Why are the Devils 21-4-1? insane easy schedule, makes perfect sense.

[glenwo2]

I think most Devils fans will be happy with just getting into the playoffs, and will take whatever happens there as a good learning experience for what is the youngest team in the league.

Why does it sound like he's basically saying "well just you wait, you big meanies. The Playoffs are gonna get you! Then you'll be sorry"?

 

[glenwo2]

I mean I don't know about "braggadocious" devils fans, @AhosDatsyukian , as the Devils fans on our board (the ones that spend most of their time there) know that this team's goal this year isn't the Cup but the Playoffs. (which is wild considering the original goal before the season started was just to continue the Development of our young core players and others)

I mean sure it's the main goal of every team to get the Cup but realistically speaking, I just want them to go as far as they can in the Big Tournament(as I call it), learn what it takes to go even further, and come back next season hungrier and more battle-tested to get to their ultimate goal.

 

[GrizzGreen]

Devils are a good team, lots of talented players coming into the right age to really do damage at the same time. Seems pretty obvious why there's able to have been such a turn around with, as Mr. Leafer mentioned, "the same roster"

 

[OtherThingsILike]

If I'm counting right, it looks like the Devils have only had two sets of back-to-backs so far this season.
That would be the only way I'd say their schedule has been easy.
Also, they're a younger team, so they'll probably perform better on back-to-backs than most other teams, as they'd have more energy.

 

[Devil made me do it]

It's not as hard as the first 1/4 of the season makes it seem to fans like yourself. You're in a for a rude awakening if you think it'll be this easy come playoff time, lol.

I have seen enough Devils playoff hockey in my lifetime to know that games never come easy in May-June.
With that being said, this Devils team really doesn't have any notable weaknesses.
Superb goaltending tandem, top 5 league-wide defensive unit, two elite centers and four solid productive lines, a veteran coach with experience in the playoffs who has taken a less talented team to the cup finals.
Which team in the East can better that currently?

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Completely agree, and I could see them making a bit of a run like the Rags last year or the Canes in 2018-19. But the hot start to the season has made some Devils fans quite braggadocious. There are still 4+ teams in the East I think would beat them in a playoff series. Anything can happen in hockey but if I were a betting man I wouldn't be putting my $ on the Devils.

Which four teams?

 

[Guttersniped]

Completely agree, and I could see them making a bit of a run like the Rags last year or the Canes in 2018-19. But the hot start to the season has made some Devils fans quite braggadocious. There are still 4+ teams in the East I think would beat them in a playoff series. Anything can happen in hockey but if I were a betting man I wouldn't be putting my $ on the Devils.

It hasn’t made Devils fan generally anything other than excited, Devils fans haven’t claimed anything in this thread other than the much better performing team is legitimately very good and should make the playoffs baring a lot bad things happening in terms of injury (I have PTSD over our post-Marty goaltending history so nice things make me nervous).

There are terrible takes in this thread, multiple posters have said the Devils won’t make the playoffs. Saying a team with this many points and this kind of divisional lead won’t make the playoffs at all suggests someone doesn’t understand the concept of how pace works with standings.

And starting in November some people decided that Devils fans needed to know their team would do badly in the playoffs. Thanks for the concern? It’s a young team with a core that hasn’t even played together in the playoffs yet.

You make it sound like Devils fans are predicting a serious Cup run when they’re not. I wouldn’t discount it completely either because you never know and that’s always true of a number of teams.

Two teams are making it to the ECF for instance and people rarely predict both of them so I don’t particularly care where you personally put your money.

I have seen enough Devils playoff hockey in my lifetime to know that games never come easy in May-June.
With that being said, this Devils team really doesn't have any notable weaknesses.
Superb goaltending tandem, top 5 league-wide defensive unit, two elite centers and four solid productive lines, a veteran coach with experience in the playoffs who has taken a less talented team to the cup finals.
Which team in the East can better that currently?

The Bruins? Not the veteran coach part but who cares, Montgomery is doing great and I thought he was a great hire from start.

Our PP isn’t producing enough, that’s actually a notable weakness but it could heat up, the elements are there this season (thank god).

I guess this post mean the entire fanbase is “braggadocious”.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

And starting in November some people decided that Devils fans needed to know their team would do badly in the playoffs.

I feel like the response to this is the Jack Sparrow-type of response.
"But we will be in the playoffs."

 

[Nocashstyle]

Devils are a good team, lots of talented players coming into the right age to really do damage at the same time. Seems pretty obvious why there's able to have been such a turn around with, as Mr. Leafer mentioned, "the same roster"

Guys like Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier entering their primes certainly helps, a lot…but it cannot be overstated how atrocious their goaltending was year. Absolutely abysmal.

