How about them Devs, smacked the Bruins around like they stole something last nite. Really like what this young team is doing. Here's hoping they don't run out of gas when they have to play significant games back to back to back.... But in the meantime, NJoy!!!!!
A great goalie keeps you in every game. Right now Blackwood is playing like a great goalie.
.945 save % and sub 2 GAA - those are Vezina contender #'s if he keeps it up. He obviously hasn't played the # of games Vasilevsky, MAF, or Varlamov have (three goalies with Vezina worthy seasons), but he's off to a great start.
Do we have all our D back now? Really surprised at the record we have put up with so many guys who had been out. Glad to hear that Blackwood looks as good to the eye as he does in the box scores.
Do we have all our D back now? Really surprised at the record we have put up with so many guys who had been out. Glad to hear that Blackwood looks as good to the eye as he does in the box scores.
Not yet but they were just missing Ryan Murray last night. Last night Butcher played again and for the second game in a row he looked good.
Subban is not playing as well as he did in his prime but he’s been much better than last season.
It’s exciting to think what could happen when the Devils get their best player back hopefully next week.
Blackwood is a perfect example of how difficult it is to evaluate goaltenders.
In 2017-2018 he struggled in Binghamton with a 3.41 GAA and a bad .882 save percentage. He was even demoted to the ECHL at one point. The following season his numbers were slightly better but most analysts had given up on him as having a future in the NHL besides a possible backup. Then he got his shot in NJ and all of a sudden his play improved significantly. He’s been great ever since.
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Blackwood is a perfect example of how difficult it is to evaluate goaltenders.
In 2017-2018 he struggled in Binghamton with a 3.41 GAA and a bad .882 save percentage. He was even demoted to the ECHL at one point. The following season his numbers were slightly better but most analysts had given up on him as having a future in the NHL besides a possible backup. Then he got his shot in NJ and all of a sudden his play improved significantly. He’s been great ever since.
Don't know how far back you go Jay but Blackwood reminds me more of Sean Burke when he broke in. Tall and lanky and positionally sound. So far in his career Blackwood has been more consistent though. Dawson Mercer had a hat trick last night. I think he's gonna be up as soon as next year. The crazy thing is the Devs had 3 1st rounders last draft with tons of promise and none of them are even with the big club yet. The future is definitely bright.
I agree about Mercer I think that he will be in NJ next year with Holtz coming over the following year. Unfortunately there is a rumor that Mukhamadullin is out for the rest of the season which will delay his development a bit. Hopefully this proves to be untrue.
Yep between Senna and Dawes they should be set in goal for the next few years. I see Tennyson was put on waivers today. Seems like Butcher and Carrick will probably be 5he 7th/8th dmen going forward once Murray comes back.
Nico Daws was one of my favorite goalies in last years draft. Obviously he wasn’t on the level of Askarov but few are. I am still annoyed that the Devils passed on Dustin Wolf in 2019 especially since he was one of the last picks of the 7th round. Now Wolf is one of the brightest young goalie prospects in the league.
Daws could be a starter down the road with his ability if he develops as hoped but he is 2-3 years away if he pans out. I hope the Devils continue to draft a goalie each year because outside of Daws and Senn there isn’t much in the system. I was not a fan of Akira Schmid and I thought the Devils should have taken Dustin Wolf instead of Cole Brady. At least Brady has some talent but I don’t think he has starting goalie upside.
Thanks for the update Stu that is great news. The one problem now is who gets sent to the taxi squad or Binghamton? I would hate to see McLeod sent down with the way he is playing. I would prefer Bastian be sent to Binghamton with McLeod moving to RW on the 4th line. I also hope that the keep Kuokkanen up because he has shown great chemistry with Zacha. It’s a great problem to have.
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Ruff said Nico is available but didn't confirm he is in the lineup. My guess is we won't see him till tomorrow or Tuesday. Probably will be in warm-ups but hard to see them throw home in there with no practices. Problem is with the condensed schedule there is little chance to practice.
