ECQF Preview: Your New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes - We're Playoff Bound!

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I mean we were told for months it was hysterical to worry about the playoffs since there was no chance in hell the Devils could miss, 99.9% on the odds sites and all that and it turned out we were one loss to Columbus away from doing just that so I don’t exactly think that’s a big feather in the cap in barely avoiding a nuclear meltdown we were lectured was impossible.

The Devils also stopped caring after the Rangers game. It points to the fact on their best days they have a certain way to beating teams and on a bad day like they did in December but they can legit lose to anyone in the league also when they aren't on their best game which is an indictment on the roster/management most likely.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

If you think the result of the last four games would have been appreciably different if we were in a playoff death struggle you’re ignoring the last three months before that and have a lot more faith in this team than they’ve deserved the last two years.

It’s not freaking out to say the Devils needed to pick it up before they got themselves in a fix. To their credit they did win both games against Columbus down the stretch but that’s about the only thing I give them credit for in 2025 - it shouldn’t have even had to come down to sweeping those.

Up 2-0 on the Penguins and just stopped caring and losing a game 1-0 to the Islanders where Bratt looked like Damien Brunner showed you that that they cared? They lost to Detroit playing a lineup legit worse than Lou's late rosters which is an impressive feat in itself because I didn't think you could legit ice something worse. I shit on this team more than anyone here but those 3 losses specifically would 100% be different if they had something to play for. I'd argue if they were able to move down and avoid their boogeyman in Carolina, they would've sold games sooner too and try their hand with the Leafs.

 

[Triumph]

I love the shifting baseline. At their zenith in late December, people were talking about challenging the Capitals. They were just “fatigued”, their shooting percentage would equalize any second, yada yada yada. Slowly that target line got whittled down to now spiking the football that they limped into the playoffs. Comical.

You of all people should probably sit this one out. No one came into this season with the expectation this team would back into the playoffs playing lottery level hockey since January.

Because a lot of football spikers were taking their spikes in March that the team was going to miss. Now it's just that they are going to get bounced in 5.

The Devils were challenging the Capitals because they were playing great hockey. Indisputably great hockey in December - they were facing some fatigued teams, but they had a shutdown pair and an elite pair besides, and the shutdown pair started faltering and the elite pair turned into a 3rd pair. People such as yourself just point at the bad thing and say 'this is bad', but you have no explanation for it.

I don't think one is the fake team and one is the real team - they are both real teams. But just saying 'ah I told you so' - not going to hear it.

 

[NJDevs26]

People weren’t saying the team WAS going to miss, or at least I wasn’t. Only that they COULD if they didn’t get their act together. Sure some of the doomers and I told you sos probably said the team was going to miss but this is another mistake you guys make in lumping every single negative opinion ever posted into one specific narrow characterization and stuff everyone in that box.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I love the shifting baseline. At their zenith in late December, people were talking about challenging the Capitals. They were just “fatigued”, their shooting percentage would equalize any second, yada yada yada. Slowly that target line got whittled down to now spiking the football that they limped into the playoffs. Comical.

You of all people should probably sit this one out. No one came into this season with the expectation this team would back into the playoffs playing lottery level hockey since January.

Both things can be true, they coasted the last 4-5 games but they were also mediocre most of the year. That's where the confusion in this series comes in because they're playing a team who's historically been their boogeyman for countless playoff years but like I said before if you knew what they were before then anything that happens in this series, it shouldn't be annoying or pissing you off if you think they suck, why should a series loss to the Hurricanes be bad in any way? I don't get it.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

People weren’t saying the team WAS going to miss, or at least I wasn’t. Only that they COULD if they didn’t get their act together. Sure some of the doomers probably said the team was going to miss but this is another mistake you guys make in lumping every single negative opinion into one specific narrow meme.

I mean I said they could miss as well, I was the first one to knock the betting odds logic because odds like that change all the time. The sportsbooks also didn't expect teams like the Islanders and CBJ to have L6's that arguably cost both seasons, the Rags never to get their act together, etc. But that being said, if you knew this team was meh early on, why is there any anger from them making the playoffs? I'd argue this is gravy and the real work should start in the offseason. So at this point, just enjoy this series. We would be fools not to after the long and treacherous rebuild.

 

[njdevils1982]

For those watching this series nationally, we avoid Buccigross. He is getting sent up north to Canada. Mike Monaco calling games 1 and 2. Ferraro calling Game 1 with him and AJ Mleczko calling game 2 with him.

ferrarsehole was bad enough for regular season games but this is another level of crap having him blather on and pissing me off during the playoffs.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Because a lot of football spikers were taking their spikes in March that the team was going to miss. Now it's just that they are going to get bounced in 5.

