LTS

No team on Earth has ever made the playoffs when they started the season 1-2-1. It's hopeless. You should probably just stop watching the Sabres now to save yourself the misery. Its not like they've played fewer games than the rest of the conference (save Columbus) and that should they win their next two and be even in games played they would be tied for 4th in the conference. C'mon man.

Forgive me for asking this if it was covered in one of the threads regarding the Kane situations. Was there video evidence of the events that happened? I seem to recall claims that in the Evander Kane scenario there were but at the same time it's not been leaked nor has it led to his conviction. The reason I ask is that if you take Eleven's experience and you expand on it just a little bit you can get to a pretty bad place quite quickly. So, let's try this. You graze her butt. Normal escalation occurs until someone realizes who you are (or they knew already) and then decides to get a group of friends to begin escalating even further and making greater claims. Why? Well, the criminal charges aside (they don't care) they will bring a personal lawsuit and hope to shake you down for money. Don't read into this as me saying that's what happened in the Kane situations. But honestly, given what Eleven outlined is it really a stretch to believe that could happen if he were someone a bit more famous? We live in a world where people make up all kinds of stupid crap (see: Lochte, Ryan). We live in a world where people fake injury, fake handicap, and set up stupid videos (America's Funnest Videos) in an attempt to get some benefit. Are we then really saying that in this one particular situation its unquestionable? We've seen far more serious accusations be proven to be untrue. In any situation the only thing I'd want is the truth. The truth doesn't play sides. Eleven - all I know is the situation you outlined sucks. It's going to eat at you. Don't let it. Talk more hockey.

I don't always agree with that sentiment given how much pucks get cycled when in the offensive zone. But I understand where you are coming from. In other news... Not entirely certain where to ask this question so here seems like a good enough place. Is there a site on the webs that lists the shifts NHL players take in a game? Not TOI, but the actual shifts themselves along with how long they are, etc. NHL.com has TOI for a game including PP time and SH time, but I'm hoping for more details.

The problem is that for some people around here the only topping they have is "ahh nuts" and anything less than walking on water is mediocre.

Well, in his defense, he's not a winger so every wing is his off wing right?

Ahh, I'll have to remember that young players aren't perfect. I wonder if that applies to the Sabres too.

Laughable response. Because I ask you to think about solutions it's nonsense? I suppose you are only good at pointing out problems then? Is your answer "We need a coach who does everything differently than Bylsma?" Let's bring those criticisms to this forum and have a discussion then. I'm not about to scour the forums looking for your comments now that we have a thread here. Happy to debate them I debated someone's comments the other day in the Calgary thread I believe. Responding primarily to the bold part since that was your response to me. I am going to watch more closely but I'm not positive the Sabres have the talent to carry the puck in the zone right now. Part of what the team is able to do is also based on what the other team is willing to open up for you. Right now the Sabres are having a hard enough time getting out of their own end. In order to open up the attacking blue line you have to be able to move the puck with speed out of your zone. Right now the Sabres defense is not good enough to do that. AS for my sentence not being true, that's really not a valid response. There is nothing FALSE about my statement. However, as I mentioned above, being the guy who just points out problems but has no answers doesn't add much value. I wish I had a top down view of the ice surface so I could review the systems in more detail. It would be nice. As for his decision making on personnel. I have no problem with it. It's a strategy that neither hurt nor helped the team. Let's specifically discuss the 3 on 3. Starting Gorges gives him the best chance to retain control of the puck should he lose the faceoff. If he wins the faceoff then the puck moves back to Ristolainen while Gorges changes for Okposo. The Flames have to account for this change and thus it makes the game a 2 v 2 with Ristolainen and ROR versus whomever Calgary wants out there. So, who do you want in a 2 on 2 situation besides Risto and ROR? You could argue a forward for Risto but I don't think there's a huge offensive upside there at least not one large enough to warrant the defensive ability he'd give up. The Sabres don't have the talent for 2 great PP lines. So Bylsma is loading up one and letting the other be a group that will be more controlled but also less likely to score. Grant is not proving himself to be a liablity. His additional ice time also comes from the PK work. However, the ice time has to balance somewhere. For every minute Grant is not on the ice there has to be some other player out there. If ROR is already out there too much who is taking over some of those minutes?

Go to bed now.. get up early! Go Sabres! I'm in for watching most of this tonight... maybe even all of it.

Babcock clearly can't coach team defense. :w00t:

No, he doesn't need to go. This insanity is fueled by the fact the Sabres didn't get Babcock and now everyone's all a tizzy. Just remember, when you recommend that the coach should go you should also have come up with a suitable replacement option. Who would it be?

Sorry, how does that work? A penalty is committed against a player and the player is still expected to play hockey properly? Why would it be a penalty then? Isn't the point of a penalty is to prevent players from taking action that otherwise prevent hockey from being played as it was intended by the rules? Gionta has great hand-eye coordination and is excellent at tipping shots. I didn't see a problem with it. It's a strategy. You could try and use Foligno there for a bigger body and to bang home a rebound. You could do a lot of things, using Gionta is one of them. He had back spasms. It's not like he slipped a disc. You've got people on here complaining that other forwards are on the ice and at the same time people complaining that the top players are on the ice too much. A coach has to put SOMEONE on the ice. That is what EVERY player is coached to do from youth hockey on up and that should be a penalty EVERY time. You can't blame a player because a referee blows a call. Toronto reviews all goals. So they reviewed it. Why it's a goal is another story. See above. Every player from youth hockey to the NHL is coaches to protect the puck by turning their back to the defender. Reinhart did exactly what he is supposed to do and he's not supposed to get cross-checked, boarded, etc. There are a multitude of penalties that could have been called there but none were. That's solely on the referee and no one else. I would argue that most players who are fighting along the boards are not sitting 3 feet out from the boards. Most do not get cross-checked to the point where they fall down. He was in a position waiting for Monahan to move to one side or the other and then he would spin. To do that you need to have your feet even or you are favoring a particular direction. So, if his right foot is forward Monahan would see that and attack Reinhart's left side as that was the side he was favoring. Reinhart was square and Monahan choose to attack Reinhart's back rather than his left or right side.

