GDT - Toronto @ Buffalo: 7pm, MSGB, WGR, 9/23/2017

[Sabel79]

Wait, I though slashing was legal now...

.

 

Matthews has a VERY punchable face....

[Randall Flagg]

Beaulieu has been nice, but his shot is every bit as horrifying as Montreal fans said :lol:

[erickompositör72]

trade Reinhart  :P

[CallawaySabres]

Only watched the third but holy shiit, they look terrible.

[erickompositör72]

Moulson remains ahead of Fasching and Bailey on the depth chart because, despite all his flaws, he will score more goals than either of them (esp PP) and he will be less of a defensive liability with our improved d-corps

[3putt]

Moulson remains ahead of Fasching and Bailey on the depth chart because, despite all his flaws, he will score more goals than either of them (esp PP) and he will be less of a defensive liability with our improved d-corps

If he doesn't get PP time he may not score any.  He is never near the play on the rush. 

[millbank]

This is a boring as hell game

[3putt]

This is a boring as hell game

Welcome to Uncle Gary's NHL 

[Randall Flagg]

Moulson remains ahead of Fasching and Bailey on the depth chart because, despite all his flaws, he will score more goals than either of them (esp PP) and he will be less of a defensive liability with our improved d-corps

Not with the finish Matt displayed today, he won't. 

Love how Risto and Beaulieu switched to their one-timer side in the o-zone at ES.

[CallawaySabres]

Tank period?

[millbank]

What sabres score and win in shootout

[Sabel79]

Meh. Preseason.

[Pokey Jones]

Uninspired rubbish that looked too similar to last year for my comfort.

 

The announcers said earlier that in the morning Housley had challenged the players along the lines of "if you want to make this team do something....." so I guess not many of them want to make the team.

 

Risto looked good. I think he pairs well with Beaulieu. That could be an upside.

 

Okposo and Eichel were ok but not overly inspiring. Kane had a few brief flashes but also took a dumb penalty like he does. No other forward impressed me, and some of them definitely looked like they do not belong in the nhl.

 

Antipin had a few moments but might not be ready. 

 

Lehner was ok but just ok.

 

Easy to write this off as preseason 'who cares' but you'd think you would get a little more effort in a home game. Just a little more of a sense of giving the fans something. But no, it's the Sabres, they looked like they just didn't care at all.

[inkman]

Uninspired rubbish that looked too similar to last year for my comfort.

 

The announcers said earlier that in the morning Housley had challenged the players along the lines of "if you want to make this team do something....." so I guess not many of them want to make the team.

 

Risto looked good. I think he pairs well with Beaulieu. That could be an upside.

 

Okposo and Eichel were ok but not overly inspiring. Kane had a few brief flashes but also took a dumb penalty like he does. No other forward impressed me, and some of them definitely looked like they do not belong in the nhl.

 

Antipin had a few moments but might not be ready.

 

Lehner was ok but just ok.

 

Easy to write this off as preseason 'who cares' but you'd think you would get a little more effort in a home game. Just a little more of a sense of giving the fans something. But no, it's the Sabres, they looked like they just didn't care at all.

Well at least you don't have to change your narrative

[hockeyhound]

Rough outing, hope they're ready for regular season play. I hope it doesn't take a month before they get on their first winning streak.

 

I can't remember if they ever strung together more than 3 consecutive wins last season. Good luck.

 

Let's Go Buffalo!

This is a boring as hell game

 

This year I don't care how boring it gets just as long as they win, and get into the playoffs.

[Randall Flagg]

Random thoughts because I'm in a hockey mood now:

 

Going from these last two games, the practice clips, and what Phil and reporters have observed, I'm looking at something like:

Kane - Eichel - Pominville 

Girgensons - O'Reilly - Okposo (I don't like Jack and Kyle together)

Rodrigues - Reinhart - Pouliot

Josefson/Larsson - Larsson/Josefson - Fasching (I liked the Larsson-Josefson duo and I like the Larsson-Fasching duo, I think this fourth line can be one that doesn't get totally caved in)

 

As far as depth forwards go, I hate to say it because I still don't ever want to see him again, but Deslauriers has played himself above Moulson, who looks like he should just stop. I would send Bailey and Baptiste back down for a while. I need to see more of Griffith but I could see him slotting above Des/Moulson too. I just want somebody to make Des/Matt the 14th/15th forwards, not sure it's looking like that's going to happen though. Maybe Smith has a chance? 

