GDT: We're Here: Your New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers, 7 PM, ESPN+/Hulu

[Japam]

This streaming bs sucks

 

[SJinNewJersey]

Tatar getting elevated to the first unit on the back of irrelevant preseason goals makes me weep.

 

[Bleedred]

I just refuse out of principal, if I wasn't paying for cable sure that's one thing but yeah I ain't paying $30 for 5 games, I looked at the calender and you have to pay for 3 months to get those 5 games.

One thing that really annoys me is that the season opener is on the streaming service.

I understand a few teams had their openers on cable ESPN and TNT, but the season opener on the streaming service then even paying cable customers that live locally have to also pay for?

I'm not sure I have enough energy to complain about it as much as the choice of goalie tonight (let me get a meal in for lunch and I might be able to), but that's one thing that particularly annoys me.

 

[Call Me Al]

If Blackwood stinks tonight, I'm sure it'll be ''Oh, it's just one game''.

No, that'll be more like 56 games, but okay.

And if he plays well, I'm sure it'll be ''You need to eat crow! He's back!''.

sometimes it feels like you are rooting against him just so you can be proven right

 

[SJinNewJersey]

 

[Bleedred]

How are the Flyers a salary cap team that can't afford Johnny Gaudreau with THAT lineup? Are there a bunch of guys out missing that can't play tonight?

How the hell do you justify Chuck Fletcher even keeping his job to start this year?

 

[EnglishDevil]

With Hischier out I guess the logical move is to shift Mercer to C, put Holtz back with Hughes & put Zetterlund in on the third line?

Palat - Hughes - Holtz
Sharangovich - Mercer - Bratt
Tatar - Haula - Zetterlund
Wood - McLeod - Bastian

Still a pretty decent lineup, hopefully Nico plays in the home opener.

 

[Satans Hockey]

sometimes it feels like you are rooting against him just so you can be proven right

I'm with him cause I'm not convinced Blackwood is our starter either, he certainly didn't play better than Vanecek in the preseason but it's apparently Blackwood's net to lose.

Would love nothing more to be wrong and see Blackwood have an amazing season.

 

[Hisch13r]

The one good thing about Nico being out to start is that it means Holtz can start with Jack. Hopefully they hit it off and that makes them keep him there.

 

[Better Call Sal]

With Hischier out I guess the logical move is to shift Mercer to C, put Holtz back with Hughes & put Zetterlund in on the third line?

Palat - Hughes - Holtz
Sharangovich - Mercer - Bratt
Tatar - Haula - Zetterlund
Wood - McLeod - Bastian

Still a pretty decent lineup, hopefully Nico plays in the home opener.

I like that idea very much.

 

[Bleedred]

sometimes it feels like you are rooting against him just so you can be proven right

It's funny because I'm more or less tired of some of you trying to act like I don't know what I'm talking about. Like I don't deserve the benefit of the doubt here, because I was sooooo wrong about Cory not bouncing back. I was so wrong when I proclaimed in 2018 that Keith Kinkaid would be out of the NHL in 2 years.

This is why I'm still bitter and bring up the Schneider and Kinkaid and throw it in people's faces.

''Cory's bouncing back. You don't know what you're talking about! 33 year old goalies that have been bad for 3 years bounce back all the time! Like at his last 20 games this year! That's the real Schneider! The first 9 games this year and last 9 games last year were because he was injured!''.

''Kinkaid won't be in the league in 2 years from now? HAHAHAHAHAHA GOOD ONE! HE JUST BROUGHT THE TEAM TO THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BRODEUR WAS HERE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!''.

I mean, I don't take it personally, but I also feel some type of way obviously, if I still bring it up. I don't hate people because of it, but I feel some type of way. It's probably my one admittedly toxic trait and I'm sorry for it.

I'm not rooting against him personally, but I think it's better for the team if they give somebody else ''The ball to run with'' especially since they got this somebody else 3 months ago and already have re-upped him for 2 years beyond this.

You may see this as me rooting against him so that I can be proven right, but I see this as the team/organization grasping at straws and doing everything they can to be proven right to bet on him. The fact of the matter is that he's not been better than Vanecek, not the last two NHL seasons, nor the preseason. And with all the available data we have right now, he's the second best goalie on this roster/organization. That does not guarantee that he will be the second best goalie on the team this season, but with what we know right now, he certainly enters the season that way.

Does that guarantee he won't be better than Vanecek THIS SEASON? Certainly not, but the Vegas odds on the significant sample size would say the better odds lie right now are with Vanecek.

