Also checked on Detroit and their last 11 games are all against Eastern Conference teams while Philly plays 14 of their last 15 games (including the last 7 overall) against Eastern Conference teams, so it seems like the league largely already does this.

last month of season not games. just a few going by games rangers on a west coast trip end of this month. predators final two gameas of season out of conference. hurricanes going to st.louis/chicago 2 out of last 3 games of the season. canucks last 3 games against out of conference.

if your going to have playoffs be division format then weed out the interconference games to early in the season and work towards conference then divisional play if possible