I'm going to start off by saying I believe we are on the same page. The problem I have with the eye analogy is that everyone's eye is not equal regardless of their intent. One person may not be able to see certain nuances that another does. Statistics is not the same way when regarding a set stat. For example, Corsi. Corsi is determined by applying set measurable parameters in a defined equation that produces a predictable outcome. In short, you build the model, plug in the values of the variables and the outcome is predictable. So anyone using Corsi would have the same number. If there was a way to use Corsi to predict an outcome that did not require additional variable parameters then everyone would end up in the same place. So, stats are part of the story not the story which is all I was trying to say. The original quote was that analytics = winning and that is absolutely not true. Analytics is a factor used in the equation of winning and accounts for some measure of the success. I think statistics are held to a higher standard because the hope is to prove them reliable. People's opinions will naturally vary but math is math and you are looking to find a model that provides predictable outcomes and provides value to the situation. If I need to price widgets I can use my own method each time and look at factors and come up with a price. However, if i have to do this often then I want a model I can use that will do the work for me on a repeated basis. I have to trust it and therefore it has to prove out under scrutiny. Anyway.. stats are important and there are statistics in this game that have yet to be uncovered and they will prove insightful. I don't think they will ever be the full answer.

Your eye analogy could use more explanation. The problem with any statistical analysis is that you have to be positive in the decision making process you use to create the stat and verify why it's important. Ergo, if analytics were the answer then, in theory, any fool could use them and be equally effective as anyone else right? If you can break it all down into a statistical equation then the output would never vary as sure as 2+2 = 4. That's my point... analytics are not the answer, they are part of the answer, but they are not THE answer. So, analytics do not equal winning. They increase the chances of winning but the models aren't there yet to predict winning. If they were, everyone would use them the same.

Only on talk like a pirate day.

If analytics were the answer then everyone would be using them the same. They may increase a chance of winning but they do not equal winning. I would suspect that's what he's getting at and it aligns with how most people think. The stats are helpful but they cannot tell the whole story.

Sweet. Fancy stats tell us that? I'm in. Go Sabres. There's never a time I don't want more hockey.

This got me to thinking. Montreal used the same forecheck against the Sabres. As near as I can tell they were going 2-1-2 on the forecheck and that's designed to either pressure slow defensemen or to keep well skating D from getting up the ice too quickly. I think it worked on Edmonton quite well. They want to be up tempo and if they are pushing their forwards up the ice too early the 2-1-2 should counter that fairly well as the D won't get the puck up the ice in time. In the case of Montreal they were all over our "slow" D. Franson, Nelson, Bogo, etc. Like saying a PeeWee team could beat you? Must be his smug chin.

I thought his hit on Talbot was outstanding. The Sabres looked far more patient tonight with the puck. The game against Montreal they were all stone hands. Pucks were bouncing off sticks like crazy. It reminded me of the Nolan system. Tonight was much more like last year. Patience with the puck and make a good outlet pass. That said, Edmonton is not as physical as Montreal or as fast. Montreal's speed was a huge factor. Forget where I heard it but it was somewhere on the broadcast tonight... Edmonton and Toronto are both playing a "hell with the defense" style right now. If they can't get the goals they are going to be in trouble because they will give some up. It's entertaining... if you win. Like what I am seeing.. but Franson is killing me. Each time he touches the puck I cringe that something bad is going to happen.

That's a neck more than anything.

And. That. Was. Beautiful. Too.

That. Was. Beautiful.

Watched most of the Bills game.. got chicken breast and pork chops on the smoker for a between game meal... and yes.. beer. I'm ready.

Emelin does push him.. as he's supposed to do. If you look at Kane's left skate he isn't on the inside edge and it allows him to end up going over and into the boards. Emelin is not cheap on that because in most situations the player is going to lean hard on his inside edge and he'll push back into Emelin and their strength will cancel out. In this case, because Kane is not angling his skate he's opened himself up and boom. It's not cheap, it's a good hockey play and an unfortunate consequence. Icing does not even come into play here. It wouldn't have been icing in the first place and Kane touches the puck... it hadn't crossed the line either, so even if he misses it the whistle would not blow because icing cannot be in effect until the puck crosses the line. The race condition you are referring to only comes into play once the puck crosses the end line. I hope Jack Eichel doesn't come back and start skating as hard as Kane because if he gets injured like that what will this place do? Go fast.. but not too fast, but don't float or go slow either... now speed up here, but slow down there.. you idiot, you suck. But I guess Jack is a good skater so it wouldn't happen... because McDavid sucks on his skates and he didn't have nearly the same thing happen to him last year. Sigh... Hope Kane isn't too injured and that he can come back soon.

Good goal on account of the Sabres not being able to clear the crease. Ridiculous. Weak play. Watch Carr just lumberjack at Lehner. Sigh.

Loving Larsson more and more. He tracks the puck like a hound on a Fox.