I've certainly been wrong on some things. Like when I said last weekend, ''Yeah, as long as Vanecek isn't blown up on Saturday, I think he starts opening night. I'm really starting to feel like for the first time that will happen'' and it didn't. My initial instincts and fears appeared to be what really has happened, but I take responsibility for f***ing up and getting that one wrong. Believe me, I'm not asking for my money back on that one. I lost that one fair and square and that was my best thinking at the time.

 

[Eggtimer]

Sucks Nico is out but better to make sure he is 100% instead of coming back too soon and making any injury worse . Still makes me grumpy though. We need him to be dressed for as many games as possible

 

[Devils731]

One reason to start Blackwood on the road is to avoid home fans who are ready to jump on him if he looks shaky or lets a bad one in early.

Vanacek will get slack from the home crowd that Blackwood may not.

 

[SKNJD9]

One reason to start Blackwood on the road is to avoid home fans who are ready to jump on him if he looks shaky or lets a bad one in early.

Vanacek will get slack from the home crowd that Blackwood may not.

I'd expect Mack goes again Saturday if he plays well tonight. Giving Vanny the Ducks next Wednesday makes a lot of sense.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Me calling it a night after having 6 beers and 5 rum and cokes

 

[MartyOwns]

Do you mean 1A/1B?

yes lol, i’m high give me a break

 

[Ripshot 43]

He’s seeing those $$$$

 

[Clam Jensen]

I’m so excited to just watch this team. That really is a solid lineup.

 

[My3Sons]

Sucks Nico is out but better to make sure he is 100% instead of coming back too soon and making any injury worse . Still makes me grumpy though. We need him to be dressed for as many games as possible

Look, to each their own but whether playing or in the team box he needs to show up in public dressed.

 

[Puckclektr]

Any I idea of what radio station Or app I can listen to the game on? I downloaded the 104.5 app and there’s a Yankee game on tonight but I’d like to be able to listen to the Devils game any idea thanks

 

[Hisch13r]

The one good thing about Nico being out to start is that it means Holtz can start with Jack. Hopefully they hit it off and that makes them keep him there.

lol Or not. Who the f*** is the other center going to be then? Is Boqvist coming in?

 

[Blackjack]

More than fair, as I went and looked it up the other night after a conversation that @Guttersniped and I were having in one of the threads about how he's barely lost to them and last year was the only one she had remembered and that one and one other where we lost in the shootout in 2021 were the only two I remembered.

That said, color me skeptical that this is the reason we're playing him and not because we're really trying to give him every chance we can to be this team's starter. I've been getting this vibe for the last 9 months, be it right from the MSG crew/production crew, Lindy Ruff, NJDTV (or whatever they call the people who do the online in studio stuff for us) crew that we want Blackwood to be the starter. We want Blackwood to be goalie of the future here and we're not gonna just let the other guy (who just traded for 3 months ago and then proceeded to sign to a deal for 3 years, at a higher salary than Blackwood) come in and audition for that role right out of the gate.

And it's weird, because Blackwood was a solid goalie the first two years, but he wasn't a great goalie. He wasn't so good that he should still be getting preferential treatment after the last two years. He's no legend that's just in his twilight and on the way out (like 2013-2014 Brodeur) He was never anywhere near on the level of Cory Schneider before the decline. But even his advanced metrics have him as just below breaking even those first two years.

I'm already getting a weird 2013-2014 vibe with the goalie stuff, but I doubt it'll go that long, because there's people working here that are absolutely on the hot seat right now, which wasn't the case in 2013-2014.

I think we need to keep in mind that Blackwood spent significant chunks of his pre Covid career considered one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. He was approaching Shesterkin levels of hype in late 2019 and early 2020. That’s some time ago now, but I think that’s what the front office is hoping to capture again.

I don’t mind him being the nominal starter as long as Vanacek is getting close to 50% of the starts and they make him the #1 quickly if Blackwood falters. Which, sadly, I think will happen.

I don’t think Blackwood now is the same player as the guy that was dominating two and a half years ago.

 

[Devs3cups]

I’m so excited to just watch this team. That really is a solid lineup.

Even without Nico I like our lineup.

 

[Rhodes 81]

Yeah, I’ll be surprised if he can continue to play well for a long stretch but maybe he gets off to a good start before age and bumps and bruises catch up to him.

I'm not going to sit here and say Tatar is good or anything, but I think people here were a little too quick to write him off after last year. He's a 10 year vet that's scored nearly 200 goals and over 400 points in the NHL, I'll give Brunette the benefit of the doubt for now with regard to powerplay time.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

lol Or not. Who the f*** is the other center going to be then? Is Boqvist coming in?

Yes most likely