GDT: ECSF Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes vs. YOUR NEW JERSEY DEVILS, 8PM TNT

[Aurinko]

This game really f***ed my mood up for a few hours. I'm in a better mindset now somewhat.

One thing we have to remember is that the Canes have made the playoffs now for like the 5th straight year. They have had Aho , Slavin , Pesce , Teravainen , Staal , Svechnikov , Martinook & Necas for every year from now till then. They have tinkered with their roster and have had alot of playoff series under Brindamour. They have had years of disappointment to learn from and to tinker with their roster. This team really has alot of experience adding players like Burns , Stastny , Skjei , Fast , Ghostisphere and Stepan. This team has alot more playoff hockey and experience under their belt. It's going to take sometime for us to get to this level. It's no excuse to get steamrolled though. The organization is going to need to continue to draft and develop well but making some hard choices with players futures here is going to be on the horizon real soon.

Brindamour quite honestly has a stacked roster to work with. Look at how good they are without Svechnikov and T.T. in their lineup. Even if Boston beat the Panthers and these two teams eventually played each other than I'm pretty sure the Hurricanes could take them down 100%. We are headed in the right direction and can still come back in this series but it's really just night and day how much better they have looked than us. Our team is very unproven. We need to see what players are for real when the stakes get this high. Our top players look very overwhelmed so far. You can't have a captain of your hockey team get his lunch fed to him on the ice by Kotkaniemi and not be going back out there looking to take advantage of the next Hurricanes player skating the puck with their head down. Hischier , Hughes and Bratt all play the same type of game when it comes to dishing hits. I'm not saying these guys are weak but all 3 are smallish players. Just watch how many times they get knocked over in the corners. I honestly don't know how you can go out therr and be okay with being the other teams bitch. It took this organization like 10 years to get competent in the faceoff circle , it seems like we have been the softest team in the league for the longest time as well.

Bastian opened up in the interview after the first game that Canes were the best team he had played against and based on the first two games I could believe that.

It's not done, but the Devils game has to take gigantin leap to match them. Their defense has been on point so far.

 

[CreggSchinkel]

Can’t say I’m shocked they’re down 0-2 again, the canes are playoff vets and winning in their building would always be tough.

Getting blown out and looking how they did in those two games however is concerning. It’s a quick turnaround to game 3 Sunday afternoon, let’s see if they get their shit together by then.

Either way I’m proud as hell (pun intended) of the season this team had but I’d hate to see them get swept though. I may be in house money mode but I want to see more out of these guys this series, don’t want to go into the off-season with a bad taste in my mouth

 

[Whaddagoal]

At this point I just want to see them win Game 3. Don't go down 3-0 AGAIN after a Ranger series win. And it'd be nice if our key players had some good moments in the last however many games of this series or playoffs we have left, I don't want their lack of playoff production to be a 'thing' heading into the next postseason.

It will be a long offseason if the key top 6 have mostly no points this series..... I agree.

 

[BurntToast]

Can you imagine if we got Matthew Tkuchuk. Irony or ironies, most said they wouldn’t want to give up Bratt in that trade.

I would like to throw some shad on Timo, but the top 6 as a whole has been dog poop.

Can we play L.Hughes as a forward? Why not at this point?

 

[Clam Jensen]

That was certainly a game of hockey in the year 2023 lol. Yeesh. Someone needs to *legally* lay the lumber onto mole-faced Kotaku.

 

[RandoDoomer]

I gotta hand it to the Islanders for at least being competitive and forcing 6 games against team.

These first two games have been thoroughly unenjoyable to watch. Here's hoping tomorrow afternoon at least gives me something to banter about instead of just starting blankly at the TV.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Timo isn't just suddenly a playoff problem though. Since joining the Devils he's paced for like a 40 point season.

That QO is going to be a disaster.

That will hopefully be avoided by signing him LT if he'll sign on....He has been fine just not netting goals but by far has been one of their more active players.....Got no complaints with Timo or this season.....Lets win game three damn it.....In the end Timo is first guy they should sign along with Haula.....

