Shocking News!!!! Connolly out with a sore back

[Bmwolf21]

Since we can only count on Connolly playing 32 games for the Sabres this season we might as well hope he saves them all for the regular season when it matters.

Maybe they can wait until that one week when he's actually healthy, cryogenically freeze him and then thaw him out in time for the playoffs.

[nobody]

Maybe they can wait until that one week when he's actually healthy, cryogenically freeze him and then thaw him out in time for the playoffs.

 

 

Or clone him and then play whichever clone is healthy.

[FearTheReaper]

You missed the point. The point is that whatever he does contribute is bonus. Like a rookie coming out of nowhere and putting up some points like Pominville did a few seasons back. The Sabres need to have a plan in place for when Connolly goes down. If they can squeeze 40 games and 25 points out of him? That would be great. The Sabres need to rely on their core players which Connolly is not part of. The Sabres need to rely on Vanek, Roy and Pominville to carry this team offensively. Consider Connolly an expensive fourth liner.

 

I'm not goin to get into an arguement with you but watch this...

 

 

Particularly the goals that start at 2:52 and 3:08. Keep in mind,when you bash Connolly,you bash a player that can do that with the puck.

[shrader]

Maybe they can wait until that one week when he's actually healthy, cryogenically freeze him and then thaw him out in time for the playoffs.

 

I say we clone multiple copies of him. That way we always have a healthy Connolly ready to go. But make sure you always clone the original Connolly because we don't want to see this turn into that crappy Michael Keaton movie (can't remember the name).

[carpandean]

I'm not goin to get into an arguement with you but watch this...

 

 

Particularly the goals that start at 2:52 and 3:08. Keep in mind,when you bash Connolly,you bash a player that can do that with the puck.

Where's the highlight reel of him watching the game in street clothes? Keep in mind that when you praise Connolly, you praise a player that did more of that than touching the puck over the last three seasons.

 

We all know that he can be great when he is actually playing, especially when he is in the lineup for enough games in a row to up to speed and to have chemistry with a line. The problem is that he hasn't done that since 2005-06. It doesn't matter how skilled a guys is, he can't do much for the team when he's not on the ice.

 

Take Connolly's skill level post-lockout and match that with his health pre-lockout (missed 3 games in 4 NHL seasons) and you have an amazing player that we would be talking about locking up with the rest of the core.

[tom webster]

I'm not goin to get into an arguement with you but watch this...

 

 

Particularly the goals that start at 2:52 and 3:08. Keep in mind,when you bash Connolly,you bash a player that can do that with the puck.

 

The fact that three year's worth of highlights last less then 4 minutes says it all.

[carpandean]

The fact that three year's worth of highlights last less then 4 minutes says it all.

I'd say the fact that, in almost all of those, he's wearing black/red/white says a lot, too.

[Kristian]

Maybe they can wait until that one week when he's actually healthy, cryogenically freeze him and then thaw him out in time for the playoffs.

 

Didn't they try something like that for the 06/07 playoffs?

 

I think we can classify that little experiment as "Failed" :D

[inkman]

Didn't they try something like that for the 06/07 playoffs?

I think we can classify that little experiment as "Failed" :D

 

Do you mean the 4 "scoring" lines, pussified lineup that the Sabres tried to use in the playoffs? Despite the fact that the tried and true method of 2 scoring lines, one defensive line and one banging line has always had success in the NHL.

[tom webster]

Do you mean the 4 "scoring" lines, pussified lineup that the Sabres tried to use in the playoffs? Despite the fact that the tried and true method of 2 scoring lines, one defensive lines and one banging line has always had success in the NFL.

 

Yeah the one that got to the conference finals and lost to three games to Ottawa by a goal, two of them in overtime. If only they had that checking line to prevent that one goal. They could still be playing.

[inkman]

Yeah the one that got to the conference finals and lost to three games to Ottawa by a goal, two of them in overtime. If only they had that checking line to prevent that one goal. They could still be playing.

 

So you like the idea of having 4 "scoring lines"?

[tom webster]

So you like the idea of having 4 "scoring lines"?

 

No, I am actually with you on that one. However, I had too much fun that year to look at it as a failure. Its one of my pet peeves and I admit it may be my one venture into the realm of "rose colored glasses."

 

Going forward, I'm with you. Two scoring lines, a checking line and a regular season banging line that can be converted into a cross between the two for the playoffs.

[Kristian]

Yeah the one that got to the conference finals and lost to three games to Ottawa by a goal, two of them in overtime. If only they had that checking line to prevent that one goal. They could still be playing.

 

All I know is, that if we could've fielded just ONE powerplay unit from those "4 scoring lines", who knows what would've happened?

 

The safe bet is, we would've been run through the boards all night by the Ducks, considering how they handled the Sens who were pounding us physically, and missed the playoffs last year due to a "cup run hangover".

