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

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

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)

FWIW, them being a bad finishing team was noticeable thing early on. They had guys who went on heaters that boosted up those % numbers but as a whole, this team STUNK at finishing. Nico/Noesen/Cotter early season shooting stuff just weren't sustainable granted Nico still potted 30+ but he was on pace for like 45+ or whatever early on lol

 

[NJDevs26]

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.

Why would we assume that they’d have won if everyone played when A) the Devils have lost to plenty of crap teams throughout the season and B) there’d have been infinitely more pressure on those games than any other games in the last two years? We’ll never know but I don’t think it was beyond the realm of possibility to screw up those games when we lost 7-2 to Boston at home before the official clinch with everyone playing!

 

[None Shall Pass]

Team didn't make the playoffs last year, team easily made the playoffs this year. Let's be mad about it, for reasons.

 

[Triumph]

Why would we assume that they’d have won if everyone played when A) the Devils have lost to plenty of crap teams throughout the season and B) there’d have been infinitely more pressure on those games than any other games in the last two years?

Huh, wonder how the Devils did in their pressure games this year - oh they beat Columbus both times and the Rangers? - well then, guess I need a new location for my goalpost.

All this discourse is just silly, like there's some sort of formula. The 95 Devils won the Stanley Cup, the 96 Devils lost to Ottawa in the last game of the season to miss the playoffs, did they forget how to play in pressure games, or is this all just made up post-facto justification?

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Why would we assume that they’d have won if everyone played when A) the Devils have lost to plenty of crap teams throughout the season and B) there’d have been infinitely more pressure on those games than any other games in the last two years?

The Devils won any game with any MASSIVE meaning in the second half that felt like a playoff game like the CBJ/Minnesota home and homes. That's the one of the issues with them this year, you can clearly tell when they do and don't care from the puck drop.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Some insane takes being spouted here lol

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Team didn't make the playoffs last year, team easily made the playoffs this year. Let's be mad about it, for reasons.

Me defending this team so much while also being meh on what Fitz has done a crazy turn for me on this sub

 

[NJDevs26]

The Devils won any game with any MASSIVE meaning in the second half that felt like a playoff game like the CBJ/Minnesota home and homes. That's the one of the issues with them this year, you can clearly tell when they do and don't care from the puck drop.

Even if you’re correct that doesn’t speak well to them either, the 2001 Devils couldn’t even get away with that kind of on again off again effort forever, never mind this group

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Even if you’re correct that doesn’t speak well to them either, the 2001 Devils couldn’t even get away with that kind of on off effort forever, never mind this group

Which is why I've berated them and Fitz consistently but there comes a point where it's wasted breath to get truly mad lol. It's like if I get mad at the NY Jets in our NFL thread in the fall, I should expect some of the fault for believing in a team that hasn't shown me anything over the course of the year to suggest that.

 

[NJDevs26]

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

I mean it’s certainly a talking point since we could have had either Berube or Keefe this offseason although I suppose he preferred Toronto as well, haven’t read the main board for weeks if not months but thanks for proving one of my points with yet another blind generalization.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Huh, wonder how the Devils did in their pressure games this year - oh they beat Columbus both times and the Rangers? - well then, guess I need a new location for my goalpost.

All this discourse is just silly, like there's some sort of formula. The 95 Devils won the Stanley Cup, the 96 Devils lost to Ottawa in the last game of the season to miss the playoffs, did they forget how to play in pressure games, or is this all just made up post-facto justification?

Ya and this is why it's so hard to predict this f***ing series. If they legit show up for games, they can give the Hurricanes a very good series but if they don't, they'll get dog walked in a sweep or lose in 5.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

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.



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.



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

You pointed to it as a large and direct causal element for their record, and a hand wave to people pointing out that they were playing badly, intimating it wouldn’t continue. Yet, their shooting percentage went up and their record continued to flatline. WEIRD.

It’s almost like there was something, in fact multiple things, happening and that you didn’t and still don’t have the authoritative pulse of this team you pretend to. If you want to chalk everything up to “bad luck” and sit back with your pinky pressed to your mouth like god’s gift to hockey, have at it. But you’re just clowning yourself.

 

[None Shall Pass]

 

[Triumph]

I mean we could have had either Berube or Keefe this offseason although I suppose he preferred Toronto as well, haven’t read the main board for weeks if not months but thanks for proving one of my points with yet another generalization.

I have no idea what point of yours I've proved - the fact that you even read the main board at all this year speaks to my point and not yours, I've maybe been there twice in a decade of posting here - but you think the coach is going to be the difference this year?

I just cannot imagine caring about this, but I also don't care if Hynes wins a Stanley Cup or whatever. Coaches are fungible, they're rarely the difference, and I'm certainly not going to be upset that someone who could've theoretically been coaching us is going to win a playoff round this year. That's true every year - probably someone who will be a head coach of the Devils in the future will win a playoff round this season, and someone who has been a Devils coach will win a playoff round.

