matter2003

Forwards aren't the issue..this team has plenty of firepower at forward. Want to know how easy that is to figure out? They are the 5th ranked powerplay in the NHL. Defense and team defense IS the issue. Want to know how their team defense and defense is terrible? They have the worst penalty killing in the NHL by a mile. Tells you everything you need to know about this team in a nutshell. Thank God they are one of the least penalized teams in the NHL...could you imagine how much worse they'd be if they had been shorthanded another 45 times like Calgary has been?? I shudder to think about it... Also the loss of Eichel for this team and team mentality was huge...much bigger mentally than it actually was physically, although it was a loss physically. They played sacred, timid, un-aggressive hockey without Eichel in the lineup. A lot more attacking, a lot more creativity since he has been back. Obviously it was a loss of a hugely talented player, but the team just basically went into a shell mentally...almost like they were stunned and couldn't believe it... Its a young team, they still have some mental toughenss to build. With Eichel the team has 26 points in 24 games or an 88+ point pace for the year. Without Eichel the team had 19 points in 21 games or a 74 point pace for the year. That's a big swing...basically from being a bottom feeder to being on the cusp of the playoffs...even with all the other issues

There isn't just one. They need at least 2 competant D men...this team is a dfensive disaster apart from Risto and McCabe

"Dazed and Confused"

What is with this team blowing 2-0 leads against divisional opponents? It's ridiculous

More like if they play a really good team, they win and if they play a mediocre team they look like crap and lose...almost as if they get really up to play good teams and not so-so teams about the same as they are.

I swear this team has BiPolar Disorder....one day they play good enough to beat anyone in the NHL, the next day they play bad enough to lose to a high school club team. It really is maddening.

Every game against Tampa, Boston and Carolina this year...can't beat any of them and look like they don't even belong on the same ice with them most of the time...it's ridiculous...those teams are NOT that good, they should not be skating circles around us and making us look like an AHL team every time we play them

This team is just brutal tonight...fire everyone

This team seems to have all kinds of trouble with Carolina, Boston and Tampa Bay...I believe they are 0 for the season against them. Gotta get better against these middling to slightly above average teams, how the heck do they play so well against the Rangers and Blackhawks and constantly look terrible against these teams?? Tired of them making these teams look like President Trophy winners

Their team defense has been disgraceful the last two games

Same as last night SMFH...WTF is this team doing??

They don't have it tonight....look like they are stuck in the mud

Kane is really starting to become the player we thought he could be when we got him...

Bylsma is finally letting these guys go for it and they are rewarding him...only took him 36 games and Jack Eichel flipping out after the Boston game for him to let them play...

About time...it took them to hit the bottom of the standings for them to realize it's not how they are going to win games??

Sabres not playing coming out of this break...

In addition to Nilsson being a far better goalie in shootouts over his career

Toronto is becoming a not so lousy team right in front of our eyes

Even look at Matthews in Toronto...he just scored his 21st goal in 38 games as a ROOKIE!

We have the best player on the ice, it's never madness.

And this is my whole point...they CAN play like this, they just choose not to often times...its too hard, too much work...bring your hard hat and lunch pail and go out and play. Good things happen when you do.

He's 12th according to GSAA which normalizes thing across the league based on quality of chances against: http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2017_goalies.html

People who usually do a lot of winning hate losing more than they enjoy winning...I completely disagree with not being frustrated and desperate...they need to play every night like its a playoff game from here on out until they can figure out how to bring at least 75% of that level every night....right now they are at maybe 30% of that level... The problem is they are giving an effort to play a game they aren't going to be good at playing no matter how much DD tries to shove it down their throat...good coaches adapt to the type of players they have, not force their system down their throats...this is a strong example of "square peg" "round hole" it just doesn't work. I am flabbergasted that DD can't see this because its pretty much apparent to anyone who watches them... DD wants to out defense teams to win...he plays scared hockey...watch what this team does when they get a 2 goal lead...they stop playing offense and just chip the puck out of their zone and try and hold on for dear life...its ridiculous.

I DON'T CARE!!!!! That team playing over its head should not have more wins than this team PERIOD! It doesn't matter how many wins they had the rest of the year...that team sucked and sucked badly. They had maybe 1/3 of the talent this team does...its an embarassment that this team should even be mentioned in ANY category with that team, but sadly they are. They simply need to expect more from themselves. That team might have sucked but the one thing they did have is a freaking backbone tho...this team is softer than butter mentally.

Let that sink in for a minute. OK...now that it's sunk in, I don't care HOW many injuries this team has had. There is ZERO, and I mean ZERO(and it should be negative) excuse for this. There is NO WAY possible that a team with the number of talented players this team has should EVER have that happen. EVER. That tank team would have been lucky to field a first line that would be better than our 3rd line currently. I'm sick of watching this team blow leads because all they do is dump the puck out of he zone and try and play the equivalent of "prevent defense" in football. I'm sick of watching Bylsma have no answers for anything. I'm sick of watching these guys leave players wide open on the power play for easy goals, which has led to the league's worst penalty killing. I'm sick of watching a goalie who can't stop anything in the shootout and has one of the worst career save percentages in shootouts in NHL history, costing us at least 4-5 points already. I'm sick of watching great chance after great chance not go in the net. I'm tired of this team underachieving to the point that one of the worst teams in NHL history had more wins through the first 3 months of the season than this one does. It's inexcuseable, its pathetic and these guys should be utterly embarrassed. Bylsma isn't getting through to this team, his system doesn't work, he wants to play not to lose instead of playing to win and its killing this team. They are not built to play scared they are built to a wide open game and have the D get involved. The strength of this team isn't playing defense.