GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (50-21-8, 108 Points, 2nd in Metro) @ Boston Bruins (61-12-5, 127 Points, 1st in Atlantic), 8 PM, ABC/ESPN+

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Fair point, but who knows?

It's whatever. One game sample sizes are just not definitive enough to say ''Well, Vanecek makes that save, but lets a couple of those in'' or not. Vanecek is a better goalie than Blackwood, but that doesn't mean can't perform better in a random game than Vanecek would in the same game. And bad goalies have good games and even streaks. People started to get excited whenever Schneider would have his good games and good streaks, even years into his decline. There's some people that act like a bad goalie is supposed to give up a goal on every 5 shots if he were really actually a bad goalie, or else he's not actually a bad goalie.

Hopefully it's the end of him as a Devil. At least he didn't go out in a blowout.

Brodeur and Schneider didn't in their last games as Devils either.

Well true, Blackwood's entire problem is making elite saves and then giving up the Zacha GWG he gave up while Vanecek is more so the average goaltender who can make the saves you ask from him but if he's seeing a ton of quality, it's a massive issue. They're the complete opposite type of goalie, it's like comparing Marty v Schneider tbh. Blackwood has tools to be good in this league and most of it Blackwood can fix if his technique gets better. The reason the Devils got Vanecek was to make routine saves and be the elite 5v5 goaltender he was in WSH which he's still been this year and the obvious standing results speak for themselves.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Just an educational game. Got beaten by a better team and pretty well outplayed. They took away the middle of the ice and we couldn't do much with that, although give Jack credit for trying - and Bratt for that drive to the net.

Blackwood played great - we gave up multiple great chances to about every good player on that team.

They need to learn how to play in and win these types of games where the other team beats us around a little and the refs don't call anything.

Love Timo's response. Loved Nico fighting back. Like Bahl hitting people.

Don't like McLeod being hurt. Marchand will miss a game.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

That doesn’t do us any good, dude is hurt too.

Haula comes back for Buffalo and they'll probably put Shara at center. McLeod or Lazar will be the 4C come game 1 unless McLeod doesn't have a brain anymore.

 

[Camille the Eel]

We should learn the most from the first ten minutes. They came out so aggressively and took away our time to play the puck and that rattled us. They got behind us repeatedly and forced us into turnovers and got ahead of us on that power play - where we exerted zero pressure on the puck and they had it the entire time. (I don’t know how anyone blames that tip in on Blackwood - he has zero time to react to that tip).

Basically this was playoff hockey.

 

[Billdo]

If he doesn't let in the 2nd goal clunker this game goes to OT.

I know, he made some nice saves afterwards and he bounced back. But that's the thing. How can you stone Pastrnak on a breakaway right after doing a wild 360 in your crease to nowhere to allow a goal? The inconsistency is killer and he cannot be relied upon. Gives up 1-2 clunkers a game, but other than that he's fine. It doesn't add up.

We scored 1 goal...

 

[RNCDevil]

Bruins played a solid game.

When they stick check, they are looking to break a hand. When the forecheck, they are looking to drive you through the boards. When they crease clear, they are looking to paralyze. It's a top-to-bottom mentality on the details.

Good playoff game. Rangers, Canes, Bruins, Devils...Really going to be an amazing playoffs.

 

[Oneiro]

I don't have a problem with the interference, lingering picks, etc. That's how the game has gone for a long time and the players know it as well as anybody.

But I cannot stand the officiating - missed high sticks and headshots are just plain f*** ups relative to precedent. All season long, any team - this league and product are genuinely being dragged down by an unwillingness to get it right.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I don't have a problem with the interference, lingering picks, etc. That's how the game has gone for a long time and the players know it as well as anybody.

But I cannot stand the officiating - missed high sticks and headshots are just plain f*** ups relative to precedent.

Yep, as long as they're letting it go for both sides, I couldn't care less. Just funny Marchand acted like he got shot on the Graves interference and then used rocket boots to hit McLeod's jaw.

 

[Devs3cups]

Just an educational game. Got beaten by a better team and pretty well outplayed. They took away the middle of the ice and we couldn't do much with that, although give Jack credit for trying - and Bratt for that drive to the net.

Blackwood played great - we gave up multiple great chances to about every good player on that team.

They need to learn how to play in and win these types of games where the other team beats us around a little and the refs don't call anything.

Love Timo's response. Loved Nico fighting back. Like Bahl hitting people.

Don't like McLeod being hurt. Marchand will miss a game.

Blackwood bounced back, but he gave up his classic 1-2 clunkers. Goal #2 was one of the worst I've seen scored on him, and #1 was stoppable, Zacha barely touched it, but I won't go too hard on that one.

He 100% bounced back though. Made some strong saves notably on Pastrnak. It's always the inconsistency that's frustrating though. Going down 2-0 against this Bruins team is basically an automatic L.

Also, I'd argue the've won some of those games this year, off the top of my head a game in Pittsburgh where the refs got like 15 PP's and the last game in TB were big character wins. There definitely are more. The team has grown a lot from last season in that regard.

 

[Devils731]

Easily 2-3 calls missed in the last 3 minutes alone on them

I think the worst was Hischier skating at the halfboards, tries to skate through a hook, and the Bruins player loses his stick because Hischier worked so hard through it.

Devils have gotten hit with so many ticky tack late penalties when leading this year that when they don’t get one in benefit when trailer it’s extra annoying.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Two silver linings.

One is we wouldn't see Boston again until the ECF. All of our potential round 1 and 2 opponents are steps down and beatable for us.