 

Offense only gets you so far, especially in the playoffs. I think 06/07 was a prime example of just that, but like I said - Had we had a halfway decent PP, who knows?

[That Aud Smell]

Where's the highlight real of him watching the game in street clothes?

thanks for the coffee spray on my screen, carp.

 

I had too much fun that year to look at it as a failure.

that's exactly where i come out on that one - a beautiful, thrilling and ultimately failed experiment (although we were just a couple of injuries away from seeing it succeed on the highest level) - it's one we shouldn't set about trying to re-create - but i remember it so fondly.

[nfreeman]

No, I am actually with you on that one. However, I had too much fun that year to look at it as a failure. Its one of my pet peeves and I admit it may be my one venture into the realm of "rose colored glasses."

 

Going forward, I'm with you. Two scoring lines, a checking line and a regular season banging line that can be converted into a cross between the two for the playoffs.

Well, I might take issue with the whole "we had 4 scoring lines in 06-07" theme. We had a lot of really good players, many of whom could play well on both ends. Drury had a career-high 37 goals that year (in his contract year; he then dropped to 25 last year), but scoring (and certainly playmaking) isn't the thrust of his game. Zubrus wasn't much of a scorer. Hecht was and is a very good 2-way player, but not a pure scorer. Connolly (there's that name again!) missed the whole season -- in which the team scored 300 goals without him -- and parachuted in for the playoffs, but he's a good 2-way player in addition to being a good scorer.

 

IIRC, our lines for most of 06-07 were:

 

Briere-Pommer-Hecht

Roy-Max-Vanek

Drury-Kotalik-Novotny/Stafford/Zubrus (after the trade)

Gaustad-Mair-Novotny/Stafford/Peters

 

Were the Drury and Gaustad lines really scoring lines? Drury scored a lot of goals, but 17 of them were on the PP. Kotalik certainly isn't a "checking line" player, but Novotny was, more or less, and so was Zubrus. On those occasions when Lindy tried to match one of our lines against the opponents' top scoring line, it was usually Drury's line, but I think it was Briere's line almost as often. Lindy figured (correctly) that Briere's line would outscore the opposition most of the time, and he trusted Pommer and Hecht to be responsible defensively. And although Gaustad and Stafford have some offensive skill, their line wasn't really a scoring line either -- it was just a more-talented-than-most 4th line.

 

Now, when we fast-forward to this year, our lines look a bit less potent offensively:

 

Paille-Pommer-Hecht

Roy-Max-Vanek

Connolly-Kotalik-Gaustad

Mair-Stafford-Kaleta

 

But I think this is more due to the exodus of talent (Briere, Drury and Zubrus) than to a different line-rolling philosophy.

 

All I know is, that if we could've fielded just ONE powerplay unit from those "4 scoring lines", who knows what would've happened?

 

The safe bet is, we would've been run through the boards all night by the Ducks, considering how they handled the Sens who were pounding us physically, and missed the playoffs last year due to a "cup run hangover".

 

Offense only gets you so far, especially in the playoffs. I think 06/07 was a prime example of just that, but like I said - Had we had a halfway decent PP, who knows?

Right on. I would just add that Gaustad's ankle injury just before the playoffs and Zubrus' injury vs the Rangers really hurt us in the physical department. Lindy said so a few times. Give us those 2 guys back in the lineup (at full strength in Gaustad's case) and we don't get muscled by either Ottawa or Anaheim.

 

thanks for the coffee spray on my screen, carp.

that's exactly where i come out on that one - a beautiful, thrilling and ultimately failed experiment (although we were just a couple of injuries away from seeing it succeed on the highest level) - it's one we shouldn't set about trying to re-create - but i remember it so fondly.

 

Well said.

[Kristian]

I would just add that Gaustad's ankle injury just before the playoffs and Zubrus' injury vs the Rangers really hurt us in the physical department. Lindy said so a few times. Give us those 2 guys back in the lineup (at full strength in Gaustad's case) and we don't get muscled by either Ottawa or Anaheim.

Well said.

 

Having both those guys at 100% certainly would've helped, but the way I saw it, the pounding really wasn't going on up front, as much as in our own zone.

 

It was mostly our contact-shy defense that was getting pummeled all night, and what that did was hurt our transition game, which without a potent PP, was our bread and butter.

 

What really would've helped that year was a Rivet type player anchoring the blueline, and guys like Tallinder, Campbell and Lydman showing some stones.

 

Spacek brought some physcial play, but sadly he was more effort than finish and put himself out of position badly, missing quite a few attempted open-ice hits.

[nfreeman]

Having both those guys at 100% certainly would've helped, but the way I saw it, the pounding really wasn't going on up front, as much as in our own zone.

 

It was mostly our contact-shy defense that was getting pummeled all night, and what that did was hurt our transition game, which without a potent PP, was our bread and butter.

