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OT: NJ Devils 2023-2024 Thread

New system from Ruff is working! I love how tight the team is right now. Hoping the Devils prove me wrong and make the playoffs. We are only 2 points out of the WC, and it looks like we are peaking at the perfect time.

Give Timo time, Yegor is a good player, Timo can be a great player! Toffoli is the leading goal scorer for players in their 1st year after getting traded, then Yegor Sharangovich, hmmm a Fitz trade WIN!
I enjoy playing the who you going to beat out game.
I think the Devils will make the playoffs!!
Who falls out Tampa, Detroit, Philadelphia or Toronto?
What about Pittsburgh and the Islanders?
 
Lazar has been great for us. Saved the game last night with a huge blocked shot. He also unlocked Timo
Had that play a shift earlier which Sal and Dano talked about where he directed Bahl and was then perfectly positioned for a centering pass.

That blocked shot was crazy though. I thought that was in for sure.
 
Another great trade acquisition from Mr Fitzy. Collin Miller is another underrated player. Guys dependable every game. Wish he was healthy at the start of the season
I wasn’t expecting much from Miller given he was benched by Dallas in the playoffs. Thought hed be soft or weak defensively. Merely a place holder till Nemec came up midseadon.

But hes been really good. Now i hope we can keep him somehow (though I don’t see the how).
 
I enjoy playing the who you going to beat out game.
I think the Devils will make the playoffs!!
Who falls out Tampa, Detroit, Philadelphia or Toronto?
What about Pittsburgh and the Islanders?
I think the Devils best bet is Philadelphia finally coming back to earth. Coach Torch should still win Coach of the Year IMO.

Last night was the first time in a long time, I even let myself contemplate the playoffs.

One thing is certain, your Broadway Blueshirts are in a GREAT position! Watching Shesterkin, then watching Devils goaltending makes me SICK 😆!
 
That's 3 consecutive strong performances, as the Devils are 3-1-1 out of the break. The "overhaul" of Lindy's system seems to be paying early dividends. They've exorcised a lot of demons over the last couple days: winning at home, winning the second half of a back to back, winning in Nashville for the first time in regulation since '09 and Timo getting his first since 12/27.

Onto to the Kings who limp in having won 4 of their last 19 games, including a 7-0 loss in Buffalo last night. They MUST take care of business before heading outdoors on Saturday. A win tomorrow will have that place juiced up on Saturday.
 
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I enjoy playing the who you going to beat out game.
I think the Devils will make the playoffs!!
Who falls out Tampa, Detroit, Philadelphia or Toronto?
What about Pittsburgh and the Islanders?
Teams have been falling in and out and back again pretty much every day for the past few months. I suspect it's all gonna come down to whoever happens to be standing there when the final whistle blows, with the whole bunch of them in a tight group. I'd love to think the Devils could put together another run like they did in the fall, and this time solidify a playoff spot by some sort of safe-ish margin, but my guess is that's not how it's going to go down.
 
I think the Devils best bet is Philadelphia finally coming back to earth. Coach Torch should still win Coach of the Year IMO.

Last night was the first time in a long time, I even let myself contemplate the playoffs.

One thing is certain, your Broadway Blueshirts are in a GREAT position! Watching Shesterkin, then watching Devils goaltending makes me SICK 😆!
Meh-
The Rangers still lack puck pressure and with all their skill are an easy team to play against… even when they win.

Vice Versa, the Devils still pressure every inch of the ice and are quite difficult to play against.

I guarantee you, if you asked any player on the Hurricanes which team between the Devils and Rangers is the more difficult team to play against, their answer would be the Devils
 
Meh-
The Rangers still lack puck pressure and with all their skill are an easy team to play against… even when they win.

Vice Versa, the Devils still pressure every inch of the ice and are quite difficult to play against.

I guarantee you, if you asked any player on the Hurricanes which team between the Devils and Rangers is the more difficult team to play against, their answer would be the Devils
The Rangers position in the standings is still entirely driven by their 18-4 run out of the gate. They are not a threatening team whatsoever - lack of puck pursuit, center depth (it’d be nice if Zib shows up this season), and Igor has been extremely mediocre. The only thing that will be more disappointing than their playoff exit will be the assets Drury throws away at the deadline.

