GDT: Spend Some Time with the Wee Baby Seamus: Your New Jersey Devils (2-0) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (0-1), 7 PM, MSG

[njdevils1982]

The crowd wasn't that excited. Leafs fans are the most boring opposing fans I've ever encountered

But it was kinda dead from the start. Even now sitting in the parking lot there isn't the same crazy vitriol there usually is. The pregame hype video was trash. The fancy led lights they were talking about were just cheap led puck lights zip tied to the rails lol. It was just super dead everywhere around the arena. Probably the most dead game I've ever been to.

toronto fans have been docile for a long time... it really shows their collective humility.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Ehhh, you are a massive pessimist here haha. There was good energy pregame and first half of the first period. Also the on ice intro was much better than the generic crap last yr

Eh, I really didn't like it. I've been to the last 5 home openers and this, while a great crowd, was just a quiet, apprehensive atmosphere.

And legit Toronto fans are zombies. I even caught one of them and said his team looked good and he didn't say a word. His expression didn't change at all. He just looked at me and looked away. It was creepy lol.

 

[Killing Joke]

Oh yea, we are still getting scored on first lol. Last Buffalo game and this one.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Keefe just called them soft lol

That weak ass stick work by Mercer on the third goal I think it was was soft AF.

 

[JrFischer54]

I couldn’t watch the euro games and only caught last half of this game but good lord they looked exactly like last year. Were they less hectic in the d zone? Sure but were the leafs even trying? Third period all it was from the devils curls or behind the back drop passes or pass first not shooting. Jack looks like a stiff breeze will knock him out for 4-6 weeks. Team wasn’t strong on the boards weren’t physical outside the timo hit.

They basically didn’t seem interested in trying to tie the game. Which was the case last year I just don’t get these guys. They will def be able to beat the bottom half of the league like Buffalo but against legit teams I dunno. Again I didn’t see as much as everyone else but what a dud to the fans

 

[TheUnseenHand]

The good thing is I didn't think it looked like a gong show. I think they just lost to a better team. But it wasn't necessarily a bad game.

 

[Killing Joke]

The good thing is I didn't think it looked like a gong show. I think they just lost to a better team. But it wasn't necessarily a bad game.

The leafs aren’t a better team. Not by a long shot.

 

[Camille the Eel]

He was injured for a while last year, and while today was bad, I thought he looked good Saturday. I'll be concerned if this goes on for a few weeks. He's clearly playing with no confidence right now, once it starts going in, he'll get going. Probably the least of my concerns.

He’s also being asked to be the set up man for Bratt and Meier instead of the trigger man for himself. It’s a different role. More of a traditional center. He’s adjusting to it.

And both Bratt and Meier looked fabulous tonight. Our two best players. Bratt looks like an all star. Hischier and Mercer also had good games. The penalty kill is looking great - better than it has within recent memory.

 

[JrFischer54]

The good thing is I didn't think it looked like a gong show. I think they just lost to a better team. But it wasn't necessarily a bad game.

No it wasn’t a gong show compared to last year but down 2 goals in the third and there was zero heart or urgency which is the exact issue they had last year. Again just a game against a good team but can’t just beat up on chumps

The leafs aren’t a better team. Not by a long shot.

The leafs have had how many 95+pt seasons the last x amount of years? They are a good team and clearly better tonight. Devils have a long way to go to prove themselves

 

[TheUnseenHand]

The leafs aren’t a better team. Not by a long shot.

Yes. Yes they are. They make the playoffs every year. Their core offense is deadly. Their defense overachieves every year. The pressure cooker of Toronto seems to get to them in the playoffs, but they are arguably the most consistently good regular season team of the last 10 years.

 

[guitarguyvic]

You guys just have the most bizarre takes. And people were shitting on me last year for being “negative”. Nothing about these first three games has looked anything like last year.

 

[Hisch13r]

That’s not at all how I remember it

It’s definitely how I remember it and looking at the numbers they back it up as well. First 5 games of 22-23 Jack had a 74% xG at 5v5 which lead the team and had a 6-4 goal differential. He was averaging over 14 shots/60. He had 3 5v5 pts. Last year he had a 56% xG and was outscored 3-6. He was averaging ~8.5 shots/60 and had 2 5v5 pts.

Jack while he still had a strong start at 5v5 last year was nowhere near as good as he was the prior year. The perception of him being better to start last year is purely driven by the pucks just going in. He was playing worse hockey.

 

[JrFischer54]

You guys just have the most bizarre takes. And people were shitting on me last year for being “negative”. Nothing about these first three games has looked anything like last year.

