Sam Woo: RAISING HELL: Devils Win 9 Straight, "Sorry Lindy" Chants, Bratt Pack

I still think he should be fired

Pretty sure this doesn't have much to do with Lindy. We're getting league average goaltending this year and maturing players improving.

I still think he should be fired
- shvingter88

Me too

Pretty sure this doesn't have much to do with Lindy. We're getting league average goaltending this year and maturing players improving.
- Pomegrant

Pretty much this lol. Theyre definitely a better team overall from last year top to bottom but everything that was a disaster last year is league average or better right now.

Everybody said it last season, if this team got just league average goaltending then we wouldve been in the mix for a playoff spot(just having a .900 save% would've saved an extra ~46 goals against), well our team save% is currently .903 which is 20th in the league(still not great, but its acceptable and isnt sinking us like last season) and our total GSAx is currently at -0.9 at all strengths which again isnt amazing but its honestly all this team needs. Both are much improved from last season.

The powerplay not only didnt generate much for us last season but we gave up a bunch of short handed goals which flat out just kills a team and any kind of momentum you're trying to generate, and our PP so far this year has just been better. Sure sometimes it doesnt produce much, and we still have a hard time getting into the zone and setting up sometimes, but its not a backbreaker like most nights last season.

Those were the two biggest issues last season and so far this year both have massively improved. Now add on the fact that this team has just been playing better too. Last season they were a top 10-15 team in essentially every analytical metric at 5v5, but this season theyre almost #1 in pretty much everything(#2 in CF%, #1 in xGF%, #1 in SF%, #1 in SCF%, #1 in HDCF%, and #1 in expected goals for per 60 as well as #1 in expected goals against per 60). The team is just a machine as 5v5 atm(and they're currently scoring under expected!!). So we should be dominating even more than we currently are in terms of actual goal scoring.(mostly Jack and Haula who are 2 of the bottom 10 players out of 772 in goals above expected lol. Jack is -4.0 and Haula is -3.2)

Still a ton of season to go, and we obviously arent going to win every game, but this team has flat out been a wagon to open the season. We're going to lose games that we dominate and we're going to win games that we have no business winning, but right now this team is just finding ways to win games even if they dont have their best effort(like last game they found a way to pull through playing their "C game" with their 4th or 5th string goalie in net).Which in the past few seasons wouldnt have happened, for one reason or another.

I know Jack has been getting unlucky in terms of scoring goals but I'd like to see some more line shifting to help him out. Let's see him with Shara and see if they can get something going.

Obviously Nico has been great this season but not for nothing Tatar has been playing great too. Even when he wasn't producing points his possession rates are great. Last year he was stapled to the third line and getting top six minutes has really helped helped. Although with the depth of our young talent hard to see him coming back after this season.

Another big part of the turn around is not having Ty Smith in the lineup and having top to bottom strong defense. John Marino has solidified the group and makes us a really tough team to play against.

For our young guys I think Zetterlund and Boqvist have been playing well which will make lineup decisions tough when players do come back from injuries. Bastian is also apparently having a nice season backed up with the underlying numbers too.

I know Jack has been getting unlucky in terms of scoring goals but I'd like to see some more line shifting to help him out. Let's see him with Shara and see if they can get something going.
- Pomegrant

I think a big part of this issue is the win streak. Great problem to have! But the lineup won't change at this point until a loss or injury occurs. Agreed that he specifically could use a shake up, but I get the "don't fix it if it ain't broke" mentality at the moment.

Hell - they have Holtz sitting in the press box for what feels like a month at this point... Not saying he should be in, but he should certainly be playing hockey games in the A instead of just getting in some random practice reps here for a 20 day period.

I think a big part of this issue is the win streak. Great problem to have! But the lineup won't change at this point until a loss or injury occurs. Agreed that he specifically could use a shake up, but I get the "don't fix it if it ain't broke" mentality at the moment.

Hell - they have Holtz sitting in the press box for what feels like a month at this point... Not saying he should be in, but he should certainly be playing hockey games in the A instead of just getting in some random practice reps here for a 20 day period.
- SteveJ123

Fitz was asked about this and i like where his head is at in regards to this. He said that keeping him on the NHL roster provides a "load of value." Went on to say "He needs to play, but does he need to play 82 games? 76 games? No. I do believe there's a load of value in practicing in the NHL with these guys. The pace is faster. I think you're way more equipped to be put in the lineup versus going down and playing a couple of games, practicing a couple times, then being called up..... Holtz's pace is way better than it was, but he still needs to get it up more. I dont believe you need to play games to fully develop, but you have to play games sometimes to get your timing and things like that." Also said they've had Holtz working with a skating coach while he's been up here as well.

