All About The Jersey - New Jersey Devils at Nashville Predators: Game Stream #56A world class blog for Jersey's team: the New Jersey Devilshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47083/lou-fave.png2015-02-14T23:53:23-05:00http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/rss/stream/78021622015-02-14T23:53:23-05:002015-02-14T23:53:23-05:00Nashville Handed Devils Fourth Straight Loss, 1-3
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<img alt="Pictured: The Best Devil Player, 2014-15. Also: The photostream didn't have any pictures of tonight's game, so here's one from last season. It's Cory Schneider making a save on a Predator. He had 35 of them tonight. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U-LAynII2Yp5uDGMa1Ew59cpObU=/0x17:3524x2366/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45693508/usa-today-7706750.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Pictured: The Best Devil Player, 2014-15. Also: The photostream didn't have any pictures of tonight's game, so here's one from last season. It's Cory Schneider making a save on a Predator. He had 35 of them tonight. | Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>In a game that almost the inverse of the previous night, the New Jersey Devils lost 1-3 to the Nashville Predators. This game recap goes through the awful first period, the awful defending, what was surprisingly better for NJ, and more.</p> <p>Tonight's game between the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ontheforecheck.com/">Nashville Predators</a> was like <a target="_blank" href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/2/14/8037809/new-jersey-devils-not-destroyed-by-chicago-blackhawks-in-1-3-loss">an inverse of their loss to the Chicago Blackhawks last night</a>. In that one, the Devils and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.secondcityhockey.com/">Blackhawks</a> were relatively close for two periods, the Devils scored first, but Chicago pulled away in a period where they dominated the play to make it a 1-3 loss for the Devils. Tonight, the Predators dominated the first period, scored the first goal, and pulled away late in the third period, which was more even in the bigger picture, to hand the Devils a 1-3 loss. Again, <span>Cory Schneider</span> was amazing in spite of the team in front of him. Again, the defense leaves a massive heap of stuff to be desired. Again, the passing ranged from crummy to less crummy.</p>
<p>However, it wasn't quite a mirror image of the last game. For starters, Nashville crushed the Devils in the first way worse than Chicago did in the third. The Predators out-shot the Devils 20-3 in that period alone. And these weren't cheap shots from the perimeter. Oh, no. We're talking odd man rushes. We're talking <span>Colin Wilson</span> getting open in the slot on the same shift <i>twice</i> only to be robbed by a pad save. We're talking two power plays - both caused by <span>Adam Larsson</span> - where Nashville just flexed their special team muscle. We're talking the Devils getting over loaded and caught on the weak side because they can't seem to communicate or be fast enough to defend that spot. It's how <span>Matt Cullen</span> got the game's opening goal. It's all because of #35 it wasn't a blowout. That's no exaggeration. It's also no exaggeration the Devils stunk worse than a garbage dump made of used diapers and hair on fire for twenty minutes. That was different.</p>
<p>The power play was also different. The Devils' power play actually resembled one. The Devils got two breaks in the second period by way of two delay of game penalties. <span>Mike Cammalleri</span> came close to converting the first one off a sweet pass by <span>Steve Bernier</span> in front. <span>Pekka Rinne</span> absolutely robbed him. The second one did yield a goal. <span>Eric Gelinas</span> unleashed The Truth for the first time in a long, long time. He missed the net, but the force of the shot led to a massive rebound off the end-boards. Bernier piled the puck past Rinne and it was 1-1 in the second period. The Devils actually out-shot the Predators and were only slightly behind in attempts. Nashville missed the net a bunch more and the Devils weren't always run over, so it was nice to see a handful of attacking shifts. The power play goal was the first in quite some time for New Jersey. I was pleased enough that the power play resembled one; I am quite pleased with the PPG.</p>
