No one seems to want to address, or if they have, I missed it, the ice surface at the Rock. Seems like puck bounces more there than when Devils are on the road. Do you see that as well?
If so, are the players quietly grumbling about it, and is management doing anything to fix it. The schedule at the Arena seems more conducive to making money than a good ice surface. Twice this year the Devils had home games split by Seton Hall basketball games over a weekend (when scheudle could have adjusted Pirates to after Devils games.) Plus during Christmas STO had concerts on days between Devils games.
Seems counter to a team that wants to skate and pass consistently to have crappy home ice.
Yeah, I mean that’s just the way the cookie crumbles when the Prudential Center is a venue for so many things. Unfortunately the team’s just going to need to figure out how to adapt — could be an advantage if they do figure that out.
Committing to the bit is my favorite. It goes back to coaching advice I have seen which is prioritize putting players in the situations where players perform the best.
Devils ownership, who own the Rock as well, right, should be making sure that their primary tenant, the Devils, get favorable scheduling. 15 dates for the Hall, which doesn't draw more 10K per game, is not moving the needle on the Rock's finances. STO is probably a huge money-maker. Every year the schedule, seems to bite them in the ass, and some of it is their own fault.
1. Gritysuk better not be the next Nikita Gusev or all the internet propect experts who have been waiting on this guy like he is going to a 30-goal scorer, will have your credibility significantly reduced. Been hearing about him like he is a savior. Coming as a 25-year third line wing?
2. The puck moving/eggs in the pocket defense was a major reason for the poor goaltending. The Avalance are making due to with Blackwood, but we could not.
3. The criticize Cotter for a lack of hockey IQ, when you praise Miles Wood and Damon Severon (Mr. Minus) is a bit hypocritical.
4. To me Devils need to utilize more youth on the fourth line, guys who can easily be benched/sent down without waivers to make sure their desperation level is up. No one seems to note to coincidence that Haula finally got benched after being HORRIBLE all season, sits a game, and comes back much improved. Compeition lit a fire under a vets ass. Lit a fire under all their asses. Team has too many games when they don't show up to play. (Like after every off day this year at home it seemed.)
1. If you’ve been keeping tabs with my synopsis on Gritsyuk, I’ve been labeling him as a M6 contributor good for ~20 goals a season. Nothing more.
2. Yeah. Need more puck movement from the back end for sure.
3. I said in the piece that Miles Wood is atrocious but fits the bill of what the Avalanche are doing; I wouldn’t call that praise. I’ll stand by defending Severson because Severson was an excellent defenseman whose game got overly criticized because the few mistakes he did make were glaring and spectacular.
4. Not opposed to that idea, though Haula’s uptick in production came as a byproduct of moving positions more than getting benched imo.
Why does a Substack writer understand the path forward better than Tom Fitzgerald?
No one seems to want to address, or if they have, I missed it, the ice surface at the Rock. Seems like puck bounces more there than when Devils are on the road. Do you see that as well?
If so, are the players quietly grumbling about it, and is management doing anything to fix it. The schedule at the Arena seems more conducive to making money than a good ice surface. Twice this year the Devils had home games split by Seton Hall basketball games over a weekend (when scheudle could have adjusted Pirates to after Devils games.) Plus during Christmas STO had concerts on days between Devils games.
Seems counter to a team that wants to skate and pass consistently to have crappy home ice.
Thanks for the reply.
Yeah, I mean that’s just the way the cookie crumbles when the Prudential Center is a venue for so many things. Unfortunately the team’s just going to need to figure out how to adapt — could be an advantage if they do figure that out.
Committing to the bit is my favorite. It goes back to coaching advice I have seen which is prioritize putting players in the situations where players perform the best.
I agree completely — there needs to be a commitment to the playstyle the core is best at if the Devils truly want to succeed imo.
Devils ownership, who own the Rock as well, right, should be making sure that their primary tenant, the Devils, get favorable scheduling. 15 dates for the Hall, which doesn't draw more 10K per game, is not moving the needle on the Rock's finances. STO is probably a huge money-maker. Every year the schedule, seems to bite them in the ass, and some of it is their own fault.
1. Gritysuk better not be the next Nikita Gusev or all the internet propect experts who have been waiting on this guy like he is going to a 30-goal scorer, will have your credibility significantly reduced. Been hearing about him like he is a savior. Coming as a 25-year third line wing?
2. The puck moving/eggs in the pocket defense was a major reason for the poor goaltending. The Avalance are making due to with Blackwood, but we could not.
3. The criticize Cotter for a lack of hockey IQ, when you praise Miles Wood and Damon Severon (Mr. Minus) is a bit hypocritical.
4. To me Devils need to utilize more youth on the fourth line, guys who can easily be benched/sent down without waivers to make sure their desperation level is up. No one seems to note to coincidence that Haula finally got benched after being HORRIBLE all season, sits a game, and comes back much improved. Compeition lit a fire under a vets ass. Lit a fire under all their asses. Team has too many games when they don't show up to play. (Like after every off day this year at home it seemed.)
1. If you’ve been keeping tabs with my synopsis on Gritsyuk, I’ve been labeling him as a M6 contributor good for ~20 goals a season. Nothing more.
2. Yeah. Need more puck movement from the back end for sure.
3. I said in the piece that Miles Wood is atrocious but fits the bill of what the Avalanche are doing; I wouldn’t call that praise. I’ll stand by defending Severson because Severson was an excellent defenseman whose game got overly criticized because the few mistakes he did make were glaring and spectacular.
4. Not opposed to that idea, though Haula’s uptick in production came as a byproduct of moving positions more than getting benched imo.