 

I give the Reinhart line the easiest minutes of them all, in terms of QOC. And even when Reinhart has his invisible nights, like tonight, I'd stick with it. Move him back to wing if we're 25% of the way through the season with no real improvement, and declare We've the winner of the Reinhart analysis.

On defense, It's gotta be Risto and Scandella to start. Beaulieu has some delicious skating abilities, but has a lot of McCabe/Bogo in him too in the panicky/brain fart sense. Also, in case I didn't mention it ;) his shot is horrific. I'd stick him with Antipin and shelter them on the third pair, while seeing what Bogosian and McCabe can do together. Antipin had a nice game tonight. He took a few bad angles, stuff I'm sure he got away with in the KHL, but in the NHL, and especially in the Leafs organization, the players move faster than you expect. He made two or three excellent plays offensively. 

 

Make sure Nathan and Jack aren't on the power play together. Jack has his fair share of bonehead plays on the PP but is so goddamn lethal otherwise that when you funnel through him you get a top 5 pp over the last 20 years. If Beaulieu is out there on PP1, you'll see a lot of ill-advised one timers that either break Sam's face or miss it and sail wide and get cleared, diminishing the volume of Jack-plays, which we need to be a maximum. I'm fine with 82 on PP2 if nobody is better.

 

Depth-wise, Tennyson to me is the clear leader for the 7 slot. I think Falk and Fedun slide in behind him. Guhle looked worse than I've ever seen him look tonight, he'll slow-cook with a full pro season in Rochester and will be much better for it. Gorges is donezo. Last year he got walked by 3rd liners with regularity, whatever, we know his skating has been shot. This year he got walked by Brown, and no, that's not Connor Brown even. It was Marlies player Brown, and he had to take a penalty. What is going to happen when Crosby bears in on him. Last year he was not an NHL player. This year he really needs to just hang 'em up altogether.

 

Tonight was rough for more than a couple reasons, but it is important to note that Phil was just rolling lines with little strategy. There was almost nothing situational going on, as to be expected. 

 

If you hate the Leafs and never want to read anything praising them, now is the time to avert your eyes:

 

I am, quite frankly, stunned each and every time I watch them. I have no idea how they did that. Two years ago they had Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf tied up for like $15 million dollars and were about to finish last in the league. They got out of both of those contracts with no retention. They got rid of Clarkson's. During their tank they had Nylander blossoming from the 8th pick into a top 2 talent from the draft and were watching Mitch Marner tear the OHL apart, a worthy #2 overall pick almost any year, a guy that goes #1 easy last year. They get a lucky lotto, and all of a sudden Matthews, Marner, and Nylander are all 60-70 point ROOKIES who ooze hockey sense, are as positionally sound as any players I've ever seen at that age, and throttle people at even strength while teenagers. Unbelievable. And they had so many other raw assets from the sell-off too, that turn into Dermott, who will be a top 4 NHL guy, Kapanen, who would be a top 3 Sabre prospect, Bracco, Grundstrom, and a bunch of other forwards who excel in the exact type of hockey they have been building from the ground up there. You just know Timothy Liljegren is going to be special. Zaitsev comes from Russia and puts up over 30 points, excelling as a 3D. 

Meanwhile, through all the losing, they were a positive possession team, using Brooks Laich and Parenteau (I think) and guys like that, fixing the games of whipping boys like Bozak and Kadri and JVR. I like to pick on Bozak as much as Leafs fans did, but the guy is a good hockey player. One of the best faceoff men in the game, and almost ROR-like in his ability to do all of the little things right. Kadri turns into a 30 goal scoring ROR. And again, the highest-IQ crop of youngsters to get together in years all piling on top (and Connor Brown coming out for 18 goals too, I mean what the ). This same system turning the Marlies into juggernauts while Nylander spends his post-draft season going bananas in it, leading the AHL in scoring rate for a large chunk of time. The framework was all there with Babs and they added a ludicrous concoction into it and rode into the playoffs, and we could see the results of it in these two games. Yes, preseason doesn't matter, but that doesn't change the fact that the Leafs' organizational depth, their talent at picking up guys for little cost who will thrive playing that hockey, who make decisions at high speed, allow them to send out B teams that make our A players their pants. 

This is a team that will lead the NHL in even strength high danger chances, in shots, in goals, for the next ten years. They will be cup contenders year in and year out, possibly starting as soon as this year. I've never seen such a functional organization in my time as a fan. It's awe-inspiring, so much so that I almost forget to hate them. They hit a home run in every single aspect of running a franchise over the past two and a half years, and don't look like they are going to stop doing that anytime soon. 

