GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (7-5-1, 15 Pts, 4th in Metropolitan) vs. Winnipeg Jets (7-5-2, 16 Pts, 3rd in Central), 8 PM, MSGSN

[Devils731]

Holy shit.

What did you think of your D zone coverage tonight?

“I thought it was good.”

By what the system asks for, they were pretty good. Nobody tried to become a cowboy and work outside the system.

Sal called out the first goal as being on the defenseman both covering 1 Jet in front of the net but I think Lindy will look at that play as proper coverage, as an example.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Holy shit.

What did you think of your D zone coverage tonight?

“I thought it was good.”

Someone who knows what he's watching and understands hockey. Sure they had a breakdown or two, but the goaltending was so horrible. It blows my mind how people can't see that. It's almost so simple yet so difficult to remedy that nobody wants to admit it.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It's a little early for the reporters to be breaking out pathetic. You usually save those words for when you aren't going to have to work with the same group much longer

Or a hat trick by Eric Boulton is scored on your team

 

[Freaky Styley]

Goaltending and he sucked.

Just watched the goals. Couldn't watch the Ehlers (yay NHL.com) but here is my take:

1- Stops the first one, rebound seems to hit off his own Dman who is sprawling in front of him and missing his guy on the rebound

2- Perfetti double clutches and deflects off a stick - unlucky

3 - couldn't watch

4 - Kyle Connor, one of the best pure shooters in the league is left alone at the hashmarks and blasts a one-timer off the post - hard to blame Schmid there

5 - probably the only one he should have had. Even then, Bahl gets flattened by a much smaller player and turns it over below the goal-line

 

[JimEIV]

Florida was 18-19-4 halfway through last season. Long year.

They were also the last seed in the East and made the playoffs by 1 point.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Compare Vitek's 3 years before this one to Blackwood's. Better save % every season. Including last year on the same team.

And this is all a tangent. Tonights game had ZERO to do with goal tending and any one who watched the game would, or at least should, know that.

Keep using pure sv% like we're still in 1980. Start posting plus/minus while you're at it too. Very reliable and telling stats.

 

[NJDevs26]

It's a little early for the reporters to be breaking out pathetic. You usually save those words for when you aren't going to have to work with the same group much longer

Eh he’s definitely got a little TG in him, he wasn’t afraid to occasionally go overboard either. Compared to certain other teams in town who play on Sunday though it’s a bit much, THAT is my current bar for pathetic. This is just annoying atm

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Someone who knows what he's watching and understands hockey. Sure they had a breakdown or two, but the goaltending was so horrible. It blows my mind how people can't see that. It's almost so simple yet so difficult to remedy that nobody wants to admit it.

First goal was a clusterf*** but a horrid rebound, second goal Schmid should've had. Third goal, no chance and Luke/Dougie both behind the net was laughable. Fourth goal, I went to grab my doordash but from the broadcast Siegs lost an edge an easy chance to clear? Fifth goal was utterly laughable from Bahl/Akira.

 

[Devils731]

Just watched the goals. Couldn't watch the Ehlers (yay NHL.com) but here is my take:

1- Stops the first one, rebound seems to hit off his own Dman who is sprawling in front of him and missing his guy on the rebound

2- Perfetti double clutches and deflects off a stick - unlucky

3 - couldn't watch

4 - Kyle Connor, one of the best pure shooters in the league is left alone at the hashmarks and blasts a one-timer off the post - hard to blame Schmid there

5 - probably the only one he should have had. Even then, Bahl gets flattened by a much smaller player and turns it over below the goal-line

3rd one is the least on the goalie of the bunch.

 

[Emperoreddy]

They were also the last seed in the East and made the playoffs by 1 point.

And then went to the finals. It's a long season

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

While it wasn’t likely to be as easy as last year, I was hoping we’d at least be better than scrapping it out hoping to make the playoffs the last week of the season then hoping for a miracle run from the eight seed

Honestly if you just showed me the team stats at 5 on 5, I would expect a much worse record. Finishing very poorly and not getting many saves. The PP has propped us up to a decent record. I would be shocked if things didn’t turn around at even strength, at least in the scoring department.

 

[JimEIV]

And then went to the finals. It's a long season

Yeah I don't want to be ball hair from missing the playoffs.

