GDT: SEASON OPENER, Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings, 10/2/2013, 8:00pm

[beerme1]

You take Vanek, Miller, and Ott off this team and it could be one of the worst in history. Prospects or no prospects.

 

Soon grasshopper. Soon.

[DHawerchuk10]

Did you actually watch the game? What did Myers do that was so bad?

 

Did you watch the game? Myers has to be one of the most passive players I have ever seen. He can't accept a pass nor make one. He was constantly running around in his own zone without much of a purpose. He wasn't as brutal as he was last year or blantantly coughing up the puck, but for goodness sake, I still cringe when he is on the ice.

 

Grigorenko shouldn't be in the lineup. He's just not ready.

 

He just seems like he doesn't know how to engage. He should watch Girgensons and take notes.

 

Good points:

Miller, defense, good looking rookies, second half of second period, Penalty kill

 

Bad things:

Power Play, passing, offensive lines with not enough chemistry, inability to create great scoring chances.

 

 

Our powerplay was so uninspired, and is still not able to make successful zone entries on regular basis.

 

If we can improve the first three mentioned bad things we are a good hockey team. Detroit only won 2:1, so there is a lot to build on.

 

From reading some preseason GDTs, I thought our passing was supposed to have gotten better?!!! It was just as bad as last year. I am getting sick and tired of these guys coughing up the puck a hair inside our blue line too. This happened like 10 times last night.

[CallawaySabres]

Just make the moves now because this is going to be a long year

 

Please get rid of Stafford, Leino and Ennis

Replace with Foligno, Larsson and Armia

[bcsaberks]

On Meyers - one play late in the 2nd I think, he's playing catch up on a 2v2, he points to his partner to take the puck carrier which was good communication, he takes the other guy but follows him out of the play towards the boards leaving the 3rd man joining late wide open for a shot. I suppose that 3rd guy is a forward's responsibility, but why chase the guy without the puck to the boards? Discouraging.

 

I admit I'm a Flynn fan (like Rolston) after watching him play in Roc last year. He's got speed, he's smart and he works hard. Dixon Ward-ish. I understand the sentiment "he's not an NHL player" because I agree you do need players of a higher caliber on your roster to be successful. That said, for Paul Hamilton to use his AM segment to rag on him today on WGR is some ######. From what I saw Vanek was the turnover machine in the 1st and 2nd with consistently terrible passes. He's your C, errr A, he's the superstar, and he sucked. Point the finger there.

 

Lastly Datsyuk vs Hodgson, uuufff, not even close.

[LGR4GM]

.Oh, and I was wrong. NBC is AWFUL!!!!!! I couldn't understand anything any of the announcers were saying because they were constantly choking on Detroit's shaft while trying to lick the taint.

:w00t: :worthy:

[waldo]

 

 

Did you actually watch the game? What did Myers do that was so bad?

 

he scored on miller?

[Doohickie]

 

To the bolded: What?

 

Abdelkader has been playing on that line for quite a while now. He was moved up last season and it clicks pretty well for them.

 

Which brings up an interesting point: So much of the Sabres team is new; it may take RR a while to figure the best line combinations.

[waldo]

On Meyers - one play late in the 2nd I think, he's playing catch up on a 2v2, he points to his partner to take the puck carrier which was good communication, he takes the other guy but follows him out of the play towards the boards leaving the 3rd man joining late wide open for a shot. I suppose that 3rd guy is a forward's responsibility, but why chase the guy without the puck to the boards? Discouraging.

 

I admit I'm a Flynn fan (like Rolston) after watching him play in Roc last year. He's got speed, he's smart and he works hard. Dixon Ward-ish. I understand the sentiment "he's not an NHL player" because I agree you do need players of a higher caliber on your roster to be successful. That said, for Paul Hamilton to use his AM segment to rag on him today on WGR is some ######. From what I saw Vanek was the turnover machine in the 1st and 2nd with consistently terrible passes. He's your C, errr A, he's the superstar, and he sucked. Point the finger there.

 

Lastly Datsyuk vs Hodgson, uuufff, not even close.

 

did you happen to notice the way Detroit handled Vanek in the offensive zone?

 

 

One positive to take away from last nights game, the power play was in mid-season form.

 

+1

[K-9]

... Lastly Datsyuk vs Hodgson, uuufff, not even close.

 

It's not fair to compare Hodgson to current Datsyuk. Pavel didn't set the world on fire at age 23, either. And that was after a few years of seasoning on premier Russian teams.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[LGR4GM]

I actually thought Cody Hodgson looked pretty good last night. Drew Stafford seriously looked lost. Also GGF line was defensively questionable and had limited puck control, but when they got in the offensive zone they were making things happen.

[SwampD]

I really think this game is the #Blueprint of the season. We're going to lose a lot of one goal games.

 

I did like how after the young guys worked out their first period jitters (like,… 1st period ever,… in the NHL), they settled down and looked at least serviceable the rest of the game. Let's not forget that Detroit scored zero goals in the 2nd and 3rd periods.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I actually thought Cody Hodgson looked pretty good last night. Drew Stafford seriously looked lost. Also GGF line was defensively questionable and had limited puck control, but when they got in the offensive zone they were making things happen.

