pi2000

What has Phil done this season to be given that chance? eg, what have they gotten better at? which players have taken that step?

I muscled through the entire game. What I don't get is how the entire team just no-show's, every single one, collectively... it's odd. Typically a few guys might take a night off, but for the ENTIRE team to look that disinterested is unusual. No push back from anybody at any point in the game. I hate to say it, but this is what you get when a team turns off the coach.

I have some friends that play in the K, and yes, it's as bad as you're suggesting. They don't even get paid what their contract states, sometimes they get full paychecks, other times not, without any explanation. Also have some friends that play in the SHL, and they absolutely love it... it's not the best place to play if you have NHL aspirations, but it's better than a career in the AHL (better pay vs cost of living, beautiful country, rockstar lifestyle, rockets, etc).

Apologies for the personal attack, Aud. You're one of the more original posters here, I enjoy reading your takes. I was out of line. Considering Bylsma coached this team (arguably with a worse set of d-men, and less depth scoring) to an 80 point season just one year ago... you can't just dismiss the comparison. I'm not saying Bylsma is the answer, just that Housley is doing less with more. Man how things might be different if they canned Bylsma and hired Gallant when he became available last season. IIRC, Gallant was let go in the middle of a Sabres slump in late Nov... but they had the build in excuse the Eichel was out injured. So maybe if Eichel doesn't get hurt, they can Bylsma and hire Gallant at that time..... Would Vegas be where they are today? Would Buffalo?

btw, my Matthews prediction is right on schedule.... https://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/25138-this-season-im-most-excited-for/page-2?do=findComment&comment=970044 ...2 years in, he's clearly not even the best player in his draft class. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl2016e.html But lets stay on topic here boys! This is a GDT. I'll make a prediction... these are the games where BUF wins big. The laid an egg at home last night, going on the road they'll play like playoff contenders. Maybe Housley can stay on as the road coach? Bring in Bylsma to coach home games... they won 40 home games under Bylsma's watch the two seasons he was here.

I, for one, am super excited for this game because Housley is amazing. Botterill just needs to replace the entire roster with 23 McDavids and our Lord and saviour Phil Housley will have this team on the precipice of the playoffs next season. I just love how he has these guys competing night in and night out. Makes it fun to watch when you know they're emptying the tank each every shift because they have so much respect for their head coach and don't want him to lose his job. They really give that extra effort, nobody wants to let up or face a benching. He really has everyone buying in, pulling in the same direction... what a great leader of men he is.

haha, or not

Flagg thinks Corsi and other meaningless possession stats over the course a season mean something more than Wins and Losses. It took this team like 50% of the season to prove that Bylsma had this team playing better than Housley. But Bob Wood's PP and Lehner were better than this year, so that means Housley is a better coach. You continue to ignore anything except garbage like the offficial NHL Standings? I don't even know why I engage with you anymore ...oh and yeah, 10min of Corsi wasn't enough... looking much better now lol http://corsica.hockey/games/?id=2017021029

good start... http://corsica.hockey/games/?id=2017021029 boy this new system is great, so refreshing from that crap Bylsma was teaching.

That was Larsson's fault.

unsubscribe

game hasn't start yet lol... 4:30 start

Ontario is unlikely to make the post-season, does that mean.....????

They're worse in every single category this season. If that's "real-life big boy hockey", then I'd like to politely unsubscribe. If Bylsma had Eichel for the first half of the season last year, there's no question they make the playoffs... and that's with a worse roster than Dr. Phyllis has at his disposal... but go ahead and all over Cup Champion Danny O'Bylsma because that's what the hive mind wants you to think. How about having an original thought and making an objective opinion based on the actual facts. Fact #1 - They suck. Fact #2 - They're exponentially worse THAN last season. Fact #3 - They have a deeper more talented roster THAN last season. Fact #4 - https://public.tableau.com/profile/sean.tierney#!/vizhome/Team-leveldata-shotsandgoals/Pace Fact #5 - For those complaining that we don't have the depth scoring we had with guys like Foligno and Ennis... Those clowns have combine for 16 goals this season on a Cup contender. New comers Pouliout and Pominville have combined for 23 goals.

Team Relative +/- ™ TRpm ™ TR+/- ™ There is no doubt Bylsma would've had this team on an 80 point pace... at minimum. I was very hard on myself as a player. Not necessarily identifying as a failure, but always feeling like I could've done more. Is Housley a failure? Grading him on results, the answer to this point is yes. Can that change? Sure. Will it? Who knows. Does he deserve the chance to coach next season? If the season ended today, no. If the team continues to improve down the stretch, maybe, but I'm not convinced he's the answer consider Bylsma did much more with less.

Did I somehow jump to a different universe? That's the universe we live in, where your cumulative point total determines wether or not you make the playoffs. fixed

As soon as the Sabres become respectable again, the NHL is going to scrap the lottery. You heard it here first!

That's not true. Not true at all. I played competitively through college and there were always very clear, very different instructions for the top line vs the 4th line. You can't ask your 4th line muckers to play the same possession finesse game as your top line... and vice-a-versa. This is especially true in today's NHL. Expansion has resulted in 3rd and 4th line jobs for players that would otherwise find themselves in the AHL. Coaches need to coach to their players abilities. If Housley needs 4 lines of speed and finesse to be successful, then I have a problem with that... because you'll never have that type of depth in today's NHL.

To announce the winner they should have Dahlin standing behind a curtain wearing the winning team's jersey. They lift the curtain in front of an audience of GMs while the winning team's goal song plays in the background with ice girls dancing on stage, balloons and confetti flying. Hosted by Oprah.

just in casies

Have you even considered the idea that depth scoring is down because of Phil's style he's teaching? He's asking grinders to play a speed/finesse game... they can't. Let them get pucks deep, chase, bang and create turnovers. The coaches job is to put his players in the best position to succeed. He's failed at that and it's reflected in the standings. Consider there are infinite parallel universes (there are). In at least one of those universes NHL standings are not based on results, rather they're based purely on coaching philosophy. Flagg lives in that universe.

I'd like to see O'Regan paired with O'Reilly on St. Patricks Day vs CHI

Can't believe all the leash everyone is giving Housley. Low expectations fan base I guess. He took an upgraded roster and has them on pace for a 20 point drop in the standings. 20 points less than a coach who got ran out of town.

I agree with this. Star players have a burning passion for the game, an obsession, they just cannot let go of. That's what makes them so special. You can't teach that, and it can be frustrating as a coach to try and relate to players who don't love the game at the same level as you do.