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

[TheUnseenHand]

I kinda second this, I think some people had that bad feeling into the game like I did with the Leafs being really mad from the night before and it caused a very awkward silence from them.

It really didn't help that the leaf fans are zombies. They hardly even cheered when they scored. There was a mild cheer at the end of the game. No trash talk after the game. Really no talk at all. Like, literally silence.

 

[RNCDevil]

Jack still has Jack moments... Some great entries and when he can back off a defender and pass back to Dougie for a bomb, that's a great chance. What was the RuffOMeter 3000?

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It really didn't help that the leaf fans are zombies. They hardly even cheered when they scored. There was a mild cheer at the end of the game. No trash talk after the game. Really no talk at all. Like, literally silence.

Yeah I had a few in my section and none of them said shit, there was actual a Devils fan who was mad at a guy who does the LGD whistle LOL. Tonight felt like a game from the Twilight Zone

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Jack still has Jack moments... Some great entries and when he can back off a defender and pass back to Dougie for a bomb, that's a great chance. What was the RuffOMeter 3000?

It probably got bored and fell asleep.

My eye says the leafs controlled that whole game but I'd bet the meter says some like 55 45 or 60 40 them.

Yeah I had a few in my section and none of them said shit, there was actual a Devils fan who was mad at a guy who does the LGD whistle LOL. Tonight felt like a game from the Twilight Zone

It's a good thing the chicken tenders are so good. That basically saved the night for me. The dessert bar left something to be desired though :/

 

[guitarguyvic]

That his game hasn't matured much season by season over the last 3.

By comparison Bratts game from year 2 to year 5 is much much smarter and sounder. He is also physically much more attuned to the rigors. You can see Bratts growth/maturity in his game season to season. 2 seasons ago right before the surge streak Bratt was being yelled at by me / us for all his dumbass giveaways. We didn't see that as much last season. In the playoffs we yelled at Bratt for being softish. Last season we saw him go hard into corners a lot more, take/roll off a hit, make the hard play.

Jack's game kinda looks like the same game he had in his 2nd year.

I said earlier (some threads ago) that I'll try not to judge until 10-12 games in, so yeah it's only 3 games, but the trend extends to last season. But of all the players on this team, I'm concerned about Jack's overall game. Nico, Timo, Bratt look like themselves (and good versions), Dougie for the most part, too. Tatar as we expected.

Mercer hard to say yet but generally fits into his like as expected past, Palat is flat, so is Haula (but his game is trending up a bit). 4th line is looking normal-ish.

Yep. It makes me really uneasy seeing a guy who’s supposed to be the top of your superstar talent still playing a sophomore’s game out there in year number 6. And looking sulky while doing it.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It probably got bored and fell asleep.

My eye says the leafs controlled that whole game but I'd bet the meter says some like 55 45 or 60 40 them.



It's a good thing the chicken tenders are so good. That basically saved the night for me. The dessert bar left something to be desired though :/

Fair enough, lol. I've been to every opener since 2008 and that one just didn't feel like one like many of you have been saying. I don't think the Prague trip helped this team with this specific game nor the fanbase, lol.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Team gave the crowd nothing to get excited about. If they had any jump in their play the crowd would have responded but they didn't.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Team gave the crowd nothing to get excited about. If they had any jump in their play the crowd would have responded but they didn't.

Maybe. I don't know. It was legit weird there tonight.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Maybe. I don't know. It was legit weird there tonight.

I'm confident if they came out to start the 2nd with their pants on fire and tied the game the plane would have came unglued.

 

[Whaddagoal]

Maybe. I don't know. It was legit weird there tonight.

I do feel what you are saying, but I think it was the fail early and failed PP that brought back the weird vibes. Particularly Markstorm letting in 3 (not all his fault). To me, as I said it kinda felt like a Vitek vibe. Maybe people haven't shaken that off yet. 3 quick ones reminds of the collapses last season where the wheels fell off quickly and we are not only chasing a single goal, we dug a large pit. Always at home too.

 

[NJDevs26]

Yep. It makes me really uneasy seeing a guy who’s supposed to be the top of your superstar talent still playing a sophomore’s game out there in year number 6. And looking sulky while doing it.

He definitely gives off Kovalsuck vibes…hopefully Keefe can get him back on the right track.

 

[Devs3cups]

I see no more or less attitude or sulkiness from Jack since year 1. He’s not producing or looking as good to start the year (if you wanna go to last year you can but he was injured) so I feel like people are overthinking it. He’s always been like that, except sometimes when he scores and we’re lucky enough to get a smile lol.

 

[NJDevs26]

Maybe. I don't know. It was legit weird there tonight.

It couldn’t have been worse than the Mets opening two home series of the season lol

https://x.com/i/web/status/1776010521130447018

Like the Mets this year, the Devils have a lot to prove to the fanbase after the way the organization set last year on fire and with the general losing they’ve had every year but two in the last decade. Having a massive home opener regression doesn’t help in that.

