Game Discussion Thread

[kishoph]

The difference is Connolly has actually played well the last ~3 months

 

 

He is 10th on the team in scoring with a team leading -11, I don't know where the playing well has come in, unless you want to say he's played well compared to NIEDS. To be fair he has played good recently on the PK (since the deadline), but other than that he's been invisible other than the bad plays.

[PASabreFan]

LaLime has a sore knee. Apparently begging on them too much.

 

No, seriously, he's got a sore knee.

 

Very disappointed in you, chz. Have you learned nothing from the over/under sexed homophobic/erotic male pigs on this board?

 

You get served up a softball like that, and you come up with "begging"?

[waldo]

And I ask you what have any Sabres done in the playoffs since Drury and Briere weren't around?

 

Tell me this, do you think Vanek has underperformed the past 3-4 years?

 

They got rid of his playmakers and their power play outside of that he is doing fine. Trade him to Philly and see how he does.

[spndnchz]

Very disappointed in you, chz. Have you learned nothing from the over/under sexed homophobic/erotic male pigs on this board?

 

You get served up a softball like that, and you come up with "begging"?

 

Lent starts today.

[Eleven]

Connolly has a 5 year history of missing games due to injury, not underperforming. This is the first season he has "underperformed."

 

 

Are you freaking kidding? Is this your first season watching the team?

[nfreeman]

Connolly has a 5 year history of missing games due to injury, not underperforming. This is the first season he has "underperformed."

No. Last year in the playoffs, when it really mattered, and he had a chance to make a statement about whether he is a good-to-very-good NHL center, he completely disappeared. You are correct to say he didn't underperform last year in the playoffs -- but only because "underperforming" would be too generous a description of his play.

 

And I ask you what have any Sabres done in the playoffs since Drury and Briere weren't around?

 

Tell me this, do you think Vanek has underperformed the past 3-4 years?

Now, this is a fair point and needs to be remembered whenever posters get carried away with Pommer, TC or Stafford.

 

As for Vanek, I think he has underperformed over most of that time period, although he is finally showing signs of advancing towards his potential. The rest of this season will be pretty telling.

 

GOOD NEWS!

 

Vanek, Grier and Hecht all on the ice this morning.

 

Adam, Mancari and Parrish sent back to Portland.

Hallelujah. I thought the callups did OK -- I liked Mancari's fight and Adam looked quicker than I remembered him -- but those 3 Sabres are all important players.

 

They got rid of his playmakers and their power play outside of that he is doing fine. Trade him to Philly and see how he does.

This is kinda where I am on TC at this point -- he'd be a fine complementary player, but anyone who pays him $4MM+ and counts on him to be a #2 center will be disappointed.

[Eleven]

Thank goodness... maybe Vanek really did have the stomach "flu" instead of the real deal.

 

You don't mean pregnancy, do you?

[biodork]

You don't mean pregnancy, do you?

 

LOL well given his performance the game after the birth of his twins, maybe we should hope so? :nana:

[FogBat]

Lent starts today.

Yippie!!!

 

Now while the papists abstain from whatever indulgences they partake of for the next 40 days, I'll look over their leftover smorgasbord and see what there is for me to enjoy! :D

[PASabreFan]

we've been down this road before on "the flu."

 

it's more than likely that vanek has some form of gastroenteritis, often referred to as "stomach flu," which in turn is often referred to simply as "flu." the use of that term if a confusing misnomer. hopefully, it's a 48-hour thing and he's ready to come back as soon as tomorrow.

 

if he does have "the flu" (a condition that doesn't generally involve GI distress in adults (kids are different)), then the fact that he got the shot (and you can be sure he did) should make the case a mild one. i had a bout of the flu during the winter of 2008-2009 (no stomach stuff -- just could not breathe or open my eyes), even though i got the shot.

 

Harrington's story today says Vanek had the stomach "flu."

 

That Aud Smell -- Internet diagnostician!

[shrader]

That Aud Smell -- Internet diagnostician!

 

My guess is he's bumped up his stalking skills a bit.

[Wraith]

Are you freaking kidding? Is this your first season watching the team?

What's to argue? The data supports shows he's correct. Last year Connolly was the Sabres leading scorer at the time he got injured and missed the end of the regular season. The year before that, he was great (career high for goals) despite missing the first half of the season.

 

This argument about the playoffs is also ludicrous. The guy has three stints in the playoffs. In 05-06 he was the best player on the team until he was injured. Chris Drury gets all the credit for the win in Game 1 against Ottawa but Connolly and Roy basically won that game by themselves and it set the tone for the entire series. In 06-07 he was also pretty good despite playing in only two regular season games and basically getting fourth line minutes. Last year, he was non-existant but he was also most likely playing on a broken foot. Jochen Hecht missed the entire series with a broken pinky finger.

 

This year his offensive production is non-existent and it's definitely worth discussing why. But the talk about him underperforming his entire career here is foolish. While I'm at it, the talk of him being lazy is equally foolish. The guy has been very good defensively and on the penalty kill for a while now. He routinely jumps in front of point shots on the 5-on-3 kill. You don't do those things if you're lazy or don't care. He's hesistant in the offensive zone for some reason. It's not because he's lazy.

[PASabreFan]

What's to argue? The data supports shows he's correct. Last year Connolly was the Sabres leading scorer at the time he got injured and missed the end of the regular season. The year before that, he was great (career high for goals) despite missing the first half of the season.

 

This argument about the playoffs is also ludicrous. The guy has three stints in the playoffs. In 05-06 he was the best player on the team until he was injured. Chris Drury gets all the credit for the win in Game 1 against Ottawa but Connolly and Roy basically won that game by themselves and it set the tone for the entire series. In 06-07 he was also pretty good despite playing in only two regular season games and basically getting fourth line minutes. Last year, he was non-existant but he was also most likely playing on a broken foot. Jochen Hecht missed the entire series with a broken pinky finger.

 

This year his offensive production is non-existent and it's definitely worth discussing why. But the talk about him underperforming his entire career here is foolish. While I'm at it, the talk of him being lazy is equally foolish. The guy has been very good defensively and on the penalty kill for a while now. He routinely jumps in front of point shots on the 5-on-3 kill. You don't do those things if you're lazy or don't care. He's hesistant in the offensive zone for some reason. It's not because he's lazy.

 

Great post. I really appreciate it. Too many people drink the Bucky Kool Aid and can't think for themselves.

 

I'd also add that Connolly has come back from injuries that would have put 99% of the posters here in a home for life.

[Weave]

With Connolly, it is about expectations as much as it is about points.

 

Yeah, he was a very good point getting forward for the team, but really, does anyone think he was the center we needed to lead us to the promised land? Because that is what he was sold to us as. When the decision was made to let Briere/Drury walk, one of the reasons we were told that it happened was because Connolly could and would replace them. And he hasn't. His level of production and the number of games he's played is not commensurate with the salary he is being paid.

 

Does anyone think that Connolly was NOT one of the "fragile little children" that collapsed when the heat was on the past 4 seasons? Who gives a damn if he collected points that didn't matter in 4-1 games (or 1-4 games) if he crawled into his shell when the heat was on and the game was close and playoff race tight. Hell, he was invisible this year until Vanek grew up and grabbed the reigns. Only then did Connolly start to show some life. And of course he did, Vanek took the heat off of him.

 

It is a backhanded compliment to be told you are a top 2 center for the Buffalo Sabres. Yeah, it means he was among the best on the team, but when you look at the roster that ain't sayin' much.