 

[HBK27]

Good luck come playoff time

Thanks - appreciate it!

I think most Devils fans will be happy with just getting into the playoffs, and will take whatever happens there as a good learning experience for what is the youngest team in the league.

At the start of the season, yes. Now, probably not. The Devils obviously aren't going to keep up the current pace, but there's a good chance they're finishing 1st or 2nd in the division. I would at least want to see a playoff round win or two to go with that.

Completely agree, and I could see them making a bit of a run like the Rags last year or the Canes in 2018-19. But the hot start to the season has made some Devils fans quite braggadocious. There are still 4+ teams in the East I think would beat them in a playoff series. Anything can happen in hockey but if I were a betting man I wouldn't be putting my $ on the Devils.

Yeah, no shit we are. We were the 5th worst team in the league last season and one of the worst teams over the prior decade and now we're leading the league nearly a third of the way through the season. Hell, we were even 0-2 to start the season and down 2-0 against the Ducks in game 3. Since then the team has gone 21-2-1 - any fanbase would be damn giddy about their team under this scenario. Nobody is planning the Cup parade - we're just enjoying the hell out of this run. This thread wasn't even started by a Devils fan, but either an obvious troll or someone that knows nothing about hockey, yet consistently posts awful opinions on a hockey board.

 

[haak84]

I’d say the team with a better win% despite missing so much stat power to start the year tcan certainly keep up.

That should be a fun game

Looking forward to watching them play each other. I still think the Devils will be able to outskate them for long stretches. Just as they've done to every team in the league. They are the fastest, youngest, most mobile team.

Playoffs will come down to coaching and goaltending, just as it did in the regular season. the boys can outskate the best of them.

First step in finishing the rebuild is proving they can dominate. They have, next is making the playoffs. Whatever happens after is going to be learning lessons for upcoming seasons. With Nico at C I am not worried one bit.

 

[Mickey Marner]

The title of this thread changes every time another excuse bites the dust.

 

[severian]

Devils are a good team, lots of talented players coming into the right age to really do damage at the same time. Seems pretty obvious why there's able to have been such a turn around with, as Mr. Leafer mentioned, "the same roster"

I’d love to know what his take was on Hughes when he was drafted. Seems like he was the type to be in the same camp as Bladeparadigm.

 

[NJ07102]

Excluding the results of the games against New Jersey, Boston and Vegas, the opponents of these three teams collectively won 1,08 / 1,10 / 1,07 points per game they played. So you can conclude that Boston so far had the "strongest schedule" and Vegas had the "easiest". But the difference seems extremely small. League average of points per game is 1,10 which means, Boston had an average schedule, the other two slightly below.

 

[nbwingsfan]

I have seen enough Devils playoff hockey in my lifetime to know that games never come easy in May-June.
With that being said, this Devils team really doesn't have any notable weaknesses.
Superb goaltending tandem, top 5 league-wide defensive unit, two elite centers and four solid productive lines, a veteran coach with experience in the playoffs who has taken a less talented team to the cup finals.
Which team in the East can better that currently?

Bruins. The team with a better record (% wise)
Not to mention:
More GF
Leas GA
Highest scoring forward of the two teams
Best shutdown C in the world
The two best D of the two teams
Better G

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I have seen enough Devils playoff hockey in my lifetime to know that games never come easy in May-June.
With that being said, this Devils team really doesn't have any notable weaknesses.
Superb goaltending tandem, top 5 league-wide defensive unit, two elite centers and four solid productive lines, a veteran coach with experience in the playoffs who has taken a less talented team to the cup finals.
Which team in the East can better that currently?

Our in zone defense is absolutely a weakness. Luckily, we have the puck so much its not typically a factor (and that makes our "defensive" metrics look really good). But if you are able to get the puck behind our D and establish a forecheck, we really aren't very good.

We have two solid defenseman in Marino and Siegenthaler. Graves is okay. Hamilton, Severson, and Smith are all very poor defenders. Smith at least tries, but he just lacks mobility. Hamilton and Severson are just terrible defenders though.

This is easy to ignore in the regular season / vs weaker opponents because, again, we have the puck so much. But better teams will be able to break our forecheck and establish their own, which we really aren't well prepared for.

If we could swap Severson for a Larsson or Tanev type defender at the TDL we should absolutely pull the trigger.

