Devils v Capitals - 07/02 - 6:00pm - Chat/Updates

[Ghost Dog]

To be fair, while Rudowski played well and deserved his shutout, we never did anything to really test him. Shots on goal for period 1 were even, while in P2 we outshot them nearly 2 to 1. Most of those shots though were just fired straight at him for easy stops. We had plenty of overcharge opportunities where we could have one timed it past him but becuse the passing and set plays were so bad it just never looked likely. It seems our offence from the vipers game last Sunday stayed at home last night.

Yes the officiating was terrible again, indeed Hicks put in a performance that would have made Darnell proud, but ultimately we just didn't bring our A game again.

 

[Gazza272]

To be fair, while Rudowski played well and deserved his shutout, we never did anything to really test him. Shots on goal for period 1 were even, while in P2 we outshot them nearly 2 to 1. Most of those shots though were just fired straight at him for easy stops. We had plenty of overcharge opportunities where we could have one timed it past him but becuse the passing and set plays were so bad it just never looked likely. It seems our offence from the vipers game last Sunday stayed at home last night.

Yes the officiating was terrible again, indeed Hicks put in a performance that would have made Darnell proud, but ultimately we just didn't bring our A game again.

Disagree about Rudkowsky not having many good shots to save, there was a tumbling save he made early in the first whcih was highlight reel, and there were more, especially a flashy glove Save from Finnerty i believe it was.

The Capitals made it so shots that would have really tested Rudkowsky either hit their legs, their bodies hell they looked like they would have put their face in front of the puck to stop it.

I think had we been playing newcastle again last night we would have won, i even think if we had played the Steelers last night we would have won, I just think it was one of those games where the capitals were so organised we were never going to get past them.


I cant think of another game at the tent this season where i have thought that the opposition team didnt have one player who played badly (btw i dont count sharp as a player :lol: ) Fully organised and committed for 60 minutes.


That isnt to say we didnt have frailties last night, we needed that inspired set of shifts that Miller had against Newcastle last weekend, and not one player seemed willing to step up and take it on.

 

[DevilDan]

For my birthday this year Mr G can I have no Birbraer next season

A bit of skill here and there doesnt cut it for me, he is seriously the most useless first line player in the league. He cant pass, he seldom scores and I hope he doesnt come back next season.

I know he was really good. But I dont like players who were good, I like players that are. Especially on the first line.

We played awful overall tonight, but Boom or Bust took the gold for most ineffective for me.

Michel/Lyle were my MOM's.

 

[trukkasaurus]

The lack of a Leader has never been more obvious, on and off the Ice.

Personally I would rather see a team full of young hungry brits who would give their all than a team of stunningly average journeyman, who clearly couldnt care less.

A young kid screamed "Do something you wimps" last night and that pretty much sums up my feelings.

I couldnt care less if the Devils lost every game as long as they tried.

Crap.

 

[Finny]

Not sure it is fair to see they didn't try.

Michel, Voth, Birbraer and Finnerty all put in some big checks. For me the effort was there, but with no end result.

 

[Mooney#16]

From what i saw The Devils are not a team that are not trying but they have lost there way. You can see the players are determined to do the right things but they are trying so hard and doing the wrong things. In a word they are in a collective 'funk'.

For my ten pence worth they simply need to go back to basics.

This team is built for forechecking. I wouldn't say they are being very successful carrying the puck into the zone as they are crossing lanes and getting conjested and players positioning is all wrong when guys look to play the pass. I would like to see some better use of the dump in ie a soft one rather than hard one and get wingers crashing there on side D with the centres and off side wing holding lanes and pressurising the net. It would be an unimaginative and simplistic approach but you could get some better structure when entering the zone.

Defensively they aren't actually that bad. Solid around the net and generally channel teams wide and don't give up the slot to easily. However the D do need to compose themselves when they start the break out and are playing the wrong passes. They are forcing plays to guys who are being trapped and missing the open player who has the chance to generate the speed into the rush. Whether this is due to submitting to so called senior players to give them the puck or the break out plays have gone stale and been scouted by the other coaches is something to be addressed by the coaching but the break out passes are not going to the right players.

They are losing at the moment but the tools are there to fix it very easily i would think. The players just need to take the pressure off themselves and play basic hockey instead of trying to single handidly win a game for the team by individual actions. Think about the positioning offensively and get the breakout passing sorted and the goals will start to flow again.

As a side note i'd also give Voth a stint on the third line. He looks completely weighed down by the pressure to perform a certain role and i'd just like to see him be given the chance to have a bit of a run around on the third where he could cause some chaos without disrupting line one or two if he gets involved in some dust ups and spends some time in the bin.

 

[trukkasaurus]

From what i saw The Devils are not a team that are not trying but they have lost there way. You can see the players are determined to do the right things but they are trying so hard and doing the wrong things. In a word they are in a collective 'funk'.

Essentially a coaching and Leadership Issue by all accounts, as theres a lack of both at the moment.

If all else fails they should at least batter the opposition. Edinburgh were organised and commited but not bruised enough IMO.

All they did was play conservative and the Devils were not techniclly or tacticlly astute enough to break them down.

