FanaticsKnowBest

One thing that will change for the Devils next year is they will not sneak up on anyone like this year. Every opponent next year will take them seriously. Much different when you have a target on your back. Observation. Please correct me if I am wrong. Hughes is an exceptional skater…..speed, quickness, acceleration……during our series, he did not seem strong on his skates. He got checked off the puck easier than I expected. I know he is not big. And easier said than done. Noticing the same thing against Carolina.

Sorry for the additional post. I forgot to add this before. I heard someone make a good point yesterday about Panarin’s value. Without him in the regular season, they probably don’t even make the playoffs. You have to get into the playoffs first, before worrying about what to do when you get there. So he is very valuable. Maybe Buffalo and Ottawa are in if they have him. Of course, it doesn’t negate that he has not produced in the playoffs when needed most. I know he had the series winner against Pittsburgh, but that was pretty much it from him.

I thought the effort was there from Bread, but you watch a clip from the regular season against [insert team] and watch the playoffs….………he has no time and space. He gets suffocated. He is not big enough to make that space or fast enough to create separation. Not his fault. That is just the playoffs. I do think he hesitates to shoot, as do many of his teammates who also have good shots. Exactly why Vatrano and Tarasenko are refreshing. BTW, I really liked Tarasenko’s effort on defense. Not saying he is Bergeron or anything, but it was better than expected. To me, Kane was just an empty spot out there. It was glaring. I know hindsight is 20/20, but ouch, it was exactly what I feared when they got him. I saw Rick Nash mentioned on a post. That dude worked his butt off in the playoffs. He was totally snake bitten. No breaks went his way. Concussions took their toll on his game.

Something silly that annoyed me…….this building up Schmid as a story. Ridiculous. The press and analysts made this out as if Schmid was standing on his head, facing high danger chances all over the place. Not the case at all IMO. He was barely tested. That was part of the problem. They are making this guy out to be the next Patrick Roy or Dominik Hasek. He made NHL quality saves. That’s all. Igor was the goaltending story.

They barely won any 50/50 battles and hardly anything along the walls. They were stick checking, puck watching, and not finishing checks. Very first odd man rush of the game, Mika has a chance to get a shot on net to test Scmid immediately, and they don’t get a shot off. As RichieNextel just said, coach be damned, there is plenty of motivation for Game 7 of the playoffs. Pride, your teammates, etc. To heck if you are unhappy with the coaching staff. Also not saying the coaches are absolved of responsibility. Games 5 and 7 were a disgrace.

4 coaches since 2009. And 2 more years until Igor’s contract is up. So they better figure it out soon or risk him walking. He wants to win. Henrik endured what Igor is dealing with right now. And the Devils are poised to be a problem for many years to come. Igor was far and away their best player.

I just joined today when I heard all the talk of me possibly being fired. I thought it may be a friendly space for me to vent.

I’m not saying the coaches have no impact or accountability. I am simply asking why some fans are giving the players a pass. Quite a few players were almost invisible. In no universe was Kane going to sit or be scratched. Not gonna happen after what it took to get him. Same with sitting any big name players. Sorry. It won’t happen. Does anyone really think the coaching staff did not tell the players to simplify? To be responsible with the puck? To dump and chase when a play isn’t there? I would venture a guess that the coaches repeated the need to get pucks on net and create traffic. When the players executed this, they had some success. The Devils had the horses to dictate play and pressure. It was up to the players to be smart. They were not. Coaches can coach until they are blue in the face. It is up to the players to play.

Wow…….all of these suggestions are revolutionary. Be sure to get your applications in if GG gets fired. Let me repeat, the Devils played the exact same way they played all season. Lineup changes were a luxury for Ruff and he made a few. Did those players inserted or subtracted make the difference? Not likely. The Rangers had self inflicted wounds all over. The Devils did not alter their system, they simply executed the way they play to be successful. Do you think the Rangers coaching staff told the players to make stupid plays? All of you would complain regardless. If they sat Kane and lost, you would complain. When they move players around, you complain. If they don’t move players around, you complain. If the Rangers players stuck to what was working, they had a chance. The players did not execute. Plain and simple. You all think you know what gets said behind closed doors. You don’t. The players don’t get a pass. How many coaches are we going on that the fan base has complained about? ALL OF THEM.

What exactly did he do? Took a shot in the dark by playing Scmid. Great coaching move. Hardly. The Devils settled themselves and played exactly the way they played all season. Ruff didn’t make amazing tactical changes in the series. The Rangers played right into their hands. So do tell, what did Ruff do to “out coach” Gallant? And what great moves should Gallant have done?

Pretty sure the coaching staff didn’t ask them to quit playing in Game 5. Or for Adam Fox to have a brain fart in Game 7. Or Panarin and Kane to make drop passes to nobody throughout the series. Or to stop driving the net and challenging Scmid. Everyone got drunk on Games 1 and 2. Kane was a visible liability. Like you said, the speed gave them fits. When they played smart and didn’t force things, they had a chance. I liked their chances against every team in the playoffs, except the Devils. Knew it would be a real challenge.

It is always comical to hear fans, in all sports, offer their expert opinions on their respective teams. As if they know soooooo much more than coaches, GMs, etc. Really easy to say what you would do when you risk nothing. Your “decision” or “choices” made from the safety of your couch. So I ask all of the brilliant hockey minds out there, while you take a break from your jobs (more than likely not hockey related), what amazing and awesome tactical moves could the coaching staff have made to turn the tide? At the end of the day, the players go out there and play. The players knew what it would take to beat the Devils. They didn’t get it done. If not for Igor, this doesn’t make it to Game 7. The Rangers made unforced errors all over the place. This is on the players.