The Devils will make the playoffs and are always a thread if Hughes is healthy.
 
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One positive from last night, I loved the physicality the Devils showed. I would highlight Timo Meier and Kevin Bahl, I hope it continues.

It has been nice to see him, and other's like Bahl, pick up the physicality. Ruff loves to change up lines, so hopefully Timo will get his ice time. I also want him on his natural wing. As far as being on the 3rd line, after rethinking it, I believe the reasons are two fold. First Timo has his line to drive and gives us 3 dangerous lines. Second it keeps Timo away from Jack, Jasper, and Nico, as all 3 of those guys like to monopolize the puck. Timo's game is to have a shoot first mentality.
Jack Nicholson Yes GIF


#Big88
 
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The Rangers position in the standings is still entirely driven by their 18-4 run out of the gate. They are not a threatening team whatsoever - lack of puck pursuit, center depth (it’d be nice if Zib shows up this season), and Igor has been extremely mediocre. The only thing that will be more disappointing than their playoff exit will be the assets Drury throws away at the deadline.

The Devils will make the playoffs and are always a thread if Hughes is healthy.
Yup
Mika and Kreider both are complete no shows when the ice shrinks and you have to be physical.
On the other hand, Panarin gets bottled up at times by the tight checking teams, but man does he compete and use his incredibly strong stick and toughness for a little guy.
Kreider the Glider is my new name for Chris
 
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New system from Ruff is working! I love how tight the team is right now. Hoping the Devils prove me wrong and make the playoffs. We are only 2 points out of the WC, and it looks like we are peaking at the perfect time.

Give Timo time, Yegor is a good player, Timo can be a great player! Toffoli is the leading goal scorer for players in their 1st year after getting traded, then Yegor Sharangovich, hmmm a Fitz trade WIN!
Forwards coming back & playing responsible D is having a huge effect. Cutting way down on the odd man rushes surrendered. Don't know what took so long.
 
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Forwards coming back & playing responsible D is having a huge effect. Cutting way down on the odd man rushes surrendered. Don't know what took so long.
Is it their skating speed that is helping too?
 
Yup
Mika and Kreider both are complete no shows when the ice shrinks and you have to be physical.
On the other hand, Panarin gets bottled up at times by the tight checking teams, but man does he compete and use his incredibly strong stick and toughness for a little guy.
Kreider the Glider is my new name for Chris
Mika has been no show all year. Kreider... it's mind boggling he will end his career with 300ish goals but given his hands, speed and strength, will still be a disappointment in my eyes.
 
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Is it their skating speed that is helping too?
It's not hurting, however they had that when they were being caught up ice & giving up 5/6 odd man rushes a game. IMO it is due to a change in coaching strategy & buy in from the guys.
 
Forwards coming back & playing responsible D is having a huge effect. Cutting way down on the odd man rushes surrendered. Don't know what took so long.
That is a great question, to wait this long is not logical. Maybe fanboy Fitz finally got some heat so he in turn finally put heat on Lindy.
 
That is a great question, to wait this long is not logical. Maybe fanboy Fitz finally got some heat so he in turn finally put heat on Lindy.
It also happens to coincide with Hughes returning to the lineup. They are a very different team when he is in the lineup, not just because of his talent, but literally the entire team plays differently / with confidence.
 
Chump change to you Greenie
Salary cap. Hurts your ability to sign McDavid. 2026-27 McDavid would be a NYR, but Skinner would be counting $9M. You would need Bobby Valentine in a disguise to Jeff Gilhooly knee cap him so you can put him on LTIR and have the space to get mcdavid
 
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@RU-05 kaapo Kahkonen stat line vs jets last night . 38 saves on 39 shots .974 save % lost 1-0. He’s 13th in the league in goals saved above expected with 8.4. I know you’ve been calling for him for awhile
 
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That is a great question, to wait this long is not logical. Maybe fanboy Fitz finally got some heat so he in turn finally put heat on Lindy.
I think we all understand why he was reluctant to make the change. The stretch offense is what brought this team to 110 points last year, and with the addition of Luke Hughes, on paper it should have done the same or better this year. But other teams have probably gotten a little wise. And losing Hamilton has hurt in this particular strategy. And the goaltending has just been too awful to handle the odd man rushes that are always going to be part of the equation. And also, quite frankly, you are all going to laugh here, but losing Severson also hurts. Severson sure had some question marks, but his passing to set up stretch plays was better than what we are getting now.
 
