Does anyone know about Bertuzzi's injury? He's listed DTD so ya...
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The Everything NHL Thread
- Thread starter Jackal
- Start date
Hopefully the Sens continue to suck, hate them so much. =[ Anahiem lead the game 4-0 and now it's 4-3, stupid Hiller.
Obviously not going to continue for the whole season, they're just getting all the technical stuff out of the way now, as opposed to last year where in April Heatley and Spezza didn't have a left winger...
I expect them to make the play-offs for sure and compete for home ice in the first round.
"Senators Effect"? Dude, more like Sabres effect! At least once in each of the past three seasons we've hit like a 12-15 game stretch where we suck dick and only get like 5 points. Last year it happened starting with the New Year's Day game Winter Classic and kept us out of the playoffs.
OK besides the whole "I was completely wrong about Afinogenov" thing, the Sabres look HOT.
Vanek is looking like an absolute superstar. I love players who produce points through many facets of the game, and his Short Handed proficiency is really making me reevaluate him right now.
It isn't even like this is some statistical anomaly, as he pulled these number for the latter half of last year.
Miller is also acting like (gasp) a SUPERSTAR goalie, playing better than merely good and really giving them a chance.
I wasn't high on Buffalo before the regular season, but I think I am about to jump on the bandwagon.
They just look so good.
Also, comon DM, I know you were just responding but obviously the first thing to worry about when discussing the Sabres isn't the "senator effect" but more like the "injury bug" effect.
I remember when like 5 of your top 6 defenseman were injured for the playoffs lol.
Vanek is looking like an absolute superstar. I love players who produce points through many facets of the game, and his Short Handed proficiency is really making me reevaluate him right now.
It isn't even like this is some statistical anomaly, as he pulled these number for the latter half of last year.
Miller is also acting like (gasp) a SUPERSTAR goalie, playing better than merely good and really giving them a chance.
I wasn't high on Buffalo before the regular season, but I think I am about to jump on the bandwagon.
They just look so good.
Also, comon DM, I know you were just responding but obviously the first thing to worry about when discussing the Sabres isn't the "senator effect" but more like the "injury bug" effect.
I remember when like 5 of your top 6 defenseman were injured for the playoffs lol.
Also, in spite of last night lol, I am enjoying the Devils' look this season. I didn't watch the first few games, but I have seen the last three, and besides last night, I really like their offense (lol).
Granted, they aren't going to be high flying like the Capitals or the Sabres, but a top line of Elias Rolston Gionta, with the second line of Parise Zajac Langenbrunner is a really solid combination. Both have the necessary amount of skill and discipline to play two ways effectively.
Our third line with Pandolfo and Madden is by far one of the most underrated in hockey, as it can shut down any top line and with Pandolfo's underrated skills and Madden's opportunism, strike for that occasional momentum shifting goal.
I really wish we would cut out mentality of wasting an entire line for energy, but you can't have everything lol. Maybe some day we'll have a fourth line that is actually meant to provide something other than a momentum shift...
Defense is looking mediocre however. I have always like Colin White, and Paul Martin is really underrated offensively, but from there we get really mediocre. Oduya has been decent but nothing special, and I don't even know the name of the fifth and sixth guys lol.
Nothing to say about Marty. Best goalie (sans maybe Luongo but he is blowing this year) as usual =)
Granted, they aren't going to be high flying like the Capitals or the Sabres, but a top line of Elias Rolston Gionta, with the second line of Parise Zajac Langenbrunner is a really solid combination. Both have the necessary amount of skill and discipline to play two ways effectively.
Our third line with Pandolfo and Madden is by far one of the most underrated in hockey, as it can shut down any top line and with Pandolfo's underrated skills and Madden's opportunism, strike for that occasional momentum shifting goal.
I really wish we would cut out mentality of wasting an entire line for energy, but you can't have everything lol. Maybe some day we'll have a fourth line that is actually meant to provide something other than a momentum shift...
Defense is looking mediocre however. I have always like Colin White, and Paul Martin is really underrated offensively, but from there we get really mediocre. Oduya has been decent but nothing special, and I don't even know the name of the fifth and sixth guys lol.
Nothing to say about Marty. Best goalie (sans maybe Luongo but he is blowing this year) as usual =)
It's true though and their offense has always been underrated because of the trap style that they play but it has always been one of the better ones in the league although not better than teams like Pittsburgh, Washington or Buffalo.
Off the top of my head, teams in the East that probably had better offense than the Devils last year:
*Ottawa
*Montreal
*Buffalo
*Pittsburg
*New York R
*Washington
That leaves the Devils in (a generous) 7th, which is just above the average.
New York Rangers don't belong on that list.
As far as goals scored the only teams that had fewer goals than New Jersey(206) were Anaheim(205), Columbus(193), NY Islanders(194), and St. Louis(205). They weren't anywhere near average.
Things are better this year, I think both because they don't trap as hard as they used to and are adjusting to that and the fact Rolston(until he got injured...) balanced the offense out by giving them enough forwards to have two solid lines. Zajak and especially Parise are damn good too, they'll improve as the new guys get better. Injuries are a threat with Rolston probably out another couple weeks and Langenbrunner apparently injured but if they can keep the team on the ice I think they actually will have an average offense this year which is enough with their defense.
