FrenchConnection44

Fan since 1970 as well. Haven’t given up but I stopped getting pissed many years ago. I was really impressed with the team last season. Although not the talent, they reminded me of the early 80s Oilers. But the young talent has collectively regressed. Everything everywhere all at once. Many keep harping on goaltending and that’s a problem but it’s not the fix. This unit has become dysfunctional. They can’t score or play defense. All of that points to one central issue. Coaching. Yes, there are problems and though I think Adams has done well getting young talent, He doesn’t seem to know what to do with trades and luring vets here. Interestingly enough, the team that hammered us tonight, the Hurricanes, had a nine year playoff drought. They were really bad for a while. Then they hired Brind’Amour and he immediately turned things around. They traded away some who did not fit and they traded some draft choices and signed some players. But they still have a number of players from that group. The hide difference was Brind’Amour. They went from a .500 team out of the playoffs to the conference championship the following season. The point is, they need to hire a strong coach. Has to happen this off season. Granato has no sound defensive system or any system. We have to bring in someone who will instill toughness, sound teaching and on ice play, and garner respect from the players.

Horrendous coaching. Bad habits from so many players. Have to change the coaching situation. Find a veteran who will be respected. And who can institute a good system and get the players to toughen up.

My understanding is it’s his way of getting mentally focused. A gazillion athletes do something similar right before games or on the bench or field to get or keep their mind ready. Baseball players - pitchers and hitters - have all sorts of rituals. So do tennis players and golfers.

Yes. Agreed. That’s where he should get in shape and get the rust off before we put him the line-up.

As others have noted, several of us have been lamenting the physicality and physical toughness of the team for some time. I have for a long time and from the very start of my time in this board. I agree about Krebs. He’s like the only one who really steps up consistently. A few others have tried to but just don’t have the make up. Cozens stepped up but got his face smashed in so badly he missed several games. Tuch did something similar. But there really isn’t a personality on the team to do that. Aside from Krebs but he’s small We don’t have to have goons. But we need, imho, a Terry O’Reilly type. And/ or a Bergeron (someone who is tough and gets under people’s skin). Guys who are good players, but can be physical and enhance the mental and physical toughness. Tom Wilson was a big enforcer early on but also had hockey skills.

One thing on Quinn. The more I read about this (and I have a friend who is an orthopedic doctor), the more I doubt he's going to bring anything much to the table in January. From what I've read, it takes 4-6 months before one can engage in physical activity. But typically 6-9 months before one can engage in heavier, strenuous activity. Then, there is hockey conditioning. I would bet mid-February before he really starts playing and first of March before we see him near full strength on the ice. That may be pessimistic, but I've seen others take longer. The whole Aaron Rodgers return this year seems highly risky. the

Coaching staff needs to be entirely revamped. But it needs to be the right coach who has a system that fits the talent. I’m fine with a sale of the club if Pegula isn’t going to be a better and more committed owner, but who is he selling to? How many billionaires are out there willing to buy the club, pour money into it even without big city advertising revenue, and are fully committed to the city of Buffalo? Can’t sell to an outsider who might move the team.

This is worse than living inside a yo-yo. One day, “we are awful. Worst team in hockey. Coach has to go. GM has to go.” Next day, “well, we may have something to work with here. There is promise.” Next day, “we totally suck so bad!”

Agreed. Power looks like he made no physical progress this off-season. Dude needs to get stronger and faster. We have too many players lacking in speed. That demands improved skating and building power in their bodies. Multiple players need that. But no decent defensive system. No aggressiveness in moving players out of the slot. Poor positioning. Who teaches all our defensemen to always stand to the side and let the opponent just camp out in front of our goalie? So true on lack of aggressiveness leaving our zone and attacking the opponent’. Passive. Uncertainty. It’s like they don’t know what to do on the attack. We got a lot of shots and out played them but our shots were not consistently deadly. They had way fewer chances and capitalized almost every time.

We suck so bad in face offs! 31st. And numerous goals have been given up on those losses. Including tonight. To say nothing of hurting power plays losing possession. Something has to change there. It’s embarrassing.

So this is the game we suck again? Par for the course. Really bad 3rd goal given up by UPL. First two was a bad job on clearing screens. Great shot by Dahlin. Let’s see what happens. I don’t have a lot of confidence. Tuch has to put that one away there.

