Devils Vs Blaze - CC - 30th Oct 24 - FO 19:30
- Thread starter James
- Start date
Another totally disappointing midweek game watching my team lose again, this time to a younger, faster group of players who took their chances. Devils had plenty of their own chances but with plethora of talent on our team, apparently they just can't score enough goals. Perhaps they are leaving it all to Shrinkaruk when he comes back. At least he poses a threat.
Take out the Blaze pp goal and we still would have lost. And as if we weren't short benched enough with injuries, the bench was shortened even more in P2. Some players looked exhausted whilst others hardly got a shift (Gourley? MacDonald?)
Big shout out to Mosey, Batch and Richardson who played insane minutes and played well.
Back to the drawing board with game plan against the Blaze ....this is not the Blaze team of a few years ago that used to consistently lose. This is a new young, fast well drilled team now. Better get used to it and do something about it.
Can't blame the officiating for this result. Our team performance was poor and the opposition played well. Injuries or not, our team is in a big slump at the moment. They need to re-establish their identity and go back to basics with systems and play with some hate.
Who is up next? Oh yeah, the Steelers
Take out the Blaze pp goal and we still would have lost. And as if we weren't short benched enough with injuries, the bench was shortened even more in P2. Some players looked exhausted whilst others hardly got a shift (Gourley? MacDonald?)
Big shout out to Mosey, Batch and Richardson who played insane minutes and played well.
Back to the drawing board with game plan against the Blaze ....this is not the Blaze team of a few years ago that used to consistently lose. This is a new young, fast well drilled team now. Better get used to it and do something about it.
Can't blame the officiating for this result. Our team performance was poor and the opposition played well. Injuries or not, our team is in a big slump at the moment. They need to re-establish their identity and go back to basics with systems and play with some hate.
Who is up next? Oh yeah, the Steelers
Last edited:
It was a pretty good game tonight. That Blaze team are no pushovers and I thought they worked really hard and deserved the win. Disappointed that we pulled the goalie so early when we had a full 2 minutes of 5 on 4 ahead of us at the end of the game. That early empty netter killed it stone dead. Not the time to lose MacWilliam if he gets suspended with games against Nottingham and a key CC game vs Sheffield on the weekend.
I'm struggling with this team at the moment. Tonight wasn't a shock. We've been on a steady decline with the quality of our play for some time. The Guildford game was exciting but it wasn't high quality from us. The Sheffield game was dire. We're struggling to make our mark on the game and dictate the play. The kinds of things that a league challenging team should do. Here's my main frustrations:
- We don't have a first line that scares the wotsits out of teams and fans alike (yes we're missing Shinkaruk but would he really propel this team into the stratosphere? No doubt he'd improve it).
- Powerplay - wow... back to being average at best and lacking creativity
- Identity - I don't see this teams identity? I know we are short of players but an identity and philosophy should be embedded in these players regardless of what team we put out. It's November.
- Some of our more experienced players, look exactly that... older and slower
- The Davies line brings the excitement, heart and desire.
- More needless icing and unnecessary pressure. It's like Crawford is back in disguise.
- The Puck goes into the o-zone and it comes out of the o-zone. No recycling of the puck, no line changes whilst in the ozone creating sustained pressure leading to penalties or goals. Puck goes in, puck comes out.
- We look desperate to cross the red line to get the dump in (it's usually a poor dump that doesn't give the players a chance)
- we are losing defensive battles behind our goal
- Our D looks suspect
- We can't exit our zone effectively. We're looking like we have no clue how to exit. We just turned over puck after puck in the neutral zone and couldn't get anything going. Been the same for weeks.
- Struggling to see Perlini's value to this team. I don't see what he brings
Aside from the Perlini point, these were all the same things I noticed under Skalde, then under DuPont. I appreciate that's inflammatory and I'll get flamed but that comment isn't based on tonight. Watching the team in Sheffield was painful. Not because we were outplayed but because of the above. It's been that slow and gradual decline in quality that's been coming for weeks. Strong against the weaker teams and vulnerable against the top team. Skalde/DuPont's team didn't have an identity and this team doesn't either. The Davies line just shouldn't be our best line. That line brings the energy and the chances but I can't for the life of me figure out why when Blaze score their fourth goal our response from PR is to put the Davies line back out there - our fourth line. That spoke volumes for me. He should be straight out there with our top two lines chomping at the bit to turn this around but we went with Brandt, Duggan and Davies.
