Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - season begins!

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Devils731

Registered User
Jun 23, 2008
12,947
18,400
If you told me Hughes and Bratt would have a combined 7 goals through 15 games, I don’t know how bad a record I would have guessed the team would have.

Bratt in particular will start having pucks go in at a higher rate. Crazy bad luck on the wide open net last night.

Thinking of rates, I thought the Devils PDO might be pretty high after last nights game but it very reasonable at 5 on 5, gets a little dicier at all strengths. 13th And 8th in the league respectively.
 
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Camille the Eel

Registered User
2 goals against (1 empty net against), on the Western Canadian road trip is fantastic any way you slice it.
Keep the middle of the ice in our zone clear and get good goal tending - that's the Devils formula so far this year. The Keefe system, the difference from Devil's past. Defense first. We were within 5 minutes of shutting out all three opponents out west, all strong teams.

Plus the power play and PK are looking vastly improved. Our skill - while often light weight - can be quite an advantage there. That too is looking like a marked difference. Bratt's power play goal last night turned the entire game around. The two goal lead when we were getting crushed in chances in the second period was the tipping point.

I would like to see us play better in center ice, that is, between the blue lines. Break up other team's attacks there and generate more counter attacks. That will affect puck possession too.

League wise, it's shaping up like last year with so many teams on the bubble. There are almost no easy wins and the league has the "parity" it's been looking for. There's nothing wrong with us hanging on the bubble but I hope to see us riding on the front end of it, in a playoff spot like we are now, and not getting to where we have to chase that playoff spot from multiple games down. Montreal this week is dangerous, Montilembaut (spelling?) can do to us what Allen did to the Oilers last night. Anyway, Keefe's system keeps us in games and gives our skill a chance to win them more often than not.
 
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Zippy316

aka Zippo
Aug 17, 2012
19,668
4,833
New Jersey
Fitz gets an A from me. I’ve liked all the signings, not sure what’s next for Tatar
Tatar is nice to have stashed away as a back up option in the top six, especially given his chemistry with Hischier, Hughes, and Bratt.

He’s not going to look good on a fourth line with MacDermid but he’s going to work his ass off every shift regardless of who he plays with.

He did get a bit of the short end of the stick with Meier - Hughes - Bratt not working. It kicked him off of the Hischier line and Palat was preferred with Hughes - Bratt for some size and physicality.
 

I Hate Tie DOMI

Registered User
Jul 2, 2002
4,050
1,044
Ontario
Tatar is nice to have stashed away as a back up option in the top six, especially given his chemistry with Hischier, Hughes, and Bratt.

He’s not going to look good on a fourth line with MacDermid but he’s going to work his ass off every shift regardless of who he plays with.

He did get a bit of the short end of the stick with Meier - Hughes - Bratt not working. It kicked him off of the Hischier line and Palat was preferred with Hughes - Bratt for some size and physicality.
Agreed. Offensively Tatar looked a bit of a mess last night, because who wants to pass a puck to MacDermid, when he'll just dump it into a corner anyway? He held on to it too long and lost possession a few times, but defensively he also made a couple good plays last night. He doesn't seem to be coasting despite the 4th line demotion.
 
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