PerreaultForever

He stayed up because we have no one. Kid has talent and potential but at this point is more of a liability than asset. It's fair to argue that he will learn faster with the big club and the responsibility but you also have to wonder if he might not lose confidence and go backwards. Wouldn't be the first case of a player being rushed and never developing properly. We shall see. No way should he be a 2nd line center though.

I'm with the 1-8 crowd. Rivalries are good, but really don't like seeing the same teams matched up year after year.

Bye.

It's easy to grab a goal and point fingers at the guy who caused it. Hutton blew a play tonight, Dahlin last game, somebody else next time, but none of that matters unless it's the same guy night after night. I said at the beginning of the year we would probably lose a lot of close games this year and it's starting to happen. Still much better than last year and most nights we are a shot away from OT or a win but I see 2 glaring recurring problems with this team that will either keep us from the playoffs of make our run short. 1) We are being built for speed and win by attacking the opposition relentlessly and keeping the play in their end. Too many times however, like tonight (and Florida), we drift from our game and let the other team dictate the style of play. We end up playing their game (be it close checking or slower or more defensive etc.) and we are not very good at it. We have to keep dictating the play and make them play our way for 60 minutes to succeed. 2) The Powerless Play is killing us and if it stays this anemic we will get beaten up and beaten down. Add a lethal PP to this team and we would be sitting atop the league. I'm not sure exactly why it sucks so bad but my own theory is when we are on the PP we get away from our style. We slow it down trying to be precise and set up the perfect play but we are better when we are more frenetic and aggressive, use our speed. If we did that, we will make a few more mistakes but I think our production would go up. The faster we play, the better we look, but who knows, obviously not the coaching staff. Still fun to watch this year and that's something, regardless.

He's a kid and he's going to make a mistake now and again. It's part of the learning process. Only a big deal if he's still doing it 2-3 years from now. Unless I missed it, I don't see you lambasting Reinhart for the feeble backcheck (lack of) attempt which resulted in their earlier goal. Perspective indeed. For me, they lost their game after the Skinner takedown. To me this is shades of Miller/Lucic and needs to be addressed. If not, we will start seeing more and more teams taking it to us. Speed and skill will only work for you against that with a lethal PP and since we didn't have that, we needed to respond. If not the next shift, certainly when it was 4-2 or in the least after the empty net goal we should have been laying it on them. But, aside from Bogo, we got nothing in the physical department (Beaulieu maybe if he was playing).

Leaf nation is thinking about the Leafs. They are a rather myopic bunch :) Right now, our D is better than theirs, but their second line is better than ours. Tampa is the team to beat.

I'm going to choose to look at this issue positively. Contrary to the idea that is a continuing of the old "culture" I suggest it is more a punctuation point towards the new. No more individuals, no more egos, no more pampering, it's about winning and it's about being a team. Play well and you will play. Play poorly, don't buy in, and you will not play. You don't buy in to that, there's the door. Not sure how it plays out, but I doubt we see him skate for the Sabres again.

I think people need to ease up on Mittlestadt. The expectation is unreasonable. He is simply being asked to do too much as the #2 center at this stage. Maybe if he had some better wingers, but really he's simply not ready for the role he's been thrust into, but we really have no better option. Clearly the long term structure is more important to them than the result and the decision is he will grow into the role. Gonna take time though and lots of coaching. The problem isn't that we have injuries, it's that we lack depth.

same.

Just don't take them lightly they almost beat Boston the other night. We need the usual stuff we seem to always need. Three period effort, use our speed, better PP, more secondary scoring, like most games.

Hard to imagine he'd be worse.

I was joking. Joke post for a joke trade.

nice to win but there is no way this should have gone to OT. They finally scored on the 4 on 3 in OT but so many PP chances we should have put them away early and scored 6 or 7. There is absolutely no way we go far with this crap PP. Also have to question the coaching with a flat start against a tired slow team. We played down to their speed for most of the game instead of coming out blazing against them and burying them. Very bad effort imo. Lots of passengers. We seem to have lost that high tempo possession game we had going in the winning streak. With that in mind, I don't get why Housley sits Zemgus some nights. Yes, he lacks skill and is far from what was expected where he was drafted BUT he brings effort every night and tonight it was rewarded. We need more of that attitude and tenaciousness and I would play him over some of the floaters or on again off again vets like Okposo, Pominville or Sheary. Larrson and Girgensens play well together and should play every night. Now I don't see Rochester but is Guhle a huge disappointment? Is Tennyson really the best call up option we have cause he is down right dreadful. Win is a win but this was not a good game.

