[GDT: Blackhawks @ Sabres - Thu Jan 18, 2024, 7:00 pm ET MSG-B, NBCSCH 📺 WGR 📻]

3 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

Two wins in a row could be cool.

What if we have two two-game winning streaks back-to-back ... since they only like winning two in a row (not three and four is RIGHT OUT!), let's just talk about streaks in terms of how many two-game winning streaks they have?

[Thank you, UPL]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

You might be absolutely right. Truthfully, I suppose I’d say I just don’t really care. The league has demonstrated countless times over it doesn’t take 5 years to turn around a hockey team into one that converts on a playoff berth one solitary time.
 

It is very uncommon to take 5 years, to go 4 years under one regime without a playoff berth. There are only *4 current teams* out of 32 in the entire NHL with active droughts longer than 4 years. Let that sink in.

There are only 5 teams with a drought longer than 3 years.

4 years is a very long time and we are headed for that: that’s why the expectation was playoffs, THIS year. If we make it next year, it will be “damn, about time”, not “good job”. And like I said, teams don’t miss 5 straight years. Only 3 right now, league wide, besides us. 

Im sorry, if KA can’t do it in 5, if he’s equaling that putrid level of drought all by his lonesome, that only 3 other teams league wide get to, never mind the REST of our drought, I’m just done with the regime. More power to those who have an endless runway 

I can pretty much feel your frustration through the screen. I hear ya, too. I want nothing more than to cheer for this team; Buffalo Sabres hockey is one of my earliest memories, on TV in our living room. I am a schmuck and still cheer every goal I see, just like I cheered for every touchdown those drought-years Bills scored.

Probably fools' gold, but hoping there is some sort of real plan other than "get guys that want to be here" is sorta the only thread I have left to grasp. 😕

[Thank you, UPL]

44 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Right, im good with calling a spade a spade too. We just shouldn’t pretend there’s any kind of expectations. Cause there aren’t. The strategy is the strategy and it takes how long it takes.  Missing the playoffs 4 straight years doesn’t lead into a change in approach for next year, and like the post you quoted mentioned, it’ll likely be another 2 years until the roster is supposedly ready. If it’s not then, well, stay the course 

it is what it is at this point, it’s easier to give up the angst and choose apathy. Making it this year, taking till year 4 of your term, I would have said Adams did an ok job. Missing this year, if we do, ya..a strategy that takes 5 years to get a team in the playoffs isn’t a good one, regardless of if we made it next year. It’s not a situation where I’d think a GM particularly deserves credit. We already know it’s a lacking plan if we take until next year to make it, if we need till year 6 or whatever was implied, I mean…

totally on board w/ the thinking. Bad strategy, bad GM, but if it takes 6 years it takes 6 years. Or beyond. I drew my personal line at 5. It’s the time I’ve got for this regime. I’m barely watching this year as is: hopefully they can put it together for next year, that 5th one  

Has anyone suggested that perhaps (like, tiny chance) GMKA had a multi-phased plan? Phase 1 was "wanna be here" and "stockpile". I am guessing KA is quite pleased with the potential he has achieved via his draft and stockpile approach. Perhaps now that he knows he has an actual abundance of prospects of a certain ilk at mostly the same positions, he will initiate Phase 2 ... turn prospects back into viable and meaningful pros?

I am grasping at straws here ... I know. I am glad we have a solid pipeline of prospects that are not in the NHL, but something about a bird in the hand being worth more that two in the bush and probably a few other proverbs about appreciating the here and now vs pining for a future that may or may not materialize.

Thanks for listening to my TedTalk, off to Target and then to drink some bourbon.

[SABRES-BILLS MLK DAY EXTRAVAGANZA (1-15-2024) GDT: San Jose Sharks vs. Buffalo Sabres, 1200 ET/1100 CT (MSG/ESPN+/Radio) // Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills, 1630 ET/1530 CT (CBS)]

11 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

The biggest adjustment for players going from the NCAAs to the NHL is adjusting to the increased number of games, particularly with goalies. 
Proper development in the AHL would have put Him at 55-60 games 
Levi played 32 and 34 games respectively during His Two Seasons at Northeastern, getting only 35 games during His Rookie Season is a year of wasted development IMO. 

For all the angry words thrown around when Li'l J is in the press box - is it possible that DG is actually trying to load manage him as he goes from NCAA to NHL? Benson got more games in WHL so maybe they are thinking he can handle it?

[SABRES-BILLS MLK DAY EXTRAVAGANZA (1-15-2024) GDT: San Jose Sharks vs. Buffalo Sabres, 1200 ET/1100 CT (MSG/ESPN+/Radio) // Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills, 1630 ET/1530 CT (CBS)]

1 minute ago, DarthEbriate said:

It's how you win scoring titles. (and set league records in EA NHL campaigns)

 

Wait... now TNT and Tuch decide to press the attack?