 

[Emperoreddy]

It's a little early for the reporters to be breaking out pathetic. You usually save those words for when you aren't going to have to work with the same group much longer

Yeah this is too much from Ryan, though I think he is also catering to his twitter followers who make this board look like sunshine and rainbows.

Ryan gets harassed a lot to be harder on the team.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

They were also the last seed in the East and made the playoffs by 1 point.

Luckily it’s just Nov 14th and we’re getting our best player back soon.

 

[devilsblood]

Keep using pure sv% like we're still in 1980. Start posting plus/minus while you're at it too. Very reliable and telling stats.

As if HD chances, which don't account for puck movement prior to the shot, is a great stat.

 

[NJDevs26]

Someone who knows what he's watching and understands hockey. Sure they had a breakdown or two, but the goaltending was so horrible. It blows my mind how people can't see that. It's almost so simple yet so difficult to remedy that nobody wants to admit it.

You give up six goals, there’s plenty of blame to go around

 

[Unknown Caller]

Yeah this is too much from Ryan, though I think he is also catering to his twitter followers who make this board look like sunshine and rainbows.

Ryan gets harassed a lot to be harder on the team.

Novozinsky is a mouthpiece for the twitter fans, he's not Bryce Salvador. I wouldn't put much stock in his analysis. He's just going to amplify what the fanbase is tweeting.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Yeah I don't want to be ball hair from missing the playoffs.

I don't either, but I also don't think it's going to end up that way.

Being stuck with McLeod as your top center, a guy like Tierny in your lineup, have to expect things to get a bit ugly.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Yeah I don't want to be ball hair from missing the playoffs.

I mean to be honest, it might be better for their group playing super hard until April. They clearly got flattened in the first 2 games last year against the Rags by not being able to meet the same energy even though you could argue they were the better team 5v5 in those games. We've seen a ton of teams who sneak into the NHL playoffs go on insane runs because they've playing with their backs to the wall since February.

 

[Unknown Caller]

You give up six goals, there’s plenty of blame to go around

Very true. But until goaltending is properly addressed, the team is going to keep having results like this.

 

[Devils731]

As if HD chances, which don't account for puck movement prior to the shot, is a great stat.

You know that number that everyone used 10 years ago to define goalies? It’s actually only telling some of the story.

I have this new number that definitely defines goalies and can’t be wrong. It definitely won’t also be looked at in 10 years as only telling some of the story.

 

[devilsblood]

And for the record Schmid had a better HDSV% last year too. Blackwood slightly better then VV here .805 vs .802.

But you know what a good HDSV%, and a low save % tells me? Lots of softies.

 

[Unknown Caller]

You know that number that everyone used 10 years ago to define goalies? It’s actually only telling some of the story.

I have this new number that definitely defines goalies and can’t be wrong. It definitely won’t also be looked at in 10 years as only telling some of the story.

There's never a perfect stat but I would definitely hope that 10 years from now HDSV% is a trash stat because we have an even better stat and better on-ice data. Just because a stat eventually gets superseded (as it should if we're doing our jobs properly) doesn't discount it. It's the best we have right now.

Just like how CF% was the best we had for years until xG came along.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Very true. But until goaltending is properly addressed, the team is going to keep having results like this.

Sorta but at the same time that's on the coaching staff, why are you running the same system if you see your goalies having issues 10+ games into the year? Adjustments are what differentiate the best coaches from average ones. It's also not a shock why Lindy has hopped around from team to team in regards to being a HC. This has been his MO since Buffalo, it's his system or the highway.

 

[Unknown Caller]

And for the record Schmid had a better HDSV% last year too. Blackwood slightly better then VV here .805 vs .802.

But you know what a good HDSV%, and a low save % tells me? Lots of softies.

Despite Schmid being bad tonight, my issue isn't even with him. You can't blame a 23 year old for not carrying a contender all season.

The bigger issue is with Vanecek and the goaltending in general. Akira should be rolling nightly in Utica and the Devils should have a reliable 1A in the NHL.

It's hard to critique Fitz too much since we don't know what the asking prices were over the summer, but not addressing goaltending is a massive achilles heel for this team. It's a problem that won't be going away regardless of how the defensive zone structuring changes.