I still believe

by David Fine on Nov 2, 2010 9:07 PM EDT

Right now, the Devils suck. There I said it, they plain old suck. They cannot score, have trouble in their own end, and in general, look like they will never be able to recover in any game if they are trailing.

Yet, as I logged on and saw that Parise will miss the next three months, I still believe.

This team, the team that I invest so much of my time in, made me so upset last night in Vancouver. They played with the Nucks and seeing them not be able to put it together was depressing, but, I still believe.

Last year, the Flyers, yes, the same Flyers that made it all the way to the god forsaken finals and knocked us out of the playoffs, had a similar stretch that no one seems to talk about.

The Flyers went 2-10-1 during a stretch lasting late November into December that forced management to fire their coach and left the team in shambles.

Even though the Flyers are an extreme example, their roster from last year looks a lot like ours right now minus Pronger and Emery/Leighton/Boucher.

Another example, two years ago, the Hurricanes lost nine of 16 games in November 2008, fired their coach (who went on to lead the Flyers last year - Peter Laviolette), and were middling out after a strong start at 12-11-2. The Canes made it to the playoffs, knocked us out (I was at game 7 and still have nightmares), made it to the conference finals and lost to Pittsburgh.

However, despite this, I still believe, and I also believe that the Devils should NOT FIRE MACLEAN!!!!

The talent is there

Maclean is calling the right shots

The work ethic is there

The team is embarrassed

The team is creating chances

The team is hungry

And most of all, at least I hope the Devils, the team that I live and die with, like me, still believes.

All FanPosts and FanShots are the respective work of the author and not representative of the writers or other users of In Lou We Trust.

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The power of positive thinking

Well, I can’t necessarily agree with whatever MacLean’s making the right choices, I find the rest of this to be commendable and refreshing from the initial and understandable doom-saying.

For what it’s worth, I’m not going to give up on the Devils.

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Nov 2, 2010 9:33 PM EDT reply actions

+1

When the going get tough, the tough get going. Now get going Devils!!!!

Go Devils
Go Jets
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by FrankG929 on Nov 2, 2010 9:37 PM EDT reply actions

I still believe

I’ll never abandon the Devils no matter how much they disappoint or aggravate me. I just don’t believe in this season. I think the Devils can use an unlucky, poor season like this to change their philosophy to one that will actually get them far in the postseason. MacLean can finally institute a system over the course of the season and keep the lines more consistent (barring even further injury) so that everyone can get the hang of it.

by njdss4 on Nov 2, 2010 10:09 PM EDT reply actions

My heart will believe until we are mathematically eliminated, but my mind is telling me that this just isn’t our year.

Marc R.

by devilssan2 on Nov 3, 2010 12:02 AM EDT reply actions

Well, it can’t get worse, and it must get better. No team goes 20-60 in this NHL, or at least a team that is not consisting of 19 minor leaguers. It’s getting down to crunch time though, and the effort needs to be there for 60 minutes.

"Potential means you ain't done it yet" - Bill Parcells

by DownGoesAvery on Nov 3, 2010 10:49 AM EDT reply actions

hopefully we can start with a winning streak for confidence

by jonnynovs on Nov 3, 2010 4:35 PM EDT reply actions

Rec’d it because I too am thinking positively. I really cannot see a team as talented as the Devils not make the playoffs.

Joshd12
Brock University
BA. Sports Management, 2014
BA. Recreation and Leisure Studies, 2011

by joshd12 on Nov 3, 2010 5:21 PM EDT reply actions

Think about it.

Parise’s injury may be a blessing in disguise. Kovy now has a clear cut spot on the roster, Elias and Arnott can now play together like we wanted them too, and it seems like there’s less ambiguity when it comes to lines. Granted, having another 40 goal scorer in the lineup will hurt, but lemonade from lemons right?