 

What really would've helped that year was a Rivet type player anchoring the blueline, and guys like Tallinder, Campbell and Lydman showing some stones.

 

Spacek brought some physcial play, but sadly he was more effort than finish and put himself out of position badly, missing quite a few attempted open-ice hits.

 

Good post. Ottawa did indeed win on the forecheck. Rivet (or a healthy McKee still on the team) would have been great.

[shrader]

Good post. Ottawa did indeed win on the forecheck. Rivet (or a healthy McKee still on the team) would have been great.

 

You left out one thing he hinted at in the post. A competant powerplay would've gone a long way as well.

[R_Dudley]

Having both those guys at 100% certainly would've helped, but the way I saw it, the pounding really wasn't going on up front, as much as in our own zone.

 

It was mostly our contact-shy defense that was getting pummeled all night, and what that did was hurt our transition game, which without a potent PP, was our bread and butter.

 

What really would've helped that year was a Rivet type player anchoring the blueline, and guys like Tallinder, Campbell and Lydman showing some stones.

 

Spacek brought some physcial play, but sadly he was more effort than finish and put himself out of position badly, missing quite a few attempted open-ice hits.

 

Great read so far and I also agree about cherishing the moment as well.

 

One point I did not see in this thread that IMHO would have helped negate your point I bolded above that was pretty evident in last years SC finals.

 

The league backsliding and allowing more contact away from the puck in the playoffs is allowing the team on the back check to clog the lanes and run interference and almost picks on the other teams forecheck. That had some to do with what happened to us that year.

 

Last year Detroit had that down to perfection against the Pens, they made sure they were looking back at the play when they skated in front of or bumped the other player, interference was almost never called (kind of like the cornerback looking back for the ball and not getting called).

 

IMO that negated the Pens speed and 2nd, 3rd players forecheck and was one of the key's to Detroit's ability to have their defense turn it around and out in 2 passes, it appeared when Pittsburgh got in trouble in their own zone it was because of Det's speed in on their defense and the fact the Pgh forwards were not/ or not able to slow down the 2nd and 3rd players sent in on the fore check. (we did not adjust that year either). I don't care who the defense is if your backs regularly to players forechecking it's tough for anyone to take allot of hits and make clean transitions out of your zone. (And No I am not promoting use of the/a trap, I would rather like to think of it as using your speed and good positioning and also an ability to adjust your game to what going on, on the ice ).

[deluca67]

I don't often read the Buffalo News but I look through it this morning. It is hilarious that they have an article about Tim Connolly being ready for the opener. The accompanying photo captioned as Tim Connolly is actually Adam Mair. I think that is an ominous foretelling of the future.

[LabattBlue]

I don't often read the Buffalo News but I look through it this morning. It is hilarious that they have an article about Tim Connolly being ready for the opener. The accompanying photo captioned as Tim Connolly is actually Adam Mair. I think that is an ominous foretelling of the future.

I noticed that too. :oops:

[R_Dudley]

I noticed in the article "Coach Lindy Ruff seemed discouraged with Connolly?s progress after practice Friday, noting that ?he?s got a nagging type injury that doesn?t seem to want to go away and he?s got to get through it.?

 

and

 

He did pretty good,? Ruff said. ?He was feeling better today and had a good practice.

 

?I think it?s realistic [Connolly could play Friday] but we?ve got a good week ahead of us.?

 

So when the coach is showing some doubts about a player then those of us who mentioned our concerns right off the bat earlier in this article were right on.

[deluca67]

I noticed in the article "Coach Lindy Ruff seemed discouraged with Connolly?s progress after practice Friday, noting that ?he?s got a nagging type injury that doesn?t seem to want to go away and he?s got to get through it.?

 

and

 

He did pretty good,? Ruff said. ?He was feeling better today and had a good practice.

 

?I think it?s realistic [Connolly could play Friday] but we?ve got a good week ahead of us.?

 

So when the coach is showing some doubts about a player then those of us who mentioned our concerns right off the bat earlier in this article were right on.

I think Ruff's comments are a good sign that maybe the Sabres are smartening up and won't be relying on Connolly this season.

[shrader]

So when the coach is showing some doubts about a player then those of us who mentioned our concerns right off the bat earlier in this article were right on.

 

Except for the fact that Ruff actually knows what is bothering Connolly while everyone here is just guessing. So basically, what was said here was essentially educated paranoia, if that label makes any sense.

[PASabreFan]

Except for the fact that Ruff actually knows what is bothering Connolly while everyone here is just guessing. So basically, what was said here was essentially educated paranoia, if that label makes any sense.

 

You're fighting the good fight. I applaud you. But the more time goes on and the more we hear, the worse it does sound. Lindy has a very poor record of being honest with the media and fans about injuries. Remember that Tim was going to play in Game 3 against the Sens in 06.