SabresBaltimore Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 What are we going to do for a 6th d-man?? Nelson is just the worst! Unless he is suddenly "getting it" I'm really worried about that. Do they just use 5 d-men? Yeah we seem awfully thin at defense right now. Remember when we had all those defensive prospects? I don't really think Nelson is ready for the NHL yet and would be better served in Rochester for a season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickie Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Yeah, that applies to all National games (NBCN, NBC, NHL Network) regardless of provider. Also local market games. So when the Sabres play the Capitals, I'm blacked out of the package and I have to watch CSN regardless of what's available on the package. I'd love to have all the Sabres coverage in HD, but I'm not willing to switch to DirectTV for the privilege. I've considered switching to the streaming package instead, because even if they don't have the MSG coverage, you can switch the audio to the Sabres radio feed instead. I had it years ago and it was only SD, and only in a browser. Now it has a bunch of platforms supported and built in DVR like capabilities. I still find the FIOS one the most convenient for me personally despite not getting exactly the coverage I'd like. My problem is when I try to syn Center Ice with the WGR feed to get local voices, they are usually 5-10 seconds off from each other. Yeah we seem awfully thin at defense right now. Remember when we had all those defensive prospects? I don't really think Nelson is ready for the NHL yet and would be better served in Rochester for a season. Watching late games after the Sabres go off, I've noticed Zadorov is playing a more mature version of the game he played in Buffalo. Pretty good (not great) defense with very LOUD hits. I haven't figured out which pairing he's on (usually not that tuned into the game), but he'd be good on the Sabres right about now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabresBaltimore Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Watching late games after the Sabres go off, I've noticed Zadorov is playing a more mature version of the game he played in Buffalo. Pretty good (not great) defense with very LOUD hits. I haven't figured out which pairing he's on (usually not that tuned into the game), but he'd be good on the Sabres right about now. Personally, I was happy to see the back of him when we traded him, despite all his potential upside. Plus, I'll take RoR over him every time. Hopefully we can make a good trade to bolster our defense. It'd be nice if that was sooner rather than at the trade deadline too. I'm just not sure what I'd be willing to give up at this point. A goalie prospect like Ullmark? One of our young forwards? A package deal? We don't have the crazy number of picks we used to have. Thankfully it's not my job. So far I've been pretty happy with GMTM's moves and hope he'll figure something out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a bonafide win streak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGR4GM Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Blizzard Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 What a difference an early 3-game win streak has to everyone's psyche. The team played a disciplined road game to get W. Ennis looks a lot better and more in control, he and Girgs play well off each other and Reinhart can play with anyone. Will be interesting to see how DD reassembles the lines post-Kane and then post-Eichel Larsson is quickly becoming a cornerstone piece to this team, I love that line, but, still are always left wanting just a little more from Foligno. I think I finally get the DD defensive pairing logic and then Bogo gets hurt (again), we'll see how much Nelson has progressed on Thursday. I actually loved the Grant-Baptiste-Bailey line, what energy, sometimes a bit too much, but would love to see those 3 again on Thursday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGR4GM Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Yeah we seem awfully thin at defense right now. Remember when we had all those defensive prospects? I don't really think Nelson is ready for the NHL yet and would be better served in Rochester for a season. No. When was this and who were they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickie Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Larsson is quickly becoming a cornerstone piece to this team, I love that line, but, still are always left wanting just a little more from Foligno. I'm surprised Foligno didn't get an assist on the winning goal. He started the play by pinching a Wild player off the puck near the Buffalo blue line which is where Gionta picked it up to start the rush. A little hard to see in the replay, but it looked to me that Foligno tipped it over to Gio. He's not the most talented skills guy, but he works hard and works effectively all over the ice. I don't understand all the disappointment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Blizzard Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 I'm surprised Foligno didn't get an assist on the winning goal. He started the play by pinching a Wild player off the puck near the Buffalo blue line which is where Gionta picked it up to start the rush. A little hard to see in the replay, but it looked to me that Foligno tipped it over to Gio. He's not the most talented skills guy, but he works hard and works effectively all over the ice. I don't understand all the disappointment. Not sure I'd characterize my feeling as disappointment, I think you hit nail on head, he's not most talented skills guy, I think that shows on his lack of sustained impact