Devils v Blaze - Challenge Cup 30/10

[Temme]

Well they haven’t been stand out have they??
Don’t know what you want me to say!

My problem is conceding 3/4/5 goals a game. We are giving away to many 2 on 1s and bowns has to bail us out a lot!

For a championship team we should have improved these areas already we are now 4 months in and nothing has changed

4 months in?

I'm no travel agent, but i'm pretty sure on July 1st all of these guys had their feet up abroad with their families!

I'm no happy clapper that much is certain, but just like 8 other teams we have qualified in the cup, and in terms of points per game in the league we are joint 1st.

Until there is something to actually worry about, i won't be worrying.

 

[Devilsatw]

A

4 months in?

I'm no travel agent, but i'm pretty sure on July 1st all of these guys had their feet up abroad with their families!

I'm no happy clapper that much is certain, but just like 8 other teams we have qualified in the cup, and in terms of points per game in the league we are joint 1st.

Until there is something to actually worry about, i won't be worrying.

Ok 3mths my bad. but we have played 20 games and still no improvement from the d. It’s a big concern and it won’t change imo.

 

[Temme]

A
Ok 3mths my bad. but we have played 20 games and still no improvement from the d. It’s a big concern and it won’t change imo.

I have the exact same concerns as you my friend - i'm not 100% keen on what i'm seeing at the back ,epitomised with that Dundee game 8-5 or 8-6 or whatever it finished and about 5 breakaways.

McMonagle has come on considerably since the first few games, which is a relief as I had major concerns, knowing Lordo said he'd been after him for years though i guess we trust that judgement.

Fournier is having a bit of a shocker the last month or so, he's started overplaying things to the untrained eye and appears to be trying to take responsibility a lot more.

Richie/Louis/Reddick have been pretty drama free so far, imo Reddick has looked sharp the last few games if not caught out on the rush a couple of times which is to be expected from a guy that likes to chase his pucks in.

Jardine i hope there is more to come from, I expected our last signing to be a massive Ben Blood style statement signing (like Pelech @ Belfast) but was a little dissapointed when he was announced, however looking at his figures he has significant AHL time for young guy.

I do think he will get there though, i think our slight issues at the minute come from guys not playing systems correctly rather than individual ability or coaching. Lord has lost his cool with our D multiple times over the last 2-3 games which is not normal!

 

[kristian]

I have the exact same concerns as you my friend - i'm not 100% keen on what i'm seeing at the back ,epitomised with that Dundee game 8-5 or 8-6 or whatever it finished and about 5 breakaways.

McMonagle has come on considerably since the first few games, which is a relief as I had major concerns, knowing Lordo said he'd been after him for years though i guess we trust that judgement.

Fournier is having a bit of a shocker the last month or so, he's started overplaying things to the untrained eye and appears to be trying to take responsibility a lot more.

Richie/Louis/Reddick have been pretty drama free so far, imo Reddick has looked sharp the last few games if not caught out on the rush a couple of times which is to be expected from a guy that likes to chase his pucks in.

Jardine i hope there is more to come from, I expected our last signing to be a massive Ben Blood style statement signing (like Pelech @ Belfast) but was a little dissapointed when he was announced, however looking at his figures he has significant AHL time for young guy.

I do think he will get there though, i think our slight issues at the minute come from guys not playing systems correctly rather than individual ability or coaching. Lord has lost his cool with our D multiple times over the last 2-3 games which is not normal!

And with officials which is also not the norm.

 

[jenks33]

I have the exact same concerns as you my friend - i'm not 100% keen on what i'm seeing at the back ,epitomised with that Dundee game 8-5 or 8-6 or whatever it finished and about 5 breakaways.

McMonagle has come on considerably since the first few games, which is a relief as I had major concerns, knowing Lordo said he'd been after him for years though i guess we trust that judgement.

Fournier is having a bit of a shocker the last month or so, he's started overplaying things to the untrained eye and appears to be trying to take responsibility a lot more.

Richie/Louis/Reddick have been pretty drama free so far, imo Reddick has looked sharp the last few games if not caught out on the rush a couple of times which is to be expected from a guy that likes to chase his pucks in.

Jardine i hope there is more to come from, I expected our last signing to be a massive Ben Blood style statement signing (like Pelech @ Belfast) but was a little dissapointed when he was announced, however looking at his figures he has significant AHL time for young guy.

I do think he will get there though, i think our slight issues at the minute come from guys not playing systems correctly rather than individual ability or coaching. Lord has lost his cool with our D multiple times over the last 2-3 games which is not normal!

Like you I was surprised with the Jardine signing when I looked at his profile and listened to Lordo. I remember when Lordo was asked if Jardine was similar to Strachan or Blood he said not really as he had more of an offensive upside and wasn’t really a stay at home D. I thought at the time is that really what we need. We already had Fournier, Mcmonagle and Reddick so I assumed our last signing on D would be a Strachan type. That’s why I thought the Brett Carson rumour (if you can call it a rumour) was a possibility. I’m sure Jardine will come good but I’m still not convinced he’s what we needed.

