Tell that to the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Devils. Matchups are everything. We face the only team we had a problem with in the season each of those first rounds, which is why I'm convinced we end up with Boston.
It's like Carolina has their number beating them 4 times at different parts of the season, sweeping the season series, and outscoring them 14-3 or something. Carolina sucks though.
Carolina could probably beat Boston in a playoff series, but they could probably go 7 games in a series with Columbus if they're lucky
Boston don't look so dangerous lately like they did against us. I think they took us a lot more serious than the Islanders though.
im glad the jets are in the mix. id love to see them sneak in and itd be great for the city. sure theyd get crushed by the raggos, or who knows, but still.
If we don't face any of the Rangers, Penguins or Bruins I think we have a really good chance of advancing to the Conference semi-finals.
I would rather see the Rangers, and Penguins than Bruins. We've beat the Penguins 3 out of 4 times, and Rangers 3 out of 5 times. Boston always seems superhuman when we face them. They were superhuman earlier in the season, but now they're up, and down, but when they face us they bring it.
One team that scares me is the Flyers, but hopefully we can change that a bit coming up here. I'm wearing the Jyz name out, but Goalie Gomez gives us a harder time than Lundqvist, Thomas, Fluery, pretty much anyone.
Us vs Gomez the Goalie this year one goal in 7+ periods. 1 shutout. 1 full one goal game.
Us vs Tim Thomas. 8 goals in 12 periods. 2 one goal games.
Us vs Lundqvist 5 goals in 9 periods. 1 shutout. 2 one goal games.
Us vs Fluery 9 goals in less than 11 full periods. Only 1 game of one goal.
First game against Boston this season, and the most recent we got 3 goals each game. The two in between we got 1 a piece.
im glad the jets are in the mix. id love to see them sneak in and itd be great for the city. sure theyd get crushed by the raggos, or who knows, but still.
I'm fine with Winnipeg in there, but I still gotta root against them. I can't stand Ottawa, but I guess they're hanging in there.
If Winnipeg is in Washington better GTFO! Same with Buffalo, and Tampa Bay. Keep Stamkos and his 50 goals in the toilet with the rest of his trash pail team.
Disagree. How you match up with an opponent during the regular season can mean a lot. So teams play better against others style.
That's why it sucked we got the Flyers when we did last time. Anyone else I felt we could have got through round one.
We agree to disagree then. Us losing to the Flyers had nothing to do with matchups and it had everything to do with them being better than us and us having a terrible 2nd half that season.
The Devils were simply in a funk and even after the acquisition of Kovalchuk the team couldn't get going. It was just a case of not playing well. The Devils would've been eliminated regardless of the opponent.
We agree to disagree then. Us losing to the Flyers had nothing to do with matchups and it had everything to do with them being better than us and us having a terrible 2nd half that season.
The Devils were simply in a funk and even after the acquisition of Kovalchuk the team couldn't get going. It was just a case of not playing well. The Devils would've been eliminated regardless of the opponent.
Doesn't that bolster their point though? The Flyers, despite their 8th place seeding, WERE a better team than the Devils, which is why that was a bad matchup. Sometimes the chess match just doesn't work the right way. Systems beat other systems and goalies get in certain teams' heads.
Philly was a better team than the Devils, but that doesn't mean that teams that were better than the Flyers were ALSO better than the Devils, and that's why matchups can be important.
Doesn't that bolster their point though? The Flyers, despite their 8th place seeding, WERE a better team than the Devils, which is why that was a bad matchup. Sometimes the chess match just doesn't work the right way. Systems beat other systems and goalies get in certain teams' heads.
Philly was a better team than the Devils, but that doesn't mean that teams that were better than the Flyers were ALSO better than the Devils, and that's why matchups can be important.
I'm just saying we would've lost no matter the opponent. We were struggling badly during the 2nd half and only got into a good playoff position because of a strong 1st half.
Us losing had more to do with our own team being bad and not so much the opponent. The result would've been the same had we played some of the other 6 teams in the first round.
Any team can matchup against any team. It's a series of games, and not one game.
Better against weaker teams, worse against better teams. Better team always finds the way to win in a 7-game series. Not sure what your point is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Devilswede
We agree to disagree then. Us losing to the Flyers had nothing to do with matchups and it had everything to do with them being better than us and us having a terrible 2nd half that season.
