If Salvador plays, who sits?

We know who our top four are:

Oduya-Martin
White-Mottau

But who's in the third pairing if Bryce is ready to go:

Salvador-Vishy, gives us a big strong pair that can punish the Ranger forwards, but we lose a puck carrying defenseman.

Salvador-Greene/Rachunek (And who cares if he signed a contract. Didn't Lou ever hear of not cutting of your nose to spite your face.) Anyway, we have a little more offense with either Greene or Carl in there. Both Vishy and Greene played well and Rachunek looked good with Salavdor before Bryce went down. Carl also has a good point shot that we can use on the pp. What do you guys think?

I say Vish and Rachunek sit. Greene has played well the last couple of games (although I missed the Flyer game). Vish hits but he gets out of position to much - he missed a hit yesterday at the blue line and it led to an odd man break - can't afford those mistakes in the playoffs.

I say Vish and Rachunek sit. Greene has played well the last couple of games (although I missed the Flyer game). Vish hits but he gets out of position to much - he missed a hit yesterday at the blue line and it led to an odd man break - can't afford those mistakes in the playoffs.

I'd sit Greene before Vishy. Yes, I agree he's slow and yes I'm uncomfortable with that, but at the end of the day I think in a slow defensive low scoring battle like this we need physical board play and hard hitting.

Now if we were playing Ottawa or the Pens............Vish wouldnt see the ice if I were in charge.

I personally would play Vish in the first 2-3 games to rough up the Rangers a bit, and then switch to Greene.

I'd sit Greene before Vishy. Yes, I agree he's slow and yes I'm uncomfortable with that, but at the end of the day I think in a slow defensive low scoring battle like this we need physical board play and hard hitting.

Now if we were playing Ottawa or the Pens............Vish wouldnt see the ice if I were in charge.

Its tough with Vish because he throws some great hits and you don't want to reign him in but he misses alot and gets caught out of position alot. The Rangers seem to score on our mistakes so he scares me. Plus we are really weak on mobile defenseman who can skate the puck up or make some good breakout passes - I would let Greene play at home where you can control who he faces more and maybe Vish in MSG.

In a perfect world Greene would sit...but I don't see it happening. Looks like Sutter prefers Greene over Vishnevski.

Vishnevski has actually played well vs the Rangers this season and you can see the Rangers looking up every time he's on the ice now.

He's thrown some of his best hits this season against the Rangers (Gomez, Orr, Callahan) to name a few. I'd keep him in the lineup.

A pairing of Salvador-Vishnevski would be fun to watch IMO. Salvador is 10 times better than Greene defensively, so he'd cover up for Vishnevski while he's out looking to hit people a lot better than Greene does.

Scratch Greene and go with Salvador-Vishnevski.

I personally would play Vish in the first 2-3 games to rough up the Rangers a bit, and then switch to Rachunek.

Fixed & Agreed. Vishinator to lay down some hits and set the tone for 2 games at least.

A Sal Stallone and Vishinator pairing would be ideal for the charmin soft Rangers.

The third pairing, we'll go with five defensemen. :sarcasm:

It doesn't matter where you put Vish, he'll still annihilate.

The third pairing, we'll go with five defensemen. :sarcasm:

Can we call up Vranabergfors to take their place?

In a perfect world Greene would sit...but I don't see it happening. Looks like Sutter prefers Greene over Vishnevski.

Vishnevski has actually played well vs the Rangers this season and you can see the Rangers looking up every time he's on the ice now.

He's thrown some of his best hits this season against the Rangers (Gomez, Orr, Callahan) to name a few. I'd keep him in the lineup.

A pairing of Salvador-Vishnevski would be fun to watch IMO. Salvador is 10 times better than Greene defensively, so he'd cover up for Vishnevski while he's out looking to hit people a lot better than Greene does.

Scratch Greene and go with Salvador-Vishnevski.

I agree. Plus, the Rangers love to cycle and as already posted, Vishy would be better along the boards instead of Greene.

Can we call up Vranabergfors to take their place?

Picklas Vranfors

Fixed & Agreed. Vishinator to lay down some hits and set the tone for 2 games at least.

No, if you put Rachunek in, we'll lose for sure. Bank on it.

Rachunek sucks. I dunno why you guys keep harping how good he is, he hasn't played in god knows how many games and he was sucking when he got benched. He's got a sore neck and generally just bad against the Rangers. Or do you guys forget that it was his screwup that cost us a few of the earlier Ranger games?

I'd rather have Greene against Jagger, he has stick handled the puck off Jagger so many times in the past games, its just that Greene needs to play against that line and not against their grinder line that can push him off the puck by brute force.

Of course, as a Ranger fan, I desperately want to see Rachunek in the Devil lineup!

greene sits imo, but i dont think it should be a set thing vish has played better and he is intimidating makes guys like gomez a little more "aware" out there

i think we start with salv and vish and see if they can move the puck in a simple way, if they cannot move the puck quickly enough and get sloppy throw green in for vish

it is not like greene is taking it end to end or making terrific cross ice passes to get the team going

the only issue becomes who is on the point for the 2nd pp unit

martin/oduya
mottau/?? ( if greene is in then him)

it is not like greene is taking it end to end or making terrific cross ice passes to get the team going


He was doing great without Vish. For some reason when he's paired up with Vish he doesn't pass very well. But without Vish, he has great outlet passes and have led to a few assists.

