If you have the mental strength to re-visit last night’s game and the brutal third period, well, here ya go!
What’s on your mind?
[Video Recap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvHfHovePFQ)
[ESPN Game Cast](https://www.espn.com/nhl/game/_/gameId/401559730)
[NHL Game Center](https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/edm-vs-njd/2023/12/21/2023020501)
[Shift Chart](http://shiftchart.com/game/2023-12-21-oilers-devils)
[Sam Kasan Game Story: Four-Goal 3rd Period Lifts Oilers Over Devils](https://www.nhl.com/devils/news/devils-vs-oilers-12-21-23-game-story)
[2023-24 Regular Season Schedule (December, all times EST)](https://www.nhl.com/devils/schedule/2023-12-01)
by Devil_Dane
28 Comments
I mean… ugh.
I like to pretend the game ended at 40 minutes for my own mental wellbeing
Fell asleep to happy thoughts after the 2nd period, woke up to pain
Feel bad for people that paid to see that game in person.
How the hell did we go from outshooting Boston 35-24 and beating them 2-1 to having as remarkable of a meltdown as we did last night? Like if we had gotten our assess handed to us straight up, that would have been one thing, but Vanecek stopped 21/21 in 35 minutes and then in 1:09 the entire team fell asleep and Edmonton gets 3 out of 5 past Vanecek.
Ruff still employed?
Lol
Lmao even
I’m a Ruff ride or die but I’m having doubts.
Goalie when? Bring in a veteran to teach schmid
The team is playing dumb right now. So many stupid mistakes. Bahls pass was the worst.
I’m still furious. Almost to the point where I think missing the playoffs will be worth it if that’s what it takes to get rid of Lindy (open your eyes fitz)
This team is so bad at home I seriously think ownership should move the team back to Continental Airlines Arena.
Edit: We also deserve better tendies, both human and chicken.
Out of 61 qualifying NHL goaltenders, [our goalies are 39th (Schmid) and 56th (Vitek) in Save %](https://www.espn.com/nhl/stats/player/_/view/goaltending/table/defensive/sort/savePct/dir/desc). Additionally, according to Natural Stat Trick, we are [14th in the league in High Danger Scoring Changes Against](https://www.naturalstattrick.com/teamtable.php); so slightly *above* average in preventing high danger chances.
We need better goaltending. End of story. Frankly, it’s a miracle we have as many points as we have with goaltending this bad.
You can say whatever you want about the goaltending. But it all goes back to this team not ever being ready to play at puck drop. That falls squarely on Ruff, Jack and Nico.
Also. The amount of lazy, blind passes from this team is incredible. Especially in their own zone. That also goes back to coaching.
Lindy should have been fired last December when we only won 3 games(or whatever it was) in the entire month.
We can’t expect the team to play “perfect” mistake free hockey but damn these goalies need to make a stop one in a big spot at least once in a while. Even when the goalies are playing “good” they’re not stealing anything for us, just making the routine stops & we win because the team is really good in front of them.
I was there. My first game since 2018. I was ecstatic after the second period. The third period, not so much. Ugh.
Keep working at it lads. We’re not out of this yet!
I don’t even care how much we’ve regressed from last year. It’s disappointing but not surprising considering how young our D core is now. What is driving me nuts is the same problems we’ve had games 1-15 have persisted though games 16-30. We know the defensive zone play and goal tending is bad and as far as I can tell we have made ZERO adjustments. That is what makes it unwatchable for me, not losing. We have tried nothing and and we are all out of ideas.
This season is annoying as hell. I still think they can make the playoffs, but it seems like 90% of the league is doing more with what they have than the devils are. Losing like they did by giving up the lead and letting in 4 in the 3rd on home ice is inexcusable. Letting a lot of points slip away whereas every other team in the chase is banking points every game seemingly. Gonna look back at these moments in April and be sick.
Maserati offense, 16 yr old driver defense, bald tires goaltenders and it’s raining out.
Idk. Pulling Schmid after he got torched twice due to complete defensive breakdowns made me a little mad. And then VV getting smoked just as generously in the third on high danger chances from complete defensive blunders. This is not a one off thing, this has been alll season and us largely winning in despite of this formula.
That was rough (Ruff?) but trying to keep it in perspective that in reality it’s been two awful games in a long stretch where they’ve otherwise been very solid (the Flyers game wasn’t awful). Not sure what’s going on with Jack, he’s been at best invisible and at worst a turnover machine since the Vancouver game. They need him.
At least they didn’t lose 9-3?
I’m not mad. Just disappointed.
team needs to pull their heads out of their asses, and quickly.
siegs, marino, and bahl have been so up and down this year- especially siegs and marino. these two were awesome last year. if they’re not going to be the stalwarts on D they were last year then we are really boned.
why are they so bad on home ice?
vitek’s positioning and rebound control is abhorrent on some of these goals.
jack has been straight up bad since the vancouver game. not sure what’s up with him
ON THE POSITIVE SIDE- timo got a goal.. maybe he gets it going now. another good game for nemec- might be my first jersey purchase. he’s gonna be a good one
still time to save the season but they _really_ need to find some consistency in their play. some of these losses are completely unnaceptable
I have never seen a team get caved in so consistently at 5v5 than last night’s showing. McDavid’s line absolutely clowned us and by sheer puck luck, we actually had a lead going into the 3rd.
Rip on goaltending all you want (it’s certainly been a focal point of this year’s struggles), but Vanecek held it down coming off the bench and the team responded despite having no answer for the McDavid line. Weathered the storm on the PK as well.
We have now gone THREE GAMES without a 5v5 goal when Mike McLeod is not on the ice. That is just pathetic any way you slice it.
I don’t know what the solution is. “Playing better hockey” seems too simplistic, I don’t think this group is capable of that right now.
This goes beyond one player, but dear Hockey Gods, if you can hear me, please make it so that Brendan Smith never plays another game for NJ.
Through an endless sea of negatives I can find from last night, I will leave you with one positive thought: Simon Nemec is an absolute gem and I am so happy every time I see him out there.
The Oilers and Rangers are proof firing your coach works.
I just hope when I go on Saturday that they’re competitive. I’m not sure I can watch a repeat of yesterday’s game live.
What sucks the most right now:
For long term sustainability, the best bet for the team might just be to ride this season out, whatever happens happens, and then address changes in the offseason. I don’t think this team is good enough to mortgage our future for this particular season. That’s how teams destroy cup windows (ours still isn’t open yet).
The problem is, by doing so, you’re going to burn all of the goodwill from the fanbase from last year, and that goodwill was a decade in the making. It’s a nightmare short term scenario (long term we’re still obviously in very good shape)
Games like that really show what we’re missing from last season and in injuries. We went from Hamilton, Marino, Siegs, Graves, Sevo, Smith, to Bahl, Hughes, Marino, Nemec, Siegs, Smith.
People underplay it, but experience matters a ton on defense, and we’re feeling the impact of Bahl, Hughes, Nemec, being our “go-to’s”, especially with Dougie injured. They’ll learn and in a few years this will be a dream lineup, but today we’re hurting.
Side note, bit disappointing that the Oilers went harder on the pride tape than the Devils. Especially with how supportive Jack has been in the media and stuff, you’d think the guys would come together with a better showing for a cause than that. Props to Lazar for being the guy at least.