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GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (33-23-6, 72 Pts) @ Dallas Stars (39-19-2, 80 Pts), 8 PM, ESPN+/Hulu

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I know we were so close to a come back, but really, even if we pulled it off in the last few minutes or OT and won, would it have mattered? We would have been so close to losing that game that the optics would have basically made it a loss anyways.
 
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Davegarri said:
This would make me feel better if we actually beat bad teams.
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so if we dont beat good teams and dont beat bad teams, who do we beat?

worrying about Strength of Schedule in the NHL is a fool's errand. This is not the NFL where the bad teams rarely beat the good/elite teams. These things happen nightly in the sport. The Isles just beat the Jets last night, for example.
 
Billdo said:
It's insane how he's dropped off.
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Something tells me he's been playing hurt. He missed a fair amount of time with some injury and my guess it has plagued him all season. I wouldn't be surprised if a full offseason to heal allows him to bounce back next season to his more normal form. Similar to how Siegs was awful last season but playing hurt a fair amount and then bounced back this season. We will see. No question he's really struggling this season.
 
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so the devils are tying to hide the severity of jacks injury???? as he skated off the ice with the trainer carrying his right arm behind him
college lacrosse season heating up
 
guitarguyvic said:
Every year is “cursed”. Four out of five seasons now where this team can’t stay healthy and be good at goaltending+defene+offense simultaneously for more than a few weeks at a time.
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This fanbase, weirdly even more than others, seems to think the Devs are the only team that ever has injuries, gets goalied, or gets jobbed by the refs. Excuse, after excuse, after excuse.

For example, earlier in the season I'd point out this team's ES play is a concern despite being one of the healthiest in the league....and folks would lose their minds. Then Jack or Nico inevitably go down, and those same people act like the season was going great and they just had bad injury luck.
 
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Whaddagoal said:
Mercer failing like this season, now 2 seasons of long stretches of shit, might be the end of him on this team.

I honestly don't know what he brings right now, except for stable PK partner for Nico.

You can get that from any other JAG not for that contract.

He, like Haula are not winning board battles/50/50s, not scoring (literally no goals and assists are hard to come by), not good in the dot (when called upon), not really doing anything for PP2.

Really sad regression from him. Hard to justify keeping him part of the core at all. He's in a rut, but he was in same rut last season to start and almost never got out of it. Now you add that and this season together, you have a full season of general suck, in aggregate by him
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This may sound hyperbolic but I actually think he’s regressed even further from last season (which is saying something). Aside from PK, what exactly does Mercer bring to the table? I see virtually no redeeming quality about his game at this point. I get no joy in saying this. He seems like a really good kid and I hope he figures it out. I do not believe it will be here though. This is a situation where a hockey trade makes a lot of sense for both the team and player. Maybe a chance of scenery will do him some good. I’m not all that high on Mittlestadt, for example…but I’d make that deal and not even think twice about it. If we hold onto Mercer, his value across the league will crater even more. It feels like there is a perception around the league that Dawson is better than he really is but that’s not going to continue to last if the case.

Zippy316 said:
No doubt there’s dead weight on this roster but Fitzgerald has to supplement the team with another center at the very least.

If Hughes injury takes him through the playoffs, it’s the perfect opportunity to target a player with term like Rakell, Bjorkstrand, Mittlestadt, or McCann that fills a need that the Devils may not have acquired otherwise.

Worry about the cap in the off-season, Devils should definitely be looking at Haula and/or Palat as cap dump or buyout candidates which should allow us to fit in the cap hits for one of those guys.
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THIS!!!
 
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Zacha37 said:
They showed fight last night. Fitz needs to repay these guys by showing the locker room that he’s serious about winning and making adds. If not, I can see the rest of the season getting pretty ugly.
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I mean it’s nice that they showed fight, and I believed in them for a time until they blew it yet again. But this team has like one comeback win all season.

This group lacks mental fortitude going back to last year. I’m of the opinion that characteristics like that are driven by your core and best players. The constant injuries, the inability to come out of the gate and score first, the propensity for coming up short frequently, wheels coming off every season…Something just doesn’t seem right with these guys, it all just seems so…weak. This is the shit that makes them unlikeable.
 
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The way I see it. If Fitz is gonna go for it and he will since his job is on the line; need to add atleast 2 forwards, one of them a center and LD. Then hope that Jack and Siegs (and Dougie?) both come back for the playoffs. I think goaltending and special teams are gonna drag us in no matter what.
 
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guitarguyvic said:
I mean it’s nice that they showed fight, and I believed in them for a time until they blew it yet again. But this team has like one comeback win all season.

This group lacks mental fortitude going back to last year. I’m of the opinion that characteristics like that are driven by your core and best players. The constant injuries, the inability to come out of the gate and score first, the propensity for coming up short frequently, wheels coming off every season…Something just doesn’t seem right with these guys, it all just seems so…weak. This is the shit that makes them unlikeable.
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I get it, but at the same time they’re still young and have plenty of time to change things up. Even with all of their shortcomings, they’ve still shown some moments where they look completely unbeatable. Just need them to show it on a more consistent basis. Fitz has to get them into the playoffs.
 
Zajacs Bowl Cut said:
so if we dont beat good teams and dont beat bad teams, who do we beat?

worrying about Strength of Schedule in the NHL is a fool's errand. This is not the NFL where the bad teams rarely beat the good/elite teams. These things happen nightly in the sport. The Isles just beat the Jets last night, for example.
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I guess you are right because of that one single game last night.

We have struggled against lesser teams this year like the Habs, Pens, Kraken, and Preds and really gained lots of points against the Knights, Avs, and Stars, :sarcasm:

Schedule strength is not the end all, but it does mean something.
 
Zacha37 said:
They showed fight last night. Fitz needs to repay these guys by showing the locker room that he’s serious about winning and making adds. If not, I can see the rest of the season getting pretty ugly.
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This is now the teams identity great 1st half of the season 1,2 or 3 in the east followed by a disastrous 2nd half of the season with multiple injuries to follow. and becoming a lottery team or holding on to a wild card spot only to be ousted in 5 games....
 
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