System is poor excuse for lack of production.

Im tired of hockey people and fans using the Devils system as an excuse for players lack of offencive production. Look at the playoff scoring leaders Scott Gomez is still near the top. This Devils have had some good years as far as scoring goes and have always played the same system. Look at Ottawa their playing a Devil like system and it's working well for them.

Im tired of hockey people and fans using the Devils system as an excuse for players lack of offencive production. Look at the playoff scoring leaders Scott Gomez is still near the top. This Devils have had some good years as far as scoring goes and have always played the same system. Look at Ottawa their playing a Devil like system and it's working well for them.

What people are saying (and I also think players are starting to show there frustration towards the "system") is that you got to play your best assets and maybe relax on the line matching. That's what killed us in the playoffs because Madden, Pandolfo and Brylin are going to put one in the back of the net once in a blue moon.

Having Elias, Gionta, Gomez, Parise, Zajac and Langenbrunner watch the Lecavalier line and the Spezza line DOMINATE like they did isn't fun for them. They want a chance to prove that they can play against any line that the other team will throught at them.

I'm not saying to stop playing the Madden line. What I'm saying is that we should roll 4 lines (maybe 3 and let them play once in a while if the 4th line isn't anything special) and use the Madden line like a "closer" in Baseball. Let them match lines if we're ahead by 2 or more.


Just my point of vue ;)

Ottawa's system is NOTHING at all like the Devils system. :shakehead

Just because they are good defensively doesn't make them "Devilesque"

When the New Jersey Devils abandon their system, and let the players "just be themselves," not worry about line matchups, etc., they will give up their singular advantage over every other team in the league, the one thing they've had over most everyone else for a decade and which has been a linchpin of their success.

It's strict adherence to a disciplined system - on and off the ice - that defines them.

When the New Jersey Devils abandon their system, and let the players "just be themselves," not worry about line matchups, etc., they will give up their singular advantage over every other team in the league, the one thing they've had over most everyone else for a decade and which has been a linchpin of their success.

It's strict adherence to a disciplined system - on and off the ice - that defines them.

With the way the "new NHL" is being called, guys like Madden can't clutch and grab to stop the opposition from entering our zone. We can still have a defensive system but we don't have to play our checking line once every two shifts just to counter the other teams best line.

The thing is that when we focus on stopping the oppositions best unit for close to 25 minutes per game, that means that our scoring line and our 2nd line has 30 minutes beetween them to come up with some kind of offensive chemistry (we'll say that our 4th line plays around 5 minutes a game).

Let our top guns play against the other teams top line. Look at Detroit, they have guys like Madden (Draper) and Pandolfo (Maltby) but they also have players like Zetterberg and Datsyuk that are defensive minded. They don't come off the ice when the other teams A-line is against them. I'm shure that Elias and Parise wouldn't be a defensive liability.

Hey, but that's just me.

It's not so much the system as it is who's coaching. With Julien coaching, our offense was horrible. With Lou and several other coaches, it wasn't what you would call great or amazing, but it wasn't bad.

i agree w/ the statement above saying to stop matching the madden line against the other teams top line. i still say match up your best defensive pair against them but not an offensive line. just roll your offensive lines no matchup garbage and get some size and strength on this team!!!

Im tired of hockey people and fans using the Devils system as an excuse for players lack of offencive production. Look at the playoff scoring leaders Scott Gomez is still near the top. This Devils have had some good years as far as scoring goes and have always played the same system. Look at Ottawa their playing a Devil like system and it's working well for them.


Im tired of people claiming Martys success in his career is because of the devils system. He was/is the reason we can play the way we do! The Devils system is martys system. and it worked! and whatever works to win cups is cool with me!

Im tired of people claiming Martys success in his career is because of the devils system. He was/is the reason we can play the way we do! The Devils system is martys system. and it worked! and whatever works to win cups is cool with me!

Marty's sucess was Dano, Stevens, and Neids. Nothing more, nothing less. The last 2 seasons have proven that.

With the way the "new NHL" is being called, guys like Madden can't clutch and grab to stop the opposition from entering our zone. We can still have a defensive system but we don't have to play our checking line once every two shifts just to counter the other teams best line.