All this ceremonial junk. Let’s do that early and start the game at 7:00 pm central as it says!

Wonder why Clifton is a scratch? Will be interesting to see Jokiharu. I’d like to see Joki and Clifton play well the next month or two and then include one or the other in a trade near the deadline.

Good move. Hopefully UPL can handle a lot of starts. I don’t expect Levi to be a quality NHL goalie this year. The work will do him good. Hopefully build some confidence. Will help mentally. But I think he really needs a strong off season to build up his body, improve his quickness, agility, strength, etc.

I'm okay with this. I don't think he'd have made a huge transformation in the team. Maybe, but who knows. And how much did we offer him or did he want from Buffalo? We will probably never know. And his value at this point is questionable. Everyone wants a trade for more talent and certainly the bottom 6 is looking very weak with the injuries to Quinn and Tage. And now Girgs (though I don't think he's an answer there and we need to move on after this season). I'd be okay with a 2024 February trade depending on where we are in the standings. I don't want to trade away talent if we are well down at that point. Let's see where we are mid January and what the team is playing like at that point, imo.

I think I read about it on twitter, and I also think Granato spoke of it. But here is one place (start at around the 4:00 minute mark) where he discussed it in a broader context of getting ready for the season.

We are seeing the extra effort leg work he talked about from the off season starting to pay off. He got much stronger and quicker as a result. Exactly what he needed and continues to need to do. Once he did that it was all about developing confidence and he is also doing that. Let’s keep it going. Perhaps, just as importantly, his excellent play will inspire a greater defensive effort from the skaters. And that’s a lesson for Levi as well as the rest of the team. The players that put in the extra work are seeing it pay off. Peterka is another one.

I thought there was no chance we would beat the Rangers. No chance. lol. This is one of the most, if not the most, unpredictable teams I’ve seen in any sport since 1970. UPL has been excellent the past five games he’s played. .937 save %. But has also come up with huge saves. That heavy leg work in the off season seems to be paying off. And his overall gaa in 11 games is now 2.54. Wouldn’t that be a pleasant surprise if he kept playing consistently at this level? Knock on wood.

I think it’s true in general. And it’s not related to his play per se. (Up and down play). When I’ve expressed hope for UPL based on the fact that he’s still young and inexperienced and that it sometimes takes a while for goaltenders to develop, the response is to cite all sorts of past statistical metrics to pre determine not just that he’s a bad goalie but that he can never possibly become a good one.

Rosen with Jost and Olafsson? I actually think Jost has been playing pretty well. Certainly better than Krebs. I think he’s a better player right now. But I don’t know what to do with that bottom six. I’m fine with the rookies (Rosen, Kulich); I just don’t think there is the talent around them to excel.

Brind’Amour is a solid coach. Why is he even being discussed? He’s the coach of the Panthers. We can’t and won’t be hiring him. I would be fine with Gallant or a proven coach or a coach with a proven program who actually knows how to coach. I’ve been thinking to let Granato get through the year, but if there are many more games like last night, I think we need a new coach by the start of the new year. Regardless of the Thompson injury. He wasn’t playing at an all star level anyway, and I doubt he’d have made a difference in last night’s game. The danger, here, is the longer Granato remains as head coach, the more bad habits the players develop. The goals last night were mostly on crappy, defensive play.

Disaster game, of course. Honestly, I don’t think there is a coach on the Sabres who knows how to coach defense. It’s so horrendous. Watching them play defense is like watching one of those old table hockey games where the players only go up and down in certain slots. I forget which goal it was, But both Sabres’ defensemen were standing on either side of the net in the slot, about 5 feet wide of the net, while two New Jersey devil players were standing right in front of the goalie and screening him so he couldn’t see a shot. What on earth? Where is the coaching? How is it they are not moving those guys out?

He has no offensive talent. That was my point. If a center is critiqued for not scoring one has to also look at the linemates.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Blessings and peace!

What a completely disappointing loss. Giving up that late goal was so frustrating. Then Cozens was a total idiot in overtime. Dumb shot easily blocked and then chases the corner with a teammate already deep! Unbelievable. and he has no idea what to do offensively. He had a very good shot to score on the PP but that was after, what? 12 tries at a shot? He had so much promise last year but man, he seems to have no idea how to play the offensive end. Just an utterly deflating loss as a fan.