Two is I most likely get to see Jack break Patty's record in person (and if he goes off maybe hit 100) and it will get the proper fan fare it deserves as point 96 got lost in the shuffle tonight

 

[RememberTheName]

Bruins played a solid game.

When they stick check, they are looking to break a hand. When the forecheck, they are looking to drive you through the boards. When they crease clear, they are looking to paralyze. It's a top-to-bottom mentality on the details.

Good playoff game. Rangers, Canes, Bruins, Devils...Really going to be an amazing playoffs.

One other thing I thought the Bruins do really well is setting these soft screens basically every time someone begins to move with the puck without getting called for interference. They did it a lot on the Devils in the neutral zone and it completely neutralized our usually potent forecheck. Also allowed for the Bruins to step into the slot uncontested on more than one occasion. Insanely disciplined hockey in that regard. Boston is a damn solid team.

 

[Devs3cups]

We scored 1 goal...

Yeah, and he gave up arguably 2 bad ones.

Look, I said he bounced back. But Mac gives us at least 1-2 bad goals a game and was the main reason why we went down 2-0 against the best team in the league who never loses after trailing. It is what it is, he bounced back and finished the game strong. I'd just like a game where I go "you know what, Mac didn't let up any bad goals tonight". That doesn't happen, and it 100% gets in the players' heads.

That's all I want.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Bruin fans calling this a boarding

LMFAO



Today I learned that the big Bad Bruins have a lot of snowflakes on their team and in the stands

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I'm not gonna get on the refs tonight too much besides that obvious headshot by Marchand late, double minor coming out of intermission needs to be capitalized. I'm sure they know it as a team that was a big missed opportunity but that PK by Boston was incredible. It looked like ours from 11-12 that set a league record. All of our chances were from broken plays that happened to still land on sticks luckily.

 

[mdj12784]

Still not over the rat’s headshot. God I HATE him

 

[Bleedred]

Well true, Blackwood's entire problem is making elite saves and then giving up the Zacha GWG he gave up while Vanecek is more so the average goaltender who can make the saves you ask from him but if he's seeing a ton of quality, it's a massive issue. They're the complete opposite type of goalie, it's like comparing Marty v Schneider tbh. Blackwood has tools to be good in this league and most of it Blackwood can fix if his technique gets better. The reason the Devils got Vanecek was to make routine saves and be the elite 5v5 goaltender he was in WSH which he's still been this year and the obvious standing results speak for themselves.

I don’t think he has the technique.

His pro career has been a massive disappointment. That 19-20 season is looking more and like a random happening, much like the Andrew Hammond 15-16 season, which was never to be duplicated.

His AHL career prior to even making his NHL debut was also glaringly bad and too hard to ignore. It was heavy foreshadowing towhat he’s been the last 3 years in the NHL.

Everybody we’ve had the last 10-12 years had pretty much better AHL careers than he did. I’m talking Kinkaid, as well as both Daws and Schmid. And these were happening on teams where superstars like Ken Appleby were somehow playing considerably better.

Wedgewood’s first several years in the AHL were pretty bad though, but what’s he become? He’s gonna be 31 years old before the start of next season and has yet to even play 100 NHL games.

I don’t think he’s gonna be a good NHL goalie ever, but he may have another good season in the NHL at some point. Since he’s not 30 years and has had success in the league in a starting role at one point, he’ll get a few more chances and he likely still has a few more years worth of chances in the league before washing out. And for every good season he has, it may buy him another or two longer in the league beyond those few years he already probably will get anyway.

 

[Devs3cups]

One other thing I thought the Bruins do really well is setting these soft screens basically every time someone begins to move with the puck without getting called for interference. They did it a lot on the Devils in the neutral zone and it completely neutralized our usually potent forecheck. Also allowed for the Bruins to step into the slot uncontested on more than one occasion. Insanely disciplined hockey in that regard. Boston is a damn solid team.

I can't f***ing wait until we learn to do that as a group. Frustrated me all night.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

That start killed us , the response was good but it faded as the game went along. The double minor powerplay was not good. Boston has killed like 30 straight penalties. The Bruins are very good at these close games , easily the best. We have the 2nd best +/- at about +60 while Boston is a +120 ! It's clear who the better team is this year. Still disappointed we went 0-3-0 against them this year.

 

[Devils731]

That start killed us , the response was good but it faded as the game went along. The double minor powerplay was not good. Boston has killed like 30 straight penalties. The Bruins are very good at these close games , easily the best. We have the 2nd best +/- at about +60 while Boston is a +120 ! It's clear who the better team is this year. Still disappointed we went 0-3-0 against them this year.

Powerplays at the start of periods also tend to be awful. The players aren’t warmed up and that hurts offensive plays much more than defensive plays.

PP efficiency goes down over 50%, I believe, when PPs cross periods.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Boston is a cesspool of a city for a reason

 

[Bcap88]

Just not enough consistency on offense in this one

 

[Bleedred]

I don’t wanna hear about how good Buffalo is. They’re done for the season.

Blow them out good on Tuesday night.

They’ll probably be eliminated by then.

But if they’re not! I’m sure Bill will be letting us know every 5 minutes that they’re desperate and still fighting.

 

[Emperoreddy]

This hopefully is the game they take to heart in realizing that record when giving up the 1st goal stops mattering next week.

You play with fire in the playoffs starting off slow in games.

 

[RememberTheName]

Just not enough consistency on offense in this one

Against a team like Boston where there were basically no passing lanes open the entire game in the offensive zone, I feel like we gotta fire more low shots on net and do a better job of crashing for rebounds. They are too good defensively to be able to pass around the perimeter the whole game waiting for something to open up, because it won't and didn't and we ended up turning the puck over more times than we should have.