So i think Holtz will be getting into the lineup soon, but the issue is we're on a huge streak right now. I think he wouldve gotten into multiple games over the past few weeks but like you said, since we've kept winning theres no reason to actually make any changes

Fitz was asked about this and i like where his head is at in regards to this. He said that keeping him on the NHL roster provides a "load of value." Went on to say "He needs to play, but does he need to play 82 games? 76 games? No. I do believe there's a load of value in practicing in the NHL with these guys. The pace is faster. I think you're way more equipped to be put in the lineup versus going down and playing a couple of games, practicing a couple times, then being called up..... Holtz's pace is way better than it was, but he still needs to get it up more. I dont believe you need to play games to fully develop, but you have to play games sometimes to get your timing and things like that." Also said they've had Holtz working with a skating coach while he's been up here as well.

So i think Holtz will be getting into the lineup soon, but the issue is we're on a huge streak right now. I think he wouldve gotten into multiple games over the past few weeks but like you said, since we've kept winning theres no reason to actually make any changes
- vlongo4419

Thanks for the insight. Certainly fair and at the very least thoughtful perspective on it from Fitz, so nobody could argue they don't have a plan.

With that said, I do think it's tough for any player (especially somebody who hasn't established themselves in the league) to not play in a game for a month, then jump in with expectations of making an impact. Seems like a classic scenario of - Holtz gets back in lineup, underwhelms in first game back, and questions begin to swarm again as Ruff has a priority to play the "best" lineup.

I do find value in what Fitz is saying, I just wonder at what point does it become too long to not play in a game? If the Devils had lost 4 games ago, then maybe Holtz would have gotten another look already, so that's just the nature of our reality right now, which is much better than the alternative.

I just hope they don't pull a one game stint, he doesn't necessarily jump off the page, and then he's out again. To me, that'll be mismagement at that point.

Another vote for putting shara with Hughes and Bratt. I love Haula but the dude has been snake bitten and just isn’t finishing. If the team is rolling well and defense enabling solid transition, shara should get more time and looks with Hughes, who creates and makes space for his linemates with opposing D having to focus on him and his elusiveness. I just love our D right now and the depth we have. I maintain Subban and Smith being gone and replaced by.. Smith and Marino has been night and day. PK couldn’t keep up and Ty was a liability. A shame cuz maybe if Ty developed into a legit player we’d have picked Cooley over Nemec, but what-ifs.
I see Severson on the 3rd pair and PP, and while I like what he brings, if his role isn’t significant then maybe his loss won’t hurt as much. Meanwhile Graves is on the 2nd pair and may leave a larger hole, since the other lefties are Seigenthaler, Smith and Bahl. At least on the right we have Hamilton and Marino to hold things down. It’s going to be another very interesting off-season for the D.
Love to see Tatar being effective. He reminds me of this year’s Friesen for some reason, even though he has a little more skill and less grit, If memory serves lol. That middle-aged top 6 guy that’s playing well that won’t be here for long.

Vancek in the starters net at morning skate, looks like he's good to go.

Shara also playing with Hughes and Bratt tonight. Things are happening!

full lines for tonight:

Tatar - Hischier - Zetterlund
Sharangovich - Hughes - Bratt
Boqvist - Haula - Mercer
Wood - McLeod - Bastian

Siegenthaler - Hamilton
Graves - Marino
Smith - Severson

Vanecek
Schmid
- @amandacstein

Shara also playing with Hughes and Bratt tonight. Things are happening!

full lines for tonight:
- Pomegrant

Looks like Lindy went to dinner with some of us after all. Looking forward to seeing Shar with Jack

Looks like Lindy went to dinner with some of us after all. Looking forward to seeing Shar with Jack
- MartysBetter88

It has been nice that Lindy has been willing to change the lines around even when things are working right now. I'd like to see some different looks on the powerplay units too but it hasn't been as brutally terrible as last year at least.

Looks like Lindy went to dinner with some of us after all. Looking forward to seeing Shar with Jack
- MartysBetter88

The start of a massive losing streak


DOOMED

I'm done with Smith. He takes stupid penalty after stupid penalty. How big of a moron do you have to be to play like a child?

Vanecek standing on his head, only reason we aren't down 2 or 3 right now. Time to regroup and wake the (frank) up

Jake Allen making some big saves too. Really bad period though, and this trend of starting games really poorly is getting old, fast.

It's insane that people thought Hamilton was overrated. He has one of the most accurate shots I've ever seen on a defenseman. What a player.

Devils may never lose again. Rebuild probably couldn’t have gone better

Devils may never lose again. Rebuild probably couldn’t have gone better
- nyrangers2

Wow way to try and jinx them

Was Marino this good on Pitts?

Was Marino this good on Pitts?
- Leniwm1

I'm pretty sure he was very good for them but not this good. Seems like he's taken it to another gear since getting traded.

Was Marino this good on Pitts?
- Leniwm1

He started out very strong his first year but regressed a ton the past few years. He was fine/average by almost every metric the last two seasons, but he's starting to play like he did in his rookie season.

it's weird how they're able to win games. they're able to make adjustments.. be positionally sound and increase takeaways and get quality chances. And then the goalie stops pucks. It's weird. It's like watching a young NHL team instead of a shell of one. It's like we're living in the upside down.