mjd1001

At the time that I wrote that post, they were not dead last and we're just outside.

Positionally they did.... Sabres outshot the Blues. Sabres had 18 scoring chances to 7 for St. Louis. Sabres had 8 high danger chances to only 4 for the Blues. Sabres almost tripled St. Louis expected goals. Positionally the Sabres played better. They just couldn't score, had a terrible turnover by Quinn, and bad goaltending.

Ok, the easiest/quickest way to "fix" this team: Owen Power: Play him with Kesserling, no one else. It seemed like the plan, and in the few minutes they have played together they have been good. Do not experiement with him with anyone else. He's not playing well with anyone else but looks comfortable with Kesserling. Tage: Please, PLEASE stop experimenting with him on crazy lines. Play him with either Tuch or Benson at all times. Quinn: Press Box. He hurts the team too much. UPL: Done with him. Don't even count his play and goals allowed, at this point I don't the the rest of the team trusts him and likes playing in front of him. Doan: Hes on the PP, He just stands in front of the net. All the time. Of course a LOT of others stuff can be done. But to me those moves alone get the team back on track.

So.... Might be shuthout by the worst defensive team in the NHL. By their backup goalie. On a night where you are at home. You are playing with rest. And the team shutting you out played last night and had to travel to your rink. There were worse overall moments in the plast year (the losing streak last year) but has there been a single more disappointing game than what this one looks like?

I kinda thought it was Quinn who skated into Thompson. Quinn was moving, Thompson was not. Thompson was already near the boards and he can't accelerate from 0 to full speed in 0.5 seconds to get out of the way. I'd have to see the replay again, but it looked like Thompson had no-where to go so he just stayed on the boards and Quinn went into him. Maybe the bigger question is, why are both wingers on the same side of the ice when in possession of the puck?

Krebs has now replaces Östlund at center on Tage's line?

And if those shots were a few inches closer, they could very well be saves, meaning the Sabres would have 0 goals on almost 30 shots tonight.

He has been on of the players who have not lived up to their play from last year. Especially defensively, lots of mistakes he didn't make last year he is this year.

I always default to the position that if its close on the replay, let the call on the ice stand. I think in all sports, if you can't make a firm decision after watching the replay for 30 seconds, or if there is any doubt at all, the on the ice/on the field call stands.

Dahlin hasn't been himself the entire year. Thompson is burried with 2 guys he never played with. Tuch comes and goes. Zucker injured. Put Thompson and Tuch back together. It may not be what you need long term but its better than where they are now. After the way UPL played last year, and how he is playing tonight, it has to be frustrating/futile playing in front of him.

He looks slow, his pads are slow to get to the corner. And worse, the trait he picked up last year is still there, he gets beat cleanly by shots. Yeah, the shooters are NHL shooters, but when a guy is 15+ feet out, UPL is in position, he isn't screened, he should be stopping most of those. 2 years ago it wasn't an issue, but something happened, he is getting beat cleanly by shots he is ready for way too much.

I guess that was the correct call on the no-goal, but if I was St. Louis, I'd be a bit upset about it. I think it could have gone either way.

I'm not sure if its coaching/system, or just will by the players...but it seems that when the PP had success, it was doan (or someone else) who just planted themself in front of the net. Didn't 'rotate' through, didn't skate through the crease..but they planted themself there the whole time. On the PP, that seems to have gone away..and so have the goals.

Except I'm pretty sure that isn't tage on the faceoff circle, didn't someone else take that bad one-timer? I think Tage has been on the point this PP.

Tage on the point? Not sure I like that. Yeah, he has a good shot, but he also has pretty good hands in traffic. I get trying something different, but that isn't it.

Sabres were close to dominating the first period. 2nd period was closer, probably a slight overall edge to the Blues. Not a good sign when they played last night and the Sabres were home resting.

Remember a couple years ago, the team scored 5 or more goals in 25 games. Almost 1 in 3 games they scored 5 or more. More than once per week on average. This year, they've done it 2 times, in what is likely to be 14 games. About once ever 2 weeks.

Zucker has some big goals, but I have thought his play without the puck and the number of turnovers, is a step back from his game last year. Yet, you are still correct, they miss him. I don't have confidence in Ruff and/or Adams to bench Quinn. But if you were fully healthy, MAYBE he would be getting less minutes and doing less harm than he is now.

And that is the difference between a team that makes the playoffs as the 6-8 seed and one that doesn't make it. All teams fighting for the last spot in the playoffs have good games and bad games. They have games they lose they SHOULD win. The difference between the Sabres and the teams that squeek in isn't always talent, its the Sabres have just a few more games like this than the other teams do.

Like last years version. 🤮 He's gotten back close to on pace to be a -30 in +/- for the year if he plays a full season.

Greenway-Quinn-Kozak....do they even have a shot on net? Its not a 4th line, so they need to have SOME presense in the offensive zone, they have had zero. $7.5m dollars for those 2 wingers and they are pretty awful most nights. Krebs-Malenstyne-Dunn might be the best line of the night, even in the offensive zone. They just have no finish. As mentioned above, Tage looks lost with those 2 young guys.

Tage-Östlund-Rosen was a mistake. I'm not saying those young guys might not deserve ice time or eventually will be good, but you need goals. Don't mess around with Tage, play him with guys he has played with before.

Anything up with Tuch tonight that I missed? He's normally at the top of the list in ice time for forwards, right now 8 other forwards have more. Not to mention I haven't really noticed him do anything of note since the beginning of the game.

Or, you could say when you hit a post, its almost 'perfect' goaltending as the goalie took just the exact right amount of 'net' away from the shooter, and only left the post.

Give me UPL and Quinn to anyone for 3rd round pick and a decent minor league forward. I'll plug that minor league guy into Roch and bring up one of the Roch guys on a permanent basis to replace Quinn. It would make the team better not playing UPL anymore and replacing Quinn from the lineup.