 

[Blender]

We're not going to win many playoff series like this, not much else to say.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Series isn’t over. However, when you’ve gone down 2-0 and had your ass handed to you in all facets of the game both times (and it’s the second series in a row that you’ve gotten into this kind of hole)…the odds of winning four of the next five against the second best team in the league are not at all in your favor.

I just want to see our best players show up and make this competitive.

7 games series never won in two games

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I just googled it…I didn’t get the answer to my question but I did see that the team down 0-2 only wins like 15% of the series. Based on the fact that nothing specific came up on my google search, I’m gonna guess that no team has ever overcome the deficit twice in the playoffs.

If the devils pulled it off a second time, it would be historic and legendary. I wouldn’t hold my breath for it. Like I said, I just want competitiveness at this point.

Hughes has been phenomenal all year and against the Rangers this stuff will happen...Canes have been at it for awhile....Definitely want more out of our top players no doubt but no way was 2018 better than this group....keep the faith it is what it is.....

 

[NJDevs26]

Hughes has been phenomenal all year and against the Rangers this stuff will happen...Canes have been at it for awhile....Definitely want more out of our top players no doubt but no way was 2018 better than this group....keep the faith it is what it is.....

2018 they weren’t nearly as non competitive in the first two games…but yes this year as a whole is better than 2018

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I want Bratt back, but he deserves playoff criticism.

I want Nico and Timo goals but they brought their games in the first round.

Mo one but Mikey has shown up this series.

I think most want Bratt back he had a great year I think they are tired of the agent bs....I want him back but not at a cost that restricts us cap wise....Timo then Haula....Not that Bratt isn't a higher priority over Haula but Bratt is still an rfa next year....TIMO'S 10 mil QO is something Fitz should address by signing him LT....

 

[bigd]

Lindy needs to put his big boy pants on and get better matchups on home ice to open things up.

Our best players need to put their big boy pants on and show up for game 3.
You're not going to win many games when your forth line is your best line.

 

[Mgd31]

The Hurricanes are shooting over 17% 5 on 5? So much for them not being able to finish. I know it doesn’t matter but the goaltending has been crap too these first 2 games

 

[Whaddagoal]

I think most want Bratt back he had a great year I think they are tired of the agent bs....I want him back but not at a cost that restricts us cap wise....Timo then Haula....Not that Bratt isn't a higher priority over Haula but Bratt is still an rfa next year....TIMO'S 10 mil QO is something Fitz should address by signing him LT....

As long as they bring him back at the contract rate which is the reality of his play, not the optimism of "what could be, if he picked up his play"

He absolutely shouldn't get more than the Nico contract right now.

 

[NJDevs26]

I think most want Bratt back he had a great year I think they are tired of the agent bs....I want him back but not at a cost that restricts us cap wise....Timo then Haula....Not that Bratt isn't a higher priority over Haula but Bratt is still an rfa next year....TIMO'S 10 mil QO is something Fitz should address by signing him LT....

He pretty much lost the right to have Fitz meet his asking price over the second half of this year (especially if he was waiting for a further breakout and a Marner-type deal). You could theorize Fitz was being cheap before, but Bratt didn't take an additional step forward this season which would have got him his $8 million plus, and now he's going backwards in the postseason - which is seemingly justifying Fitz's reluctance to give the agent what he wants.

 

[Whaddagoal]

We're not going to win many playoff series like this, not much else to say.

View attachment 703529

Outside side of the top forwards we keep talking about ad naseum, I expected A LOT more from Dougie and Sevs, both in particular. They have that "X" factor offense to their game and we have hardly seen it this playoffs (sans one game from Dougie).

Dougie's supposedly "knack for getting the puck through" has seen a lot of blocked/wide shots.

PP1 is an abomination. It was like this about 5-10 games before the season ended, but never expected it to carry on like that into the most pivotal games in the season.

Not sure what happened, it wasn't this bad earlier in the season. It's looking like it doesn't know how to play with an extra man.

