GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (19-4-1) @ Philadelphia Flyers (8-11-5), 7 PM, MSGSN

[Oneiro]

Our losses and poor starts are really more beating ourselves than the other team doing anything particularly well, which is why it’s annoying.

Nitpicking? Sure.

 

[Devs3cups]

We’ve earned most of our wins this year. Winning one we maybe didn’t deserve is really nice.

We won the 3rd period and with all the talk about a flu going around (boys did look like they were affected), I’m happy with it. They fought adversity.

Now rest up for 2 days at home and beat the Hawks on Tuesday!

LGD!!

 

[Better Call Sal]

Rangers happily end Chicago’s losing skid for us. Appreciate it, frauds!

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

But those facts really don’t say that at all. They’re a small piece of evidence that on their own do very little to suggest Holtz himself was good in that particular game. Massively overreaching what they say.

They counteract the “he can’t play with any pace, he isn’t NHL ready” narrative. Single game corsi doesn’t mean much, but if what you’re saying is true, you’d expect it to show up on the stat sheet. It didn’t last game.

I also watched the game and thought he was perfectly fine. I’m not expecting an all star this year. Even in his prime, he can have mediocre flow of play impact with plus finishing and be a useful player.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Holtz is good enough to see ice time. He can keep up with a non-Jack line

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Hawks torched the Rangers

 

[Hisch13r]

Our losses and poor starts are really more beating ourselves than the other team doing anything particularly well, which is why it’s annoying.

Nitpicking? Sure.

Like even today it's not like I'd say we were "bad" because it's not like we were giving up anything. We just didn't do anything. The first 2 periods didn't even need to be played because basically nothing was going on.

 

[The Wumpus]

we're 10 points up on the 2nd place team in the division

 

[Whaddagoal]

Haula quietly with the 4th most assists on the team after the Big-3

Him and Jack have some budding chemistry. Haula is gonna rack it up....

 

[Hisch13r]

Holtz is good enough to see ice time. He can keep up with a non-Jack line

The issue I see is that the lines we finished with obviously are the much better version of the lines. I think we could give a Yegor-Mercer-Holtz line a try. If that doesn't work then there isn't really a fit as of now.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Our losses and poor starts are really more beating ourselves than the other team doing anything particularly well, which is why it’s annoying.

Nitpicking? Sure.

Definitely. Tonight looked worse than other examples, but it was just a lot of unforced turnovers, missed passes, pucks bobbling, etc. Whether there's a sickness going on in the room or whatever, they can play sharper than that but for some reason just didn't have it at the start.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Delete

 

[Ripshot 43]

Can we please just get back to Bratts contract demands!

 

[Better Call Sal]

My god, Valiquette is such a dope. It’s like the loony brainwashed political people wondering how they lost.

I can’t f***ing stand him, he’s such a goober.

 

[SJinNewJersey]

we're 10 points up on the 2nd place team in the division

 

[Patrik26]

Went to dinner with some friends so missed the game. I apologize. I won't let it happen again.

Anyway, from what I've heard, it wasn't the teams best effort but they WON. And that means this .........

 

[Camille the Eel]

The d-zone passing and board work was the worst I remember this year. It wasnt their forecheck and getting muscled off pucks as much as we just couldnt pass it out or poke it out; they successfully pinched at the blue line over and over again. And when we did clear the zone, they successfully disrupted the flow in the middle of the ice.

This was the worst we looked against a cycling forecheck all season for the first two periods. I thought we were a lot better on the breakouts in the third, with the exception of a few shifts and of the final 5 minutes.

Ruff shortening the bench and shaking up the lines - moving Mercer down with McLeod and Wood and Z back with Nico - was a very fine bit of in game adjustment. Arguably the move that won us the game. And then Jack’s brilliant individual highlight reel play to give us the (necessary) 2 goal lead.

Overall I think it was a really important win. We looked half dead tonight and played about as ugly a game as we have all year yet found a way to beat Philly and Torts and we can come out of there feeling upbeat and good. I can’t imagine what this board would have sounded like tonight if we had lost this game after blowing the lead in the last one with 8 seconds left..

 

[Captain3rdLine]

They counteract the “he can’t play with any pace, he isn’t NHL ready” narrative. Single game corsi doesn’t mean much, but if what you’re saying is true, you’d expect it to show up on the stat sheet. It didn’t last game.

I also watched the game and thought he was perfectly fine. I’m not expecting an all star this year. Even in his prime, he can have mediocre flow of play impact with plus finishing and be a useful player.

They don’t really say much at all about an individual player on an individual game basis. Just because the corsi was good last game doesn’t mean he was good. If his linemates have a great game and things go their way he can have a really good corsi even if he himself doesn’t play great and doesn’t keep up.

 

[Cheddabombs]

We almost have double the amount of regulation wins as the 2nd place Hurricanes lol

 

[Oneiro]

We have the luxury of time now re: developing Holtz. I would take a similar approach. You can bring him along gradually.

This is a guy who needs to read the game properly to maximize his potential, given the mediocre wheels. If he becomes a dependable well rounded player and a solid goal scorer, that’s just a fantastic outcome.

 

[devilsblood]

They counteract the “he can’t play with any pace, he isn’t NHL ready” narrative. Single game corsi doesn’t mean much, but if what you’re saying is true, you’d expect it to show up on the stat sheet. It didn’t last game.

I also watched the game and thought he was perfectly fine. I’m not expecting an all star this year. Even in his prime, he can have mediocre flow of play impact with plus finishing and be a useful player.

Problem is he is not getting shots on goal 5v5. So his finishing ability doesn't come into play.

 

[glenwo2]

I've just heard a report that Provorov is STILL looking for his jockstrap after losing it courtesy of Jack putting him on the spin cycle, leading to the Devils 3rd goal.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Problem is he is not getting shots on goal 5v5. So his finishing ability doesn't come into play.

That is true. I think it will come with some confidence. Or some shifts with Hughes.

 

[Camille the Eel]

We have the luxury of time now re: developing Holtz. I would take a similar approach. You can bring him along gradually.

This is a guy who needs to read the game properly to maximize his potential, given the mediocre wheels. If he becomes a dependable well rounded player and a solid goal scorer, that’s just a fantastic outcome.

You play him until Bastian is ready to return but keep him on a short leash game to game. We really can’t assess him on 2 or 3 games right now. 10 or 15 and we will have a better idea. Plus that’s time to settle into things. Brylin should be working with him daily. Really what you want to see is smart and sound play away from the puck and a 200 foot game and playing tough and winning puck battles. The problem tonight was him being soft on the puck and looking confused about what the play was at times. He has to be content right now to play his position well and take whatever offense comes to him out of sound positional play. That’s all that’s being asked of him.

 

[devilsblood]

That is true. I think it will come with some confidence. Or some shifts with Hughes.

But as you note, can he keep up with Hughes?

And playing with Hughes is not the boon for goal production as one might think it would be.

That said, I'd give it a go, Holtz might have the skills to finish a Hughes set up, that guys like Haula, Shara, and even Palms were not able to capitalize on.