GDT: The Blue Note @ Your NJ Devils, 1/5/2023

[NJDevs26]

imagine what his pace would be if he had a winger that could score!

Do we even have one on the team right now? Bratt's still on a milk carton other than a random two-goal game once every couple weeks or so. Maybe Holtz could be one if our regressive head coach didn't value defense in a forward more than offense.

 

[Lou is God]

At best. Has been his entire career.

And I would gladly go into the playoff wars with him onboard - just not on the top two lines.

 

[glenwo2]

As it turns out, that would have been the right move.

Really?

Replacing one Uber-Talented forward with another would still place us back where we currently are.

I don't understand how a team can improve if we're just re-adjusting the chairs on a cruise ship.

Keeping Bratt AND adding another Talented forward would be "the right move".

 

[BostonDevil]

If Vanecek sits two straight games after an almost-shutout of Detroit and as currently the only 'hot' goalie left, then I have to question Lindy's mental acuity. I know he kinda sorta did this already playing Blackwood against the Canes after two strong Vitek games but you could at least make the rationalization he didn't want to play Vitek three in five and he didn't want Blackwood going a week and a half between games. There's really no excuse to play anyone else Saturday, it's go-time now.

Well, Blackwood hasn’t played since Sunday and letting sitting him would mean over a week between starts again. Like you said the precedent has been set. I would find it unlikely but not shocking if he played Blackwood on Saturday.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

I'm more angry at this loss than any other in the season. I think it's because they played such a dominating game overall statistically, and in the context of how much of that has happened over the last month, and at home...this is like a new absurd peak of "play well and lose". At some point these guys gotta put their big boy pants on and f***ing score on all these chances. You can't keep scoring dates with the hot chicks only to throw up all over yourself the second they take their clothes off for you. Stop being such f***ing tools and finish the goddamn job off. f*** I'm pissed.

Very well stated.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I just want to see Palat-Hughes-Holtz get a look. Let Holtz cook. He looked dangerous again despite being with the boat anchors.

 

[NJDevs26]

Well, Blackwood hasn’t played since Sunday and letting sitting him would mean over a week between starts again. Like you said the precedent has been set. I would find it unlikely but not shocking if he played Blackwood on Saturday.

We also don't know how serious this 'precautionary' hand injury is yet and with this player there's always a non-zero chance any injury lingers. I actually thought if it wasn't that serious he'd just ride Vitek tonight then piss us all off by going Blackwood against the Rangers lol

Assuming health, I could see them giving him the Carolina game anyway just cause Vitek got blown up against them a couple weeks ago.

 

[Whaddagoal]

I'll get out of rant mode soon, tomorrow will be a new day and Rangers will be here on Sat and it will be a critical moment.

Positives:
Hughes is still awesome
Nico still a warrior
Holtz maybe turning a corner..........................a big maybe
Palat didn't get re-injured and had 2 dangerous plays (one shooting, one passing play that McLeod f***ing jobbed on)
Smith and Severon didn't look as bad as Dougie and Sieges and Bahl.

Notable Negatives tonight
All forwards not named Hughes, Nico, and Palat/Holtz
Haula can't score. Har har
Tatar seemed to go back to unclutch Tatar.
Mercer/Rango empty voids production wise still ongoing
Boqvist pulling a Jacob Josefsson this season
Wood lost his game
McLeod is still McLeod even after yesterdays Detroit Goal

 

[glenwo2]

Points yes, but his play is very perimeter. He is not going for the net, he doesnt' play hard on the boards, and he is prone to those potential back-breaking quick pass-plays going the other way, which happened today, but they didn't convert. If he had found Palat everyone would be happy, i know.

He also tends to throw short passes to a guy that is heavily pressured at his offensive blueline and it makes me nervous because the only guy who can handles those well are Hughes, and not every one is Hughes hands.

I still tend to believe he is saving himself not to get injured so he can maximize his contract possibility and reduce the risk of blowing his body out with an injury in contract year..

If that is the case, I really wish they'd get that contract done already as a "tentative" Bratt is not a "Good" Bratt.

BTW, I disagree that he doesn't play hard on the boards and last I checked he is not the only player prone to those quick pass-plays going the other way on this team. Even our superstar Jack Hughes is prone to that.

The teams problem was that our DEFENSEMEN (I'm looking at you, Dougie, and Bahl) did a great imitation of a turnstile.

 

[njdevils1982]

But it’s not 100 on the dot so it doesn’t count, I bet!

kenny jones' overhanging center cymbal is amazing

 

[BostonDevil]

Really?

Replacing one Uber-Talented forward with another would still place us back where we currently are.

I don't understand how a team can improve if we're just re-adjusting the chairs on a cruise ship.

Keeping Bratt AND adding another Talented forward would be "the right move".

Oh yeah, would love to have both and love me some Bratt, but I gotta be honest and looking at the numbers and how things are going, I would probably trade him for Gaudreau and definitely trade him for Tkachuk.

Before the season started it looked like all those guys might end up with the same $$ too.

Both of those guys are doing well on worse teams than what we have going here.

 

[glenwo2]

Do we even have one on the team right now? Bratt's still on a milk carton other than a random two-goal game once every couple weeks or so. Maybe Holtz could be one if our regressive head coach didn't value defense in a forward more than offense.

Is there anyone else on this team that can score other than Jack?

Bratt, as you stated, is still MIA...

...but after him....who?

Nico only scores on deflections and the odd rush.

And that's it.

We have NO ONE else.

NO ONE.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Bratt showing up for only about 20% of the games over the past month and a half has really hurt this team

 

[Devs3cups]

Bratt showing up for only about 20% of the games over the past month and a half has really hurt this team

His underlyings are good, but he just doesn’t have that clutch factor he seemed to have to start the year. Unfortunate, we really need him right now.