The Devils were challenging the Capitals because they were playing great hockey. Indisputably great hockey in December - they were facing some fatigued teams, but they had a shutdown pair and an elite pair besides, and the shutdown pair started faltering and the elite pair turned into a 3rd pair. People such as yourself just point at the bad thing and say 'this is bad', but you have no explanation for it.

I don't think one is the fake team and one is the real team - they are both real teams. But just saying 'ah I told you so' - not going to hear it.

But you don’t either. Every post just cries about “bad luck” and a bunch of nonsense purporting to be statistical analysis. You were the guy saying their shooting percentage would leap back up any day now - more bad luck I guess.

It’s just so funny how much you stuck your neck out saying they’re playing badly because this or that, and then show zero self-awareness to acknowledge you have no clue either. To then sit there in a make-believe ivory tower and start sniping is just…*chef’s kiss*. Almost too much of a caricature to even lampoon.

You acted like the playoffs were not even a conversation and Baghdad Bob’d your way through 2025, but objectively that just wasn’t the case.

 

[theoptimist]

This is my kind of optimism

 

[The Grinder]

The sun is shining, playoff hockey starts tomorrow and this year we get to at least watch our team in the post season.

Life is short, turn the page on the season enjoy it.

I woke up feeling that Carolina is totally beatable.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

People weren’t saying the team WAS going to miss, or at least I wasn’t. Only that they COULD if they didn’t get their act together. Sure some of the doomers and I told you sos probably said the team was going to miss but this is another mistake you guys make in lumping every single negative opinion ever posted into one specific narrow characterization and stuff everyone in that box.

Yes. And the response was something to the effect of “you’re a crazy doomer, the collapse would have to be epic”. Well, they just scraped by that outcome.

Listen, the slate is clean. It’s the playoffs now. But the football spiking by some people here is embarrassing. The team barely made that insane and descending low bar some people set, and they have the gall to try and rub anyone’s nose in it. Give me a break.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Both things can be true, they coasted the last 4-5 games but they were also mediocre most of the year. That's where the confusion in this series comes in because they're playing a team who's historically been their boogeyman for countless playoff years but like I said before if you knew what they were before then anything that happens in this series, it shouldn't be annoying or pissing you off if you think they suck, why should a series loss to the Hurricanes be bad in any way? I don't get it.

I couldn’t care less about the last four, even ten games. The die was already cast.

And yes, I agree about this series. This is found money. If they win, amazing. If they don’t, well that’s where the smart money would be based on this team’s consistent 2025 play.

 

[NJDevs26]

I mean I said they could miss as well, I was the first one to knock the betting odds logic because odds like that change all the time. The sportsbooks also didn't expect teams like the Islanders and CBJ to have L6's that arguably cost both seasons, the Rags never to get their act together, etc. But that being said, if you knew this team was meh early on, why is there any anger from them making the playoffs? I'd argue this is gravy and the real work should start in the offseason. So at this point, just enjoy this series. We would be fools not to after the long and treacherous rebuild.

Because this team wasn’t supposed to be meh, at least not until Jack went down. This team was supposed to build on 2022-23 and made all sorts of moves trying to do so - Timo, Markstrom, etc. Last year was a step back that got handwaved away due to bad coaching (which somehow didn’t affect the team two years ago), bad goaltending and Jack/Dougie getting hurt. All those things ostensibly improved and the first half showed it…but then they reverted back to last year without any real reason and it’s annoying for this group to have 1.5 years of massive underachieving since the high of the Ranger series.

 

[TrufleShufle]

People weren’t saying the team WAS going to miss, or at least I wasn’t. Only that they COULD if they didn’t get their act together. Sure some of the doomers and I told you sos probably said the team was going to miss but this is another mistake you guys make in lumping every single negative opinion ever posted into one specific narrow characterization and stuff everyone in that box.

People like to be right, whether its about something bad happening, or about shitting on people who they think are wrong.

Parsing out the nuance makes it harder to just shit on everyone, and when you get off on shitting on people, you aren't going to let that slow you down.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I couldn’t care less about the last four, even ten games. The die was already cast.

And yes, I agree about this series. This is found money. If they win, amazing. If they don’t, well that’s where the smart money would be based on this team’s consistent 2025 play.