1) Pandolfo-Madden-RW never had to clutch and grab the opposition to shut them down. They play a positional game focusing on getting turnovers which can be turned into odd-man rushing counter attacks.

2) No, the Devils don't have to play their A-level checking line against the opposition's top line. They also don't have to play Martin Brodeur so much or keep the top two lines mostly the same or anything else that could help them win hockey games.

The thing is that when we focus on stopping the oppositions best unit for close to 25 minutes per game, that means that our scoring line and our 2nd line has 30 minutes beetween them to come up with some kind of offensive chemistry (we'll say that our 4th line plays around 5 minutes a game).

Let our top guns play against the other teams top line. Look at Detroit, they have guys like Madden (Draper) and Pandolfo (Maltby) but they also have players like Zetterberg and Datsyuk that are defensive minded. They don't come off the ice when the other teams A-line is against them. I'm shure that Elias and Parise wouldn't be a defensive liability.

Hey, but that's just me.

Well, the idea of line matching helped the Devils win more games this past season than any other. It's the sole reason why they got 49 wins; but it definitely contributed. While the Devils could do it less and yield mostly the same success; I'm confident in saying that abandoning line matching entirely (or not using it at all) is not a wise idea. You have John Madden and Jay Pandolfo, top checking forwards in this league; why in the world would you want to roll the dice and hope Elias and Parise can be as effective in a similar role? Wouldn't it be better if they focused more on offense in general and use Madden/Pandolfo to shut down the opposition?

As a general comment, I'd like to point out that yes, the Devils defense (both by forwards and defensemen) had a poor playoff season. Still, let's not get hasty and call for ignoring them or starting from scratch. As Trottier correctly notes, one of the things that separates the Devils from any organization is how well the team adheres to the game plan.

If Marty is great only because of the defense we had, How come Terreri, Clemmer, Vanbiesbrouk, etc. werent great goalies behind them, they were average, but Marty makes unbelievable saves after another, Yes he has had some great defenders in front of him, but the guy is compared to the likes of Roy, Parent, Plante etc.......And im sure they had similar defense's in front of them, and nobody claims they won because of the system

If Marty is great only because of the defense we had, How come Terreri, Clemmer, Vanbiesbrouk, etc. werent great goalies behind them, they were average, but Marty makes unbelievable saves after another, Yes he has had some great defenders in front of him, but the guy is compared to the likes of Roy, Parent, Plante etc.......And im sure they had similar defense's in front of them, and nobody claims they won because of the system

Ah, yes. Welcome to HF, where Marty Brodeur is an overrated bum. Also known as Crack-ville.

If Marty is great only because of the defense we had, How come Terreri, Clemmer, Vanbiesbrouk, etc. werent great goalies behind them, they were average, but Marty makes unbelievable saves after another, Yes he has had some great defenders in front of him, but the guy is compared to the likes of Roy, Parent, Plante etc.......And im sure they had similar defense's in front of them, and nobody claims they won because of the system



Exactly.

Marty's sucess was Dano, Stevens, and Neids. Nothing more, nothing less. The last 2 seasons have proven that.

How can you say that?:shakehead:shakehead:shakehead

Well, the idea of line matching helped the Devils win more games this past season than any other. It's the sole reason why they got 49 wins; but it definitely contributed. While the Devils could do it less and yield mostly the same success; I'm confident in saying that abandoning line matching entirely (or not using it at all) is not a wise idea. You have John Madden and Jay Pandolfo, top checking forwards in this league; why in the world would you want to roll the dice and hope Elias and Parise can be as effective in a similar role? Wouldn't it be better if they focused more on offense in general and use Madden/Pandolfo to shut down the opposition?

What I'm trying to say is that if Madden, Pandolfo and Brylin are on the ice checking the other teams top line (like what happend in the T.B. and Sens series) for half the game, we're just playing into the oppositions hands. Who do you think Tortorella and "sylvester the cat" would rather see on the ice for 30 minutes VS his team... Pandolfo, Madden and Brylin OR Elias, Gomez, Gionta / Parise, Zajac, Langenbrunner

Why do you think we finished 1st in the league for "most wins by 1 goal" ??? OK, I'll give you the fact that Julien wasn't any help, but the main reason is that you got to give your top horses the playing time they need to be effective. I'm all for line matching when you're up by 2 or up by 1 in the late minutes of the 3rd period, but as soon as the puck drops at the start of the game when we're playing on the road and the other teams has there A-line versus our A-line, it doesn't take 2 secondes that we bring our boys to the bench to replace them with our checking line.