 

[glenwo2]

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.

Probably because he is.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I do feel what you are saying, but I think it was the fail early and failed PP that brought back the weird vibes. Particularly Markstorm letting in 3 (not all his fault). To me, as I said it kinda felt like a Vitek vibe. Maybe people haven't shaken that off yet. 3 quick ones reminds of the collapses last season where the wheels fell off quickly and we are not only chasing a single goal, we dug a large pit. Always at home too.

You can feel when come backs are possible. Team never looked like they could come back.

Really lethargic shift after shift. No jump. No juice.

Rookie goalie maybe got the easiest win of his career. We never challenged him.

 

[Devs3cups]

This thread is too much man lmao. Long, long season ahead. 1st L of the season and it won’t be the last. We can’t be doing 40+ pagers after every loss holy moly.

HF probably brings me more stress and desperation than the actual f***ing team lol.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I do feel what you are saying, but I think it was the fail early and failed PP that brought back the weird vibes. Particularly Markstorm letting in 3 (not all his fault). To me, as I said it kinda felt like a Vitek vibe. Maybe people haven't shaken that off yet. 3 quick ones reminds of the collapses last season where the wheels fell off quickly and we are not only chasing a single goal, we dug a large pit.

The thing is, I've never experienced an atmosphere like this. It didn't remind me of any arena vibe. I explained it early as nervous energy because that's what I initially thought. But as I thought about it, and as the game went on, and when it ended, and even when we exited the parking lot, I realized I haven't experience that kind of vibe before at a game. Ever. Inevitably with a packed house like that you still have some pissed off drunks, idiots trying to kill each other in the parking lot, people calling for the coach to be fired, etc. An angry buzz. There was literally none of that. Nothing at all. We filed in, we filed out, we went home.

 

[Whaddagoal]

You can feel when come backs are possible. Team never looked like they could come back.

Really lethargic shift after shift. No jump. No juice.

Rookie goalie maybe got the easiest win of his career. We never challenged him.

It was like 9 shots (NJD total) into half way into the 2nd period I thought including 1st period. We got a burst in the end of the 2nd to even out the shots but it was ridiculously bad. And most of that was because we missed the f***ing net on our shots or got blocked. We did have some generated pressure in zone but shots went haywire. Part of it bad luck but I agree team was flat as hell.

 

[NJDevs26]

The thing is, I've never experienced an atmosphere like this. It didn't remind me of any arena vibe. I explained it early as nervous energy because that's what I initially thought. But as I thought about it, and as the game went on, and when it ended, and even when we exited the parking lot, I realized I haven't experience that kind of vibe before at a game. Ever. Inevitably with a packed house like that you still have some pissed off drunks, idiots trying to kill each other in the parking lot, people calling for the coach to be fired, etc. An angry buzz. There was literally none of that. Nothing at all. We filed in, we filed out, we went home.

What you describe sounds like apathy…and that wouldn’t be a good sign at all lol

Actually glad I missed this home opener from the sound of it…

 

[TheUnseenHand]

It couldn’t have been worse than the Mets opening two home series of the season lol

https://x.com/i/web/status/1776010521130447018

Like the Mets this year, the Devils have a lot to prove to the fanbase after the way the organization set last year on fire and with the general losing they’ve had every year but two in the last decade. Having a massive home opener regression doesn’t help in that.

Lol. I don't think it was anything like that. Mets fans didn't show up because they were pissed. No one was pissed tonight. No one was complaining about the lethargic play. No one seemed to care. It wasn't even apathy. It was like, I don't know, a simulation or something.

Maybe it's this bonkers geomagnetic storm that is making the northern lights visible at my house or something

 

[Emperoreddy]

Sal summed it up perfectly...though he was more polite about it.

Team was dog shit. You hope it's just the jet lag coming back from Prague and not the start of a trend

 

[Devs3cups]

You guys are such downers holllyyyyyyyyyy. I hate hockey now. Thanks.

 

[Satans Hockey]

It couldn’t have been worse than the Mets opening two home series of the season lol

https://x.com/i/web/status/1776010521130447018

Like the Mets this year, the Devils have a lot to prove to the fanbase after the way the organization set last year on fire and with the general losing they’ve had every year but two in the last decade. Having a massive home opener regression doesn’t help in that.

Comments say that game was an early afternoon Thursday game so that definitely explains why that's really so empty, most people can't swing that on a weekday,

 

[NjDevsRR]

You guys are such downers holllyyyyyyyyyy. I hate hockey now. Thanks.

This is why we meme, and drink

 

[Devs3cups]

This is why we meme, and drink
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Wtf is happening. I feel like I’m going insane. Stuff like this isn’t normal after the FIRST LOSS OF THE SEASON.