That was more to the point that they would've missed if CBJ won a game or two there, it's obvious the Devils would've tried and probably beaten the Islanders/Red Wings if they were legit trying not to play like a beer league game in a Hackensack men's league on a random Tuesday night.

 

[thebeernerd]

Because this team wasn’t supposed to be meh, at least not until Jack went down. This team was supposed to build on 2022-23 and made all sorts of moves trying to do so - Timo, Markstrom, etc. Last year was a step back that got handwaved away due to bad coaching (which somehow didn’t affect the team two years ago), bad goaltending and Jack/Dougie getting hurt. All those things ostensibly improved and the first half showed it…but then they reverted back to last year without any real reason and it’s annoying for this group to have 1.5 years of massive underachieving since the high of the Ranger series.

The reason is that they are mentally fragile and can't handle an ounce of adversity. The phantom Meier knee against the Canes shell shocked them. Keefe was never the coach that could get their hands out of their asses. His system is sound but he's not going to crack the whip.

Berube was always the guy, imo.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Because this team wasn’t supposed to be meh, at least not until Jack went down. This team was supposed to build on 2022-23 and made all sorts of moves trying to do so - Timo, Markstrom, etc. Last year was a step back that got handwaved away due to bad coaching (which somehow didn’t affect the team two years ago), bad goaltending and Jack/Dougie getting hurt. All those things ostensibly improved and the first half showed it…but then they reverted back to last year without any real reason and it’s annoying for this group to have 1.5 years of massive underachieving since the high of the Ranger series.

Again, you're missing the point. This team was showing flaws in October, the warning signs were there. They were banking on a hot powerplay and Jack and Bratt playing hero puck most nights. The same thing ironically happened in 23-24 and they collapsed also. I agree that this team wasn't supposed to be meh, I've gone on numerous tirades to shit on Fitz is but what does that achieve for the 1000th time saying it? Even the Baghdad Bobs know this team is flawed this year and Fitz has work to do.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

The reason is that they are mentally fragile and can't handle an ounce of adversity. The phantom Meier knee against the Canes shell shocked them. Keefe was never the coach that could get their hands out of their asses. His system is sound but he's not going to crack the whip.

Berube was always the guy, imo.

Lol Berube, the guy who was horse shit in Philly and rode one of the best playoff goalies besides 2012 Quick and 2003 JSG? That guy is who you wanted? You can't talk about the Keefe being trash and then advocate for a coach who's historically been ass mostly outside of a fluke run with the Blues.

 

[AfroThunder396]

I don't really think it's correct to say the team is "flawed," it would be more accurate to say that the team is a work in progress.

After 2023 Fitzgerald decided that the Lindy Ruff "just have a bunch of guys play street hockey and out-talent the other team" wasn't sustainable for playoff success. That team was one dimensional - and they were very good at that dimension - but they were completely impotent at all aspects of the game other than fast-break transition offense. So he deliberately reconfigured this team into one that was bigger, heavier, and actually able to have a functional forecheck. As a result the team lost a lot of speed but gained more size and grit.

The issue is that the teams core remains the same - Jack, Nico, and Bratt are still fundamentally transition/neutral zone players. This is the first year with Keefe's system and the growing pains have been obvious. In addition to much of the depth being past their expiration date, this is just a totally different brand of hockey and a different kind of coaching.

My point is that taking a promising team and completely transforming its identity on-the-fly is a lot harder than people are giving them credit for. This year was not as fun as we hoped it would have been, but I think most of us see the vision- the team we saw in December is a team that can win multiple Cups. Fitz made a huge gambit and if it doesn't work he's going to lose his job. But have to give him more than one season to see this through.

The holes in the roster are obvious to everyone and Fitz has been very good at addressing the gaping holes in the roster. I am confident he will get it done. It will cost more than what we want, but the forward depth will be improved this offseason. The goaltending and defense are mostly set, they just need to make a decision about Nemec.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

A 115 point season and getting bounced in the 1st round would be an even bigger boon for doomers btw. That would prove we aren’t built to win in the playoffs.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I don't really think it's correct to say the team is "flawed," it would be more accurate to say that the team is a work in progress.

After 2023 Fitzgerald decided that the Lindy Ruff "just have a bunch of guys play street hockey and out-talent the other team" wasn't sustainable for playoff success. That team was one dimensional - and they were very good at that dimension - but they were completely impotent at all aspects of the game other than fast-break transition offense. So he deliberately reconfigured this team into one that was bigger, heavier, and actually able to have a functional forecheck. As a result the team lost a lot of speed but gained more size and grit.

