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

[NjDevsRR]

Doubled the opposition in shots and lost. Guess I don't need to watch this one after work. I've seen it before.

 

[Devs3cups]

Last year after 39 games:

15-19-5: 35 points, .449 p%, out-xGF%'ed 20 times (51% of games)


This year after 39 games:

24-12-3: 51 points, .654 p%, out-xGF%'ed 12 times (30% of games)

 

[guitarguyvic]

I have a hard time believing the GM is gonna can a coach when the team outplays the opposition 80% of the time and main reason they don’t win at that same rate is because the players fail to cash in on the chances they are creating.

I think his refusal to make the easy obvious adjustments to the lines is absurd and stupid, but until/unless it causes the team to legitimately get outplayed in a regular basis, it’s not going to cost him his job.

 

[njdevils1982]

View attachment 631184

sweet life preserver calvin

 

[glenwo2]

Yeah I said it.

(now watch him get a shutout in his next outing just to shut me up)

 

[Emperoreddy]

To give Schmid a break a bit, he was thrown into a tough situation with a callup to immediately start.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Also while it's super easy to trash Haula, we aren't getting goals from anyone besides Jack and Nico a bit.

Two full lines are not scoring and we aren't getting any goals out of the D outside of Dougie.

Boqvist doesn't have a point since November!

 

[glenwo2]

To give Schmid a break a bit, he was thrown into a tough situation with a callup to immediately start.

That may be so but he was struggling to begin with in the AHL....

 

[McDuffz88]

Also while it's super easy to trash Haula, we aren't getting goals from anyone besides Jack and Nico a bit.

Two full lines are not scoring and we aren't getting any goals out of the D outside of Dougie.

Boqvist doesn't have a point since November!

Well that's only the more reason for Ruff to switch up the lines. Clearly our lineup is not working at all. The bottom 2 lines are trash right now. Boqvist should of been sat tonight instead of Zetterlund & Haula needs to be out of the top 6 now that Palat has returned. We really need to get all 4 lines rolling again & that requires some tinkering which Ruff refuses to do. We need to spread the wealth a little bit to maybe kickstart all the lines. I would roll with
Bratt-Nico-Mercer
Palat-Hughes-Zetterlund
Tatar-Haula-Govy/Holtz
Wood-Mcleod-Holtz/Govy
Or if we want to really experiment then try
Bratt-Nico-Zetterlund/Sharangovich
Palat-Hughes-Holtz
Tatar-Haula-Mercer
Wood-Mcleod-Sharangovich/Zetterlund
There's literally a million different line combos that Ruff could utilize right now but as long as Haula is stapled to Hughes, it will never happen. It's actually criminal that Holtz & Zetterlund hasn't been tried on Hughes wing yet.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Dougie and Siegs need to be better. Bahl most likely needs to sit

 

[13BearerOfHope]

Also while it's super easy to trash Haula, we aren't getting goals from anyone besides Jack and Nico a bit.

Two full lines are not scoring and we aren't getting any goals out of the D outside of Dougie.

Boqvist doesn't have a point since November!

I have noticed this over the last days and weeks - where is the scoring depth from the beginning of the year. The share-and-go-fish isn’t appearing on scoresheets, nor is haula, Mercer, wood, bratt way too little etc. I am sure if we look at last 10 games the scoring depth looks brutal.
What’s happening?

 

[Emperoreddy]

I have noticed this over the last days and weeks - where is the scoring depth from the beginning of the year. The share-and-go-fish isn’t appearing on scoresheets, nor is haula, Mercer, wood, bratt way too little etc. I am sure if we look at last 10 games the scoring depth looks brutal.
What’s happening?

Some guys are on extended goal droughts right now. Mikey broke a long one against Detroit, but we got plenty others.

Jack is basically carrying us right now with some help from Nico

 

[MadDevil]

Wood has 1 goal in his last 24 games. Mercer is on an 11 game goal drought. Haula's finishing woes are at comical levels at this point.

 

[Devs3cups]

Wood has 1 goal in his last 24 games. Mercer is on an 11 game goal drought. Haula's finishing woes are at comical levels at this point.

Watch our for when that turns around

 

[Maine Fan]

Surprise? Struggling at goaltending? Too Bad.

