mjd1001

For me big picture is Pegula. Drill down and its on the players more, less on the coaches and GM. Sure you can say the GM brought in some of the players, but some of the others were here before him. I'm almost at the point of trying anyone at 2nd line center over Cozens. He just can't score. He had one good year and everything else of him we have ever seen at the NHL level shows he is about an 8% shooter. Thats just not good enough. Throw McLeod there for a couple games, bring up a Rochester young guy, just relegate Cozens to the 3rd line at this point. Tage? He needs to convert. He had a COUPLE years shooting at 15%, he needs to be close to that.

Kinda feels like the Bills, can't get an opposing kicker to miss a 50+ yarder to win the game.

Thompson, 12 shots on the season only 1 goal. Cozens, 14 shots on the season, 0 goals. Probably your 2 key forwards, starting the season with 1 goal on 26 shots between them.

That year they averaged slightly more than 1.2 goals per period. This year they have played almost 8 periods. At the 22/23 pace they would have almost 10 goals. This year.....2.

Ok, Sabres had some PP shots, but other than that, both teams are moving a lot slower than in the first period...what is the word...this period is a 'slog'?

He has top 5-6 raw talent on the team..but his hockey sense make him much of a time as much of a liability as an asset. He 'looks good' with the uniform on, the kind of player ever coach sees the skill and says "I can make it work", but usually they can't. Cozens might be the 'anti-Benson'.

Ok, Thompson has the only goal from a forward so far this year...and he is making a couple plays in the offensive zone...but.... His skating and his hands just look 5% slower than we are used to.

Ok, first couple minutes of the 2nd....a lot slower pace than the first.

No score, but the team is playing "decent", probably outplayed the Kings in the first, that helps too.

Ok, If its Kickstart my heart when wearing the Blue and gold, and Blur in the Red and Black....I can get behind that.

My biggest problem is, the first reaction most people might have is.....un-original. I think that song is played in every single arena at some point during every NHL game (and most NBA games I have watched on tv). If you are going to go retro, maybe something that people equate with when this team was good...late 90's, or mid 2000's.

Other than being overused, I think its a great choice, certainly the better than the other ones they had imo.

FYI...Kickstart my Heart by Motley Crue was Jokiharju's goal song in 2022-23

Ok, the stack of ryse fuel drinks on the desk during intermission is a bit 'tacky'

I think it is one of the best rock songs for a goal song...arena song in anyway....just its a bit over-used.

Looks like it is no goal by about 5/100s of a second.

Off topic..Leafs with 3 goals in the first period against the Devils so far. None of the big guns though, Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Tavares not on the scoreboard yet.

Well, last year the team averaged exactly 1 goal per period. Exactly. This year they have a total of 2 goals in....just about 7 periods. So..um....yeah..about 5 goals behind they pace they had last year.

I don't know much about generating offense in the offensive zone in the NHL. Positioning, strategy...etc. I do know that what the Sabres are doing is not working...all I can think is they need to just crash the net.

VO (when he was here), Tuch, and Thompson are the only ones that were even decent at finishing...and again, they aren't at the top of the league..just...good. Everyone else, not so much.

When I see people miss on the penalty shot, it seems like the vast majority of the misses are when the skater just waits too long and gets in too close. You want to go in that close, the only guys that make it work on a regular basis are the guys with elite hands. Everyone else, make your move or shoot a bit sooner.

I thought Clifton was slow, like really slow. He actually pulled away from the defender there.

Really, are we THAT bad on this message board?

Even when they have a 3 on 2 and make a decent pass, they simply cannot get a clean shot/good scoring chance. The Devils and Kings seem like they are playing the Sabres in a 'soft zone' kind of way...just protect the middle of the ice in the zone. Think you are going to need to start crashing the net hard. Cozens, that is your game.

I mean, they are playing "OKAY", but it seems like there is no system, no flow to their game. It reminds me of when I was a kid and play pick-up hockey and everyone playing had never played with anyone else ever before.