 

[Triumph]

You pointed to it as a large and direct causal element for their record, and a hand wave to people pointing out that they were playing badly, intimating it wouldn’t continue. Yet, their shooting percentage went up and their record continued to flatline. WEIRD.

It’s almost like there was something, in fact multiple things, happening and that you didn’t and still don’t have the authoritative pulse of this team you pretend to. If you want to chalk everything up to “bad luck” and sit back with your pinky pressed to your mouth like god’s gift to hockey, have at it. But you’re just clowning yourself.

It was a direct causal element for their record.

What happened was, their play got worse, the goaltending got significantly worse, and there's a ton of luck involved in who wins a hockey game on a given night. They weren't a good team but their record is still worse than it should be in the second half of the season.

Anyway, I enjoy your lectures and look forward to you having insight that goes beyond 'thing bad, i don't like bad thing'.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I couldn't give two f***s about Toronto, their core is on a step below NYR's for being catered to. If Leafs fans wanna laugh at Keefe, they're sure as hell are going to love Berube come playoffs trying to think that Anthony Stolarz is Jordan Binnington

 

[AfroThunder396]

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.

I think it's fine to criticize him regardless, I don't agree with his decision to change the identity of the team. I thought the team needed Botox, not liposuction.

I just don't think it's reasonable for people to pretend this is the final version of the team that we see. These bigger shifts in philosophy need big moves, and there's only so much resources in terms of cap and draft capital.

We all saw the team need more defense, Fitz went out and brought in a bunch of defenders. We all saw the team needed to make massive changes at goalie, Fitz somehow managed to dump all of the turds and bring in a starter and a high end backup. Now the direction to go is obvious and I think we're going to see exactly what we want to see - a significant culling to the bottom of the roster and newer blood coming in, especially on defense.

 

[Triumph]

I don't want to talk about offseason bullshit in here. There's a playoff series that starts on Sunday.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

It was a direct causal element for their record.

What happened was, their play got worse, the goaltending got significantly worse, and there's a ton of luck involved in who wins a hockey game on a given night. They weren't a good team but their record is still worse than it should be in the second half of the season.

Anyway, I enjoy your lectures and look forward to you having insight that goes beyond 'thing bad, i don't like bad thing'.

Again, just an astounding level of self-obliviousness lol. Your only mode is haughty lecture.

Anyway, I’ll leave it there. I too very much look forward to your inane finger wagging and hallucinations of Nostradamus-level pontificating.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I think it's fine to criticize him regardless, I don't agree with his decision to change the identity of the team. I thought the team needed Botox, not liposuction.

I just don't think it's reasonable for people to pretend this is the final version of the team that we see. These bigger shifts in philosophy need big moves, and there's only so much resources in terms of cap and draft capital.

We all saw the team need more defense, Fitz went out and brought in a bunch of defenders. We all saw the team needed to make massive changes at goalie, Fitz somehow managed to dump all of the turds and bring in a starter and a high end backup. Now the direction to go is obvious and I think we're going to see exactly what we want to see - a significant culling to the bottom of the roster and newer blood coming in, especially on defense.

I mean that's fair and this is definitely an offseason discussion but his heavy handiness is where I'm slightly worried what he does after this series. God forbid someone like Bratt has another poor series v Carolina or something. We'll see what he does, I don't have the highest faith in his UFA's but hopefully he can steer clear of those unless it's to the bottom 6 and try to get a trade we don't expect for. top 6'er like the Toffoli one

 

[JK3]

 

[dougiebrown]

Any watch parties been announced yet? I'm not on Twitter anymore and haven't seen anything on the official site.

 

[Devils731]

One thing that will be interesting to see in these games is can the Devils get physical on the forecheck.

I feel like the Devils rebuilt themselves to be a team that gets physical and grinds you down over a multi-game playoff series. During the regular season the team often seemed too slow to effectively use their physicality; a guy like Bastian would be a good example.

If the Devils are able to be physical pests along the walls on the forecheck in game 1, I’ll think they’re able to execute what they want in a way they often didn’t/couldn’t in much of the regular season.

 

[Better Call Sal]

View attachment 1017028

I was gonna say, you already did this theme earlier in the year didn’t you?

Feels like a lifetime ago.

At any rate

 

[Homedresser]

Carolina ended up a whopping 8 points and only +13 goal differential up on us when its all said and done. With some of the talk in here, you'd think they finished 30 points ahead of us.

yes, they were the better team this year, and they should be the favorite, but again, this "CANES ARE UNBEATABLE DEVILS STINK!" stuff needs to stop.

the reality is 8 points represent 7 games and +13 goals are 65% better than the Devils. The Canes were the much better team in the regular season.