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GAME DISCUSSION THREAD


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Seeing how much better this team is on the road, I wonder if the problems they've had at home can simply be attributed to a lack of focus? I'd like to see Lindy try something that RIT did last year during the AHA tournament at home here in Rochester. Even though the playoff games were being played just downtown at Blue Cross, the team decided to stay downtown at a hotel for the weekend as a team so that they would stay focused on the games. They wound up winning the AHA and going on to the NCAA regionals, and eventually the Frozen Four.

 

For the next homestand, the Sabres should pack their bags like it's a roadtrip and stay as a team downtown at the Regency. Eat as a team, live as a team, no distractions of family, home or the bars. They obviously wont like it because hey, they're home so why can't they stay at their homes? But I think it would do them good to try and get that road game feel at home. Then maybe they'll figure out what they need to do to focus for home games in the future.

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For the next homestand, the Sabres should pack their bags like it's a roadtrip and stay as a team downtown at the Regency. Eat as a team, live as a team, no distractions of family, home or the bars.

Not sure that would work. They'd still be living in a hotel and eating in restaurants in a city where people go crazy for them and would constantly be asking for autographs, etc. You'd have all the same distractions, maybe more.

 

If they need extra focus for home games, it's just going to have to come from within. I don't think a gimmick can get it done.

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Not sure that would work. They'd still be living in a hotel and eating in restaurants in a city where people go crazy for them and would constantly be asking for autographs, etc. You'd have all the same distractions, maybe more.

 

If they need extra focus for home games, it's just going to have to come from within. I don't think a gimmick can get it done.

 

Yeah, but those are hockey related distractions. And maybe having that interaction with the fans they run into at dinner and in the hotel, etc., would be good for them. It would keep their minds on the game to be played and that they are hockey players, here to win for their fans at home. I think it would be an idea that couldn't hurt.

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What a difference one night makes. It was the Devils minus Brodeur and Kovalchuk but they played with intensity and a sense of purpose tonight. It was nice to see Weber on the blue line. He looked pretty solid. Hopefully Vanek is starting to wake up. Good thing the next 3 games are on the road. This team needs to get some momentum before they skate at home again. Moral of the last 48 hrs: don't get too high, don't get to low. They will probably finish in 6th or 7th by the end of the year. Before tonight there was only 1 way to go and we started in that direction.

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Man, I would love to add something that hasn't already been said, but this team is certainly bi-polar. Great showing by the Sabre fans tonight, and backup goalie or not, the team played a solid game tonight. I hope we can keep it up.

 

There is nothing better than watching how pissed off the few Devils fans getting with all the Sabre fans tonight....the "we want 7" chant broke out several times in the third.

 

But, tonight doesn't mean anything unless we follow it up with another solid outing.

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Yeah, but those are hockey related distractions. And maybe having that interaction with the fans they run into at dinner and in the hotel, etc., would be good for them. It would keep their minds on the game to be played and that they are hockey players, here to win for their fans at home. I think it would be an idea that couldn't hurt.

How on earth is getting treated like a rock star by fans and groupies a "hockey distraction"? That's going to help their game?

 

If anything, I think we have too many guys on the team who like to live like rich, famous hockey players and don't care so much about actually winning a Stanley Cup. They're in it for the lifestyle.

 

The only player on the team who appears 100% dedicated to winning the Cup is Miller. How dedicated is everyone else? Who knows?

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How on earth is getting treated like a rock star by fans and groupies a "hockey distraction"? That's going to help their game?

 

If anything, I think we have too many guys on the team who like to live like rich, famous hockey players and don't care so much about actually winning a Stanley Cup. They're in it for the lifestyle.

 

The only player on the team who appears 100% dedicated to winning the Cup is Miller. How dedicated is everyone else? Who knows?

 

We're not looking at this the same way. When I make this suggestion it is under the guise that these guys will be expected to be all business at all times if they are in public. Teams can handle themselves in a manner that is professional, adult, and restrained. Really, they don't even have to be exposed to the public at all if they chose this approach. Security and private booking can take care of any of those issues. They have busy days of practice, workouts, and required downtime anyway, so the opportunities for them to do anything but team related things is limited.

 

Gotta crack the whip on these boys and treat em like a high school travel team that has no way to act anything but how the coaches want them to.

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What a difference one night makes. It was the Devils minus Brodeur and Kovalchuk but they played with intensity and a sense of purpose tonight. It was nice to see Weber on the blue line. He looked pretty solid. Hopefully Vanek is starting to wake up. Good thing the next 3 games are on the road. This team needs to get some momentum before they skate at home again. Moral of the last 48 hrs: don't get too high, don't get to low. They will probably finish in 6th or 7th by the end of the year. Before tonight there was only 1 way to go and we started in that direction.

To add one thing, the Devils are also without their top defenseman Volchenkov. That doesn't take away from the effort the put out last night. Like Atlanta, they took advantage of their opponent. Considering what the Devils were missing, anything less than two points would be a huge disappointment. Weber is a huge upgrade over Rivet. When Morrisonn comes back Sekera, Butler and Weber need to remain in the lineup. Keep and Rivet out and choose between Leopold and Montador to hit the press box. At +9 it may be harder to sit Montador, at this point he seems to be less of a train wreck than Leopold.

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Morrisonn shouldn't be with Myers anymore. Myers has 1 pt and was a minus 6 with Morrisonn.