I wasn't for putting Luke into the Ranger series, but I would vouch for him to see if his youth/speed can make a huge difference with the right (semi-sheltered) minutes.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

As long as they bring him back at the contract rate which is the reality of his play, not the optimism of "what could be, if he picked up his play"

He absolutely shouldn't get more than the Nico contract right now.

Plus Timo has always proven he can put up points but it's the whole package that he brings...His physical play is exactly what we need more of as well....Hopefully he signs LT he might want them to add another player in that department so he isn't doing all the heavy lifting

 

[Whaddagoal]

He pretty much lost the right to have Fitz meet his asking price over the second half of this year (especially if he was waiting for a further breakout and a Marner-type deal). You could theorize Fitz was being cheap before, but Bratt didn't take an additional step forward this season which would have got him his $8 million plus, and now he's going backwards in the postseason - which is seemingly justifying Fitz's reluctance to give the agent what he wants.

That's the irony. I bet Bratt had a pretty decent contract laid down, but now i don't think it will be any different this offseason. Either the same or less after the playoff showing (so far).

Bratt bet on himself to such stubbornness (or his agent convinced him), that he probably lost a lot of long-term money as of right now. Should have taken the deal and run with it.

That said, maybe at end of day, he doesn't want to be in NJ, so we shall see.

 

[NJDevs26]

We're not going to win many playoff series like this, not much else to say.

View attachment 703529

Cue gorilla meme 'WHERE TIMO'

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Outside side of the top forwards we keep talking about ad naseum, I expected A LOT more from Dougie and Sevs, both in particular. They have that "X" factor offense to their game and we have hardly seen it this playoffs (sans one game from Dougie).

Dougie's supposedly "knack for getting the puck through" has seen a lot of blocked/wide shots.

PP1 is an abomination. It was like this about 5-10 games before the season ended, but never expected it to carry on like that into the most pivotal games in the season.

Not sure what happened, it wasn't this bad earlier in the season. It's looking like it doesn't know how to play with an extra man.

I wasn't for putting Luke into the Ranger series, but I would vouch for him to see if his youth/speed can make a huge difference with the right (semi-sheltered) minutes.

Wish he found the net last night instead of the post for sure...He looked like he was dragging his feet last night...

 

[Whaddagoal]

Wish he found the net last night instead of the post for sure...He looked like he was dragging his feet last night...

Yup, it would have been a game changer. Kinda reminds me of the Kovalchuk post/crossbar in the 2012 finals. What if. Except its not as critical but had that feel of being a huge series changer. Nico had two good passes in that one PP.

I'm not saying Dougie hasn't been awesome this year, amazing even, of course regular season. But we need THAT Hamilton for the playoffs, like YESTERDAY, and every remaining game.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

That's the irony. I bet Bratt had a pretty decent contract laid down, but now i don't think it will be any different this offseason. Either the same or less after the playoff showing (so far).

Bratt bet on himself to such stubbornness (or his agent convinced him), that he probably lost a lot of long-term money as of right now. Should have taken the deal and run with it.

That said, maybe at end of day, he doesn't want to be in NJ, so we shall see.

If it is he doesn't want to stay then they should trade him ....I don't think that's the case....He had a good year and let's face it is not the only top NJ player underperforming either....Hopefully they all break out we win next four.....

 

[Whaddagoal]

If it is he doesn't want to stay then they should trade him ....I don't think that's the case....He had a good year and let's face it is not the only top NJ player underperforming either....Hopefully they all break out we win next four.....

I'm just speculating, partly based on his stubbornness to re-sign when things were looking already pretty good for him.

 

[Devils Pride 26]

I gotta hand it to the Islanders for at least being competitive and forcing 6 games against team.

These first two games have been thoroughly unenjoyable to watch. Here's hoping tomorrow afternoon at least gives me something to banter about instead of just starting blankly at the TV.

Because the islanders have a sound structure and dzc despite having hardly any talent