The Devils were simply in a funk and even after the acquisition of Kovalchuk the team couldn't get going. It was just a case of not playing well. The Devils would've been eliminated regardless of the opponent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eggers
Doesn't that bolster their point though? The Flyers, despite their 8th place seeding, WERE a better team than the Devils, which is why that was a bad matchup. Sometimes the chess match just doesn't work the right way. Systems beat other systems and goalies get in certain teams' heads.
Philly was a better team than the Devils, but that doesn't mean that teams that were better than the Flyers were ALSO better than the Devils, and that's why matchups can be important.
It absolutely does. I have no idea what is DS thinking he`s doing. lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Devilswede
I'm just saying we would've lost no matter the opponent. We were struggling badly during the 2nd half and only got into a good playoff position because of a strong 1st half.
Us losing had more to do with our own team being bad and not so much the opponent. The result would've been the same had we played some of the other 6 teams in the first round.
Pure speculation on your part.
Also, even though this might`ve been true at the time, going against the team who has your number all year long definitely isn`t the best option avalaible.
It`s always a combination of factors, not just one. You`re being delusional if you think otherwise.
Better against weaker teams, worse against better teams. Better team always finds the way to win in a 7-game series. Not sure what your point is.
It absolutely does. I have no idea what is DS thinking he`s doing. lol
Pure speculation on your part. Also, even though this might be true, going against the team who has your number all year long definitely isn`t the best option avalaible.
It`s always a combination of factors, not just one. You`re being delusional if you think otherwise.
Thinking that a different opponent would've been better for the Devils is pure speculation too, it goes both ways. There are no facts here. It's an assumption I make based on the poor results by the Devils for more than half the season back in 09-10.
The overall record goes hand in hand with the poor results vs the Flyers. Our record vs the Flyers was a direct result from being overall bad.
There are plenty of examples of teams that have eliminated teams hat had their number during the regular season.
Better against weaker teams, worse against better teams. Better team always finds the way to win in a 7-game series. Not sure what your point is.
It absolutely does. I have no idea what is DS thinking he`s doing. lol
Pure speculation on your part.
Also, even though this might`ve been true at the time, going against the team who has your number all year long definitely isn`t the best option avalaible.
It`s always a combination of factors, not just one. You`re being delusional if you think otherwise.
But in the playoffs your play determines who the better team is, not the seeding. It all comes down to the status and current play of a certain team. A 7th seed can be much better than a 2nd seed and beat them easily.
Thinking that a different opponent would've been better for the Devils is pure speculation too, it goes both ways. There are no facts here. It's an assumption I make based on the poor results by the Devils for more than half the season back in 09-10.
The overall record goes hand in hand with the poor results vs the Flyers. Our record vs the Flyers was a direct result from being overall bad.
There are plenty of examples of teams that have eliminated teams hat had their number during the regular season.
Awful losing record during the season is what? Fata Morgana?
Our bad results, Kovalchuk`s arrival and personal problems between Lemaire and Langenbrunner didn`t help, but again, you don`t want to play against the team you can`t beat to save your life. We were fine in 09, but we weren`t able to beat them. Guess why. Twice or multiple times.
Really? Go on, I`m listening. One way or the other, the point stands. Not sure what is there not to get. It`s really simple as that. Not saying it`s impossible to win, just that it`s much more unlikely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Devilswede
But in the playoffs your play determines who the better team is, not the seeding. It all comes down to the status and current play of a certain team. A 7th seed can be much better than a 2nd seed and beat them easily.
Who`s talking about seeding? Certainly not me. There is a lot going into it. Quality of the team, system and in-game adjustments for the most part. Going against the Flyers was a bad matchup for us no matter how you slice it.
But in the playoffs your play determines who the better team is, not the seeding. It all comes down to the status and current play of a certain team. A 7th seed can be much better than a 2nd seed and beat them easily.
No one's arguing about that. But the fact is, you can be seeded against teams that your team tends to play better against. As you said, the number and the rank don't mean squat, but I don't get how you can completely dismiss that it's better to play a team you've dominated (or at least split a series with) as opposed to a team that's had your number all season. Obviously it doesn't guarantee anything, in either direction. But since nothing's guaranteed, what's wrong with wanting to see the odds stacked as much in your favor as possible?
I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say, we're just misunderstanding eachother here. All I'm saying is that the opponent doesn't matter when you're playing poorly, the end result will still be the same.
The Devils would've gotten eliminated anyway because of the way they got into the playoffs. There was just not one thing going right with that team.