<p>The opposition took the lead in one of two even-ish periods. Nashville definitely had the better run of play in the third period despite only out-shooting the Devils, 10-8. They earned their goals, though. They had more shifts with pressure and one of them succeeded. Colin Wilson, who was robbed earlier tonight, finished off a lovely feed by <span>Victor Bartley</span>, which was set up by a lovely pass by <span>Mike Ribeiro</span> for the go-ahead goal. Nashville kept attacking (they had a 3-on-1 shortly after the goal) and they were rewarded again. <span>Craig Smith</span> got an insurance goal when he went behind Gelinas and <span>Travis Zajac</span>, got around the net with the puck, and put in close. The Devils, for some reason, pulled the goalie with less than two minutes left but there was no hope of a comeback. At least Nashville didn't tack on an empty net goal - another difference from last night's game.</p>
<p>Lastly, the big difference between both games was that Nashville's dominant first period established what most of us expected. The Devils remain as a bad team, the Predators are a very good team, and it would've taken another stroke of fortune for the Devils to steal a point (or two!) tonight. That first period just dug the Devils deep into a possession hole and piled some dirt on it. The Devils were more respectable in the other two periods, but when they got pinned back - which wasn't <i>as</i> often - it was more of the same from the first. In that Chicago game, that was a case of starting decently and having the game get away from them. Nashville got away from them from the second or third shift.</p>
<p>All the same, the result remains. The Devils lost 1-3, it's their fourth straight game without a win, and the team as constructed has no hope of doing anything. But we knew that after last night and most likely a long time ago.</p>
<p><b>The Game Stats: </b>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/GS020827.HTM">NHL.com Game Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/ES020827.HTM">NHL.com Event Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/PL020827.HTM">NHL.com Play by Play Log</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/SS020827.HTM">NHL.com Shot Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TV020827.HTM">NHL.com Devils Time on Ice Log</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20142015&game=20827">Natural Stat Trick Corsi Charts</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/game1.html?seasongcode=2014201520827">War on Ice Stats</a></p>
<p><b>The Opposition Opinion: </b> Over at On the Forecheck, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ontheforecheck.com/2015/2/14/8040621/nashville-predators-new-jersey-devils">Jonathan Garcia has this recap</a> wherein he notes that the Predators won five straight. I wonder what a five-game winning streak feels like...</p>
<p><b>The Game Highlights: </b>Over at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com">NHL.com</a>, here's a highlight video of tonight's game:</p>
<p align="center"><iframe height="395" width="640" frameborder="0" src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=2014020827-X-h"></iframe></p>
<p><b>Still <3 You, #35:</b> Before the game, I was confused at the fact that Cory Schneider started this game. He played against Chicago and didn't have a light night of work. A few minutes into the first period, I was incredibly happy he was in net because he was the sole reason why Nashville didn't run away with the game within a first period that felt a lot longer than twenty minutes. As I said in the Chicago recap, he's the main reason why it's worth watching this team because he's the only one who's likely to bring his "A" game on any given night.</p>
<p><b>Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh: </b> While the second and third periods weren't so bad, I'm not going to praise a defense that conceded 38 shots tonight. The team defense was just abysmal in the first period and by game's end, they were out-shot 19-32 at evens and out-attempted 36-60 at evens. The pairing of Adam Larsson and <span>Andy Greene</span> were the best of a bad bunch. I can't say I'm pleased with how Larsson played, given his two penalties (one of them in the offensive zone) and while he had a couple of shots on net, he also created some odd man rushes for Nashville. Greene can only do so much.</p>
<p>But Larsson looked like Lidstrom compared with the other four. To say they were bad would be an understatement. <span>Marek Zidlicky</span> demonstrated that he can't defend and created some odd man rushes for the opposition too. <span>Jon Merrill</span> isn't good enough to account for that. I struggle to envision someone wanting Zidlicky. Likewise, I struggle to see how Merrill is supposed to get better from all of this. <span>Peter Harrold</span> got rolled over so bad, I half-expected him to turn into a 2D image of himself. Eric Gelinas may have created a PPG, but his idea of defensive zone coverage seems to be either strolling to the play, reacting a second or two late, or getting his ankles proverbially broken by players who don't traditionally do that (Matt Cullen! Seriously!). The Gelinas-Harrold pairing resembled the Fraser-Harrold pairing of recent weeks, which should tell you a lot about Kurtis Foster Version 2.0 (hint: that's not Harrold or Fraser).</p>