Did you happen to see him coast back on D and his guy score the 1st goal as he was 3 feet behind him coasting? Or how about the 2nd goal where Risto did the trademark, stand 4 feet diagonally to your net while leaving the slot open and no center (Hodgson) or other d-man to disrupt a body? The 2nd wasn't so much Hodgson's fault as Risto and Stafford were collectively a dud.

[TrueBlueGED]

Slight correction, this is Ennis' fourth season, the year most NHLers break out - if they break out at all.

 

Ennis spent a year in the AHL before making the jump, so XB is right that this is his 5th pro season. You're right that this is his 4th NHL season. I do find it curious that you say most players break out in their 4th year...can you point me to any evidence of this?

[bcsaberks]

did you happen to notice the way Detroit handled Vanek in the offensive zone?

 

 

I noticed he had time to pass and the passes were either behind the skater, in front of them, or in their skates more often than on the tape.

 

Did you happen to see him coast back on D and his guy score the 1st goal as he was 3 feet behind him coasting? Or how about the 2nd goal where Risto did the trademark, stand 4 feet diagonally to your net while leaving the slot open and no center (Hodgson) or other d-man to disrupt a body? The 2nd wasn't so much Hodgson's fault as Risto and Stafford were collectively a dud.

 

Yeah, that's what I saw too. I thought the 2nd was very much on Hodgson. Risto got beat badly yes, but Hodgson thought we had possession and tried to get a step on the break-out, Datsyuk noticed the puck was still free and cut back in quick. Stafford was flat footed and could only reach with his stick.

[nfreeman]

My 2 cents:

 

- Detroit, which is now 9-1-1 in its last 11 vs the Sabres, continues to be well out of the Sabres' league.

 

- Having said that, I thought the Sabres did much better vs. Detroit than they have in the past few years -- when every game seemed like a blowout.

 

- Overall, the Sabres' D zone play seemed much better than last year.

 

- However, they were terrible at getting through the neutral zone. It seemed like they would make a solid play on D to get the puck back, but the pass into the neutral zone to spring the O rush would get taken away almost every time. 9 giveaways (which someone posted upthread) can't possibly be right.

 

- I've been advocating patience with Leino, but if that's all we're going to get out of him, the Sabres need to buy him out after this year.

 

- Pysyk was terrific. I thought he was the Sabres' best defenseman last night -- he made a ton of quick little smart plays all over the ice.

 

- Myers was much, much better in the D zone last night but didn't add enough on offense.

 

- As many have already posted, the power play was an abomination.

 

- The forward lines are a mess, although the Griggy-Girgy-Flynn line had some nice moments. Detroit is too good at puck possession to beat them without a ferocious forecheck -- and we didn't see any of that from Hodgy-Vanek-Stafford or Ennis-Leino-Ott.

 

- I continue to believe that Hodgson and Vanek need someone other than Stafford on their line. Stafford wasn't bad last night IMHO, but that line needs a winger to forecheck with reckless abandon to create some loose pucks for the other 2.

 

- I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Larsson tomorrow night.

 

- Miller was outstanding. I agree with what he said after the game -- if they play like that all year they will win plenty of games.

 

- In sum -- I saw more encouraging things last night than many here seem to have seen. Or perhaps I'm kidding myself.

[K-9]

I really think this game is the #Blueprint of the season. We're going to lose a lot of one goal games.

 

I did like how after the young guys worked out their first period jitters (like,… 1st period ever,… in the NHL), they settled down and looked at least serviceable the rest of the game. Let's not forget that Detroit scored zero goals in the 2nd and 3rd periods.

 

^This. Detroit didn't score a goal for 19 minutes, 24 seconds of the rest of the game. Yes, that's stretching to make a point, but I wasn't expecting a close game last night and I was fully expecting a total quit job after their jitters cost them two quick goals. But I was pleasantly surprised and I'll take this resilience as a positive to build on going forward.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[FolignosJock]

No one responded to my post!!! I want to know if anyone else was noticing this. Also our forwards allowed the detroit defense to skate through the neutral zone too much. I dont understand how RR has them in this scheme. It doesnt look to be very affective. Also anyone else notice that we allowed the puck carrier to get great looks at goal? I understand giving miller a clear view but we guys break into our zone someone needs to be there. If I was one of Detroits defensemen as soon as the closest defender slid into the middle I would have put my head down and tried to get to the net.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

I noticed he had time to pass and the passes were either behind the skater, in front of them, or in their skates more often than on the tape.

 

 

 

Yeah, that's what I saw too. I thought the 2nd was very much on Hodgson. Risto got beat badly yes, but Hodgson thought we had possession and tried to get a step on the break-out, Datsyuk noticed the puck was still free and cut back in quick. Stafford was flat footed and could only reach with his stick.

That's what bothered me most about last night. All the old habits were there. I figured maybe if you were ever going to see some extra juice and push, it would be the season opener. I mean...look at Mon/Tor, Col/Ana, Tor/Phi....these guys were going at it. We had the same old....the D was reluctant to put a body on anyone in front of the net....no organization or creativity on the powerplay with multiple 5-3....Hodgson and Myers playing a similar game.