Just my opinion ;)

Marty's sucess was Dano, Stevens, and Neids. Nothing more, nothing less. The last 2 seasons have proven that.

I disagree with that also. Look at Guigere right now. He's got Niedermayer and Pronger in front of him and he's still letting in an occasional soft goal. When Marty was in form, those wouldn't have happened. I personally think that Marty is having confidence problems. I mean what would prompt a goalie to get new equipment during the playoffs?

I think theres nothing wrong with our system, but it shouldn't be locked in stone. Switch it up a little bit so the opponents are guessing at what they will play against. If you are so consistent in your line matching, opponents will exploit your weaknesses. Ottawa looked like they knew exactly which way our checking line was going to move, even before they knew it themselves. Thats good scouting.


I think a few switchups of having parise line against the top line would have not only boost their confidence, but maybe we could have scored a few to boot.

I think the big difference between our line matchups now and in the past is that our current defensive line of Madden, Pando and Brylin neither punish or score goals, they hardly forecheck, they just let the other team's top forwards control the puck and cover them positionally. When Carpenter was our defensive center in 95, he had Lemiuex, Chorske, MacLean or Richer on his wing. There was a two way threat and they hit you - when it was holik and McKay matched up against the other team's top line, they were a threat to score, they hit you constantly and they chased you around in your zone.
Our current defensive line (well the whole style) does not forecheck early enough, I think because of the 2 line pass. The Devils used to start trapping inside the zone, now they let the opposing team get to the blue line at full speed before even attempting to trap and have the dmen sit to far back because of the long pass. It has made the Madden line to passive and not aggressive enough, even on the PK think about how much more aggressive Madden was. So the opposing team has no fear of being hit, they don't have to worry about their zone as there is no opposing scoring threat, and they get to come into our zone at full speed. Not a formula for success. And personally I don't think the line did that great throughout the regular season either, Marty honestly played some of the best hockey of his career during the regular season because our "defensive" first system gave up more shots than I've seen since the 80s. Once Marty's confidence got a little shaky and he struggled a bit, the cracks started to show. If the Devils go in with the same checking line playing the same style - not necessarily the whole team but I mean the checking line playing the same - I don't think the results will be any different next year. The checking line needs to be retooled a little and made more aggressive I think. Sorry for the rant. ;)

Marty's sucess was Dano, Stevens, and Neids. Nothing more, nothing less. The last 2 seasons have proven that.

I think it was mutal, but you do bring a point that I have been saying for a bit now to. Its fine to play defense first hockey when your best assets are your defenseman and goaltender. After Marty, i don't think any of our dmen fit in our top 5 or 6 players list, so playing SO defensively when its not your strength is what I think the Devils problem is. Marty had an excellent regular season behind a defense that gave up the most shots per game he has ever faced in his career. But his offense could never ever bail him out for any mistake he made, he bailed the defense out plenty for theirs but the times he didn't, we were screwed. And I think the reason he made some of those mistakes is because at times he was over thinking because of his defense's shortcomings. The Heatley bad angle goal is a perfect example, Marty moved early because he knew Alfredson was going to be open if that pass got through, Heatly miss fires on the pass and because Marty had opened his legs and was starting to move, puck goes through. Now if Nieder Dano or Stevens is on the ice, Marty doesn't have to worry about that pass getting through and can hold his ground.

Im tired of hockey people and fans using the Devils system as an excuse for players lack of offencive production. Look at the playoff scoring leaders Scott Gomez is still near the top. This Devils have had some good years as far as scoring goes and have always played the same system. Look at Ottawa their playing a Devil like system and it's working well for them.

Ottawa doesn't play anything like a Devil-like system if we're talking about this year's version. And the way Julien played it does retard offensive production. There's no two ways about it.