<p><b>Tootoo Watch:</b> <span>Jordin Tootoo</span> only played 14:22 tonight. He played like he you'd expect, minus the "tough stuff."</p>
<p><b>Something Better: </b>These <span>Dainius Zubrus</span> managed to lead the team in shots tonight, including two of the Devils' three first period shots. Zubrus wasn't completely run over like he was in Chicago. Given the state of where he's at in his career, that's fine. I did like that <span>Jaromir Jagr</span> did not take a penalty and at least made more than just a handful of attempts. Alas, four out of his five attempts didn't get to Rinne. While Scott Gomez proved to the world that he may have trouble defending a wet paper bag at times, he didn't pass up the puck when he had an opportunity to shoot. Given that I wrote that for Gomez, it's something to appreciate - even if it's not that much.</p>
<p><b>Something Worse: </b>Whereas the unit of Travis Zajac, <span>Patrik Elias</span>, and Tootoo was the best one in Chicago, they were probably the worst tonight. Zajac was uncharacteristically in over his head in his own end. Elias was just making bad decisions with the puck going forward. Since Tootoo is, well, Tootoo, that line got wrecked the most. Most of the forwards got beaten up in terms of possession, but they were the worst. There were also had some dire shifts of Gomez, Bernier, and a not-so-visible <span>Adam Henrique</span> getting pinned back that made the game look like men (Predators) among boys (Devils). Jagr has never been one to defend, and <span>Tuomo Ruutu</span> and Mike Cammalleri had their struggles as well. But Elias and Zajac have been and should be expected to be more poised in their own end. Not so tonight. When that happens, well, games like this happen.</p>
<p><b>Well, This Didn't Work: </b><span>Martin Havlat</span> came in for <span>Michael Ryder</span> tonight. He wasn't totally invisible on defense, but he contributed very little offense. Unless I'm mistaken, it appears it was he who missed his assignment that led to Wilson's eventual game winning goal. If his plan was to prove to the co-coaches that he should replace Ryder, then he didn't really make a good argument for it tonight.</p>
<p><b>The Powerful Predators: </b>A lot of Predators had very good games tonight. Rinne was impressive; like Schneider, he's excellent in most games. Wilson was all over the place on offense with seven shots on net, including a goal. Smith got four, including a goal. <span>Shea Weber</span> bombed four shots on net as well. But it wasn't just their top players who impressed. <span>Mattias Ekholm</span> and Victor Bartley were seemingly always going forward when they were on the ice. It wasn't just Wilson or <span>James Neal</span> getting free for open shots that forced a tough save by Schneider. <span>Gabriel Bourque</span>, <span>Taylor Beck</span>, and Cullen were able to do so, with Cullen getting a goal. It's one thing for the big minute players to win their match-ups; when the depth players do so, then it speaks to how well the night went for Nashville.</p>
<p><b>Lastly: </b>I know Steve Cangelosi and Ken Daneyko are trying to be positive, but will someone at MSG please tell them it's OK to admit this Devils team isn't going to make the playoffs. And remind them of that if/when the Devils get some wins on their upcoming six-game home stand? Thanks.</p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>The Devils lost to Nashville with a hideous beginning and not as hideous end. I want to know your take about it. What did you make of the Devils' performance overall? What, if anything, should be learned from it? Who was the best and worst Devils skater? What about Nashville, what do you think of them now that you've seen them? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's loss in the comments.</p>
<p>Thanks to Brian for doing the preview, thanks to those who commented in the Gamethread, and thanks to those who followed along through Twitter with <a href="http://www.twitter.com/inlouwetrust" target="_blank">@InLouWeTrust</a>. Thank you for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/2/14/8040889/new-jersey-devils-drop-four-straight-with-1-3-loss-nashville-predatorsJohn Fischer2015-02-14T19:00:02-05:002015-02-14T19:00:02-05:00Devils at Predators: Gamethread #56