I'm a firm believer that in order to win something you have to be able to beat anybody. Matchups are just something people like to use as excuses. Losing a handful of games against a certain team during the regular season shouldn't be a issue in the playoffs when the stakes and circumstances are totally different.
Better against weaker teams, worse against better teams. Better team always finds the way to win in a 7-game series. Not sure what your point is.
A 7 game series is different because it's about making adjustments from game to game. The better, more talented team isn't always the team that accomplishes this. Talent can only take you so far.
The team that loses game 1 needs to remember how they got beat and adjust their game accordingly. Then the loser of game 2 has to do the same for game 3 and so on.
I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say, we're just misunderstanding eachother here. All I'm saying is that the opponent doesn't matter when you're playing poorly, the end result will still be the same.
The Devils would've gotten eliminated anyway because of the way they got into the playoffs. There was just not one thing going right with that team.
I'm a firm believer that in order to win something you have to be able to beat anybody. Matchups are just something people like to use as excuses. Losing a handful of games against a certain team during the regular season shouldn't be a issue in the playoffs when the stakes and circumstances are totally different.
Couldn't agree more.
Eventually you'll have to face the more "dreaded" team anyways, so in a sort of way you're just trying to prevent the inevitable with more "favourable" matchups. Sooner or later you'll have to beat the best to be the best.
I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say, we're just misunderstanding eachother here. All I'm saying is that the opponent doesn't matter when you're playing poorly, the end result will still be the same.
The Devils would've gotten eliminated anyway because of the way they got into the playoffs. There was just not one thing going right with that team.
I'm a firm believer that in order to win something you have to be able to beat anybody. Matchups are just something people like to use as excuses. Losing a handful of games against a certain team during the regular season shouldn't be a issue in the playoffs when the stakes and circumstances are totally different.
That`s the past, but we`re talking about the present.
In order to win it all? No doubt about that. But we`re not there as a team yet. One step at time. We need to get to the 2nd round first. Not saying we should care about the matchups, I personally don`t, players literally can`t. However, it`s one thing to face the Bruins in the 1st round and another to face the Jets.
Can`t believe I`m discussing this with someone who actually doesn`t have much faith in this team. haha
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boring Trap
A 7 game series is different because it's about making adjustments from game to game. The better, more talented team isn't always the team that accomplishes this. Talent can only take you so far.
The team that loses game 1 needs to remember how they got beat and adjust their game accordingly. Then the loser of game 2 has to do the same for game 3 and so on.
Not always, just more often than not.
The probability is certainly higher when talking about more talented teams. Can`t deny that.
Btw. you`re implying only one team is able to adjust. It takes two to tango. That`s why in-game adjustments are much more important.
All in all, you should rather want to face an easier opponent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FirmestPiano
Couldn't agree more.
Eventually you'll have to face the more "dreaded" team anyways, so in a sort of way you're just trying to prevent the inevitable with more "favourable" matchups. Sooner or later you'll have to beat the best to be the best.
You know how ironic that sounds, right?
Especially considering our post-lockout record, current financial situation and the fact we`re still viewed as a bubble/above average team.
Carolina was a bad matchup in 09. The Devils would have beaten any other team in the East save for Pittsburgh that year. If they got past Carolina, they would have waxed Washington and played Pitt or Boston. Then who knows.
In '10, they could have lost the last game of the season and played Boston - instead faced Philly. Remember, Boston was 30th in goals that year and would have not taken advantage of our weak D like Philly did. If Philly beats Buffalo like I would have suspected, the Devils would have beaten Montreal in round 2. If Buffalo would have beat Philly, it would been a toss up against a Pens team that had played a ridiculous amount of hockey the two years before.
In 2003, the Devils won the cup thanks to an easier draw. Boston was a walkover, and Tampa was a weak, 93 point 3 seed. Ottawa had a 6 game war with Philly in round 2. The Devils were not pushed to the limit in those first two rounds, which speaks well to the energy they had out of the gate in the Ottawa series.
Luck and matchups are just as important as team talent. Every year there are several teams who are Cup worthy. Sometimes outside factors come into play.
Philly is another team that kind of scares me in the playoffs. While their goaltending is iffy at best, they seem to play their best against us in the playoffs. I feel like that would be another tougher match up.
Philly is another team that kind of scares me in the playoffs. While their goaltending is iffy at best, they seem to play their best against us in the playoffs. I feel like that would be another tougher match up.
with all the injuries lately (on Philly) I thought they would struggle, and now they're actually winning games pretty easily ...so yeah, you have to take them real serious