 

Back to the Sabres:

I really try so hard not to talk or think about Dan, but I will here for a second. Tonight reminded me a lot of what the Hurricanes did, as I've mentioned once or twice, early on in Peters' coaching regime and even last year before Christmas. When I watched the games to count their transition plays, I saw loads of what I saw tonight. Well-meaning defenseman too late to engage in cycle, forward missing them as a result. Jack not expecting Risto to come with the team on the rush and almost running into him. Guys were in position to support but the Leafs pressured enough that the quick passes into space were panic passes that didn't connect. The same thing happened in Carolina. Phil has to stick with it. He cannot change what he is doing. It takes time. I watched Joakim Nordstrom, Teuvo Teravainen, and Victor Rask become very, very good at it by February/March. These guys will too. It will sometimes be rough while we wait for it to happen, and if there are any Dan guys left here, there will be plenty of time for them to jab about our guys not being good enough to play the way we're calling for. Work on this in Rochester so when Baptiste and Bailey come up in the spring because of injuries, they slide in seamlessly and know what to do, just like Grundstrom and Brown and Kapanen did in Toronto. It is going to suck a little bit having to learn all this now, because it should have started October 2015. But that's all water under the bridge, and we march onward. Stick with it now so in 3 years we will be schooling guys from exhibition to the NHL playoffs because of a rock solid organizational foundation. 

 

Jack's physical dominance is unparalleled, I think he takes shots in some of those situations in the regular season, because some of those passes were trash. He definitely has the worst hockey sense of the "elite young guys" but that won't stop him from being a 90 point player someday soon. 

I'd give anything for a redo to take Nylander over Sam. In fact, you all might murder me, but I would have to think a little bit if I were choosing between Jack-Sam and Marner-Nylander, though I'd still take Jack-Sam because of Jack. 

 

I'm goddamned excited for this season to start. It sounds like I'm not, but since I have the Leafs pegged as a top 5 team in the league, they're not exactly who we're chasing after at this point. I really do think we can stack up well against other bubble teams. 

[Thorny]

I don't agree that Jack has the worst hockey sense of "the elite young guys".

[3putt]

I don't agree that Jack has the worst hockey sense of "the elite young guys".

Not even close.  What he needs is others who think it as quickly as he does.  Thats why he and Sam gel.

[Huckleberry]

Not with the finish Matt displayed today, he won't. 

Love how Risto and Beaulieu switched to their one-timer side in the o-zone at ES.

 

I'm pretty drunk but that sounds awesmome

[Randall Flagg]

I don't agree that Jack has the worst hockey sense of "the elite young guys".

I'm mostly just going between McD, Auston, and Jack here. 

Though I believe Marner and Nylander have better IQ too, and much, much worse raw talent.

I don't think it's controversial that IQ goes McD > AM > JE, i've never seen those guys run into teammates after wandering out of position or force that many passes to nothing and nobody. 

 

It's not really a knock on Jack either, his is still good, theirs is the best of the best

[North Buffalo]

Agree D looked Macanicsl at times, gonna take a minute, Fasching looked decent and D lo, though not a scorer. 2nd Leaf goal was goaltender interference non call. Preseason whatever, but announcer said Sabres lacked speed to keep up, not sure but again outta sink with new style. Sam looked really out of sink... When Sabres were physical they got chances but Gorges did nothing fast or physical.

[Huckleberry]

Not even close.  What he needs is others who think it as quickly as he does.  Thats why he and Sam gel.

 

McDavid has Drais 

Nylander has Matthews and Marner

Eichel has Samson ( but he is not as fast, but good hockey sense)

 

Overall I think we are lesser in top end than Toronto and Edmonton, but we'll still win because 'em

[3putt]

One's " hockey IQ" is embellished by that of those he plays with.  Also physical prowess of linemates also adds to it.  Jack is on an island.  That is why I want ROR on his wing.  Yes we give up something at center, but that is an unstoppable pair.

[Sabel79]

Des never sniffs Moulson's ice time (not that either or one of them is a good option) because Matty has hands, and the Sabres have centers. Des has hands in the literal sense, but unles throwing them at an opponent as hard as he can they're useless.

[SwampD]

Bring back the red line. Slow the game down. If I have to watch a 2 - 1 game, I at least want to see some carnage. All this speed BS is like watching a monkey a football.