They seemed to relax and just play?

[SABRES-BILLS MLK DAY EXTRAVAGANZA (1-15-2024) GDT: San Jose Sharks vs. Buffalo Sabres, 1200 ET/1100 CT (MSG/ESPN+/Radio) // Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills, 1630 ET/1530 CT (CBS)]

Just now, Crusader1969 said:

How many team in the league are the Sabres beating today with this effort ? 
 

probably SJ and CHI and no one else 

To be fair (? maybe I am just being a homer) - SJ seems content to just clog things up at the expense of them being able to generate any offense?

[SABRES-BILLS MLK DAY EXTRAVAGANZA (1-15-2024) GDT: San Jose Sharks vs. Buffalo Sabres, 1200 ET/1100 CT (MSG/ESPN+/Radio) // Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills, 1630 ET/1530 CT (CBS)]

Just now, JohninMinn. said:

Mittsy is a thing of beauty at times.

It seems like most everyone except Mitts put on the "anti-puck" tape today ... passing and catching to day is definitely off. 😞

[GDT: Vancouver Canucks @ Buffalo Sabres 4 pm MSG radio 550 am]

1 minute ago, thewookie1 said:

A very anger inducing game between our players getting headshot, our PP getting a few chances but generally looking bad and their ***** goalie standing on his head in every case we had a solid chance.

I agree with Dan that you can’t exactly fault their effort. I can however still be angry and dissatisfied with the result.

This is how I feel - I don't think you can point to a lack of effort in this game, but yeah, the result sucks bawlz.

[GDT: Vancouver Canucks @ Buffalo Sabres 4 pm MSG radio 550 am]

Marty was explaining the basics of how to properly break out of your own zone and calling out Sabres for sitting at the opposing blue line with no speed - lol, LOVE IT! Felt like he wanted to have crayons to draw it so the Sabres could understand it. 🤣

[ESPN: Skinner out ‘week to week’]

38 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Of course, as you kinda said, we really don't know what the coaches WANT guys to do.  Do the Sabres run a sound defensive system and some guys just don't grasp it or don't want to? Do the coaches want the forward to engage or not?  Is the sytem the coaches want the players to run actually NOT a good defensive zone system?  We aren't NHL coaches so we really don't know that so all we can do is give opinions based on what we see.

I understood your original point, and I fear it may have been clear that I pretty much agree with what you were saying - more just wanted to "talk shop" about positioning, etc. I totally agree that just being in the way is often times better than being in the absolute wrong spot - 100%.

Fear not, fellow 'Spacer - I don't like coming after people for their opinions (at least about hockey), I actually enjoying learning from others' perspectives on this board! 🙂

[ESPN: Skinner out ‘week to week’]

3 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Not at all, for me its about usage.  Ideally he should be a 2nd/3rd line guy. And I don't mean he needs to adapt to a traditional 3rd line role, I'm talking about minutes.  If he gets 1st unit PP time (3 minutes per game or more) and gets 2nd/3rd line even strength minutes (12.5-13 minutes per game), I think thats good usage.  The fact they put him on the 1st line...that is a totally different problem.

PLUS, I admit he is not good defensively, he doesn't take the body, and he certainly isn't diving to break up passes or block shots. So he's not GOOD defensively.  BUT, he's not as bad as what people say often and here is what I mean by that:  Often times forwards playing in their own zone is not about rushing to the boards to get a loose puck, taking a guy out with a hit..etc. You want your D-men to do that. Your D-men are usually in position to take guys out from the front of the net...your D-men are in the corners more often muscling guys off the puck and getting it out of the zone.  Sometimes the BEST thing a forward can do is just 'hang around' their spot on the ice (top of the faceoff circles, center/slot area) to make sure NO player form the other team goes into those spots.  Compare Skinner to Cozens on goals scored against the Sabres (and I have watched replays of 100+ goals allowed by this team over the past year or so breaking them down frame by frame).  Cozens rushes to the corner...he tries to hit guys...ties guys up....but often to do that he leaves his 'spot' and in the 50% of time the Sabres do NOT win the puck battle, his 'zone' on the ice is now WIDE OPEN, often a prime scoring spot, for a defender to step into and take a shot that leads often to goals.  Skinner on the other hand, rarely engages in loose puck battles, won't go to hit someone in the D-zone, but he hangs around in that spot on his side in the high circle (usually) and 1 of 2 things happen:  1. The Sabres get the loose puck and he is in position to transition it out of the zone.  2) he is just hanging around the top of the circle on his side and when the OTHER team gets the puck they can't simply pass it to a D-man or winger who is WIDE OPEN in that area...because while Skinner may not be engaging anyone, he prevents that pass from being made to someone in a prime scoring spot.