 

I won't mind watching boring hockey, as that is their best chance to win, but if you don't have guys sell-out and do the dirty work, it is going to be a long year of 3-1 losses.

 

No one responded to my post!!! I want to know if anyone else was noticing this. Also our forwards allowed the detroit defense to skate through the neutral zone too much. I dont understand how RR has them in this scheme. It doesnt look to be very affective. Also anyone else notice that we allowed the puck carrier to get great looks at goal? I understand giving miller a clear view but we guys break into our zone someone needs to be there. If I was one of Detroits defensemen as soon as the closest defender slid into the middle I would have put my head down and tried to get to the net.

I think he wants them to collapse on D, but these guys are not wired to do the hardbodied stuff. There was 1 point early in the 2nd where I swear to god the Sabres wire orange cones. All 5 guys were in the d-zone, not moving, and Detroit was weaving around with the puck and got 3 shots off. I don't think I've ever seen that before in my life. If the game was at FNC, they would have been booing.

[skaught]

Is it just me or were there waaaay too many no-look passes attempted? It seemed like all anyone would do was blindly throw the puck behind them which resulted in several turnovers.

[nfreeman]

That's what bothered me most about last night. All the old habits were there. I figured maybe if you were ever going to see some extra juice and push, it would be the season opener. I mean...look at Mon/Tor, Col/Ana, Tor/Phi....these guys were going at it. We had the same old....the D was reluctant to put a body on anyone in front of the net....no organization or creativity on the powerplay with multiple 5-3....Hodgson and Myers playing a similar game.

 

I won't mind watching boring hockey, as that is their best chance to win, but if you don't have guys sell-out and do the dirty work, it is going to be a long year of 3-1 losses.

 

I think he wants them to collapse on D, but these guys are not wired to do the hardbodied stuff. There was 1 point early in the 2nd where I swear to god the Sabres wire orange cones. All 5 guys were in the d-zone, not moving, and Detroit was weaving around with the puck and got 3 shots off. I don't think I've ever seen that before in my life. If the game was at FNC, they would have been booing.

 

Well, I saw Weber, Risto and Myers lay out some big hits last night, plus Kaleta with 2 back-to-back on one shift.

[FolignosJock]

Well, I saw Weber, Risto and Myers lay out some big hits last night, plus Kaleta with 2 back-to-back on one shift.

 

I was impressed by both myers and ristos body work along the boards, as well as weber ut his is usually really good. They really took the guy on the boards out of the play but the second guy in for us almost never won the puck! That was making me upset as well.

[TrueBlueGED]

Well, I saw Weber, Risto and Myers lay out some big hits last night, plus Kaleta with 2 back-to-back on one shift.

 

Yea, but every player on the roster didn't spend 70% of the time laying on the ice blocking shots as they lull fans to sleep like Drane's precious Rangers the past few years.

[nfreeman]

Yea, but every player on the roster didn't spend 70% of the time laying on the ice blocking shots as they lull fans to sleep like Drane's precious Rangers the past few years.

 

Well, in fairness to GoDD, the Rangers have been a much better team than the Sabres in the last few years. With their GM, though, this could be a blind-squirrel-finds-nut situation. And I think they might experience a falloff this year.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

Well, I saw Weber, Risto and Myers lay out some big hits last night, plus Kaleta with 2 back-to-back on one shift.

Weber is fine. kaleta is Kaleta. It was the action in front of the net that bothered me most. Nobody is going to be scared to camp out or step in the slot with this group. The 2nd goal Risto reminded me of Sekera. It's his first game, so I'm not going to shred him, but last night looked like a combo of the worst of Lindy hockey AND RonRol hockey in their own end. At least the Sabres goal was what happens when you work. Flynn pressed, won a puck and Girgensons showed great instinct by just getting ANY shot off in a quick scramble. Out of your top 9 though, the only guys who WANT to play that sort of game are Ott, Girgensons and Flynn....and hopefully Foligno when he gets back.

 

If you go Alamo on the backend, you need to offset that with hardnosed play up front to create your chances. If you try to be perfect and pretty, you lose.

[LGR4GM]

Weber is fine. kaleta is Kaleta. It was the action in front of the net that bothered me most. Nobody is going to be scared to camp out or step in the slot with this group. The 2nd goal Risto reminded me of Sekera. It's his first game, so I'm not going to shred him, but last night looked like a combo of the worst of Lindy hockey AND RonRol hockey in their own end. At least the Sabres goal was what happens when you work. Flynn pressed, won a puck and Girgensons showed great instinct by just getting ANY shot off in a quick scramble. Out of your top 9 though, the only guys who WANT to play that sort of game are Ott, Girgensons and Flynn....and hopefully Foligno when he gets back.

 

If you go Alamo on the backend, you need to offset that with hardnosed play up front to create your chances. If you try to be perfect and pretty, you lose.

I agree. They were soft in their zone for the most part and I want Risto to have a mean streak more akin to Weber, especially with guys in front of the net.