End to end I have only saw one so far where he entered the zone with the puck. But that is very rare for him. Its a shame cause I really think Green has good offensive instincts but just too afraid to make mistakes.

The third pairing, we'll go with five defensemen. :sarcasm:

You know, that may not be a bad idea and put Greene out the 4th line and use him sparingly on def.

greene sits imo, but i dont think it should be a set thing vish has played better and he is intimidating makes guys like gomez a little more "aware" out there

i think we start with salv and vish and see if they can move the puck in a simple way, if they cannot move the puck quickly enough and get sloppy throw green in for vish

it is not like greene is taking it end to end or making terrific cross ice passes to get the team going

the only issue becomes who is on the point for the 2nd pp unit

martin/oduya
mottau/?? ( if greene is in then him)

If Greene was to sit, you would have to use Lagenbrunner at the other point. Very good question!

i know this wont happen but i would sit Mottau. i honestly dont see the infatuation with this guy, he hasnt done anything noteworthy in about 2 months and never seems to know where the opposing forwards are in his zone. and please dont say he adds anything to the powerplay because he does not. somehow he got locked into a top 4 role and i truly cant understand why. and for all the posters that love to bring up playoff experience when comparing players, this guy has zip.

Martin Oduya
White Rachunek/Salvador/Green
Vishnevski Green/Rachunek

Oduya - Martin
White - Mottau
Salvador - Rachunek

Sal and Raccoon were a good pairing together.

Does anyone remember how well Vishnevski played for Anaheim in 2003 during that run. He was amazing, part of the reason why Lou signed him.

Oduya - Martin
White - Mottau
Salvador - Rachunek

Sal and Raccoon were a good pairing together.

in reality i would prolly sit mottau but we all know the chances of that are about as much as the devils creating offense (:help:) i agree with you here but rachuneks not gonna play............i think vish will sit and greene will play with salvador. i hope that salvador can give the defense a huge boost in helping marty out b/c ever since he got hurt they have been awful defensively

Sutter was quoted as saying how one big hit can change the tempo of a game. And we as Devils fans should understand that as well as anyone. That's why I think Vishy will be in there unless he screws up big time. And I did notice some Ranger players keeping their heads up to see where he was on the ice.

Andy Greene, Andy Greene, Andy Greene, ANDY GREENE.

This guy was given a shot for a regular spot late in the season and has done it all to show that he is not ready yet. He's been behind the play more often than not, his passing is a fright, his coverage is questionable, and he looks uncomfortable out there. I don't think he's a lost cause, he's just not ready yet. Greene should sit for Salvador.

i think rachunek gets bashed for no reason. he would be my pick to play with salvador, but he hasnt played in a while and most likely wont.

Greene looked awful at first but has been decent lately.

Vishnevski has been alright but there is no mobility in a Vishnevski Salvador pairing so IDK how that would work.

We need Vish in this series. He needs to knock the rangers around to get the team pumped. Andy Greene should and will sit i think.

i think rachunek gets bashed for no reason. he would be my pick to play with salvador, but he hasnt played in a while and most likely wont.

Greene looked awful at first but has been decent lately.

Vishnevski has been alright but there is no mobility in a Vishnevski Salvador pairing so IDK how that would work.
Racoon doesn't get bashed for no reason. He gets bashed because he plays poorly, and hasn't improved over the season. Remember the game against the Islanders, where instead of clearing the puck, he passed it behind the net to Elias (who didn't have a stick) which led to an Isles goal? And against the Rangers (I think it was), he passed to Oduya who was going off the ice? And against Ottawa, when he hit Marty's stick when Marty went to play the puck? Racoon also seems to be rusty after he's sat for a while, so I don't know how well he'd do in a series like this.

vish, this is why we got him. because our defense got pushed around in the playoffs last year, and its not like andy is even really a factor with the puck

Racoon doesn't get bashed for no reason. He gets bashed because he plays poorly, and hasn't improved over the season. Remember the game against the Islanders, where instead of clearing the puck, he passed it behind the net to Elias (who didn't have a stick) which led to an Isles goal? And against the Rangers (I think it was), he passed to Oduya who was going off the ice? And against Ottawa, when he hit Marty's stick when Marty went to play the puck? Racoon also seems to be rusty after he's sat for a while, so I don't know how well he'd do in a series like this.