Again, I'm not saying Skinner is good defensively, he isn't 'good'. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, there are times where he won't even enter the d-zone, its like there is an anti-Skinner force field preventing him from crossing his own blue line.  BUT, if he is the teams leading goal scorer, over the past 3 years in the top 3 every year, and he isn't THAT bad at playing zone defense in your own zone, I don't have a problem with him.   Cozens, Mitts, Peterka, sometimes Tuch, Benson, Okposo....all of those guys 'chase' the puck or defenders in the D-zone more than Skinner (showing more effort, yes) but in the replays I have watched more often than not that becomes more of a liability leading to more goals scored against than Skinner causes because they leave wide open areas for opponents to step into.

When playing D in your own zone, you can compare it to the NFL. i want my D-men to play press coverage looking for the Int,  muscling the other teams WR's at the line. But my Forwards? I want them to play more like a Safetey....occupying a zone to simply prevent the ball from being thrown there. Skinner, in NFL terms, would be a TERRIBLE cornerback playing man to man, bump and run coverage. But as a safety, to simply let him occupy that deep zone to prevent a WR from going into it...he's "OK" (most of the time)

As I have said, I have watched the replays of hundreds of goals allowed by the Sabres (and often posted on here my opinion of what I saw).  RARELY are goals allowed a direct result of Skinner making a bad play or a bad decision.  He may not make a flashy defensive play to break up something, but he is hardly ever one of the main reasons for a goal being scored against (as opposed to Power or Cozens and others)

I admire your ability and willingness to analyze the game - your takes (even when i have a minor disagreement) are generally pure joy to read. Seriously, no sarcasm.

I'd quibble a bit with the bold in that the strong side winger in most defensive systems (I guess I am making a big leap that we have one) should be actively supporting the D, so 'hanging out' might just be word choice? Also, normally 2 of the 3 of C + 2xD are assumed to actively pressure the puck - strong side winger picking up loose pucks form the scrum, weak side D (or C, I guess) in front of the net with weak side W at the top of the slot (taking away cross ice passes). Obviously, good offensive teams have ways to overload or defeat such a simple system ... but again I think 'system' is a strong word for the footloose and fancy-free chaos that is often the scene in the Buffalo D zone.

I don't know if you look at non-goals, but one thing I *think* I have noticed lately is that when Buffalo gets 3 (or worse, 4) guys at or below their own goal line, they have an enormously hard time breaking the puck out. I think the other teams see this and crash down hard as the Sabres only have 2 men high for breakout. This ties in pretty well with your observations about Cozens (and I have certainly seen Benny do it too, but I still love him) chasing too hard.

I think figuring out how to get the puck out of their own zone while maintaining possession - not just firing it around the boards/glass - would also solve at least 25% of the D-zone issues.

Anyway, cheers! And here's to hoping for a mid-to-upper range miracle in the second half of the season!

[Around the NHL 2023-24 Season]

4 hours ago, spndnchz said:

Benson reminds me so much of Reinhardt. 

I actually like Reino, but IIRC, he was sent down his draft +1 year for being essentially clueless at the NHL level. I'd wager at this stage in their careers, Benson is ahead. No clue how that pans out 6 or 7 years from now, tho.

[GDT: 1/11/24 Ottawa Senators @ Buffalo Sabres 7 pm MSGtv radio]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Every time Ryan Johnson plays it becomes evident that he should be a regular on one of the pairings. There is a maturity to his game that belies his inexperience. He's not your typical rookie player who is feeling his way in the big league. He simply belongs. And it is evident that Clifton has steadied his game after his early season uneven play. He seems to have gotten comfortable with his teammates and his role. 

Ryan Johnson: July 24, 2001

Owen Power: November 22, 2002

He is older than Power and those four years of NCAA hockey sure seem to be paying off for Little J.

[GDT: 1/11/24 Ottawa Senators @ Buffalo Sabres 7 pm MSGtv radio]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I for one am excited to draft 11th instead of 7th. 

C'mon ... at current paces (of Philly and NJ right now) - the Sabres would need 96 points ... so 56 out of the last 80 they can get ... 0.700 ... at least it is not statistically impossible?

[GDT: 1/11/24 Ottawa Senators @ Buffalo Sabres 7 pm MSGtv radio]

3 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

Find a way to get 6 more points

VAN L

SJS W

CHI W

TBL W

 

We'd then be at 46pts in 46 games

That makes the path rather simple, to make the playoffs you need to be about 14 pts over your games played. It wouldn't be easy by any means but a hot streak would literally put us right back into the thick of things.