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@RU-05 kaapo Kahkonen stat line vs jets last night . 38 saves on 39 shots .974 save % lost 1-0. He’s 13th in the league in goals saved above expected with 8.4. I know you’ve been calling for him for awhile
Hard to know what the market even is right now given no goalie trades are being made, likely because the asking prices are high, but I just can't see him costing a ton.
 
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I think we all understand why he was reluctant to make the change. The stretch offense is what brought this team to 110 points last year, and with the addition of Luke Hughes, on paper it should have done the same or better this year. But other teams have probably gotten a little wise. And losing Hamilton has hurt in this particular strategy. And the goaltending has just been too awful to handle the odd man rushes that are always going to be part of the equation. And also, quite frankly, you are all going to laugh here, but losing Severson also hurts. Severson sure had some question marks, but his passing to set up stretch plays was better than what we are getting now.
Sev's was a good player, and breakout passes were a strength.

But like the system, that high precision breakout is going to be prone to misses.
 
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I think we all understand why he was reluctant to make the change. The stretch offense is what brought this team to 110 points last year, and with the addition of Luke Hughes, on paper it should have done the same or better this year. But other teams have probably gotten a little wise. And losing Hamilton has hurt in this particular strategy. And the goaltending has just been too awful to handle the odd man rushes that are always going to be part of the equation. And also, quite frankly, you are all going to laugh here, but losing Severson also hurts. Severson sure had some question marks, but his passing to set up stretch plays was better than what we are getting now.
Yes, the system was not going to work great after Carolina took us apart in the playoffs. These changes should have been made no later than around Thanksgiving, we would be in a safe playoff position now. Even with the recent success, with 3 point games we are still up against it, and could well miss the playoffs.
 
Siegenthaler back at practice with regular jersey on . Great news
I wonder who he'll replace. The logical choice would be Smith, but we know this HC better than that. Bahl has been fighting it too, but even he's looked better since the break. I really hope it's not Nemec...

Maybe they move Smith to the 4th line and plug Siegenthaler back in that way.
 
I wonder who he'll replace. The logical choice would be Smith, but we know this HC better than that. Bahl has been fighting it too, but even he's looked better since the break. I really hope it's not Nemec...

Maybe they move Smith to the 4th line and plug Siegenthaler back in that way.
Remove useless Nate from the lineup.

This team missed McLoud big time tonight
Got killed on the faceoff dots
 
OMG, this is why I haven't been sold on the Devils making it til recently, and to boot Philly forced OT. That said give me a freaking break, as long as we beat Philly in regulation on Saturday we will be on a good pace to make it.

Frustrating game, losing because of ST and giving up a shorthanded goal. Once again the ref's were awful to both teams. Arvadeson should have been given 4 minutes for both minors he committed. I believe dropping your gloves there is still a penalty.

Bad luck again this year. The Kings aren't better than us. We hit a bad break when they lost 7-0 to Buffalo, they were angry.

However, let's breathe a sigh of relief, the team played well defensively for 60 minutes, and Daws looks the part.
 
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LOL the 2 things that cost us the game were, the Kings were pissed about their last game, and the officials sucked all night. Even so it was just 2-1.

As I mentioned months ago, those losses to bottom feeders would hurt. If they had banked just a few more points it wouldn't be so touch and go now, points count the same in October. 29 games left, I figure if we can win 18 of them we should make it.
 
They have more points in less games played than us
Bro true and I love their team size but I wouldn't say better. With and angry Bahl, Lazar, and Toffoli we have size also. The Kings are older and slower. As such if we played a series, with Daws healthy and the defense better, I think the Devils WIN.

As I posted a long time ago, this is going to be a nailbiter either way. Lately I've seen enough to think we make it, I hope my new stance is correct.
 
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