 

[Whaddagoal]

If that is the case, I really wish they'd get that contract done already as a "tentative" Bratt is not a "Good" Bratt.

BTW, I disagree that he doesn't play hard on the boards and last I checked he is not the only player prone to those quick pass-plays going the other way on this team. Even our superstar Jack Hughes is prone to that.

The teams problem was that our DEFENSEMEN (I'm looking at you, Dougie, and Bahl) did a great imitation of a turnstile.

Glen, don't get me wrong, I really really like Bratt, and I think it is that fact that he is "so really talented", is why I'm pissed off at him the most, because I/we know he can be a much better/impactful player on the ice in the hard moments of the game, but he tends to do the perimeter plays at the moment when we need the opposite from him. We need him committed to get downlow/dirty/drive the hard plays when he has the skate lane.

We know what we get with McLeod, Haula, Rango, Wood, but Bratt has so much more to give...

 

[Dylan9z9]

Being happy about a single win against a bad team is low bar. Especially when it’s saying eh who cares about tonight’s loss because they won last night, like they aren’t about to be leap frogged and be sent to 5th in the metro if they don’t get their shit together.

Some of you have your heads in the clouds like our head coach and gm.

Get haula off jacks wing. Haula in the bottom 6 would make us deeper and

This is in bad faith, cmon.

I could be in net tonight, playing behind the 2000 Devils Defense and give up 4. Does it make the D bad?

Cmon. This is out of hand.


Also, Blues are 8th in team shooting percentage. Not that it means anything.

So Kayru skating in front of the net without any resistance was on the goalie ??? I think that was a missed assignment

 

[BurntToast]

If memory serves me correctly,Lou made players stay in hotels for a bad stretch of home games. Playoff games or Playoff runs.

I don’t understand this teams lack of discipline at home. Let’s reserve a week at the old motel for these guys.

Another theory, Ruff sucks at adjusting. On the road the home team typically gets the advantage of line matching and vise-versa at home. Just some food for thought.

It was a back to back with travel and the goalie situation didn’t help.

 

[Killing Joke]

Ruff really needs to go just based on him being stupid enough to keep playing a 3 c on Hughes wing saying in a long winded way it’s because of faceoffs. I’m so sick of his faceoff worship.

 

[NJDevs26]

I need to take an aspirin, i mean seriously, got a headache from the loss what a terrible month to decide not to drink

 

[Devils090]

If memory serves me correctly,Lou made players stay in hotels for a bad stretch of home games. Playoff games or Playoff runs.

I don’t understand this teams lack of discipline at home. Let’s reserve a week at the old motel for these guys.

Another theory, Ruff sucks at adjusting. On the road the home team typically gets the advantage of line matching and vise-versa at home. Just some food for thought.

It was a back to back with travel and the goalie situation didn’t help.

They can sleep in Newark Penn if they lose Saturday

 

[glenwo2]

Oh yeah, would love to have both and love me some Bratt, but I gotta be honest and looking at the numbers and how things are going, I would probably trade him for Gaudreau and definitely trade him for Tkachuk.

Before the season started it looked like all those guys might end up with the same $$ too.

Both of those guys are doing well on worse teams than what we have going here.

eh. Grass is always Greener...blah blah blah...

Bet those two would be "disappearing" on this team as well.

Having both is better than just replacing one with the other.

That's all I'm saying.

Anyway, this is all a moot point.

Johnny Ohio (hehehe) is "enjoying" his time in Columbus....PFFFT!

And Tkachuk is a f*cking a-hole who I'm glad the Devils did not acquire, especially what he did to Nico.

 

[NJDevs26]

I dont think its the isolated one loss that people are freaking about today.

Well more precisely we're at 10 losses in 13 games, including eight straight at home. That pretty much gave back almost everything they got with the thirteen-game winning streak in one fell swoop.

 

[Killing Joke]

The bright side is the Isles and Penguins seemed to have fallen into the dumpster too so the wild card situation is still in ok shape.

I just don't like the idea of getting booted out of the top 3 by the Rags and Caps after the start we had.

It’s pathetic if we get dropped to a team that has major injury issues and the rangers who are an embarrassment

 

[Whaddagoal]

Is there anyone else on this team that can score other than Jack?

Bratt, as you stated, is still MIA...

...but after him....who?

Nico only scores on deflections and the odd rush.

And that's it.

We have NO ONE else.

NO ONE.

That's the problem. Mercer and Rango should be putting up more goals than they are. Bratt should be somehow able to generate more goal plays for himself. Tatar had a good run, but I think he maxed out in that streak, now we are seeing last year luck with Tatar.

Wood/Zetts should have more goals based on their skillset, but they don't.

I mean, we at least got lucky last game with the 4th liners getting some love, but it disappeared tonight vs. Blues. The only guy who kinda looked to continue the good vibe on that was Holtz. Every other forward is dead, even Tatar is dead (and Haula has been dead).

Okay folks, I gotta turn in. See you all tomorrow/Saturday....

Hope this ship goes full steam ahead in the right direction

 

[glenwo2]

Glen, don't get me wrong, I really really like Bratt, and I think it is that fact that he is "so really talented", is why I'm pissed off at him the most, because I/we know he can be a much better/impactful player on the ice in the hard moments of the game, but he tends to do the perimeter plays at the moment when we need the opposite from him. We need him committed to get downlow/dirty/drive the hard plays when he has the skate lane.

We know what we get with McLeod, Haula, Rango, Wood, but Bratt has so much more to give...

Which is why I agreed with you regarding the Contract thing and how I believe it may really be an actual factor (which is why I want this to be done already so we won't be getting this Perimeter-based Bratt)

I remember there was a time where Bratt was parked in front of the net of all things and was willing to get down and dirty (he wasn't always like he is now)....