A few hits were thrown, but nothing that really put the caps off their stride.

 

[Ghost Dog]

Disagree about Rudkowsky not having many good shots to save, there was a tumbling save he made early in the first whcih was highlight reel, and there were more, especially a flashy glove Save from Finnerty i believe it was.

Fair point. I was stewarding at the home ice door and only could see Rudowsky properly in period 2. The Caps defence were barricaded around the net making shots from the blueline impossible.

Discipline again was a massive problem. Hicks was very whistle happy whenever we went near the puck and was looking for any excuse to penalise us, and it showed on the team, as we had to practicaly drag Jay off the ice at the end of the first, because he was giving it both lungs to the lino after the buzzer.

 

[zoesdevil]

As has already been mentioned, Hicks was very quick to whistle up the play on a delayed penalty. I always thought the penalised team had to regain control of the puck before play was stopped. Hicks was stopping it when the puck went somewhere near a Caps player.

Unless we play different rules to the NHL I'm pretty sure they should have control of the puck. He did it a few times too, and the fact that our players were going mad at him makes me think that the rule is correct and that Hicks doesn't have a clue what it is!

Not suprised Finnerty got a game and match or whatever it was at the end either. I think the whole rink heard his opinion of Hicks :lol: He did a nice check though when he came out of the box in the last minute.

Positive from tonight - the Caps beat the Pens and an Ovechkin hattrick! I was more entertained checking my phone for updates than watching our game! The games are getting worse and worse there. I almost fell asleep last week until Miller decided to show up! At least we're now consistant I suppose, can't win at home or away

well every other game ive seen the ref has let play go on even if the team has touched the puck and we still get it back play has continued which i thought was the rule!! how can refs be so inconsistent with the same rules!!??

 

[Max Beerbarrell]

I understand the reason we have Ben & Jamie is so we can rotate players ie when someone is on a 10 misconduct or if someone gets injured but we do not use them properly. One of Ben's shifts he was brilliant and caused the Caps some problems, it even caused some energy in the building and gave the team a lift too. Why then, when an underperforming import comes out of the bin, does Ben get benched?!

As young players they must be gutted and thinking what more can they do. For me, Ben causes the opposition more problems than Towey so why not give him more ice-time? Or just bench one of our so-called 'stars' for a period? It baffles me why this doesn't happen, especially when he makes such an obvious positive impact as he did yesterday

Max

 

[mazza03]

I understand the reason we have Ben & Jamie is so we can rotate players ie when someone is on a 10 misconduct or if someone gets injured but we do not use them properly. One of Ben's shifts he was brilliant and caused the Caps some problems, it even caused some energy in the building and gave the team a lift too. Why then, when an underperforming import comes out of the bin, does Ben get benched?!

As young players they must be gutted and thinking what more can they do. For me, Ben causes the opposition more problems than Towey so why not give him more ice-time? Or just bench one of our so-called 'stars' for a period? It baffles me why this doesn't happen, especially when he makes such an obvious positive impact as he did yesterday

Max

I couldn't agree more, Ben is one of our best and should be used as one, when he is on the ice he never, ever gives up, shame on G for not using them mo re.

 

[ASHIPP]

Let's do the maths.......5 games, 2 weekends, potential 10 points. Cardiff Devils 3/10 points. Doesn't take a genius to work out if the team had won all those matches, they would have been right behind the top 3, in a great position to break into it. How many matches have been lost this season by the odd goal or conceding the lead - means the Devils might even have been higher than no3.
What the hell has happened to the team that used to play composed, clean, simple but EFFECTIVE ice hockey before Christmas? As if the road record is not bad enough, we've now had two shakey weekends - if the Devils lose matches in the Blue Tent like this, not good sign for CC Cup or playoff home legs is it?

Capitals

Great netminding, solid defence, work ethic of 'hang onto that slim lead to the bitter end, whatever it takes'. Caps deserved win.

Devils

Plenty of effort but no control or composure, plenty of chances but no conversions, powerplays squandered, some silly penalties which disrupted their play, showed their frustration which effected their motivation and composure. Fact: so-called potent forwards failed to score at all (despite Miller, Latulippe and Michel trying to create action), some players caught out of position to allow the Caps to score.

Effin' Reffin'

Less said the better. Some strange calls there - added to 'frustration factor' for the Devils. Seems Vother only has to touch the puck and he commits 'traversty of the game'.

Solution?

Only the coaches will know. Would love to see G back on the ice next week to bring calm and composure to the team.
He should have no compunction benching poorly performing player for him to play instead or....dare I say it....and try Jarvo on the wing (afterall, he is 'Batman'! :lol whilst G plays defence? :?

 

[nmase20]

I think G and the team need to sit down and have a watch of a game before christmas when they were unstoppable at home and a video of last nights game and see where things have gone wrong.
I also think either G or Franny needs to take control of what lines are icing so we get less of the confusion of who the hell should actually be on the ice.
Something needs to give and it needs to be soon so they can gain some confidence going into the CC final. I'd also like to see Ben and Hayes icing and bench some of the top line to make them realise their spot on the team isn't a given.

