PerreaultForever

I doubt a coaching change happens. Ownership believes in this type of hockey. Gallant was the guy a lot of us wanted a long time ago but that would mean a complete change of direction/philosophy so no way do I see that ever happening. As for the veterans preferred angle they said the same thing about Torts last year and he shifted over to rookies up and down the line up so I doubt there's any truth to it at all. Both guys just prefer players with strong work ethics, young or old. I think Gallant could in fact turn this team around once and for all, but, as I said, I don't see them ever going that way.

Switch to red and black all the time. This is the answer. idk why, but when we wear them we play proper hockey and when we don't wear them we don't. It's actually kind of freaky weird but it's true. Greenway was the only one who brought it the same as against the Islanders. A few isolated decent plays here and there but overall it was back to the same. One team went to the front and got a greasy goal, one team didn't. We simply have too much individual play and take too many easy unscreened shots from low danger areas. Tage is over thinking and telegraphing everything he does for example. Sabres just don't pay the price and do the little hard things you need to do to win. If I'm Granato I'm putting that David Savard PK moment on a loop and making them watch it for an hour or two. That is how it's done. That sort of thing is infectious and becomes a standard. The bottom end of this roster is garbage and VO is an absolute disaster in his own end, but we already knew that. It's once again, the same. Which is exactly what happens when you build a team backwards and teach offense first.

idk as I don't pay attention to records much but for me, and this is just my view as it is truly a subjective thing, any league with more than a half dozen superstars is over using the term and setting the bar for that designation too low. Same thing holds for supermodels 🙂

That will be a valid consideration. Do you remember the 10 game win streak with Eichel and Reinhart? This team has fooled us before so a large sample size is needed before you can proclaim something truly promising. I won't jump on any bandwagons any more that's for sure. But put that aside, all that matters is for this team to become what it can be and to do that now.

Yup, but we showed that in spurts last year too. What we need to see this year is that same commitment every night so that it can become a team ethic and identity. If the Islander game was a one off we are in trouble. Really hoping we bring it. Hate Montreal. Always have always will.

To me this one's really important. We see if they bring the same intensity and physicality they brought in the red and black last game. If they bring that same game again they should win and maybe even dominate. But will they? I think the answer to that question will tell us a lot about how this season might go.

"superstar". Back to that word again. On the same team, is McKinnon a superstar? How many superstars would you say there are in the league right now?

He should have been sent down at the end of training camp. He wouldn't have been claimed. Several goalies were waived and not claimed. Matter of fact almost no one was claimed off waivers. It's a dumb situation.

The game today is different and it allows for different things. Hence, I don't think it has much meaning. Makar's a great player in this era. No argument.

You just can't compare athletes from different eras, that's all. If your implication is that Makar is better than Orr was I'd disagree vehemently.

I just think the slower more detailed development path is the right way to go for most players and small players especially. You want a little 18 year old in your line up you better surround him with some beef. I'd also want more veteran leadership around. So give it time. Put him on a muscle building plan. Let him grow. I see a future for him, there's just no need to rush it.

Used our size to our advantage for a change. If this team starts to get it, pays the price on a nightly basis and sticks with it, they could be good, but we will see. We had good games last year too.

Different era, different rules, different styles of play, every old record falls in the modern era. It means nothing.

Right now yes. He should go back to junior.

get over yourself.

I've said it before and I will say it again, they should wear the red and black all the time. idk what it is and it kind of boggles the mind but they always play better and look like a different team wearing these jerseys. We even won a fight and I can't remember the last time that happened. Push back, net front, physical play, just a lot of good hockey. I will give it a little asterisk because I'm not sure if they were this good and made the Isles look bad or the Isles were just that bad tonight but I think if they had played like this every game this season I could have saved myself a lot of typing. They did a lot of things right in any event. Cozens=Thompson-Greenway are a really big line and if they stay together and keep playing big they will be a force. Happy for a change.

that wasn't the reference and you know it. You mocked me when I placed Compher at the top of my free agent list and you mocked the Yzerplan. You were wrong, but of course you will never admit it. Doesn't matter. Lets see what the Sabres can do against that boring Islander shut down.

I don't think he's a fool here but I do think he wants to promote Greenway so he can have net front when Tage takes that shot of his. Skinner is the guy getting demoted imo but dropping him 2 lines might feel too harsh and put him in a snit. Skinner-Jost-VO would definitely not work in terms of defense. So basically, with no one to call up there aren't a ton of options. What they are doing with Savoie I have no idea. lol, talk about an about face.

They move the puck very quickly on the PP but also have a solid net front. Korpisalo was pretty screened on a few of those plays. Detroit looks pretty balanced and pushed back on the physical stuff Ottawa tried to initiate. Some of their off season moves look like they are working for them.

Ottawa was the best team in the first, Detroit in the second. Both are playing better hockey than we are - at this point.

I think these lines are his attempt to have them generate more net front presence but so far this year Peterka has been one of the better forwards so I'm not sure why he gets the demotion. In any event that third line of Peterka-Jost-Olofsson looks like it'll be a problem. Presumably they go up against Pageau-Fasching-Lee which is a heavy line if they roll them strength against strength. or the Isles play that line against one of the top two and then tries to dominate them with their top unit. An early lead is essential imo.

That net rush as you call it is the missing part. When we do shoot we still take way too many shots that are easy picking for the goalies. Sure, guys like Tage sometimes pick a corner and score but most of the time it just leads to the end of the rush or a possession turnover as the goalie can see it and stop it easily. We need more people willing to pay the price in the dirty areas. We have the size in most cases, but we need to use it.

Well that's part of it isn't it. If you don't start to win with your young core your window closes fast. Then you are forced to move guys out and the squeeze might not get you top value. What you get for the money you spend matters a lot obviously. There is a window though and it's a good problem to have so that's really not my main concern. For me it's whether or not these players can and will commit to playing defense and if they won't or can't will we move on from them and get players that will before it's too late. This is all on coaching imo. To me, you take a guy like Benson and you say hey kid, you've got some mad offensive skills, learn to play D and you'll be an NHL star rather then hey kid, go score some goals and have some fun, we'll think about teaching you some D later on some time down the road. You get the idea. I am a broken record.

Also makes me think if only we'd had a Hasek in the 70s we could have had a dynasty. Not even a Hasek, just our own Parent at the time. We'd at least have won one cup (if not more) rather than those bullies.

Exactly, and so we did it backwards. We do have enough prospects to make the necessary changes but I don't see the will or desire to do that. This team seems quite content to let this take a decade.