DarthEbriate

Do we know what Grier is doing specifically on Ruff's staff? Running the forwards? The power play?

Yup. Same here. Opposition realized it was 3 on 1 for a loose ball, someone yelled "man", got caught sideways, the backside foot's cleats locked in the Pac NW March mud... And then the backside leg folded like a camp chair. And basically sat up with my stick out of my hands and my goalie screaming at me to get up and into position. I was walking upstairs backwards for 2 weeks, then 4 weeks until some semblance of normalcy and willingness to plant a foot to turn or pivot, 6 weeks until back to normal.

Agreed. But Joker is back in the lineup Monday unless Jake is magically OK. I hope for our sakes Joker just gets back to no-panic, nice outlet passing, and sets aside his season-long jitters.

Per Devils broadcast: High danger chances 11 to 2, Sabres five-on-five today. No team has done that to the Devils (and Ruff's defense) this year. We can do it, when we have the will and desperation.

Lindy would have to want to come back. These are the same owners that had him fired after they decided to tank everything.

Once Joker is ready to go, Irwin can come out. But it's going to take a collective effort because we're down McCabe-Ristolainen until... who can say.

I have you now, Regulation Victory.

The Devils are what we should have looked like in the 3rd period each of the past few games. (Remember, they lost everyone to COVID, too.) That's coaching and leadership. Thankfully, we spotted ourselves 3 goals and played really soundly and aggressively the first two periods.

Olofsson on the Eakin instead of Okposo --- he's better defensively.

Eichel in transition... turnover. He's soooo tentative this year. Go forward, Jack!

Their shields are down. All PKers -- follow me! Edit: blergh.

When he gets sent to the taxi squad after the game, we must repeat to ourselves: "It's just for cap purposes. It's just for cap purposes."

Not a good time for taking a penalty.

Hope it's super-mild and the 2-3 week variety. And thankfully he didn't get all the way to the boards where the skate could've caught and Bure-ed him. Still... probably 4 weeks minimum if that sprained like it looks it did.

Yup -- knee. Dang it.

Karrabast!

Hughes is going to be really good once he is strong enough to survive a basic rub/check along the boards.

And give Joker a chance to reset. He's been so messy this year, whereas last year -- sure, still a kid -- but he rarely looked rattled. Hopefully, he can get himself chilled and be a Joker the Toker and come back to move Irwin back to 7. (Risto could be weeks away, after all. Heck -- hope he's okay long-term. He was becoming the next form of himself.)

It's a team we have to beat and be better than. That said, if we had played with any of this intensity for any of the previous three games coming out of the COVID break, there wouldn't have been comments about psychology, and our 'Space board wouldn't have been as worried about trading and firing people. If they play like this and lose... yeah, pucks bounce and goalies steal games. But the energy, positioning, and puck-battles today have been wondrously better than their previous 4-5 games.

Kinda forgot about Reinhart there... Ruff will be livid.

Gooooall! And I'm clearly on a delay as I was still commenting on the previous shift.

Eichel just looks like he thinks he's on the PP while 5 on 5. Just everything around the boards, looking only back to the point... but there's two guys on him instead of players collapsing.

Weird... they're crediting Irwin for the goal at the moment. Did they not watch the celly, the Reinhart skate past the bench, or the replays?

I'll bet Tage's contract would allow him to get through waivers to the AHL where he belongs. Cozens is not likely to sit the rest of this season.

Reinhart uncontested to the slot. All too easy. He's over 50% on the year I believe. Getting better at those with age.