 

[DevilDan]

Replace the number 23 with the number 5 and I'll be a happy man for the rest of the season.

 

[DEVIL INSIDE]

Good thing to come from last night was there was a definate contender for funniest moment of the season! When the devils got called for too many men! HAHA all six players were virtually in their zone! Lino blows up and they all stay still, loooking at each other quality!

 

[osh]

ASHIPP ; Sorry to disagree, but in your post you quote SOLUTIONS and then go on to say ''only the coaches will know ''. That's just it, they don't know ! We are now more than thre quarters of the way through the season and still we make elementary mistakes such as too many many men on the ice etc. The lines have constantly been changing to no avail. The time to sort lines out is during training and not on a match night ! All of that is down to good coaching, which we sadly lack. Finally, it's time the players took a look at themselves an understand that no matter who the referee is, once he has made a decision, he never goes back on that decision. We take the dumbest penalties from players who have been around and can't keep their mouths shut, they really should know better, and they do it pretty often as well. They are no good to us in the penalty bin !

 

[Black7]

Well, thats was my first game of the season and it wont be any wonder why if I dont go again.
The lack of many things have already been covered and pretty much agree with them all. This is a team that are going through the motions waiting for the playoffs. The Caps were excellent value for their win, disciplined, well coached, stuck to their game plan. It was pretty obvious what their game plan was after 15mins and 2 coaches and a team full of "talent" couldnt find a way to break that down. Shots were from sharp angles and the Caps stopped any chance of shots coming from the slot. Cody was impressive but our shots werent of a high enough quality.
I work long and crappy hours and I saw nothing that makes me want to spend my hard earned again this season.

 

[Anonymous]

I understand the reason we have Ben & Jamie is so we can rotate players ie when someone is on a 10 misconduct or if someone gets injured but we do not use them properly. One of Ben's shifts he was brilliant and caused the Caps some problems, it even caused some energy in the building and gave the team a lift too. Why then, when an underperforming import comes out of the bin, does Ben get benched?!

As young players they must be gutted and thinking what more can they do. For me, Ben causes the opposition more problems than Towey so why not give him more ice-time? Or just bench one of our so-called 'stars' for a period? It baffles me why this doesn't happen, especially when he makes such an obvious positive impact as he did yesterday

Max

I couldn't agree more, Ben is one of our best and should be used as one, when he is on the ice he never, ever gives up, shame on G for not using them mo re.

All the signs of a bad coach??

 

[jimmy snels]

offically the worst game i have watched. other than tylor and miller i really cant understand how people can stick up for the rest of the imports. useless springs to mind. i left it a day to calm down....but i still havent!!!! i would go as far as not trying in some cases. max is appauling, plays one in five by my count. ben looked good when he came on....then we benched him again! wots all that about? i was so tempted to go above the bench from the boards and give them a piece of my mind. some of these aint fit to wear the shirt anymore. 6 men on ice....suppose thats one way to stop the 4 on ice senario, use to many! joke of a bench coach to. i would take an elich round about now....but we stuck by the losing formula, another bizarre one. we're playing crap so i'll do nothing different? G has had the funds, it hasnt worked, time to go. id have had them doing laps in the car park after the game until the first one spewed! instead they went out, had a drinkathon (again) and probs didnt give a monkeys! the only thing our team is going to win this year is the yard of ale contest in town or a drunken kareokee contest.

and just to clarify, hicks called voth for a slash on keeper which was the wrong call....he should have called him for the kick in the back!!!!!

 

[Wannabe2]

Wasnt at the game on Sunday as was watching our namesakes over the pond, Devils v Leafs, and Devils v Rangers thank god. Cant understand why this team are shooting themselves in the foot time after time, now i am not sticking up for the team believe me, as things at the moment are very poor, but firstly dont think we should wipe out Caps at ours, as they are playing as a team and for each other, there result the night before against Blaze was a result we would have been pleased about. Things are very wrong at our club at the moment and they need to be addressed immediately, or crowds will drop and the club as a whole will suffer, meaning we guys will also suffer. Players come and players go, but its us guys that are always there, these guys are supposed to be grown men, and they are payed to produce a product irrelevant of who they like and who they dislike, or whether they want to stay, or whether they want to bugger off.
If certain players dont want to be here then have the nutts to say so, grow a pair, and grow up. We have three very young local lads, who if given more ice time would really embarrass some of our so called stars. If this team was pants from the get go, if would be easier to understand, but its a team that when they can be bothered, can and have beaten every team in the league, but its the bothered that seems to be missing. Since boxing day we have been pants at home, as well as away, and it cant be allowed to carry on, whats the answer at this time of the season god knows, but if these players have any respect for the paying fan, and thats what they should be focussing on, then grow up, get a grip, and give a bit back, instead of take, take, take. Sorry about the rant, but we deserve better, and these guys need to be told that, and take it on board as at the moment they are short changing, and kicking the very people they should be going through a brick wall for. If any player thinks there name is bigger than that on the front of the shirt, then they are in LAA LAA LAND. So come on guys, beleive it or not we have witnessed players with far bigger goolies than you, just try giving a bit back for the rest of the season, its called maturity, passion, and thinking of others.