Thanks for the update Stu that is great news. The one problem now is who gets sent to the taxi squad or Binghamton? I would hate to see McLeod sent down with the way he is playing. I would prefer Bastian be sent to Binghamton with McLeod moving to RW on the 4th line. I also hope that the keep Kuokkanen up because he has shown great chemistry with Zacha. It’s a great problem to have.
Yep it is. Maltsev is probably the first one out. As for the 2nd that's when it gets tough. McLeod is important to our philosophy of speed off the rush. We need Bastain's sizecthough too.
This is awesome. Congratulations to Hischier as he certainly earned the C. It’s also great news for Palmieri who will hopefully stay hot.
That’s very odd. I assumed that McLeod would move to the wing. Blackwood with two big saves already as the Devils are playing sloppy so far. Despite their record the Sabres are loaded with offensive talent. The Devils need to limit the amount of turnovers in their own zone.
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With Johnsson and Hughes in warmups. That's bizarre. Can't see that sticking for the game. 4th line stays together Wood Bastain and McLeod. No Gusev. I have a feeling Zajac will be the faceoff guy on the Hughes line then maybe come off at times.
That’s very odd. I assumed that McLeod would move to the wing. Blackwood with two big saves already as the Devils are playing sloppy so far. Despite their record the Sabres are loaded with offensive talent. The Devils need to limit the amount of turnovers in their own zone.
Buffalo up 1-0 and flying. They could have 2 or 3 more. Devs better wake up for the matinee.
Mark Recchi was brought here to help fix the PP. Obviously this is not what they had in mind. There is no reason why both units should be playing this bad.
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Devil ST's have been the worst in the NHL. The PK is a complete embarrassment at this point.
Mark Recchi was brought here to help fix the PP. Obviously this is not what they had in mind. There is no reason why both units should be playing this bad.
I'm not as worried about the PP. The talent is there, it will click. The PK is horrific at this point. Since coming back from covid they been real disciplined, only surrendering 4 pp chances in 4 games but they given up 3 ppg's! You like the fight in the 3rd, but no excuse to come home and give away 2 regulation points to the awful Sabres.
Aaron Dell has played well so far.
Absolutely horrific. It gets worse every day. Frankly the last 30 minutes of the game the Devs were a complete no show
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This is embarrassing how bad they are when it comes to the PK.
Absolutely horrific. It gets worse every day. Frankly the last 30 minutes of the game the Devs were a complete no show
3 more power play goals allowed today. I have never seen anything like this before.
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In comment 15158263 Jay on the Island said:
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This is embarrassing how bad they are when it comes to the PK.
Absolutely horrific. It gets worse every day. Frankly the last 30 minutes of the game the Devs were a complete no show
3 more power play goals allowed today. I have never seen anything like this before.
Bryce Slavador tweeted a lot about this tonight. Says he's gonna break down the video a lot in the pre-game tuesday. His basic point was the PK is about chemistry and 7 of the top 10 penalty killers from last year are no longer on the team. I really think they are missing Coleman, Greene and Lovejoy in this department. Nico and Zajac gettin their legs goping forward will help I hope.
Bryce Slavador tweeted a lot about this tonight. Says he's gonna break down the video a lot in the pre-game tuesday. His basic point was the PK is about chemistry and 7 of the top 10 penalty killers from last year are no longer on the team. I really think they are missing Coleman, Greene and Lovejoy in this department. Nico and Zajac gettin their legs goping forward will help I hope.
Coleman is probably the biggest loss in that department. You're right once Zajac and Hischier are 100% then that should help but I think they need to make some other changes. Less time for Severson and give Kulikov and Vatanen more time. Also Zacha has been a very good PK for most of his career and he too should receive more time there.
Now to a positive, Zacha continues to impress me out there. He seems way more confident this season. Sometimes I forget that he is only 23 years old.
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Bryce Slavador tweeted a lot about this tonight. Says he's gonna break down the video a lot in the pre-game tuesday. His basic point was the PK is about chemistry and 7 of the top 10 penalty killers from last year are no longer on the team. I really think they are missing Coleman, Greene and Lovejoy in this department. Nico and Zajac gettin their legs goping forward will help I hope.
