GDT: Ring of Honor Night: Welcome Home, Jacques Lemaire! Your New Jersey Devils (26-17-6, 58 Pts) vs. Boston Bruins (23-19-6, 52 Pts), 7 PM, MSGSN

[devilsblood]

Right but if you have to bring in players to replace Bastian and Tatar you eat up most of that extra $3.15 or am I missing something? If you can get better players than Bastian and Tatar ok but is that realistic at their price points? They aren't healthy scratches. MacDermid could be sent down easily as could White if he is still the extra defender but with Haula out everyone else is playing.

I really don't see the need to upgrade a 4th line winger who plays solid defense.

Tatar might be guy you replace just because how bad his playoffs are.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

he's going to miss some time I guess is better than out for the year?

they'd be able to tell if he tore his ACL right away

 

[NjDevsRR]

he's going to miss some time I guess is better than out for the year?

they'd be able to tell if he tore his ACL right away

thankfully only 7 gms over the next 30 days

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

the good news (assuming he isnt ded) is he wont be playing in this stupid tournament now, I guess

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Not a doctor but if I had to guess maybe an MCL sprain

 

[youryeah]

lmao keefe testing the TV crew with the language bleeps. one got by!

 

[NjDevsRR]

So apparently the broadcast didn’t show the overheard replay of Markstroms injury? It looked gruesome and everyone in the crowd gasped when they showed it

 

[Lou Bloom]

Easily the best game they've played since the December streak. Might be the best long term option to split up Hughes, Bratt, Meier and Nico between three lines and focus on building out a loaded top 9 and rolling those. Just need to acquire a couple of solid middle 6 forwards that can work off stars.

I also thought Dowling played a great game and Mercer put together his best game in months. If some of these forwards can step up down the stretch that will go a long way to helping the outlook of this team.

 

[PWiz30]

His skate suggested it was the leg. But goalies are super flexy so hopefully it's just a tweak.

Yeah, I saw that but that doesn't tell you much about the state of the rest of his leg, specifically his knee, which is what I would be the most concerned about.

 

[Hisch13r]

Right but if you have to bring in players to replace Bastian and Tatar you eat up most of that extra $3.15 or am I missing something? If you can get better players than Bastian and Tatar ok but is that realistic at their price points? They aren't healthy scratches. MacDermid could be sent down easily as could White if he is still the extra defender but with Haula out everyone else is playing.

Let's say it is Gourde and Palms/Nelson. That's somewhere from just over 10 mil to just over 11 mil. Those 2 guys are your Tatar/Bastian replacements in the lineup. Between the 7 mil of TDL space and dumping off one guy in a deal for Gourde and the other guy in a deal for Palms/Nelson the money works. Maybe slightly retention has to happen but you can make the cap work. The lineup would be looking something like this.

Nelson/Palms-Jack-Bratt
Timo-Nico-Noesen
Palat-Gourde-Mercer
Cotter-Haula-Lazar

They would be healthy scratches if you have those guys.

 

[forceten]

Hooray!!

 

[My3Sons]

Let's say it is Gourde and Palms/Nelson. That's somewhere from just over 10 mil to just over 11 mil. Those 2 guys are your Tatar/Bastian replacements in the lineup. Between the 7 mil of TDL space and dumping off one guy in a deal for Gourde and the other guy in a deal for Palms/Nelson the money works. Maybe slightly retention has to happen but you can make the cap work. The lineup would be looking something like this.

Nelson/Palms-Jack-Bratt
Timo-Nico-Noesen
Palat-Gourde-Mercer
Cotter-Haula-Lazar

They would be healthy scratches if you have those guys.

OK, got it. Somehow I saw a Gourde as a replacement for Dowling but yes, Palms/Nelson would replace at least Tatar. Thanks for explaining that.

So apparently the broadcast didn’t show the overheard replay of Markstroms injury? It looked gruesome and everyone in the crowd gasped when they showed it

Hopefully it's not a surgical injury. Ugh. He's become invaluable in his short stint with the team.

 

[longislanddevil]

I think tonight marks Timo on the third line for a stretch.

I thought he looked very good right out of the gate. And while his numbers with Nico are good. Nico's numbers are good with everyone. If Timo can get a 3rd line going with Dowling and Mercer then that is maximizing Timo.

He was always supposed to be a play driver. I think it's time we see it.

Great post. I’ve been clamoring for Timo to be put on the third line for a few weeks now. Like you said, Nico is going to be really good with whoever. Timo can drive a line all by himself. Given our bottom six woes, I really feel this experiment (if you even want to call it that) should have already taken place. One of my few gripes with Keefe is he’s the polar opposite of Ruff…almost to a fault. Don’t put the lines in a blender game in and game out but make adjustments and mix things up when needed. This has been a prolonged team scoring drought and making this change would not have been some knee jerk reaction for managing an isolated game.