That third period effort looked eerily similar

 

[njdevils1982]

Guess we're not going to go 82-0 after all. How disappointing.

no. but we have this... even though we didn't ask for it

0-81-2



holy shit what a "filler track" if i ever heard one

 

[BostonDevil]

The reason Jack looks bad sometimes is because he always has the puck. If he turns it over 3 times in a shift it's because he has it, skates 30 feet up ice, makes one guy miss then throws a pass somewhere that may get picked off in the offensive zone, and everyone goes "He sucks!", "Head not in the game", "He lost his edge"

Meanwhile Palat/Haula/Nose take a puck off the wall in the defensive end, bounce it off the boards to clear the zone by 5 feet, but turn it over in the process and it comes right back in our end, and we run around and kill our defense for another 20 seconds and everyone pants are down because they got the puck out.

Jack's game score was 4th on the team tonight behind Kovy/Bratt/Timo. Wonder why those other forwards are there?

Bottom of the list? Nemec/Dillon/Casey/Mercer.

The only time I'm ever concerned about Jack is when he's out of the lineup.

 

[Killing Joke]

No it wasn’t a gong show compared to last year but down 2 goals in the third and there was zero heart or urgency which is the exact issue they had last year. Again just a game against a good team but can’t just beat up on chumps


The leafs have had how many 95+pt seasons the last x amount of years? They are a good team and clearly better tonight. Devils have a long way to go to prove themselves

I don’t give a shit. They are not a better team.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I think you give Casey or Nemec a seat for a game or two at least once Pesce is ready

 

[Killing Joke]

It’s definitely how I remember it and looking at the numbers they back it up as well. First 5 games of 22-23 Jack had a 74% xG at 5v5 which lead the team and had a 6-4 goal differential. He was averaging over 14 shots/60. He had 3 5v5 pts. Last year he had a 56% xG and was outscored 3-6. He was averaging ~8.5 shots/60 and had 2 5v5 pts.

Jack while he still had a strong start at 5v5 last year was nowhere near as good as he was the prior year. The perception of him being better to start last year is purely driven by the pucks just going in. He was playing worse hockey.

He was a PP merchant last year.

 

[Devs3cups]

I think you give Casey or Nemec a seat for a game or two at least once Pesce is ready

Yeah, a lot is being asked of them right now, even in limited minutes.

 

[Killing Joke]

I love how the thing we traded for to stable this season still f***ed us this game.

Markstrom was god awful. Beating Buffalo doesn’t change this team might just be a joke with mental midgets all over starting with the guy with the big C in his chest.

 

[Hisch13r]

The reason Jack looks bad sometimes is because he always has the puck. If he turns it over 3 times in a shift it's because he has it, skates 30 feet up ice, makes one guy miss then throws a pass somewhere that may get picked off in the offensive zone, and everyone goes "He sucks!", "Head not in the game", "He lost his edge"

Meanwhile Palat/Haula/Nose take a puck off the wall in the defensive end, bounce it off the boards to clear the zone by 5 feet, but turn it over in the process and it comes right back in our end, and we run around and kill our defense for another 20 seconds and everyone pants are down because they got the puck out.

Jack's game score was 4th on the team tonight behind Kovy/Bratt/Timo. Wonder why those other forwards are there?

Bottom of the list? Nemec/Dillon/Casey/Mercer.

The only time I'm ever concerned about Jack is when he's out of the lineup.

You shouldn’t be evaluating every player the same way. You should be evaluating every player compared to their own capabilities. Jack was f***ing pathetic compared to what he can be.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I must have watched a different game lol Markstrom was absolutely not God awful. Those first 2 goals were insane bounces.

 

[Devils731]

I haven’t read anyone’s opinion but I just got home so I figured I’d add 2 more cents.

Bummer to lose. I didn’t think the Devils looked good nor bad, just ok. My gut said before the game that the first game back from Europe always seems hard on teams so the overall loss stinks but doesn’t bother me too much.

If the team can win tomorrow then I won’t give this game another thought and just write it off.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Some of you need to calm down lmao babies

Lots of good to take away from the first 3 games

 

[guitarguyvic]

That third period effort looked eerily similar

No it didn’t. It looked like a team that wasn’t playing its best game down by two goals to an opponent that doesn’t suck.

This isn’t even the same team. Half the defense core has been upgraded. The bottom six is completely revamped.

There is quite a lot of talent on the roster. The head coach is a proven commodity at least in terms of winning regular season games. We’ve already seen more structure and commitment to defense in these first three games than at any time in Lindy’s tenure. There’s no rational reason to believe this team is going to be like last year’s.

Also, I find your take kind of funny because my recollection is that you were one of the posters who most consistently said that the main thing this team needs is just some competent goaltending.