The danger is not in our thinking but in theirs, which is why I said to me it'll say something about the coaching.

You can break it down and argue it forever but isn't it simpler to just go pre trade St. Louis decent team, Buffalo bottom of the league. post trade Buffalo decent team, St. Louis a disfunctional mess. After that, you have to wait to see what we get for the picks, or if we use the money we saved to sign somebody. What is more bothersome is Lehner is actually playing some good hockey this year and even made multiple saves in a shootout last night. wtf? Got to think he simply quit on us last year and wanted out period.

I'm just shocked they wouldn't want Moulson as part of the deal, that's a deal breaker.

To me this one really shows you if the coaching staff is worth anything. Time to break a losing streak but if they come out thinking it'll be easy and don't give maximum effort it could bring back a return of last season's funk. If LA still cares I expect them to play heavy on our injured and young D. They're going to need help from the forwards coming back. SHOULD be a win, but that is always dangerous thinking that way.

I still think the big problem with lines 2 and 3 is a lack of identity and continuity. Nothing really clicks, and we aren't a deep team, so they flounder. I'm going to advocate the same best option as before. Until we get more scoring forwards on the roster, Skinner - Eichel - Pominville Thompson/Sheary - Mittelstadt - Reinhart Girgensuns- Larsson-Bergland Sheary/E-Rod- Sobodka-Okposo To be an actual good team we need to add 2 scoring wingers and a solid 2-way centre or the duds on the roster have to become those guys.

but not wrong.

I'm going to speculate that maybe, if we are supposed to be the fast young team with energy we don't want a slowing down, we want a pick it up tempo always. Just a guess. Myself, I don't know why he didn't pull Ullmark at 5-2 (maybe even 4-2). Not cause it's his fault, but just to break the pace and act like a time out. Most coaches would do that.

Bad blind pass on the PP caused the SH goal and turned the game. He does that. It's like a panic move. He didn't need to throw the puck away like that. Just remember this, when Pominville was on that line some people talked about resigning him. Off that line he looks like a has been dud again. Jack makes his linemates look better. It's as simple as that. Show me Reinhart scoring or dominating while not playing with Jack and maybe I'd get on the sign him long term bandwagon.

The line lacks an identity to me. It's just "the rest of them." Sobotka can be a decent third line player on a solid checking line but this unit isn't really anything. I still think we were better off with Pominville on the top line so we can distribute talent around a bit better. Top line is overloaded and leaves the rest of them lacking - until Mittlestadt becomes what he might become.

Way too up with the win streak and way too down now with these losses. Aside from this one, where the wheels came off, a lot of close games both ways so maybe we just come back to earth now and realize a few things. 1) We are a MUCH better team than last year. Different style, different energy, well positioned to improve. 2) We are not a very deep team. A few injuries and the holes show. 3) We are not a tough team. We don't have to be in this league but if you're not, you have to play fast and you need a really good PP. 4) Our PP sucks. We will not go far with this PP. 5) We will not go far until we have a second good line and secondary scoring. Right now everybody has realized you stop the top line you stop the Sabres. Still think we're way ahead of the expected improvement level and I am optimistic with the flashes of brilliance and the style of play but we have to accept that at this point we are a middle of the pack team, no more no less. On any given night with a good effort and good goaltending we can play with and beat anyone, but if any aspect is missing we will lose. Still, way better than last year and way more entertaining, don't lose sight of that. It's going to be okay.

This is way too early for me to speculate but I'll add this. I hope we lose a really good player, cause that'll mean we have a roster filled with more good players than we do now. We should have a number of young exempt players, but if we sign some FAs this year or next and we lose somebody so what?

One shot and a couple of seconds away from a shootout on a back to back with travel and a D man down early is nothing to be negative over. Worry is we do not bounce back in the next stretch, but otherwise we are fine. This team is so much better than it was and is poised to be even better in the future. Anyone still doubt Dahlin :) Just think about how young he is, how he wont' peak for a few years yet at least and start salivating. We play the right way now for this league. Toronto wins their games by out skating their opposition and we out skated them. I am really excited about the future. Do we need more secondary scoring from lines 2 and 3, obviously yes. Are we real cup contenders yet, no, that'd be a stretch, but we are definitely ahead of the plan and looking good. and face it, it's just FUN now.