on score sheet. When you watch him, you are wanting him to finish (score) and it just doesn't happen very often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 I'm surprised Foligno didn't get an assist on the winning goal. He started the play by pinching a Wild player off the puck near the Buffalo blue line which is where Gionta picked it up to start the rush. A little hard to see in the replay, but it looked to me that Foligno tipped it over to Gio. He's not the most talented skills guy, but he works hard and works effectively all over the ice. I don't understand all the disappointment. I call it the "Hecht Effect." It's not the player, it's the price tag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huckleberry Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 I'm surprised Foligno didn't get an assist on the winning goal. He started the play by pinching a Wild player off the puck near the Buffalo blue line which is where Gionta picked it up to start the rush. A little hard to see in the replay, but it looked to me that Foligno tipped it over to Gio. He's not the most talented skills guy, but he works hard and works effectively all over the ice. I don't understand all the disappointment. Me either and with Deslauriers and kane out, I want someone who can stand up to the other team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabresBaltimore Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 No. When was this and who were they? A few years back (~2013 maybe?) I recall everyone talking about how deep we would be at defense. We had only Myers (Minnesota) full time from our "recent" draft picks. In the pipeline were: Ristolinen McNabb (LA) Zadorov (Col) Pysk (Flor) McCabe Ruhwedel (though this one is a stretch. he did play some games for us though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huckleberry Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 A few years back (~2013 maybe?) I recall everyone talking about how deep we would be at defense. We had only Myers (Minnesota) full time from our "recent" draft picks. In the pipeline were: Ristolinen McNabb (LA) Zadorov (Col) Pysk (Flor) McCabe Ruhwedel (though this one is a stretch. he did play some games for us though) Even with Myers that would have been a nice blue line I think. Zadorov is currently one of few players avalanche fans are happy about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsixspd Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Another terrific effort, and win, by the Sabres. I would have been satisfied with a 2-1 loss since they'd played well against a top tier team! A clean regulation win is even better! Another GDT where I've no complaints, and only praise for the play and the players. 3 wins in a row against solid teams! 2 of them on the road! Amazing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthEbriate Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 A few years back (~2013 maybe?) I recall everyone talking about how deep we would be at defense. We had only Myers (Minnesota) full time from our "recent" draft picks. In the pipeline were: Ristolinen McNabb (LA) Zadorov (Col) Pysk (Flor) McCabe Ruhwedel (though this one is a stretch. he did play some games for us though) Snarky me says that one time we acquired Timo Helbing and Mikko Lehtonen. But yes, this group would make a very solid young blueline group. (Don't normally talk video games, but they became absolute monsters in EA NHL2014 GM mode.) In the real world they needed a mix of some veterans around them until they find their stride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabresBaltimore Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Snarky me says that one time we acquired Timo Helbing and Mikko Lehtonen. But yes, this group would make a very solid young blueline group. (Don't normally talk video games, but they became absolute monsters in EA NHL2014 GM mode.) In the real world they needed a mix of some veterans around them until they find their stride. I'm not sure what you mean by including those two. I'm not familiar with them, but neither were prospects in the time frame I'm talking about were they? My point here was that not too long ago, we were really deep on Defense. Throwing away Ruhwedel (who I think has a 2way with Pittsburgh and probably still in the AHL) that's still 6 NHL starters. I'd probably take those 6 over what we have right now. But I'm not saying we didn't need to trade the 4 we traded away for other higher needs at the time. However it's left the cupboard a bit bare at this point, and our defensive depth is our weakest position now. Could we still use another forward or two? Maybe. It will largely depend on guys like Molson, Ennis, and some of the young kids who played pretty well last night as a 4th line. Our goal scoring was looking pretty awful at the start (minus that Edmonton game) but seems to be coming around now. If Ennis can convert his effort into goals, and Molson keeps up his pace, and our 4th line plays well and contributes some goals, maybe that's enough. Add back in Kane and Eichel and we're probably in good shape. I still have questions at goalie, in particular if Lehener can stay healthy for a full season (and improve his rebound control), but so far I've been happy with our goaltending for the most part. Nilson looked pretty good in the games he played too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerme1 Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Parise out supposedly. Dubnyk is on fire. Sabres 2-1 Lenny first star. Since nobody brought this up, I just want to tell you, pay attention when this old man Is speaking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickie Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthEbriate Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 