Those awful mistakes were at the beginning of the year i believe. he sucked then. but then when he got back into the lineup (around xmas?) he was great and has been ever since then.

i did miss the thread about him signing in russia until just now, so im guessing he wont be used much. Lets go with Vish, why not. Greene hasnt been great. But then our 2nd powerplay unit sucks. Mottau is awful on the powerplay and he will have to be paired with White if Greene isnt dressed

Those awful mistakes were at the beginning of the year i believe. he sucked then. but then when he got back into the lineup (around xmas?) he was great and has been ever since then.

i did miss the thread about him signing in russia until just now, so im guessing he wont be used much. Lets go with Vish, why not. Greene hasnt been great. But then our 2nd powerplay unit sucks. Mottau is awful on the powerplay and he will have to be paired with White if Greene isnt dressed
It wasn't just at the beginning of the season. A couple of them were, but he also messed up right after he got back into the line up (see: Ottawa game). Against Pittsburgh, for example, Greene was the main scapegoat, but Racoon wasn't exactly impressive. And anyway, he's been injured quite a bit, too.

It would be a mistake to sit Vishnevski, hes too phsyical a force not to be unleashed in the playoffs.

whats up with all the extreme hate for vish turning into hardcore love?

Arrr, hes no man, he's a hitting machine arrr.

I really have no problem with vish plus he is playing good right now. Only problem with sitting Greene or Karl is the 2nd PP unit is bad unless Martin stays out or they move Langs back to the point on the 1st unit.

Vish and Sal could be a scary pair to skate down the ice to!

if vish is dressed langs has to be moved to the point with mottau on the pp. oduya has been great since hes been put back on the first unit with martin. plus, mottau has a horrendous shot so all he has to do is set up langs one timer. that screws with our forward line and makes the second unit pretty bad but id go with this:

parise-elias-gionta
martin-oduya

zubrus-zajac-clarkson
langs-mottau

possibly brylin instead of clarkson. pretty brutal second PP.

if vish is dressed langs has to be moved to the point with mottau on the pp. oduya has been great since hes been put back on the first unit with martin. plus, mottau has a horrendous shot so all he has to do is set up langs one timer. that screws with our forward line and makes the second unit pretty bad but id go with this:

parise-elias-gionta
martin-oduya

zubrus-zajac-clarkson
langs-mottau

possibly brylin instead of clarkson. pretty brutal second PP.
that 2nd pp would be very good in the corners, and you can bet that clarkson or zubrus will be in front of the net screening the goalie.

I actually like the PP that you made. 1st PP would be skill. 2nd will be grit.

Does anyone remember how well Vishnevski played for Anaheim in 2003 during that run. He was amazing, part of the reason why Lou signed him.

+1.

Oduya - Martin
White - Mottau
Vishnevski - Salvador

Or, seperate out the pairings to put a puck mover with a hitter.

Vishnevski - Martin
White - Mottau
Salvador - Oduya

The only problem is PP, which is pretty bad as it is. If this were October I would say try Elias on the left point and Martin on the right. If they had been playing this all season, our PP would likely be slightly better.

PP1
Parise - Zajac - Gionta
Elias - Martin

PP2

Zubrus - Rupp/Madden? - Langs
Oduya - Mottau

Brainstorming is fun.

You know whats funny, people keep bringing up the +/- stat of Oduya being at +27.

Well you know what?

Guess who's at the other end? Yup Vishnevski with a -12
Mottau with a -11
and White with a -5
Greene is at 0

So if you want scapegoats, look at the guys with the heavy -

It is all relative and it is all based on who you play with.
If you're on with the forwards that make less mistakes, your +/- is going to be high. If you are on at the same time with the scrubs, your +/- is going to be horrible.

Wonder why Zajac has been moved to the 4th line? He's at -11

You know whats funny, people keep bringing up the +/- stat of Oduya being at +27.

Well you know what?

Guess who's at the other end? Yup Vishnevski with a -12
Mottau with a -11
and White with a -5
Greene is at 0

So if you want scapegoats, look at the guys with the heavy -

It is all relative and it is all based on who you play with.
If you're on with the forwards that make less mistakes, your +/- is going to be high. If you are on at the same time with the scrubs, your +/- is going to be horrible.

Wonder why Zajac has been moved to the 4th line? He's at -11

Greene will break out next season Moon. Until then, he needs to show why we were all so high on him.

I completely agree with you on Mottau though, sure hes gritty and can lay some nice checks, but he just isnt very good. Good enough as a regular season stop-gap I guess. I can only think he is playing because he doesnt make youthful mistakes.

Greene will break out next season Moon. Until then, he needs to show why we were all so high on him.

I completely agree with you on Mottau though, sure hes gritty and can lay some nice checks, but he just isnt very good. Good enough as a regular season stop-gap I guess. I can only think he is playing because he doesnt make youthful mistakes.

Well like I said, it depends alot on the other people on the ice. Mottau is compensating because White is also playing bad. They are bad because the forwards in front of them are letting people slip through the neutral zone. It all cascades down.

I think Sutter needs to go back to the 7 or 8 defenseman idea and limit the 4th line playing time.

vish, this is why we got him. because our defense got pushed around in the playoffs last year, and its not like andy is even really a factor with the puck

Andy Greene isn't a factor anywhere.

Sorry CJ.

Andy Greene isn't a factor anywhere.

Sorry CJ.

he's about the only D-man we have that can consistently keep the puck in the offensive zone. What is it with our D? They keep letting pucks by them.