I'm sure PR can turn it around but this isn't the style of hockey the preseason signings suggested. It's poor quality hockey. May be I need to recalibrate my expectations but what I'm watching at the moment isn't hitting the mark and hasn't been for some time.
- We don't have a first line that scares the wotsits out of teams and fans alike (yes we're missing Shinkaruk but would he really propel this team into the stratosphere? No doubt he'd improve it).
- Powerplay - wow... back to being average at best and lacking creativity
- Identity - I don't see this teams identity? I know we are short of players but an identity and philosophy should be embedded in these players regardless of what team we put out. It's November.
- Some of our more experienced players, look exactly that... older and slower
- The Davies line brings the excitement, heart and desire.
- More needless icing and unnecessary pressure. It's like Crawford is back in disguise.
- The Puck goes into the o-zone and it comes out of the o-zone. No recycling of the puck, no line changes whilst in the ozone creating sustained pressure leading to penalties or goals. Puck goes in, puck comes out.
- We look desperate to cross the red line to get the dump in (it's usually a poor dump that doesn't give the players a chance)
- we are losing defensive battles behind our goal
- Our D looks suspect
- We can't exit our zone effectively. We're looking like we have no clue how to exit. We just turned over puck after puck in the neutral zone and couldn't get anything going. Been the same for weeks.
- Struggling to see Perlini's value to this team. I don't see what he brings
Aside from the Perlini point, these were all the same things I noticed under Skalde, then under DuPont. I appreciate that's inflammatory and I'll get flamed but that comment isn't based on tonight. Watching the team in Sheffield was painful. Not because we were outplayed but because of the above. It's been that slow and gradual decline in quality that's been coming for weeks. Strong against the weaker teams and vulnerable against the top team. Skalde/DuPont's team didn't have an identity and this team doesn't either. The Davies line just shouldn't be our best line. That line brings the energy and the chances but I can't for the life of me figure out why when Blaze score their fourth goal our response from PR is to put the Davies line back out there - our fourth line. That spoke volumes for me. He should be straight out there with our top two lines chomping at the bit to turn this around but we went with Brandt, Duggan and Davies.
I'm sure PR can turn it around but this isn't the style of hockey the preseason signings suggested. It's poor quality hockey. May be I need to recalibrate my expectations but what I'm watching at the moment isn't hitting the mark and hasn't been for some time.
At first glance, I thought it was a check to the head and it would get reviewed. The officiating was strange tonight. Brandt did a huge hit in the third that was clearly through the numbers. If the Coventry player had stayed down it would have been a call. It should have been a call. Likewise for the too many men that they overturned against us. They only overturned it because they let the Blaze get away with one seconds earlier. At least they were consistent.
For love of all things holy..... drop the frickin' puck at the face off and get on with it.
For love of all things holy..... drop the frickin' puck at the face off and get on with it.
The on-ice product is pretty poor at the moment. Hopefully things will change!
But now the wheels are coming off the off ice stuff too - according to the Devils website at 23:25 it was 2-3 tonight? Did I fall asleep mid game (it's possible) and dream that it was actually 3-5?
Dismal showing all round.
But now the wheels are coming off the off ice stuff too - according to the Devils website at 23:25 it was 2-3 tonight? Did I fall asleep mid game (it's possible) and dream that it was actually 3-5?
Dismal showing all round.
Another totally disappointing midweek game watching my team lose again, this time to a younger, faster group of players who took their chances. Devils had plenty of their own chances but with plethora of talent on our team, apparently they just can't score enough goals. Perhaps they are leaving it all to Shrinkaruk when he comes back. At least he poses a threat.
Take out the Blaze pp goal and we still would have lost. And as if we weren't short benched enough with injuries, the bench was shortened even more in P2. Some players looked exhausted whilst others hardly got a shift (Gourley? MacDonald?)
Big shout out to Mosey, Batch and Richardson who played insane minutes and played well.