 

[Gazza272]

Like you I was surprised with the Jardine signing when I looked at his profile and listened to Lordo. I remember when Lordo was asked if Jardine was similar to Strachan or Blood he said not really as he had more of an offensive upside and wasn’t really a stay at home D. I thought at the time is that really what we need. We already had Fournier, Mcmonagle and Reddick so I assumed our last signing on D would be a Strachan type. That’s why I thought the Brett Carson rumour (if you can call it a rumour) was a possibility. I’m sure Jardine will come good but I’m still not convinced he’s what we needed.

I'd like to see Jardine Paired with Lou when he returns. I think Lou looking after the back end, and having a bit of a toughness around Sam would give him a bit more freedom.

 

[Temme]

I'd like to see Jardine Paired with Lou when he returns. I think Lou looking after the back end, and having a bit of a toughness around Sam would give him a bit more freedom.

Jardine had one less scrap last year than Louis; (Louis 7, Jardine 6 - AHL fights though which is probably the toughest league in the world with everyone trying to make the show).

He is the kind of guy that will take care of any tough stuff IF it is needed, but won't seek it out.

I quite like what @jenks33 has said above, he doesn't quite 'fit' anywhere just yet, but they will no doubt sus it out!

 

[tim78]

Like the sound of Lou and Jardine. Though i think we need Batch back on D, maybe with McM. Reddick upfront with Myers and Duggan.

 

[Gazza272]

Jardine had one less scrap last year than Louis; (Louis 7, Jardine 6 - AHL fights though which is probably the toughest league in the world with everyone trying to make the show).

He is the kind of guy that will take care of any tough stuff IF it is needed, but won't seek it out.

I quite like what @jenks33 has said above, he doesn't quite 'fit' anywhere just yet, but they will no doubt sus it out!

My comment about Lou bringing toughness wasn't at the expense of Jardine, but I wonder how Jardine would play if he was on a line where he didn't have to worry about being the one to instigate that sort of game, where he could be a bit more free?

 

[Temme]

My comment about Lou bringing toughness wasn't at the expense of Jardine, but I wonder how Jardine would play if he was on a line where he didn't have to worry about being the one to instigate that sort of game, where he could be a bit more free?

I'm not completely against the idea to be fair - out of interest do they play opposite D sides to each other?

Assuming #20 #17 stays untouched, that leaves Reddick & McMonagle, i guess that could work if they do decide to mix it up!

Another one is Mosey when fit - maybe he stays back on D and in which case there would be a full re-jig?

 

[Imp]

Is there any element here of experimenting during meaningless fixtures?

Meaningless ... is definitely the wrong word, but it’ll do.

To date:

• 6 pre-season games (or 4, maybe, can’t remember)
• 6 CHL games
• 8 Challenge Cup Games
• 8 Elite League Games

For the 8 EIHL games we’re 6:2 ... and arguably these are the only fixtures to date that matter.

Preseason, obviously, is a time for experimenting and nobody much cares about the results. The worst case scenario in the CC games was a one game play-off, which likely nobody wanted but even elimination wouldn’t be a complete disaster. The CHL was always a long shot and probably required and/or justified a bit of gambling.

Not suggesting they ever try to do anything other than win but it must have been in minds that, in a lot of cases, it ultimately didn’t matter, at least in the sense that: “I think this will work, but there’s little to lose if it doesn’t.”

May be me just clutching at straws, but I’d expect to see things a lot more settled from here on in.

 

[Wannabe2]

There’s a hell of a lot of money riding on Devils getting through, so it’s fairly important to the club to get further.

 

[mjh]

From my perspective, I'm not too concerned with our offence as we're scoring quite freely in most games. The D is the issue. I'm not calling for personnel changes but perhaps additional focus on the set up of the D systems. We're regularly caught out with fast breaks and it's almost as if its obvious it will happen multiple times per game. Sort that out and I think we'd see a huge difference and our confidence would be back. Looking forward to seeing Mosey back in the coming month or so as he'll give another dimension. We also must keep Sointu this season as he's been a fantastic addition.

 

[Wannabe2]

In the league we are scoring an average of 3.62 goals per game.
And conceding an average of 3 goals per game.
Thats not great stats so far. Although we have won 6 games out of 8 so a 75% win ratio.

 

[Imp]

There’s a hell of a lot of money riding on Devils getting through, so it’s fairly important to the club to get further.

How much difference does that make really?

Assuming they reach the CC Final: up to 2 extra home games income (they get ‘some’ from the final regardless), less maybe 2 sets of travel expenses ... versus up to 5 additional rest days and fewer opportunities to pick up injuries.

Yes, there’s undoubtedly a financial cost but, assuming they’re challenging for the EIHL title and a place in CHL, I suspect the scales don’t automatically tip in favour of additional cup games, even financially.

They’re professionals and they‘ll try to win every game they play. They're also human and it’s certainly not hard to imagine a scenario where you look back on the cup games and suspect that ultimately, you might have been better off without them.