GDT: ECQF Game 3: Your New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers, 8 PM, ABC/ESPN+

[Unknown Caller]

I'm jazzed up how am I supposed to fall asleep now

I’m exhausted. I feel like I played.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Yeah I wasn't even entirely kidding when I said Fitz might have had an intervention before Game 3 based on Bahl being on the 4th pairing in practice yesterday and playing tonight.

Might be a bit of both this always being a collaborative thing and them pushing back on Ruff for some questionable choices in Game 2

 

[Offseason Champs]

Ruff better not change a thing in game 4. Let it cook.

agreed. if we lose game 4 i'd rather lose with that lineup, honestly.

 

[Emperoreddy]

No way anything gets changed barring injuries

 

[Bleedred]

If Schmid is the starter we hope that is such a huge game changer. Can you imagine this team with very good goaltending instead of league average goaltending? Fingers crossed he is ready for this.

Hope so. I was just thinking the same thing.

If there’s one thing I’m legit envious of the Rangers for is that they can go from Richter to a needle in a haystack in Lundqvist to Shesterkin. They did have same pain in between Richter and Lundqvist, but it was only just a few years.

We went from to Brodeur to Schneider, which was almost too good to be true, but Schneider hurt his hip and declined too early. We thought we had that all covered with Blackwood, until we didn’t.

Vitek had an admirable season, especially as a 50+ game goalie, which I don’t think the plan was ever for him to be a 50+ game goalie. But I don’t think Vitek is a long term #1 answer either, nor was he meant to be.

 

[vtdevils2k]

Ruff better not change a thing in game 4. Let it cook.

Blackwood isn't starting?

 

[JimEIV]

It might have been this way all year as there was talk when Shero was tossed it was going to be a collective team lead by Fitz.

Might have just got some inside baseball confirming that.

Seems wrong. The coach is with these guys every day, he's the one the ice every practice, he's running the room, he's talking to guys about issues...then someone from upstairs is going to have a say in who plays and who doesn't?

Seems like a bad scenario to me?

 

[MadDevil]

Blackwood isn't starting?

He's starting...the bus.

 

[DVision44]

Might be a bit of both this always being a collaborative thing and them pushing back on Ruff for some questionable choices in Game 2

Ruff doesn't start coaching until game 3 (regular season and post season)... it's his rope a dope strategy... let them boo you an think you suck and THEN turn it up...

 

[Devs3cups]

I mean I get involving Marty in a goalie decision regardless, but it does seem like they want a 'collaborative' approach from the top on down anyway. Which quite frankly is a good thing in this case after Lindy went full derp on Thursday.

Yeah, I doubt Fitz does that regularly. Sometimes it’s justified.

 

[NJDevs26]

Hope so. I was just thinking the same thing.

If there’s one thing I’m legit envious of the Rangers for is that they can go from Richter to a needle in a haystack in Lundqvist to Shesterkin. They did have same pain in between Richter and Lundqvist, but it was only just a few years.

We went from to Brodeur to Schneider, which was almost too good to be true, but Schneider hurt his hip and declined too early. We thought we had that all covered with Blackwood, until we didn’t.

Vitek had an admirable season, especially as a 50+ game goalie, which I don’t think the plan was ever for him to be a 50+ game goalie. But I don’t think Vitek is a long term #1 answer either, nor was he meant to be.

The only pushback I ever really had toward people wanting Schmid to start from the hop was that Vitek did enough in the regular season to earn the first crack in the playoffs, not that he should play forever. Which he obviously got, but I was also screaming for Schmid to be the backup cause I knew there was a chance we'd have an early hook and I sure as shooting didn't want it to be Blackwood coming in if Vitek got lit up early.

 

[Billdo]

My issue with Graves is more the way the coaching staff uses him than it is with Graves himself.