This is not Fitz's fault, nor Rupp, IMO. They got it handed to them. Fitz's got Vitek this off-season. The next off-season Fitz will deal with Blackwood and a replacement. Then it will be his goaltending team.

 

[Louskoolaid89]

The Mercer breakaway fail has given me insomnia! Can only wonder what's going through his head right now lol! I mean just shoot the damm thing off his pillows and get your own rebound no? He had that much time. I guess these guys are conditioned to shootout rules when all alone like that in on a goalie.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Still were only up 2 to 1 before the wheels came off. The team kept it close as usual when we lose it seems but we were fortunate to get a 5 on 3 goal to make it a 1 goal game. Goaltending wasn't great but watch the highlights. The only real somewhat bad goal was the 5 hole goal. Guy was wide open thoigh.with all the time in the world to shoot. I'm gonna say this game was lost because of bad defensive zone coverage. You know we aren't playing good defensivley when Siegenthaler is out there dropping to the ice early and getting burned on poke checks in our end. We nearly doubled their shots but didn't capitalize , they did on their chances though plain and simple. Still too many players not coming up with a goal for us when needed. Need to see more from Mercer , Sharanogivch , Boqvist , Wood etc. A depth goal would of been a difference maker , like Mercer scoring on the breakaway chance....

 

[Louskoolaid89]

What this team needs to snap out of this funk at home is coming. Tons of Rangers fans to make the Devils feel like the away team an environment in which this team thrives in!.

 

[TBF1972]

Because Schmid has been garbage tonight and ensured that Blackwood actually did play, even though he didn't play.

His impersonation tonight was real good.

you should really consider, that not every other goalie than blackwood is better than him. your fixation on blackwood can't be healthy.

 

[TBF1972]

5 goals on 18 shots I blame the goalie too

be fair. 4 goals on 18 shots. you can't blame the goalie for an empty netter.

 

[TBF1972]

This team is filled with a whole bunch of losers who don't know how to play physically or score. Ruff has no idea how to work his line combos right now and is basically trying to win every game 3-1 or not at all with how much McLeod is playing. The fact that Hughes STILL has to play with Haula and now Tatar as well is frankly embarrassing. I don't care if he's been inconsistent or he's a rookie or whatever, if I don't f***ing see Alex Holtz out there next game next to Hughes I am going to be livid. Kid has been misused every single game this year and I guarantee he sits on Saturday for Z for some horseshit reason even though he's been playing awesome lately. Again, I also don't understand why we don't put Palat next to Hughes as well but what do I know.

haula winning a faceoff/securing possession is all fine. but he for sure doesn't help on the scoreboard. his only goal came away from hughes on the 2pp unit. by now it should be more than obvious, that he isn't the right fit alongside hughes.

looking for the positive: it forced hughes to become a goal scorer.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Isn't this kind of the MO for St. Louis? They are more of a quality over quantity team when it comes to shots. They usually capitalize on their opportunities.

The team needed one more save and they needed one more goal. I won't put the blame in one spot. The forwards (beside Jack) are not doing enough in the finishing department, the top D pair turned into a complete pumpkin, and the goaltending has reverted to average or slightly below. Lots of fault to go around.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Isn't this kind of the MO for St. Louis? They are more of a quality over quantity team when it comes to shots. They usually capitalize on their opportunities.

The team needed one more save and they needed one more goal. I won't put the blame in one spot. The forwards (beside Jack) are not doing enough in the finishing department, the top D pair turned into a complete pumpkin, and the goaltending has reverted to average or slightly below. Lots of fault to go around.

Yeah their 5v5 metrics have always been dogshit under Berube, they go as Binnington goes.

 

[theoptimist]

It’s the players….

Don’t forget, Mercer is still a baby.

 

[hidek91]

Also while it's super easy to trash Haula, we aren't getting goals from anyone besides Jack and Nico a bit.

Two full lines are not scoring and we aren't getting any goals out of the D outside of Dougie.

Boqvist doesn't have a point since November!

Once you move from 'we are developing so may as well give prospects NHL time for free' to 'we are contending', you need to replace Boqvist type players with Brian Boyle type players (aka not young and not sexy but cheap, predictable and doing their jobs).