dudacek

Thompson looked like he was overthinking things, which is no surprise given the way his season has gone. Ralph is going to move him off that line very soon. Dahlin I thought was playing the way he needs to be playing. Trying things and pushing the offence. Really overwhelmed them with the puck pressure early, but instead of feeding off the 5-on-3 we relaxed after that.

The Devils are hanging on by their fingernails with their third-string goalie and have a bad PK. The Sabres put out an embarrassing effort last time, have PP firepower and are well overdue for some bounces and lucky goals. Scott Wedgewood has a grudge no knows about from his time in Rochester and the players want to win one for Lindy. Smells like an easy 7-2 Sabres blowout, or a frustrating 3-1 loss.

It's probably better that way.

I’d be surprised if Sam misses any time. It’s probably from the cheap shot he took (what the hell was he doing in the dirty areas anyway?) after scoring comes on the heels of another that made him miss a shift a few games ago. They kept him out of practice to rest and heal, but he’ll play. Dude never misses. He’s one tough *****.

I’m really struggling to juxtapose your three years of preaching patience with Jason Botterill’s .442 hockey team with the air raid siren you’ve been sounding about this team over two weeks of .500 hockey. Honestly, I’m baffled.

That lineup looks like everybody will be getting another chance to make up for yesterday. Except Irwin who was an injury replacement anyway (and looked abysmal last night). Hope Hall can find himself on that line. He really looks out of sync and I think he might be in his own head right now.

What the hell is Jack Quinn doing? We see the other taxi squaders in practice and even getting shots with the team. We see the other prospects in training camp with Rochester. Jack seems to have been tucked away in a closet somewhere.

Eye test vs analytics vs production Skinner GP: 8 0/1/1/+1 Olofsson GP:8 3/4/7/-4 Is +/- the most revealing stat here?

Well at least we now have a real frame of reference for what this team looks like when it's playing bad. What a stinker. Thank Linus for the point, reset, come back Saturday to prove it was a blip, not a trend.

Ralph talked a lot about matchups over the pause and a lot of us thought he was talking about matching lines. It's becoming more clear that what he was talking about was rolling 4 lines capable of tilting the ice in a positive direction, rather than having to hide one or more.

No one said this would be bad, or that it couldn't be better. But you haven't really responded to what IKP spelled out: a situation where every line has a positive Corsi and the top line is dominant. He didn't prove this is the best possible mix, but he show it is an effective one based on the analytics that you have long wanted the Sabres to use.

I'd say Sam does into the dirty areas as much as Marchand and Tkachuk. He just doesn't go in with his stick up and his gums flapping.

I think this is a good take. I think he tries really hard to do what he thinks is expected of him, and he needs to be told that it's time to start imposing his will on the game and we will live with any mistakes if the rewards are there.

The reason fancystats guys pay so much attention to those stats is that they are predictive of wins over the long haul. Of course that also means sustaining them over the long haul. It's why they were down on the 10-game win streak two years ago — the underlying numbers said it was a mirage, and the underlying numbers were right.

He had an edge as a junior. A bit of a temper that we haven't seen much of. His idol was Forsberg and it would be nice if he started approaching the game that way. That said, I thought he was excellent two games ago and pretty good last game. He's been playing the point with authority and attacking more offensively. Can't wait until he starts connecting with Hall and Staal and Skinner on those Hail Mary passes.

I don't think this is true, but I do think people believe it is and therefore devalue him.

Please explain what his numbers show we should be doing. I'm seeing a strategy that is allowing all four lines to outchance their opposition.

Rangers are fragile. Stay fast and disciplined they will crumble if things start to go wrong.

That's what you got from IKP's post?

The goal is not to stay with other teams, it's to climb over them. These are the kinds of games we need to win to make the playoffs.

Territorially sure. But theyve combined for one ES goal in 7 games. How long do you stay patient?

Wait, you’re saying that Ralph’s lineup choices are actually supported by analytics?

No, it’s the coach’s job to win hockey games. Im sure if you got Ralph to be honest, he’d say he is maximizing Skinner - within the context of this team - by putting him with and against players that minimize his defensive flaws, create the O-Zone chaos he needs and don’t get frustrated with what @Kelly the Dog aptly referred to as his puck hog tendencies. You’re exactly right that it’s not about pampering a player. It not about punishing him either. Ralph is doing what he thinks will give the team the best chance to succeed. I’m not saying he’s right in the way he’s using Skinner, I just don’t think he is doing it to send him a message or that he should change things up just because it would be better for Skinner. I don’t think Skinner should get a shot with Eichel to get Skinner going, but I’m open to him getting a shot with Eichel to get the first line going. If the first line was playing better I would probably feel differently.

I agree with Samuelsson/McCabe comparison: similar talent level and role, on and off the ice.

Anything to do with that sexual harassment suit involving the former assistant coach? Doubt this was planned at all, or Botterill, Fitzgerald and Guerin would not have taken jobs elsewhere.