Coleman is probably the biggest loss in that department. You're right once Zajac and Hischier are 100% then that should help but I think they need to make some other changes. Less time for Severson and give Kulikov and Vatanen more time. Also Zacha has been a very good PK for most of his career and he too should receive more time there.
Now to a positive, Zacha continues to impress me out there. He seems way more confident this season. Sometimes I forget that he is only 23 years old.
Another positive is Palms seems to have found his game. I love the Hughes-Johnsson-Palms line. Johnsson has the speed and skill to hang with Jack and Palms adds some size in there with his scoring.
I think we all knew it was a matter of time before Palmieri turned it around. I was more concerned about Gusev, and I still am. It’s funny because earlier in the season the analytics showed that Hughes and Palms were awful when paired together which surprised me because I thought that they would compliment each other very well.
I really like Johnsson with Hughes also. I would like to see a line of Zacha Hughes and Johnsson. I can’t wait until Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer, and Nolan Foote.
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Another positive is Palms seems to have found his game. I love the Hughes-Johnsson-Palms line. Johnsson has the speed and skill to hang with Jack and Palms adds some size in there with his scoring.
I think we all knew it was a matter of time before Palmieri turned it around. I was more concerned about Gusev, and I still am. It’s funny because earlier in the season the analytics showed that Hughes and Palms were awful when paired together which surprised me because I thought that they would compliment each other very well.
I really like Johnsson with Hughes also. I would like to see a line of Zacha Hughes and Johnsson. I can’t wait until Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer, and Nolan Foote.
Yea Foote with his size will be a big plus. I may be off but Mercer strikes me as the next Zajac, with maybe a bit more scoring which I'd be perfectly fine with.
If people are expecting Mercer to be a perennial 30 goal scorer then they will be disappointed. That is not an insult to Mercer but he is just not that type of player as he is a Jack to all trades type. That’s not to say that Mercer won’t be a top 6 forward. IMO Mercer is a better fit at RW and he will be a great compliment to whomever he plays with. If he lives up to his potential Mercer will be a fan favorite similar to Blake Coleman.
Of all the draft picks from this draft class Mercer will be the first in the NHL and I think that could be next season.
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Yea Foote with his size will be a big plus. I may be off but Mercer strikes me as the next Zajac, with maybe a bit more scoring which I'd be perfectly fine with.
If people are expecting Mercer to be a perennial 30 goal scorer then they will be disappointed. That is not an insult to Mercer but he is just not that type of player as he is a Jack to all trades type. That’s not to say that Mercer won’t be a top 6 forward. IMO Mercer is a better fit at RW and he will be a great compliment to whomever he plays with. If he lives up to his potential Mercer will be a fan favorite similar to Blake Coleman.
Of all the draft picks from this draft class Mercer will be the first in the NHL and I think that could be next season.
Yeah thats definitely the vibe I get about Mercer. The kind of guy that can do all the little things that help you win hockey games without being a 30 goal type guy. That's fine, between Hughes, Nico and hopefully Holtz not to mention Bratt and anyone else they acquire hopefully scoring won't be an issue.
It's still going to be a fun season watching the kids develop. Also Damon Severson has improved noticeably this season where he is now a legit top pairing defenseman. He has significantly reduced the mistakes that he's made in the past.
Hopefully Gusev heats up so that they can get something for him at the deadline.
The defense has been a pleasant surprise with the obvious exemption of Tennyson who is now gone. Having Will Butcher as your 7th defenseman is a great development. Unfortunately Subban has struggled at times but he is better than last season.
I wasn’t expecting Severson to improve from last season. I thought he hit his peak as an offensive 2nd pairing defenseman who makes the occasional rookie mistake. He’s playing like a complete 1st pairing defenseman and has been paired with Ty Smith at times. That’s a preview of the future. Ty Smith is living up to his expectations. It’s hard to not get excitedly about his future. I hope that they can re-sign Kulikov to a 2-3 year deal for about 2.5 million per.