 

Since he's been with Leopold he's got 2 points and a minus 2.

 

Put Montador with Morrisonn and Rivet with Shakira or Weber.

 

and I'd like to give a shout out to Hank for that giveaway last night. lol

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Notes from the Rock.

 

I have never been to a quieter arena. Ever. By a lot. The only time it got even remotely loud was when Brodeur came in.

 

There should have been a boarding call on NJ in the first. Kaleta was hit right in the back head first into the boards. From where I was sitting it was scary.

 

Myers had enough time to make a sandwich on his goal. What's funny is that people in the crowd were blaming Hedberg on that goal and were screaming to put Brodeur in right then. How do 5 guys not notice a 6'8" tower standing all alone in front of their net.

 

Jersey's D was really bad.

 

The "Mites on Ice" was a pretty good contest. Number four for the White team was a heck of a defenseman. It really wouldn't have been that close without him shoring up that blueline.

 

I really like McCormick.

 

Ennis needs to learn how to pass. This is a recording.

 

Does Connolly even need to wash his Jersey after a game?

 

Miller was/is awesome. It seems like he is getting better at moving the puck to his D. I feel I also need to say that he's bat$#!% crazy. Every time they came out to shovel the ice, he would go to the middle of the ice halfway between the goal and the blue line and go into his Buddha pose. I like it.

 

Brodeur made just a lights out save towards the end of the game. I don't know what it looked like on TV, but live it was unbelievable.

 

Listening to the fans, all you had to do was replace the words Miller for Brodeur and Lalime for Hedberg and I would have sworn I was in Buffalo. NJ was a different team when Brodeur cam in. We still won 2-1.

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To add one thing, the Devils are also without their top defenseman Volchenkov. That doesn't take away from the effort the put out last night. Like Atlanta, they took advantage of their opponent. Considering what the Devils were missing, anything less than two points would be a huge disappointment. Weber is a huge upgrade over Rivet. When Morrisonn comes back Sekera, Butler and Weber need to remain in the lineup. Keep and Rivet out and choose between Leopold and Montador to hit the press box. At +9 it may be harder to sit Montador, at this point he seems to be less of a train wreck than Leopold.

 

I absoutely cannot believe that Montador is a +9. He looks like a giveaway machine at times and the puck is always hopping over his stick. But, if he is on the ice when good things are happening for us, I guess they have to keep playing him. As a player, I still look at him as upgradeable either by somehow improving his play or by replacing him with someone else. I like the puck handling skills and transition game benefits of Leopold but he needs to use his size in his own end more and not get knocked off the puck so easily. Sekera is having a pretty decent start to the year. I'm not worried about Myers, I really believe he is just off to a slow start, hopefully Lindy hasn't over-coached him to play too much within a system instead of simply letting him play the game to his strengths with his natural instincts like last year. Probably just the normal sophmore slump. I would definitely keep Rivet out if I was coaching but would that force his loss of captaincy? I would simply trade him for a pick or waive him - we're talking about Sabres management here, so it shouldn't be that difficult for them to make a move like that. I think he is told slow too old, has hands of stone and is getting knocked around more and won't be as physicial with a bum shoulder. The only value he has is as a leader in the dressing room, but you have to make a difference on the ice. If you are a liability as a captain it's a problem.

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Anyone still think it was a bad idea to not not sign Tallinder for four years? Anyone still think we should have overpaid Kovy (healthy scratch)?

 

Wow.

 

I wasn't able to pay as close attention to the game last night as usual, but I take it Tallinder made a bad play or two -- I think one came on the first Vanek goal. So naturally that means the organization's decision to not sign him is vindicated -- even though Myers continues to look like he'd be back in Kelowna if this were October 2009.

 

As for Kovy, I'd give my right nut -- hi shrader! -- to have him in midnight blue and royal blue.

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Gerbe's hustle is second-to-none. A lot of the core players could learn from his example. Once he gets with some scorers, his points will come. He has been a forechecking and backchecking (which Lindy loves) machine.

 

Ennis is the real deal. What a deft touch on that goal last night. He's the new Briere.

 

Love McCormick with Hecht and Connolly. Don't much love Hecht or Connolly, but I think the Code-Man makes them both accountable for the most part.

 

Great win boys. Now do the same to the Phlyers and make me believe again!

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Anyone still think it was a bad idea to not not sign Tallinder for four years? Anyone still think we should have overpaid Kovy (healthy scratch)?

Wow.

I wasn't able to pay as close attention to the game last night as usual, but I take it Tallinder made a bad play or two -- I think one came on the first Vanek goal. So naturally that means the organization's decision to not sign him is vindicated -- even though Myers continues to look like he'd be back in Kelowna if this were October 2009.

As for Kovy, I'd give my right nut -- hi shrader! -- to have him in midnight blue and royal blue.

NO to the first point and YES to the second.

You guys are killing me. You want a primma donna, not playing any defense, creating a short handed situation every time the puck enters the defensive zone because he doesn't allow himself to cross the blue line cancer on the team crippling the payroll so he can score a few high light reel goals on the team.

 

Do you guys understand hockey is a team game and he is the epitome of the opposite? There is a reason the Devils suck right now and he is one of them. I'm all for more offense but not at the expense of my teams character. Laugh if you want but that dude would kill this group of sausage grabbers. You think Roy is a bad leader, wait until this jamoke shows up and alienates everyone. He's a class A doosh bag.

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