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

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

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

The Devils have a sound structure and DZC. Two poor games doesn't change that fact. The Devils are superior to the Islanders in every way but in goal.

 

[NJDevs26]

The Devils have a sound structure and DZC. Two poor games doesn't change that fact. The Devils are superior to the Islanders in every way but in goal.

Hard to make the case any team with a 'sound structure' gets blown up five times in nine postseason games to the tune of twenty-six goals. More accurately, they only have one when they can dominate the other team and get everything going. At least teams like the Isles can keep the game close when they're not playing well.

 

[Devils Pride 26]

The Devils have a sound structure and DZC. Two poor games doesn't change that fact. The Devils are superior to the Islanders in every way but in goal.

Lol I know what I’m looking at. When hamilton and Siegs are getting bodied behind the net - system calls for Nico to rush support behind as well instead of holding slot - and we’re asking *checks notes* Jesper Bratt to patrol the crease, you have a horrible dz structure

 

[Whaddagoal]

Hard to make the case any team with a 'sound structure' gets blown up five times in nine postseason games to the tune of twenty-six goals. More accurately, they only have one when they can dominate the other team and get everything going. At least teams like the Isles can keep the game close when they're not playing well.

That's what has bothered me the most particularly in this Canes series so far.

OK, so Canes are "better", "fresher", "energized" so far, but can our team at least keep it f***ing close?? So they're losing some of their 5v5 rush game, Canes neutralized that somehow. So we saw it in the Rangers series, just play a much more patient game.

Better than getting your f***ing game blown out of the barn like the hurricane/tornado literally came through (no pun intended)!

They need to figure something out. Whether its just putting fresher legs in the series (Luke, Shar, Boq, Smith even, don't care), or systems adjustment. Need some hungry appetites to get into the game and make a difference.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Look, there’s nothing to be happy about with how this series has gone. That shouldn’t lose sight or perspective of what has happened here this year. Anyone making leaps about players’ efforts or lack there of are just grasping for something to cling and assign blame.

I’m absolutely guilty of thinking that with how we matched them this year meant we were going to be in good shape for this series. The truth is that this Hurricanes team combats our strengths extremely well. I think the combination of that and the amount of gas left in our tanks has led us to where we’re at right now.

It’s on the staff to adjust accordingly. We’re not a dump and chase team but we’re not going to be able to break through the neutral zone by banging our heads against the wall. We have to find a formula to sustain pressure offensively, because right now we can’t.

 

[captainscott12]

Hard to make the case any team with a 'sound structure' gets blown up five times in nine postseason games to the tune of twenty-six goals. More accurately, they only have one when they can dominate the other team and get everything going. At least teams like the Isles can keep the game close when they're not playing well.

Yeah it’s a little disturbing that we have lost 4 out of 5 games like 20-4 that might say something. Good on them getting here but this lineup is not ready to contend yet. Which is totally fine. That’s why you gotta get in. See who is worth keeping around see who isn’t.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Lol I know what I’m looking at. When hamilton and Siegs are getting bodied behind the net - system calls for Nico to rush support behind as well instead of holding slot - and we’re asking *checks notes* Jesper Bratt to patrol the crease, you have a horrible dz structure

Yeah man totally

If only we'd play more like the team that.... Is eliminated!

And based on some of your post takes, excuse me for not trusting what "you're looking at"

 

[captainscott12]

That's what has bothered me the most particularly in this Canes series so far.

OK, so Canes are "better", "fresher", "energized" so far, but can our team at least keep it f***ing close?? So they're losing some of their 5v5 rush game, Canes neutralized that somehow. So we saw it in the Rangers series, just play a much more patient game.

Better than getting your f***ing game blown out of the barn like the hurricane/tornado literally came through (no pun intended)!

They need to figure something out. Whether its just putting fresher legs in the series (Luke, Shar, Boq, Smith even, don't care), or systems adjustment. Need some hungry appetites to get into the game and make a difference.

Yeah it’s one thing to battle and lose a few close games. I don’t know what I am looking at here. They look like pretenders and seriously it sucks for the NHL and fans to watch all these blow outs.

 

[Whaddagoal]

Yeah it’s one thing to battle and lose a few close games. I don’t know what I am looking at here. They look like pretenders and seriously it sucks for the NHL and fans to watch all these blow outs.

Yup, well, I don't know if it sucks for the NHL per se, but it definitely sucks for our fanbase and our overall impression on the league to other teams.