Now let’s hope that one or two of Bahl, Walsh, Okhotiuk, Vukojevic can battle for a role in NJ next year.
So far the highlights of the season have been Blackwood, Hughes, Severson, Zacha, Smith, and Bratt. Kulikov, McLeod, Wood, And Kuokkanen have exceeded expectations as well.
Prior to this year I didn't think Sharangovich would be more than an AHL player who might earn a brief call up or two in the NHL but nothing more than that. His performance in the KHL caught many people off guard. I agree with you that I think he has a future as a bottom six player and it wouldn't surprise me if he has a 20 goal season or two in that role.
The Devils were overdue for a late round find as they haven't had much luck there besides Bratt. A couple of other prospects that I like that could be players down the road are Arseni Gritsyuk and Nikola Pasic.
I'm curious to see what the Devils do with Tyce Thompson and Aarne Talvitie this offseason. Thompson is ready to turn pro IMO as is Talvitie. Talvitie could use more development time in the AHL but I am confident that Thompson can compete for a bottom six role next season. I will admit that I wasn't thrilled with the Devils using a 4th round pick on an overaged center in the draft but Thompson fhas proven to be a great pick so far. He could be great 3rd line player with the chance for more.
Hopefully the Devils can land some more picks at the deadline if they fall out of the playoff picture. They have some intriguing trade options in Nikita Gusev, Sami Vatanen, Dmitry Kulikov, Miles Wood, Ryan Murray, Will Butcher, and Travis Zajac. Palmieri is a candidate too but I think and hope that they work out an extension. I could see Lou try to acquire Zajac if the Devils retain some of his cap hit. It would be great if the Devils could trade some of these guys and then re-sign Kulikov and possibly Murray in the offseason.
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Is Sharengovich. Was hoping his scoring touch from the KHL would carry over but it hasn't. I think the Devils have to talent up front to score more. I just think it's about finding the right combos to click, and I think Ruff is working his way through that. The 4th line has been established with Wood-McLeod-Bastain. Now he has to figure out the top 3 lines. With his skating ability and skill it's hard for me to believe that Sharengovich won't be at least a 20 goal 3rd line type.
Prior to this year I didn't think Sharangovich would be more than an AHL player who might earn a brief call up or two in the NHL but nothing more than that. His performance in the KHL caught many people off guard. I agree with you that I think he has a future as a bottom six player and it wouldn't surprise me if he has a 20 goal season or two in that role.
The Devils were overdue for a late round find as they haven't had much luck there besides Bratt. A couple of other prospects that I like that could be players down the road are Arseni Gritsyuk and Nikola Pasic.
I'm curious to see what the Devils do with Tyce Thompson and Aarne Talvitie this offseason. Thompson is ready to turn pro IMO as is Talvitie. Talvitie could use more development time in the AHL but I am confident that Thompson can compete for a bottom six role next season. I will admit that I wasn't thrilled with the Devils using a 4th round pick on an overaged center in the draft but Thompson fhas proven to be a great pick so far. He could be great 3rd line player with the chance for more.
Hopefully the Devils can land some more picks at the deadline if they fall out of the playoff picture. They have some intriguing trade options in Nikita Gusev, Sami Vatanen, Dmitry Kulikov, Miles Wood, Ryan Murray, Will Butcher, and Travis Zajac. Palmieri is a candidate too but I think and hope that they work out an extension. I could see Lou try to acquire Zajac if the Devils retain some of his cap hit. It would be great if the Devils could trade some of these guys and then re-sign Kulikov and possibly Murray in the offseason.
Yep you're definately better versed on the deeper prospect pool than I am. That was another real downside to Crawford retiring. I felt if he was playing well and we were in seller mode at the deadline we could have gotten a #1 pick for him to a contender who was strapped in goal. With their prospect pool the way it is, I think if they load up on draft picks again this year I'd like to see them use multiple picks and a prospect or 2 to make a run at a star.