The issue is that the teams core remains the same - Jack, Nico, and Bratt are still fundamentally transition/neutral zone players. This is the first year with Keefe's system and the growing pains have been obvious. In addition to much of the depth being past their expiration date, this is just a totally different brand of hockey and a different kind of coaching.

My point is that taking a promising team and completely transforming its identity on-the-fly is a lot harder than people are giving them credit for. This year was not as fun as we hoped it would have been, but I think most of us see the vision- the team we saw in December is a team that can win multiple Cups. Fitz made a huge gambit and if it doesn't work he's going to lose his job. But have to give him more than one season to see this through.

The holes in the roster are obvious to everyone and Fitz has been very good at addressing the gaping holes in the roster. I am confident he will get it done. It will cost more than what we want, but the forward depth will be improved this offseason. The goaltending and defense are mostly set, they just need to make a decision about Nemec.

Only way that Fitz shouldn't be criticized for his movement after 2023 is if they give Carolina a better series + somehow win this series. His movement after that year was primarily to make them harder to play in the playoffs as opposed to looking at this team from October to June. That's partially why they were ass in 23-24 also.

 

[Triumph]

But you don’t either. Every post just cries about “bad luck” and a bunch of nonsense purporting to be statistical analysis. You were the guy saying their shooting percentage would leap back up any day now - more bad luck I guess.

The shooting percentage did go up. It's very funny to just not acknowledge reality.

Devils' team shooting percentage by month:

October: 12.3% (ranked 9th)
November: 10.7% (ranked 10th)
December: 9.9% (ranked 23rd)
January: 8.7% (ranked 27th)
February: 10.3% (ranked 16th)
March: 10.4% (ranked 20th)
April: 10.2% (ranked 22nd)

You'll notice January as a low point there, the thing that I 'made up', that if it had continued the rest of the season, the Devils would likely not be playing next week.

And we can go in on ES shooting percentage also, the thing which I was more focused on:

First 3 months: 8.9% (15th)
January: 7.7% (21st)
February: 9.5% (13th)
March: 8.5% (23rd)
April: 6.2% (30th)

So ES shooting bizarrely got better in March relative to January but it was worse relative to the league. Weird.

It’s just so funny how much you stuck your neck out saying they’re playing badly because this or that, and then show zero self-awareness to acknowledge you have no clue either. To then sit there is a make-believe ivory tower and start sniping is just…*chef’s kiss*. Almost to much of a caricature to even lampoon.

The team got worse. I do not exactly know why, but there's definitely certain players who began playing worse (Lazar, who may not even dress, and Palat), and then the injuries happened.

You acted like the playoffs were not even a conversation and Baghdad Bob’s your way through 2025, but objectively that just wasn’t the case.

Objectively it was the case. It could've been the case had things gone differently, but they didn't.

 

[NJDevs26]

Lol Berube, the guy who was horse shit in Philly and rode one of the best playoff goalies besides 2012 Quick and 2003 JSG? That guy is who you wanted? You can't talk about the Keefe being trash and then advocate for a coach who's historically been ass mostly outside of a fluke run with the Blues.

Apropos of nothing, the Ottawa-Toronto series is the toughest one to find someone to root for, either Toronto wins, gives their annoying fanbase something to cheer and quite possibly gets farther than Keefe does with us, or Ottawa wins with our discarded crap coach and quite possibly goes farther than us. I guess I’m rooting for Ottawa just cause they’ve never beaten the Leafs and it’d be fun to see them squirm but it’d still be embarrassing to see them get to the last eight with our seemingly crap coach

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Apropos of nothing, the Ottawa-Toronto series is the toughest one to find someone to root for, either Toronto wins, gives their annoying fanbase something to cheer and quite possibly gets farther than Keefe does with us, or Ottawa wins with our discarded crap coach and quite possibly goes farther than us.

I like the Sens as a whole, I don't have ill will towards Travis Green at all. He was never going to be the coach here and was clearly just taking over a shit situation for Lindy. That series reminds me of a Canadian version of the Devils Rags ironically enough tbh lol

 

[Triumph]

Apropos of nothing, the Ottawa-Toronto series is the toughest one to find someone to root for, either Toronto wins, gives their annoying fanbase something to cheer and quite possibly gets farther than Keefe does with us, or Ottawa wins with our discarded crap coach and quite possibly goes farther than us.

Who gives a shit if the Leafs go farther without Keefe? I wonder what reading the main board does to a person.