The top 6 reputation as playoff impact guys...... which will carry on that narrative until it is broken, is probably the one that will annoy us fans the most. We'll never hear the end of it in the media and outside team fans (whether or not it is actually true or not over long haul)

 

[Devils Pride 26]

Yeah man totally

If only we'd play more like the team that.... Is eliminated!

And based on some of your post takes, excuse me for not trusting what "you're looking at"

I hate to say I toad a so, but I toad a so. Just about everything I have stated has come to fruition. Lack of structure, soft perimeter playing, generating zilch on the fc. A coaching staff asleep at the wheel and needed management to ice a proper roster. Some people got butthurt when I’ve called out their precious favorite player.

Believe it or not, a vastly more talented team(nj) could incorporate SOME tactics of an inferior team that was beat (nyi) and find a different outcome. At this point it’s too late though. That’s why I was screaming during the regular season

 

[njdevil26]

Just crazy to me the Devils have lost 5 games in the playoffs and have been absolutely destroyed in each of them. 5-1, 5-1, 5-2, 5-1, 6-1

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Idk. I think it's right to be questioning whether we pay $8m to sign a guy who has been consistently invisible when things get physical in the regular season and now in the playoffs.

They are all young and learning. I don't think there's a similar concern about Timo or Nico's desire or courage to go into hard spaces and take a hit, and Jack is otherworldly.

You can't say that recent events have made things better for Bratt or made Fitz want to go break the bank for him.

It happens every playoffs where guys like Martinook who was on waivers suddenly becomes valuable. Macleod, Bastian, even Lazar's stock is skyrocketing and with the wealth of talent already in this team, maybe a Crouse or Hathaway and others like him are better adds for this team at this point.

Martinook has 3 goals in 43 playoff games. Timo plays a “playoff style” and has 0 points. The production has more to do with Igor and a great Canes defense than whatever narrative you want to spin. Fitz would be an idiot to load up on players that don’t fit our system in response to a single playoff series. A recipe to miss the playoffs entirely.

Edit: also



The 4th liners are getting their shit pushed in too. They aren’t playing well, even though McLeod is doing some things offensively at least.

Lol I know what I’m looking at. When hamilton and Siegs are getting bodied behind the net - system calls for Nico to rush support behind as well instead of holding slot - and we’re asking *checks notes* Jesper Bratt to patrol the crease, you have a horrible dz structure

How the hell are you still doing the “horrible structure” thing?

 

[Whaddagoal]

Martinook has 3 goals in 43 playoff games. Timo plays a “playoff style” and has 0 points. The production has more to do with Igor and a great Canes defense than whatever narrative you want to spin. Fitz would be an idiot to load up on players that don’t fit our system in response to a single playoff series. A recipe to miss the playoffs entirely.


How the hell are you still doing the “horrible structure” thing?

To be fair, the defensive play (both both the forward core and the defense core) was pretty bad last game (and wasn't good in game 1 either).

Nico's line gave up a bad one (which @Devils Pride 26 was referring to), The PK was bad (got caught overloading and left a guy with entire lane to get close in shot and score.

Lots of errors in the game last night, that could be execution failures, no doubt, but we are getting breakdowns in DZC.

I don't agree with blowing up anything in the team, but some tweaks need to be made if we don't come out of this series looking any better.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I hate to say I toad a so, but I toad a so. Just about everything I have stated has come to fruition. Lack of structure, soft perimeter playing, generating zilch on the fc. A coaching staff asleep at the wheel and needed management to ice a proper roster. Some people got butthurt when I’ve called out their precious favorite player.

Believe it or not, a vastly more talented team(nj) could incorporate SOME tactics of an inferior team that was beat (nyi) and find a different outcome. At this point it’s too late though. That’s why I was screaming during the regular season

werent you saying this same nonsense two weeks ago? Did you think we don't realize you just come in here after losses touting "I told you so"?

you continuing to scream into the abyss about the same stuff doesn't make you right. Theyve had a rough two games....no one is arguing that. To say that they have no structure OVERALL though is just outrageous. You dont win 52 games with "no structure".

 

[guitarguyvic]

In the second period Graves got trucked and so did Nico, on consecutive plays. There was zero response and then the canes shit housed them on the scoreboard.

I love that Nico can take a hit and is willing to go to the dirty areas. But what about also laying a hit and responding to the physical manhandling you’re getting? And I don’t mean doing what they did in the first two games against the rangers where they went around putting themselves out of position to do it. It seems like they don’t know how to physically punish other teams while still playing within their structure.