With A coming back tomorrow, we have more flexibility with the d. A is consistently one of the best defensive defensemen in the game, and we need his presence of the line. I would love to see one of his huge hits on Friday, against the rags no less. Salmela is close to returning, as is Corrente; both of whom I feel are better options than Eckford or Magnan (though both have been more than solid so far, even though its only limited minutes). A top 6 of A, White, Greene, Tallinder, Salmela, and Taormina with Fraser/Corrente as 7th and 8th dmen would finally give us stability and options. Assuming of course we can fit this under the cap.

If we get to the 41 game mark and have a record with below 20 wins, that is the time for doom and gloom. But we’re nowhere near that yet. The Devils showed some life last night. They just gotta keep the ball rolling. A win over the Rags would be huge.

by skly27 on Nov 4, 2010 9:06 AM EDT reply actions

I know it’s a reach, but 19-16-6 after 41 games puts them at 44 pts, exactly half of what the #8 playoff team had last year. so 20 wins isn’t absolutely necessary.

That being said, currently being at 4-9-1, maybe, just MAYBE, 5 games over .500 between now and game 41 is possible. (15-10-2, 14-9-4) puts the team at 19-19-3 or 18-18-5 after 41 games, with 41 points. Then say another 6 games over .500 for the rest of the season (23-17-1, 22-16-3, etc.) turns the season into 42-36-4 or 41-35-6, 88 points, right at the cut-off point from last year. Anything better than those not so difficult goals, and they’re likely very well situated for the playoffs. Oh, and since the Eastern Conference average for OTLs last season was 10.4, shifting roughly 4-6 of those regulation losses into the 3rd column still puts them around 92-94 points.

Close to 20 wins(18, 19) after 40 games, no gloom and doom. Somewhere around 15, perhaps by then, gloom and doom are lurking very close.

Go Devils
Go Jets
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by FrankG929 on Nov 4, 2010 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Can't count on 88 points as the playoff line

A couple of years ago I went back and looked at the numbers over about 10 years and usually a team needs 90+ points. I believe 92 got you in every year.

The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall. - Vince Lombardi

by Devilssection21fan on Nov 4, 2010 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions

While that may be true

Pre-lockout trending probably doesn’t have much of a bearing. The way I see it, as the worst teams in the conference finish with higher point totals, the upper echelon probably aren’t going to go down too far, but the middle of the road teams that are the ones fighting for a playoff spot is where most of those extra points will come from, meaning a lower point total to make the playoffs, but perhaps more teams vying for those last couple spots. Here is some Eastern Conference data from the last 5 seasons:

Year Top3 8th Bot3
09-10 108 88 77
08-09 110 93 68
07-08 102 94 75
06-07 108 92 68
05-06 109 92 67

Top3 is the average point total for the top 3 point teams (not necessarily division winners). Bot3 is the average of the 3 worst teams. Let’s look at 05-06, 06-07, and 08-09 together. The bottom 3 averaged 67 or 68 points. The playoff cutoff was 92 or 93 points. That’s pretty consistent. 07-08 is a bit of an aberration, the spread from 1-8 was a lot smaller. Since the top teams got fewer points, the middle and lower tiers got more. Last season, the top 3 average was back up around the other 3 years. The bottom 3 were higher, so the additional points the lower teams got, they took from the middle tier teams. With Toronto and the Islanders looking better than in last season, I’m thinking the bottom tier will average a point or two more. Washington, Pittsburgh, and take your pick for a likely #3 are probably all going to average 108-110 again. That extra point or two for the bottom tier must then come from the middle tier, making the cutoff a point or two lower. I wouldn’t be surprised if #8 has 86 points this season. Of course #12 might only have 84, but….

Go Devils
Go Jets
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by FrankG929 on Nov 4, 2010 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe Losing Parise is...

exactly what this team needed. Injuries have killed the devils in the past and the team just seems to pull together through the hardships. We lose Marty for 50-ish games – players stepped up and the team has an outstanding regular season.

Weve seen this before, and I think the team can turn it around. Obviously losing Parise is not ideal, but just think about when he comes back and the extra push we’re going to get…

by Marty'sBetter30 on Nov 4, 2010 1:02 PM EDT reply actions