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<p>This is the gamethread for today's game between the New Jersey Devils and the Nashville Predators. This is a post where users can discuss what happens before, during, and after the game until the recap is up.</p> <p><strong>The Time:</strong> 8:00 PM EST</p>
<p><strong>The Broadcast:</strong> TV: MSG+ 2, Radio: 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN</p>
<p><strong>The Matchup:</strong> The <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a> (21-25-9) vs. The <a href="https://www.ontheforecheck.com/?_ga=1.233496092.365726731.1407431158">Nashville Predators</a> (37-12-6) SBN Blog: <a href="http://www.ontheforecheck.com">On The Forecheck.</a></p>
<p><strong>The Game Previews: </strong>Brian's preview from earlier <a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/2/14/8038071/new-jersey-devils-at-nashville-predators-game-preview-56">is right here.</a> For the opposition's point of view, feel free to drop by <a href="http://www.ontheforecheck.com/">On The Forecheck.</a></p>
<p><strong style="font-weight: bold;">The Song for Tonight: </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGVZOLV9SPo">"Love Is A Battlefield" by Pat Benatar<strong>.</strong></a> Valentine's Day best wishes to ILWT because we all know it hurts sometimes to love a certain hockey team.</p>
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<p><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Gameday Info:</strong> <span>Jordin Tootoo</span> returns to Nashville tonight where he played eight seasons as a Predator. Former NJ Devil defenseman and now Nashville Predator Anton Volchenkov will be out tonight with a lower body injury. <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/fireice/">Check in</a><strong> </strong>with Tom Gulitti for this and all the latest NJ Devils news.</p>
<p><strong style="font-weight: bold;">The Reminder of Rules: </strong>This is a place where you can comment about this game before, during, and after it's played before the recap is up. This is a place where we <em>primarily</em> discuss the Devils game. An odd mention of other NHL games is OK, but it shouldn't dominate discussion. All comments will be clean, respectful of each other, relevant to the game, and legal (read: no streams). Please refrain from super-big pictures (640 x 480 max) and NO .GIFs whatsoever to keep the gamethread moving for everyone. If you do post pictures make sure to post a title in the comment. Go Devils.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/2/14/8039337/new-jersey-devils-at-nashville-predators-gamethread-56JT Sroka2015-02-14T07:00:02-05:002015-02-14T07:00:02-05:00Game Preview #56: Devils at Predators
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<p>The Devils play the back end of a back-to-back when they take on the Predator's in Nashville. Will they avoid a 4th straight loss? This recap takes a look at both teams ahead of tonight's game. </p> <p><span>What's a better Valentine's Day gift than watching the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">Devils</a> take on the best team in the NHL?</span></p>
<p><span><b>The Time:</b> 8:00 PM EST</span></p>
<p><span><b>The Broadcast:</b> TV - MSG+2; Radio - 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN</span></p>
<p><span><b>The Matchup:</b> The New Jersey Devils (21-25-9) at the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ontheforecheck.com/">Nashville Predators</a> (37-12-6; SBN Blog: </span><a href="http://www.ontheforecheck.com/">On the Forecheck</a><span>)</span></p>
<p><span><b>The Last Devils Game:</b> The Devils went to Chicago and surpringsly played well enough to have a 1-0 lead going into the third period. They got on the board early when <span>Jon Merrill</span> made a nice read to pass the puck </span><span>to <span>Scott Gomez</span> behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.secondcityhockey.com/">Blackhawks</a>' net, who then immediately found <span>Peter Harrold</span> creeping in at the right circle, to put the shot past <span>Corey Crawford</span> towards the end of the first period. </span><a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/2/14/8037809/new-jersey-devils-not-destroyed-by-chicago-blackhawks-in-1-3-loss">As John noted in his recap of the game</a><span>, shots and shot attempts were almost even between the two teams and the Devils had been playing well to fend off a much more skilled Chicago team. The Blackhawks had their moments in the second </span><span>period but <span>Cory Schneider</span> was solid when called upon, as usual. The key moment of the game came with seconds left in the second period when <span>Michael Ryder</span> when he took a careless interference penalty in the </span><span>offensive zone. It goes back to a fundemental aspect of the game that coaches at all levels will harp on, "don't take a penalty in the offensive zone, don't take a penalty late in the period." As you can imagine </span><span>Lou Lamoriello </span><a href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/ryder-s-penalty-costly-in-devils-3-1-loss-in-chicago-schneider-felt-he-should-ve-saved-tying-goal-1.1271440">was not impressed in his post game interview with Tom Gulitti</a><span>. Chicago came out ready on the man advantage to start the final period of play, with <span>Marian Hossa</span> putting a wrist shot from the right </span><span>circle past Cory Schneider to tie the game. Just a few minutes later, <span>Jonathan Toews</span> would give the Blackhawks the lead for good when he gained the zone, found a streaking Marian Hossa in behind <span>Marek Zidlicky</span>, </span><span>followed the play to the net, and jammed home the rebound as he beat Zidlicky to it. <span>Kris Versteeg</span> would end up sealing the deal with an empty net goal to give the Devils their third loss in a row.</span></p>
<p><span><b>The Last Predators Game:</b> The Predators defeated the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.arcticicehockey.com/">Jets</a> 3-1 on Thursday. Alex Daugherty </span><a href="http://www.ontheforecheck.com/2015/2/12/8031141/nashville-predators-3-winnipeg-jets-1-mvpekka">has the recap over at On the Forecheck</a><span>. Nashville's powerplay went 2/6 with <span>Shea Weber</span> and <span>Filip Forsberg</span> picking up the goals. James Neal had the game's only even strength goal in the third period. Pekka Rinne made 32 saves to advance his SV% to .930, good for second best in the NHL. The Jets actually out-shot the Predators 33-26, though there were score effects at play here. </span></p>
<p><span><b>The Last Devils-Predators Game:</b> This will be the first of two meetings between the Devils and Predators this year. Last year, the teams split the season series with New Jersey winning the first game 5-0 in November and the Predators winning the second game 3-2in overtime in January. Shea Weber scored twice, including the game wining goal in that game. <span>David Legwand</span> had the other Nashville goal. <span>Patrik Elias</span> and <span>Jaromir Jagr</span> both had a goal and an assist while <span>Travis Zajac</span> had two assists. Cory Schneider made 30 saves that night as the Devils were out-shot 33-26.</span></p>
<p><span><b>The Goal:</b> Play disciplined hockey. The Devils went into Chicago and put up a strong effort and were mostly effective before a careless penalty by Michael Ryder changed the game giving Chicago all the momentum. <span>Eric Gelinas</span> followed with another penalty that didn't cost the Devils a goal, but did take away precious attack time. If you go back to last Saturday's game against Montreal, the Devils took themselves out of the game between a <span>Dainius Zubrus</span> high sticking double minor and a Peter Harrold hooking penalty, in which the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/">Canadiens</a> scored three goals. Even a few days later, an <span>Adam Larsson</span> penalty led to a <span>Nail Yakupov</span> goal which gave Edmonton the lead. The bottom line is the Devils aren't even that good at even strength (to put it midly) and they can't put themselves down a man. They just don't have a large margin for error. Tonight they will go against a strong Nashville team that ranks 6th in goals per game (2.94) and has a decent power play (18%). The Devils penalty kill is already ranked 25th in the league (78.3%) so they need to avoid the box and try to make life easier for themselves.</span></p>
<p><span><b>About the Predators:</b> </span><a href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html">According to War-On-Ice</a><span>, Nashville currently has the 7th best CF% (52.4%) and FF% (52.8%). Their SCF% (scoring chance for) is the 4th best in the league at 53.8%. Nashville is averaging 31.2 shots for per 60 minutes, third best in the NHL, at 5v5 play. This could end up being a long night for the Devils and perhaps Cory Schneider if he is given the start.</span></p>
<p><b>Nashville's Top Players:</b> <a href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&shotattsit=&names=&team=NSH&pos=5&start1=2014-10-01&xaxis=50&yaxis=78&caxis=39&saxis=85&mintoi=200&panel=1&usedaterange=0&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&end1=2015-02-14&splitseasons=0">Here is their player usage chart</a> for their forwards via War-On-Ice. As you can see the likes of Filip Forsberg, Mike Riberio, James Neal, and to a lesser extent Craig Smith are deployed with the most favorable zone starts but also against top competition. Forberg-Ribeiro-Smith was the top line the last game with James Neal joining Mike Fisher and <span>Colin Wilson</span> on the second line. <a href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&shotattsit=&names=&team=NSH&pos=6&start1=2014-10-01&xaxis=50&yaxis=78&caxis=39&saxis=85&mintoi=200&panel=2&usedaterange=0&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&end1=2015-02-14&splitseasons=0">Here's the usage chart</a> for the defensemen. <span>Roman Josi</span> and Shea Weber anchor the top pairing, face the toughest competition, and get hard zone starts. The pairing of <span>Ryan Ellis</span> and Mattias Ekholm were out of action for Nashville's most recent game due to injuries. Ex-Devil Anton Volchenkov was paired with young star, Seth Jones.</p>
<p><span>Filip Forsberg and James Neal lead the team with 19 goals each. <span>Mike Ribeiro</span> has the lead in assists with 34. Filip Forsberg (50), Mike Ribeiro (45), Roman Josi (40), Shea Weber (39), and Colin Wilson (36) are the top five in scoring. Also, be prepared to see Shea Weber and Roman Josi a lot, they both average around 26:30 minutes per game.</span></p>
<p><span><b>The Likely Starter for Nashville:</b> Pekka Rinne is having a fantastic season for the Predators. </span><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/statshome.htm?navid=nav-sts-league#">He currently</a><span> leads the league in wins (32) and GAA (1.99) and is second in SV% (.930). </span><a href="http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2015_goalies.html">According to Hockey-Reference</a><span>, he has the second best goals saved above average (20.42), the most quality starts (32), and highest quality start percentage (78%). </span><a href="http://war-on-ice.com/goalietable.html?mansit=&homeawaysit=1&scoresit=8&team=&playoffs=0&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2015-02-14">According to War-On-Ice</a><span>, he has the best 5v5 SV% (.943) in the league. A shutout tonight or just one goal by the Devils wouldn't surprise me.</span></p>
<p><span><b>Happy with the New Lines:</b> Lou Lamoreillo was "happy" with the new line combinations last night, </span><a href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/devils-heading-in-wrong-direction-again-with-losing-streak-at-three-missed-opportunities-stand-out-1.1271503">according to Tom Gulitti</a><span>. The idea was to add more toughness to each line by having a grit player paired with more skilled guys. Thus, the reasoning behind <span>Jordin Tootoo</span> playing with Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac and <span>Tuomo Ruutu</span> with <span>Mike Cammalleri</span> and Jaromir Jagr. While playing a guy like Tootoo 17+ minutes a night is not ideal, it's hard to argue with it at least working against Chicago for the majority of the game. I'd expect to see something similar tonight but with a likely different result. </span></p>
<p><span><b>Possible Changes?:</b> Michael Ryder and Eric Gelinas drew back into the line up last night and I wouldn't be surprised if at least Ryder is coming out for <span>Martin Havlat</span> tonight. Ryder took a costly penalty, put up no shots, had just two attempts, and only played 9:24. While not much can be expected to come out of him in a fourth line role with <span>Jacob Josefson</span> and Dainius Zubrus, he still needs to be better if he wants to claim a spot in the line up. In my opinion, he has done enough to play himself out of NJ for good. Eric Gelinas played mainly with Peter Harrold and Marek Zidlicky last night, getting crushed when he was with Zidlicky. I think he'll get into tonight's game but I wouldn't be shocked if the coaching staff put <span>Mark Fraser</span> in considering how much they love the physical element he brings and it's the back end of a back-to-back.</span></p>
<p><span><b>Jagr's Ice Time:</b> Jagr is averaging 18 minutes per game this season, however he has only eclipsed that mark twice since the coaching change. Last night he only played 13:29 and he has been below 16 minutes for three straight games. Did he need the reduction due to fatigue? Is it due to the coaches trying to find new line combinations? Are they slowly preparing for life after Jagr? Just something to keep an eye on.</span></p>
<p><span><b>Your Take:</b> The Devils face another really good team, on the second night of a back-to-back. How do you see this game playing out? What matchups are you looking for? Do you hope Schneider gets the start? Leave your comments below and thank you for reading!</span></p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/2/14/8038071/new-jersey-devils-at-nashville-predators-game-preview-56Brian Franken