 

[Bcap88]

Sal forgetting about the rangers series

 

[Emperoreddy]

Hoping he is back for that final week before the break, but if he is back by the end of the break I think you count yourself lucky

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

So apparently the broadcast didn’t show the overheard replay of Markstroms injury? It looked gruesome and everyone in the crowd gasped when they showed it

they definitely showed it on the MSG broadcast

 

[Zippy316]

I know it’s just one game but I think the Devils may need to accept that Meier is best used driving his own line. Let him go full bull-in-a-china shop on the third line while Hughes and Hischier are on separate lines in the top six.

I also can’t help but come to the conclusion that Cotter is best suited on the fourth line. He can skate with the puck and dangle but my god he cannot seem to understand how to play with his linemates offensively. That’s not a terrible trait to have on a fourth line, but when he’s playing around the puck in the corner rather than feeding a wide open Bratt, it’s an issue.

Once Palat/Haula are healthy, I would give Tatar one more shot with Hischier before he inevitably gets bumped down from trade deadline acquisitions:

Palat - Hughes - Bratt
Tatar - Hischier - Noesen
Meier - Haula - Mercer
Cotter - Lazar - Bastian

 

[TrufleShufle]

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Dang man, can't have nice things.

 

[Camille the Eel]

His skate suggested it was the leg. But goalies are super flexy so hopefully it's just a tweak.

The fact that he skated off and shed the help before he got off, and the way he was reaching down to flex the knee and show the trainer or guy who was helping him where the rotation or hyper extension was - and then that after the game he told Keefe he was feeling better already - all of that is about as positive as it can be at this point. Nothing so far suggests a season ending injury. If it’s a week or two we can get by pretty well with Allen and Poulter.

 

[devilsblood]

Great post. I’ve been clamoring for Timo to be put on the third line for a few weeks now. Like you said, Nico is going to be really good with whoever. Timo can drive a line all by himself. Given our bottom six woes, I really feel this experiment (if you even want to call it that) should have already taken place. One of my few gripes with Keefe is he’s the polar opposite of Ruff…almost to a fault. Don’t put the lines in a blender game in and game out but make adjustments and mix things up when needed. This has been a prolonged team scoring drought and making this change would not have been some knee jerk reaction for managing an isolated game.

I like that Keefe is so slow to change. Give guys time to work through struggles.

But I'm thinking Keefe's want to keep lines together for stretches will now play in your favor. I expect Timo get's a good run on that 3rd line.

 

[Hisch13r]

I know it’s just one game but I think the Devils may need to accept that Meier is best used driving his own line. Let him go full bull-in-a-china shop on the third line while Hughes and Hischier are on separate lines in the top six.

I also can’t help but come to the conclusion that Cotter is best suited on the fourth line. He can skate with the puck and dangle but my god he cannot seem to understand how to play with his linemates offensively.

Once Palat/Haula are healthy, I would give Tatar one more shot with Hischier before he inevitably gets bumped down from trade deadline acquisitions:

Palat - Hughes - Bratt
Tatar - Hischier - Noesen
Meier - Haula - Mercer
Cotter - Lazar - Bastian

The Meier needs to be the one driving the line stuff is so overblown. Since mid November at 5v5 the guy is 10th in shots/60, 1st by a wide margin in ixG/60, 1st by a wide margin in iCF/60, 2nd in iSCF/60, 14th in iHDCF/60. That is with the best xG% on the team at nearly 61% (18th in the league) and up nearly 2-1 in actual goals at 20-11.

Yeah obviously it f***ing sucks that the puck isn't going in for him but there's literally nothing more you could ask of the guy and he's not going to be any better than he has been if you put him on the 3rd line. I don't mind the idea to spread out talent and get 3 usable lines but the narrative people have made up about him is f***ing nonsense

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Regarding Markstrom, I'm just glad the posts are moveable now. If this was the 70's or 80's, his knee is shattered and his career is probably over

 

[HoliksGhost]

That sounds like 3 weeks… Hope I’m wrong

 

[devilsblood]

I know it’s just one game but I think the Devils may need to accept that Meier is best used driving his own line. Let him go full bull-in-a-china shop on the third line while Hughes and Hischier are on separate lines in the top six.

I also can’t help but come to the conclusion that Cotter is best suited on the fourth line. He can skate with the puck and dangle but my god he cannot seem to understand how to play with his linemates offensively. That’s not a terrible trait to have on a fourth line, but when he’s playing around the puck in the corner rather than feeding a wide open Bratt, it’s an issue.

Once Palat/Haula are healthy, I would give Tatar one more shot with Hischier before he inevitably gets bumped down from trade deadline acquisitions:

Palat - Hughes - Bratt
Tatar - Hischier - Noesen
Meier - Haula - Mercer
Cotter - Lazar - Bastian

I was thinking that exact lineup.

And with Cotter on that 4th line, I think that line is looking good.

Assuming Meier can get that 3rd line going, maybe help Haula(when he returns) look good, then Tatar is the one glaring upgrade. Maybe not in the regular season, as we've seen him continue to play a strong possession game, but I see no way you can lean on him in a prominent role come playoffs.

That sounds like 3 weeks… Hope I’m wrong

I'll accept 3 weeks. 9 games.