 

[oxman44]

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

We can still win tomorrow and make a 2-1 series but this might be a little different than the Rangers series. You never know though.

I have not seen a momentum shift yet but it will happen, hopefully before it is too late. When this happens Carolina will look beatable and we will all feel like we wasted an opportunity. I think it will happen tomorrow.

Carolina is not only matching our speed they are burying us in puck movement, defense, and taking the body. Ruff needs to change up some strategy quickly.

Every playoffs I notice winning teams always have a a strong nucleus of larger thick boned solid players that wear teams down. Carolina and Florida both seem to have it. We have some but need to work on this in the offseason. Carolina is built like Rod Brindamour himself.

I see Bratt is everyone's whipping boy. He doesn't have to be but we do not have enough bone to let him do what he is capable of.

I am not a Bratt hater but like many I knew all along these guys become less effective when the game gets rough, unless the surrounding team is strong. The Sedin twins were a great example of great talents that lose productivity post season.

Go Devils, WIN GAME TWO for us!!

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

I see Bratt is everyone's whipping boy. He doesn't have to be but we do not have enough bone to let him do what he is capable of.

I am not a Bratt hater but like many I knew all along these guys become less effective when the game gets rough, unless the surrounding team is strong. The Sedin twins were a great example of great talents that lose productivity post season.

Carolina's more physical but it's not even that the game is rough, their defense is just great and Bratt is just not getting to the dangerous areas of the ice at all in transition. Without that, he's taking awful shots from the perimeter or throwing the puck down the boards and the team cycles until they lose the puck, generating nothing dangerous really. It's eye-opening. Hughes having similar problems, basically the only quality chances seem to come when the bottom 6 pull some surprising offensive moves out of their tool set and catch Carolina off guard.

 

[NJDevs26]

Yeah man totally

If only we'd play more like the team that.... Is eliminated!

The Isles actually won two games in their series with Carolina and lost three one-goal games. We're a long way from either atm.

 

[Better Call Sal]

The Isles actually won two games in their series with Carolina and lost three one-goal games. We're a long way from either atm.

This doesn’t really bother me when the Islanders also have one of the best goaltenders in the league.

The Islanders also went down 2 games to 0 in Carolina. They went on to win games 3 and 5.

While Carolina is a much different team in so many aspects, the same exact things were being thrown around when we lost the first two games last series.

Hopefully they can make the necessary adjustments. But win the next game and we’re having different discussions once again.

 

[Triumph]

The Devils definitely have structure, it's just a question of whether it's the right structure. Two series in a row where they've been exploited early on and it's an open question. That said, they do have a problem with puck retrival and definitely are having transition issues, they are just not breaking out with speed often enough. They've got a neat set play when Hughes is on the ice that they connected on once and almost connected on again, but they need more of that.

 

[Call Me Al]

This doesn’t really bother me when the Islanders also have one of the best goaltenders in the league.

The Islanders also went down 2 games to 0 in Carolina. They went on to win games 3 and 5.

While Carolina is a much different team in so many aspects, the same exact things were being thrown around when we lost the first two games last series.

Hopefully they can make the necessary adjustments. But win the next game and we’re having different discussions once again.

last series we needed to fix our penalty kill and stop taking stupid penalties.

i don’t know the answer to this, seriously this team has played like garbage so far there are no bright spots or signs of encouragement.

our stars are being shut down way too easily, both series now. we can’t rely on haula to carry us when you have 4 30 goal scorers that don’t do shit offensively

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

The Isles actually won two games in their series with Carolina and lost three one-goal games. We're a long way from either atm.

we just beat a top 10 team literally a few days ago. The Islanders are at home.

"we're a long way from either" lol okay man

 

[Triumph]

Also even though Meier, Bratt, and Nico didn't score in the first series, they were getting opportunities - this just hasn't been the case against Carolina so far. Bratt had the best chance of the night last night, I thought, but he shot low like it seems all our players now just do as a default.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

The Devils definitely have structure, it's just a question of whether it's the right structure. Two series in a row where they've been exploited early on and it's an open question. That said, they do have a problem with puck retrival and definitely are having transition issues, they are just not breaking out with speed often enough. They've got a neat set play when Hughes is on the ice that they connected on once and almost connected on again, but they need more of that.

Lot of mental breakdowns