Fair but what isn't is some clown in the first few posts after we won saying they didn't care and he should come out for Hughes. That's bananalands talk.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Seems wrong. The coach is with these guys every day, he's the one the ice every practice, he's running the room, he's talking to guys about issues...then someone from upstairs is going to have a say in who plays and who doesn't?

Seems like a bad scenario to me?

I agree, which is why it's possible this was a unique situation due to the circumstances.

Just speculating off what Ruff said.

 

[Devils Pride 26]

God, I want to believe so badly

 

[Devs3cups]

Wholesome

 

[crashline]

 

[vtdevils2k]

Just have to say...its much better when we win around here haha

DEVILS WIN BABY!!! KEEP IT GOING!!!

 

[Devs3cups]

God, I want to believe so badly

At this point, this isn’t any different than any other 2-1 series.

 

[Emperoreddy]

The only pushback I ever really had toward people wanting Schmid to start from the hop was that Vitek did enough in the regular season to earn the first crack in the playoffs, not that he should play forever. Which he obviously got, but I was also screaming for Schmid to be the backup cause I knew there was a chance we'd have an early hook and I sure as shooting didn't want it to be Blackwood coming in if Vitek got lit up early.

I still don't think the first two games were Vitek's fault. They left him out to dry.

Schmid was definitely better tonight though. If we can't open the offense up, then we need better then average goaltending to keep this series going. Average won't cut it

 

[NJDevs26]

Seems wrong. The coach is with these guys every day, he's the one the ice every practice, he's running the room, he's talking to guys about issues...then someone from upstairs is going to have a say in who plays and who doesn't?

Seems like a bad scenario to me?

I'm guessing you're not a baseball fan...this kind of thing is commonplace there now. Managers are basically more middle management other than the few old school guys left like Bochy and Showalter. I'm not saying I like it either, but with more analytics come more people who think lineups should be based on numbers rather than gut.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Getting Wood out was just such an obvious move, I’m glad the front office gave their input. Even with Lazar not doing much of anything 5 on 5, he still contributed to the PK (which was pivotal).

But really, whether we can come back or not will be about Jack getting his game going or not. He’s the franchise.

 

[njdevils1982]

Mexican breakfast is awesome... huevos rancheros or chilaquiles

I like beans with breakfast and habaneros too.

real f***ing tortilla not that wheat flour crap.

i make my own, corn masa.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Just have to say...its much better when we win around here haha

DEVILS WIN BABY!!! KEEP IT GOING!!!

It's a passionate group around here that lives and dies with this team.

Means some extreme emotional reactions are going to happen.

 

[Oneiro]

He put in the two most penalty prone players on the team, both who don’t provide much offense, and they got beaten on special teams. Pretty sure that’s going to get a discussion either way.

 

[Bleedred]

Hope so. I was just thinking the same thing.

If there’s one thing I’m legit envious of the Rangers for is that they can go from Richter to a needle in a haystack in Lundqvist to Shesterkin. They did have same pain in between Richter and Lundqvist, but it was only just a few years.

We went from to Brodeur to Schneider, which was almost too good to be true, but Schneider hurt his hip and declined too early. We thought we had that all covered with Blackwood, until we didn’t.

Vitek had an admirable season, especially as a 50+ game goalie, which I don’t think the plan was ever for him to be a 50+ game goalie. But I don’t think Vitek is a long term #1 answer either, nor was he meant to be.

Add in the Rangers did have some trial and error with Dan Blackburn and Al Montoya both being top-10 picks and not panning out. Blackburn hurt his hand and stopped playing pro hockey in his very early 20’s. Jason LaBarbera was also a hyped prospect for them in the early 00’s. The Mike Dunham trade was also a joke. His first year was good, but he was horrific in his second year there.

But somehow out of nowhere it was the late round pick from 2000 out of Sweden that canceled out those busts.

So they had some pain on the Richter to Lundqvist bridge, but not for long.

It would be nice to finally have a really good/elite goalie here and one that stays good for years, and doesn’t flop after two promising seasons or get a bad hip/injury that causes them to fall off a cliff.