This would make us 7-3 when added to our 4-2. For the this year's team - that is liquid magma hot! 🌋🔥 Might leap-frog a team or two ahead of us with that!

[GDT: 1/11/24 Ottawa Senators @ Buffalo Sabres 7 pm MSGtv radio]

Does anyone else miss that feeling (or heck, even remember it to miss it?) of actually looking forward to a Sabres game? I suppose most of us felt it last spring as the team made a valiant last ditch effort towards the playoffs.

But, I remember being a kid during the Patty/Alex years and barely being able to contain my excitement to watch the game - or how mad I was when it was west coast or not on TV.

-sigh-

[Complaint Thursdays]

Wisdom tooth pulled yesterday and a double root canal this morning. I am here to complain about younger me being too much of a dumb arse to take better care of his chompers. (FWIW, at this point - Novocain not fully worn off - I am not sure what all the fuss is about re: root canals)

[Tage Thompson- What the h*** happened?!?!]

20 minutes ago, JohnC said:

On WGR Paul Hamilton gave his view why Tage was quickly dropped off the first line in this game. It makes the same point that you just made that instead of making the more simply play, he tried to out cute the opposition with his extended stick handling. After he did that early in the game and lost the puck, the coach immediately switched Mitts into his spot. There comes a point when a player stubbornly does what he wants to do instead of doing what the coach wants him to do, there are consequences to not listening to the coach. This team simply can't adjust to the opposition when it plays a more conservative and harder brand of game.  

But what you are describing sounds like accountability, I was promised by SabreSpace that the Sabres have none of that. So, it must be something else.

[GDT: Kraken @ Sabres - Tues. 7 pm ET, Jan 9, 2024 MSG-B, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, Sportsnet+ 📺 WGR 📻]

Just now, SwampD said:

Good lord. Is this how game day threads have been? It's two goals, with lots of game left.

 

 

I was just about to spread a little sunshine with "Casey seems to be buzzing tonight"

[GDT: Kraken @ Sabres - Tues. 7 pm ET, Jan 9, 2024 MSG-B, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, Sportsnet+ 📺 WGR 📻]

4 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

How much is he on camera?

Enough for me to notice, lol

[GDT: Kraken @ Sabres - Tues. 7 pm ET, Jan 9, 2024 MSG-B, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, Sportsnet+ 📺 WGR 📻]

Rob Ray with the loose tie and stubble, looking quite disheveled there.

[GDT: Kraken @ Sabres - Tues. 7 pm ET, Jan 9, 2024 MSG-B, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, Sportsnet+ 📺 WGR 📻]

1 minute ago, Sabres73 said:

He was put in a damned if you do, damned if you don't position as a result of the lack of back checking. Your blame should be with the forwards lolligagging back.

Let's be honest, Dahlin needs to get that puck when he steps up, too.

[F'N...tastic Fridays....]

First Friday back after the long holiday period, most people are still shaking off the rust and figuring out what it is we do again. This leads to a slow and pleasant Friday!

[GDT: Sabres @ Habs - Thu. 7 pm ET, Jan 4, 2024 MSG-B, ESPN+, RDS, TSN 📺 WGR 📻]

38 minutes ago, JohnC said:

In my opinion I thought he played a hard and tight game. He played a style of play suitable for a fourth liner. I have no complaints regarding his play last night. 

I agree - there were several times I saw Olofsson actually hounding the puck and I think I recall (maybe it was just the whiskey) him creating a few turnovers. He even seemed engaged in the D zone which certainly must have been a dream. The 4th line were all +0, which in my mind was a win.

[GDT: Sabres @ Habs - Thu. 7 pm ET, Jan 4, 2024 MSG-B, ESPN+, RDS, TSN 📺 WGR 📻]

8 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So that is what a complete effort looks like.  Wow!  Nice to see for a change.

That said, what a lazy crap play by Dahlin on the PP to allow that SHG.

Also really nice goals on the PP.  Finally they are trying something other than the slapper from TNT.  It's amazing what happens when the puck moves quickly and you get the PK out of position.  

Maybe I am crazy and I won't be mad if other saw it differently - but when I watch the replay of Dahlin's gaffe (I think the real mistake was underestimating the defender), he looks up to the blueline right away and sees a Montreal player either step-for-step with or ahead of the first Sabre coming back. He kept the offensive player to the top/outside of the faceoff circle - it was not that bad of a play when you consider Buffalo's forwards' reputations for not back checking. He thought they might have a 2-on-1, so he played the pass, like you are supposed to?