Back to the drawing board with game plan against the Blaze ....this is not the Blaze team of a few years ago that used to consistently lose. This is a new young, fast well drilled team now. Better get used to it and do something about it.
Can't blame the officiating for this result. Our team performance was poor and the opposition played well. Injuries or not, our team is in a big slump at the moment. They need to re-establish their identity and go back to basics with systems and play with some hate.
Who is up next? Oh yeah, the Steelers
Take out the Blaze pp goal and we still would have lost. And as if we weren't short benched enough with injuries, the bench was shortened even more in P2. Some players looked exhausted whilst others hardly got a shift (Gourley? MacDonald?)
Big shout out to Mosey, Batch and Richardson who played insane minutes and played well.
Back to the drawing board with game plan against the Blaze ....this is not the Blaze team of a few years ago that used to consistently lose. This is a new young, fast well drilled team now. Better get used to it and do something about it.
Can't blame the officiating for this result. Our team performance was poor and the opposition played well. Injuries or not, our team is in a big slump at the moment. They need to re-establish their identity and go back to basics with systems and play with some hate.
Who is up next? Oh yeah, the Steelers
Just touching on your point around putting fourth line out after getting scored on. I think that is actually a decent game management decision. The fourth line as you say are very good at bringing energy and with that momentum. You put that line out to tilt the ice and then follow it up with the first line to take advantage of that momentum swing. It doesn’t always work but I get PR’s logic in the moment.
League is a lot more open this year bar possibly Sheffield, who I expect to get even more focussed on the domestic competitions once the disruption of European campaign comes to an end. Meanwhile our European adventure hasn’t started yet. We’ve made a solid start in league albeit that we’ve had a relatively easy run of games. We’ve had some line disruption due to early season injuries which has put strain on some older legs. Bownsy has had some stellar games that have allowed us to get some wins in tight games.
If you gave me the option of most of the points dropped in the cup vs the league I would take us being poor in the cup as has been the case this season.
We want physical hockey but this has been hampered by some bone headed calls by the stripes who from puck drops to replay reviews to on ice calls seem out of their depth. Official quality is what it is, we just have to set up for the landscape we’re playing in better.
Blaze are well set up, fully bought in and young and hungry so can play a higher intensity game than an older depleted team. This is how they’ve played all season but now have confidence having endured a slow start while learning the system.
Biggest miss for me at the moment is #44, sooner Cody gets back the better.
If you gave me the option of most of the points dropped in the cup vs the league I would take us being poor in the cup as has been the case this season.
We want physical hockey but this has been hampered by some bone headed calls by the stripes who from puck drops to replay reviews to on ice calls seem out of their depth. Official quality is what it is, we just have to set up for the landscape we’re playing in better.
Blaze are well set up, fully bought in and young and hungry so can play a higher intensity game than an older depleted team. This is how they’ve played all season but now have confidence having endured a slow start while learning the system.
Biggest miss for me at the moment is #44, sooner Cody gets back the better.
so far this season when we've come up against a decent team we've lost which is a huge concern.are we capable of beating these teams?i know we've got injuries but we seem to be being out coached also which is very worrying.if macwilliam picks up a ban and we are still missing the other three players we will more than likely lose in nottingham and lose to sheffield and be out of the challenge cup at the group stages.apart from the guildford game when we was down a lot of players we have not been anywhere near good enough this season.
Without exception, we have lost a game or two against each of our main rivals already this season. Our team just can't seem to rise to the really big domestic challenges. It's lovely being top of the league right now. But to be crowned League Champions in April, our Team needs to win at least 80% of its games, including some against the top teams, that's what matters. To finish 2nd requires between 70-75% if games to be won. Can the Devils achieve this?
Steelers seem be be managing progress in the top European competition whilst quietly and successfully securing cup qualification/progression up the league at home. Congested schedule? Players being suspended? Injuries? Steelers have had it all already.... but risen to the challenge.
Steelers seem be be managing progress in the top European competition whilst quietly and successfully securing cup qualification/progression up the league at home. Congested schedule? Players being suspended? Injuries? Steelers have had it all already.... but risen to the challenge.
Last edited: