...

See! You didn't have as much of an issue with what I said as you thought you did.

You're being unnecessarily sensitive on this matter. You're also lumping me with the stat-haters. I like stats and think they are a fine tool for assessing situations. I wrote my last response while sitting on the toilet, so excuse me if it wasn't clear. The discussion has been since, effectively, the beginning of the season that ROR made the team better and the justification has been his stats. The stats-only guys are clearly ignoring that there is more to factoring in a player's worth to a team that just stats. And am I asking if you disagree with that. As to whether we'd be better with ROR, it's a pointless question. A POINTLESS QUESTION. He's gone and he's likely not coming back. You might say "woah, ..., it does have a point because it weighs into whether JBott is managing the roster effectively." If the team's record is better at the end of the season then JBott has managed the roster effectively including getting rid of ROR. Of course, you might then say "woah, ..., if ROR were here the team would be even better!" Which you can not prove, ever, and doesn't matter because it's postulating on a circumstance that isn't real. Therefore, pointless.

You're welcome to see it that way, but it depends on how you define "stat guy". The arguments surrounding keeping ROR all season are based on stats and how nice they look. Disagree?

Great post. This meshes with the other, reliable, anecdotal evidence behind the move. Of course, stat guys are gonna stat. Chemistry means nothing to them.

Once again, Reinhart seems to have caught on that he has muscle and girth. i had not seen him play so "heavy" a game as these past two games. And he looks good on his own line. This is more what I wanted to see from the guy.

I support this message.

Sorry, we're not all robots like you. Eichel played a good game last night. When he plays a crappy game - being captain - it tends affect more than just himself.

I think the problem we all have is that we know this team can play a game like this. There were no exceptions to the norm, deviations from average stat lines tonight, just a good, solid game of hockey. We know it's in them.

So tired of the dump and chase.

If you play the Benny Hill theme music during a Sabres' PP it all makes sense.

SHOOT IT JACK!

It's the same reason businesses would rather hire older workers if it weren't for the pay scale. The experience means something. This team is still very young and there is a ton of room for improvement in just experience alone. We just need to see some of that some times. Schopp and Bulldog had a good conversation today where Bulldog was saying that if the 10 game streak wins were spread out from the beginning of the season until now, we'd all be pretty happy with the progress. Although context means a lot in terms of how the wins come, and the games lost are lost, it's not a bad point. As I've said before, if Skinner signs here, then we can be assured the team is on the right track with their internal metrics. There's also another non-obvious sign of being on the right track I thought of earlier today but can't remember what that is. I'll think of it...

They hung with a big, tough, fast team. It was going well, even at 1-1. They slacked off for 10 seconds and all of that effort went out of the window. I think people would have accepted a loser point, but the brain fart/poor coverage/slop/slackery during that play is unacceptable - it's what has plagued this team all season.

This is the mental discipline question. I need a better explanation of why Phil is responsible for Eichel's focus or lack of it.

I think the questions can be boiled down to: Has Phil lost the team? I say he hasn't in the least bit. The players never hint or otherwise that they have a problem with their coach. When coaching is an issue for a team, at some point the players start hinting. I see no signs that the players do not respect Phil. Would the Sabres benefit more from a new coach or roster improvements? This is an obvious yes. Seeing Phil's system, if we had the players who could play it 85-90% this team would already be in the playoffs. Is Phil responsible for the team's mental discipline? This is the most difficult to answer, I think. I struggle with where the player's responsibility for their own focus ends, and where the coach's responsibility for the teams' focus begins. Open to reading other POVs on this, especially.

Hey man, Ovechkin won 6 Rocket Richard trophies before last season. This proves the stats can catch up to the eye test.

STOP THE PRESSES! Phil called a time-out!

The first line slacked off on their assignments.

Eichel's man?

"Targeted" was past tense, surely both of you caught that. I've been off the trade Samson wagon for a little bit.

It's such a close call. They stifle offense each in their own unique way.

I do like that the Sabres are forcing penalties. That doesn't happen if they weren't doing something right.

Glad they got the goal, but they were standing around the seconds before and it looked hopeless.

They're playing scared.