I'm not sure what you mean by including those two. I'm not familiar with them, but neither were prospects in the time frame I'm talking about were they? My point here was that not too long ago, we were really deep on Defense. Throwing away Ruhwedel (who I think has a 2way with Pittsburgh and probably still in the AHL) that's still 6 NHL starters. I'd probably take those 6 over what we have right now. Agreed. Right now defensive depth is our Achilles heel. Burgdoerfer, Falk, Fedun, Strachan... fine for the Americans, but we don't want to rely on them for 15 minutes a night here. And I think Nelson would be better served getting a ton of minutes in the AHL. A few years previous -- those two were our AHL-signings in response to the postseason injuries to Kalinin, Tallinder, Numminen, and McKee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabresBaltimore Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Agreed. Right now defensive depth is our Achilles heel. Burgdoerfer, Falk, Fedun, Strachan... fine for the Americans, but we don't want to rely on them for 15 minutes a night here. And I think Nelson would be better served getting a ton of minutes in the AHL. I agree about Nelson. Unfortunately with injuries now it looks like that won't be happening anytime soon. Hopefully the NHL experience does him well, but I feel like there is always a rush to put guys in the NHL. Part of that is likely due to the with Canadian Juniors preventing us from sending young prospects to the AHL when they are too good for Juniors but have eligibility left. Part of it is probably just our lack of depth. I'm not sure why we didn't have Nelson in the AHL as first callup rather than as 7th d-man though. He's played all of 12 minutes so far. I guess that's about to change. A few years previous -- those two were our AHL-signings in response to the postseason injuries to Kalinin, Tallinder, Numminen, and McKee. Ah, OK. Considering I don't remember those two, I'm hoping GMTM can do a better job at getting us some more depth than Regier did there. But then I think even given the much smaller sample size and "time will tell" on the team he's been building, Murray's already a better GM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Can someone tell me if Buffalo is using a 1-3-1 because it looked like Sam dropped back to the right wing position making it 3 high on the blue line. Just want to understand I think the first time I heard of a 1-3-1 was when the coach from Tampa Bay started using it. I never followed through to see why the 1-3-1 has become popular. Anyone dare to give the quick easy explanation? They actually switch it up during the game as near as I can tell. In the first it appeared they were 2-1-2. I think they actually attempt to play that as often as possible. However, when they have trouble getting out of their zone or they switch to more rapid line changes it makes sense to get to a 1-3-1. They are less likely to have the forwards in deep and they are either changing (after being in the D zone for so long) or playing back to counter the attack Minny was doing. Honestly I started drinking part way through the game so I really stopped paying that much attention. The 1-3-1 is basically a trap that clogs the neutral zone. It's ugly as hell, but if you have a lead in a low scoring game it's a good bet you'll see it. I know RJ and Ray commented on how much of the game was being played in the neutral zone at one point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabres Fan in NS Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 What a solid team effort. At the end of the season we very well may look back at this game as when the Sabres became a team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorny Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Not half of available points -- in each of the OTL games, they took 1 out of 3 points, not 1 out of 2. This is why "NHL .500" is less meaningful than DeLuca .500 -- because more teams league-wide are well above NHL .500, because more points are awarded due to OTL games. We can start to think seriously about playoffs when we get a couple of wins above DeLuca .500 -- not before. Ya, as High Ankle pointed out, there is points %, and win %. Points % being points earned relative to the number available for your team to earn. 3-3-2 was a .500 points %, we earned 8 when the max was 16. 5-3-2 gets you the .500 winning %. But your point is well taken, the league as a whole hovers above a .500 points percentage, so it isn't as meaningful as one might think. Still. It's nice to be above a .500 points percentage for the first time in 4 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsb Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Ya, as High Ankle pointed out, there is points %, and win %. Points % being points earned relative to the number available for your team to earn. 3-3-2 was a .500 points %, we earned 8 when the max was 16. 5-3-2 gets you the .500 winning %. But your point is well taken, the league as a whole hovers above a .500 points percentage, so it isn't as meaningful as one might think. Still. It's nice to be above a .500 points percentage for the first time in 4 years. In the old days before shootouts and OT, our record would be just what it is. 4 WINS 3 losses 2 Ti-es Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabres Fan in NS Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 In the old days before shootouts and OT, our record would be just what it is. 4 WINS 3 losses 2 Ti-es As it should be now, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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