I’d love to know what his take was on Hughes when he was drafted. Seems like he was the type to be in the same camp as Bladeparadigm.

He made about half a dozen Jack Hughes threads during his first two seasons, and has tons of posts like this gem where he ranked Wahlstrom over Hughes lol...

Stutzle-Zegras-Caufield

Its funny how most thought Hughes was "running" the show at usntdp,
but it was Caufield & Zegras as the show runners.

Sure, Hughes did improve in his "sophomore jinx" season, but
50 points in first 117 games is not what 99% was expecting, at all.

And now that Wahsltrom is showing up his potential, the 2 x 1st overall picks
have lots to show in the next 2 or so seasons.

Stutzle/Caufield
Zegras
Wahlström
Hughes
Lafreniere

 

[AfroThunder396]

The title of this thread changes every time another excuse bites the dust.

"Why are the Devils 40-7-3? Mercury is in retrograde, makes perfect sense"

 

[Final Boss]

Completely agree, and I could see them making a bit of a run like the Rags last year or the Canes in 2018-19. But the hot start to the season has made some Devils fans quite braggadocious. There are still 4+ teams in the East I think would beat them in a playoff series. Anything can happen in hockey but if I were a betting man I wouldn't be putting my $ on the Devils.

The Devils average age is third lowest below 26 and they're adding two 20-year olds next season. I dont think they are too concerned with what happens in the 2022-2023 playoffs if their core is to be around into the 2030's

For reference Carolina is 2.5 years older and has multiple heavy contracts to be given out in the next few years to their core stars. The Devils have their core signed long term with two top-4 pick ELC dmen coming up and only Jesper Bratt to sign to a big deal.

Seems the Devils have a much better situation now and going forward. Which team is better in the upcoming 2022-2023 playoffs seems like a low bar for gauging their future success.

 

[TBF1972]

Why is a team with players that do this, good?

i am speculating. but did the blackhawks put filip roos on life support after that shift?

Completely agree, and I could see them making a bit of a run like the Rags last year or the Canes in 2018-19. But the hot start to the season has made some Devils fans quite braggadocious. There are still 4+ teams in the East I think would beat them in a playoff series. Anything can happen in hockey but if I were a betting man I wouldn't be putting my $ on the Devils.

not anymore. the devils fans, who did so before the season, love their odds.

 

[njdevil26]

Bruins. The team with a better record (% wise)
Not to mention:
More GF
Leas GA
Highest scoring forward of the two teams
Best shutdown C in the world
The two best D of the two teams
Better G

The Bruins probably are the best team in the league. We could lose both games to them this month and still have an 8-10 point lead on the division. Doesn't mean the Devils are all of a sudden exposed and a bad hockey team. No Devils fan is trying to say we're the best team in the league. But the way fans of some teams act like we're not allowed to enjoy this success is tiresome.

 

[Clam Jensen]

Bruins. The team with a better record (% wise)
Not to mention:
More GF
Leas GA
Highest scoring forward of the two teams
Best shutdown C in the world
The two best D of the two teams
Better G

All of your “not to mentions” are basically a wash at best, so you’re sort of arguing against yourself.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Completely agree, and I could see them making a bit of a run like the Rags last year or the Canes in 2018-19. But the hot start to the season has made some Devils fans quite braggadocious. There are still 4+ teams in the East I think would beat them in a playoff series. Anything can happen in hockey but if I were a betting man I wouldn't be putting my $ on the Devils.

let me guess! One of those teams is the one in your avatar?! Because of 'grit' and 'jam'!?

It's not as hard as the first 1/4 of the season makes it seem to fans like yourself. You're in a for a rude awakening if you think it'll be this easy come playoff time, lol.

You're right man, we all definitely think the Devils will go 70-12 and 16-0 in the playoffs. Definitely what we think.

 

[TBF1972]

Nobody is planning the Cup parade - we're just enjoying the hell out of this run.

@Nubmer6
this isn't true, right? you are planning and 3 times around msg is confirmed?

 

[Craft Beer Lover]

Bruins. The team with a better record (% wise)
Not to mention:
More GF
Leas GA
Highest scoring forward of the two teams
Best shutdown C in the world
The two best D of the two teams
Better G

As stated here frequently, Devils’ fans don’t expect a Cup this season. However, Boston fans have admitted that this season is most likely the aging Bruins’ last hurrah. Therefore, please bump this thread next year when the youthful Devils’ stars are a year older, the team has added two young studs on defense, and the Bruins are on the down slide.

 

[Shocker]

Doubling down after a month and saying they're only good because of an easy schedule?

Now that's funny.