Things are better this year, I think both because they don't trap as hard as they used to and are adjusting to that and the fact Rolston(until he got injured...) balanced the offense out by giving them enough forwards to have two solid lines. Zajak and especially Parise are damn good too, they'll improve as the new guys get better. Injuries are a threat with Rolston probably out another couple weeks and Langenbrunner apparently injured but if they can keep the team on the ice I think they actually will have an average offense this year which is enough with their defense.
wise choice with cammalleri. He's my favorite flame at the moment- I always knew you were smart Jackal.
Edit: Tiefu, just cause they scored less goals doesn't necessarily mean anything about the potential of said offense. They have been a defensive minded team for a long time known for trapping after just a single goal. That gameplan isn't exactly condusive with scoring a shitload.
Edit: Tiefu, just cause they scored less goals doesn't necessarily mean anything about the potential of said offense. They have been a defensive minded team for a long time known for trapping after just a single goal. That gameplan isn't exactly condusive with scoring a shitload.
That's my point and looking at goals for is rather pointless. For a team to be as successful as NJ has been over the years at their trap defensive style, it still takes a good offense to be able to get the goals needed and even when games do get high scoring they have had no problem being able to turn up the offense to make sure they can stay on top which along with the great goaltender they have is the reason for there success over the many years.
You're both making an incredibly silly argument based on nothing - "they win so they must have a good offense, regardless of what stats say otherwise."
They've been in the bottom 5 teams for offense and top 5 in defense for all of the past three years, that doesn't magically mean they have a good offense because they won. Detroit was also top 5 for team defense in all those years, but at no point did they score fewer than 250 goals. You can say it's "strategic" all you want, but no team just stops trying on offense after they have a lead. If the Devils offense is so above average, why have the been among the worst power players in the league the last few years?
There's a reason they haven't won a cup since 2003 - they had an above average offense when they had people like Niedermayer and Rafalski and Rolston and Arnott, and since they lost those people they've replaced them with no one but draft picks, and while Parise and Zajak are better than they tend to get credit for they aren't going to make up for that type of loss without a more gifted back end. The Devils will be a lot better offensive this year if they stay healthy, but they have had a subpar offense for the past several years and if you think I otherwise I suspect you haven't been watching too many Devils games. I catch about sixty a year, so unless they do something radically different in those other 22...
They've been in the bottom 5 teams for offense and top 5 in defense for all of the past three years, that doesn't magically mean they have a good offense because they won. Detroit was also top 5 for team defense in all those years, but at no point did they score fewer than 250 goals. You can say it's "strategic" all you want, but no team just stops trying on offense after they have a lead. If the Devils offense is so above average, why have the been among the worst power players in the league the last few years?
There's a reason they haven't won a cup since 2003 - they had an above average offense when they had people like Niedermayer and Rafalski and Rolston and Arnott, and since they lost those people they've replaced them with no one but draft picks, and while Parise and Zajak are better than they tend to get credit for they aren't going to make up for that type of loss without a more gifted back end. The Devils will be a lot better offensive this year if they stay healthy, but they have had a subpar offense for the past several years and if you think I otherwise I suspect you haven't been watching too many Devils games. I catch about sixty a year, so unless they do something radically different in those other 22...
Actually that great Offense that they only had up to 2003 was dead last in the league that year with an 11% PP and the years after they were in the middle of the pack.
Also for someone that watches the NJ Devils you should know that New Jersey did not have Rolston or Arnott during their 02-03 cup year.
The fact is New Jersey has played the same style regardless of who was on the roster and its yielded 90+ point seasons the past 9 seasons and 2 Stanley cups. They have not missed a beat even though they lost Stevens, Niedermayer, Rafalski and Gomez mainly because of keeping the same core players and drafting within and into their system.
Also the Difference between Detroit and New Jersey is the skill difference. I am not saying New Jersey has the best offence but its much better than it is often given credit for and your right they have a weak back end and on any other team it would show.
I'm not sure exactly where I said they had a great offense? If you could find that and point it out I'd be grateful as I'm pretty sure I never said it was anything better than above average, as that's as good as its been since 02-03. That 02-03 team, by the way, scored 216, which isn't impressive compared to the other numbers but since it was pre-lockout it netted them second in the Atlantic and a tie for fifth in the East.
I also don't recall saying they had Rolston or Arnott that year, I said losing them and the others I mentioned gradually hurt their offense, and it did. They had over 300 goals for the cup win in 1994 and 251 in 2000, the most in the East, compared to that 216 and fifth in the conference in 02-03 and the second worst in conference total they put up last year.
Sutter hasn't trapped nearly as much as previous coaches so even that isn't really true. I wouldn't say they haven't lost a beat, either:Bender said:
99-00 (Won Cup)
00-01 (Lost in Cup Finals)
01-02 (Lost in Round One)
02-03 (Won Cup)
03-04 (Lost in Round One)
05-06 (Lost in Conference Semis)
06-07 (Lost in Conference Semis)
07-08 (Lost in Round One)
They've dropped off pretty far from 02-03 as far as playoff results. The 02-03 cup goes against the theme(although it was against a pretty subpar Anaheim team, I'll just blame it on Giguerre's pads and Babcock <3), but by and large as they lost people Rolston(99-00), Sykora(01-02), Arnott(01-02), Danyeko(^__________^ also 02-03), Niedermayer(Lockout), Stevens(Lockout), Rafalski(07-08), and Gomez(07-08) the offense - and the success of the team - has definitely shown it. You simply can't replace that type of talent and leadership by drafting alone and they haven't.