GDT Buffalo at Tampa Bay 4/6/18 7:30 PM MSG WGR

[pi2000]

That was not a well played hockey game by either team. Careless turnovers, sloppy defense, and terrible puck managment. It might be entertaining for the casual fan, but that's not how you win hockey games.

[Huckleberry]

A few bounces or, you know, a fully functional goalie and this game and many others end differently.  I don't mean to keep beating the cremated remains of this dead horse, but I'd be curious to see just how many points our dynamic duo in net has cost the team this year.  And yes, I understand other things were, have been, and are bad, but the wholesale inability to make a save where a save needs to be made is a killer. 

 

And yes, even the best drop a few clangers.  A few.

 

Personally thought Lehner was fine first 2 months of the year, but didn't get enough goal support.

He went completely of the rails after though.

[LTS]

I was watching the game while I played FortNite all night.  I was super excited to see Mittlestadt and Nylander get their first goals.  I'm a sucker for that, for any team.  You work your butt off to get to the NHL and you finally get that goal.... man, that's something to cheer, for any kid who makes it happen.

 

But of course, the Sabres kids are even more special.  So yeah... hell yeah for those two.  

 

They lost, to Tampa.  They put up the goals but they aren't THAT good yet.  We know what it will take and we have to have faith that it's coming.  There will be changes but right now I don't know how Botterill isn't all over trying to sign Nelson.  I think he's a key factor in how fast things turn around.

 

Enjoy it people.. even in the loss.

 

Peace.

[GASabresIUFAN]

We haven't even given Murray late round picks time to develop. Now that he's gone we gotta see what Botterill can do.

Go look at each of the guys in 2016 and see what they have done in the 2 seasons since being drafted and tell me honestly that they are showing NHL type development. Glotov is an overager and scored a bunch this year in Jrs and that is why he got an ATO. Budik potted 15 goals as a D and could get a look, but the rest; terrible.

 

 

Was that the single worst hockey game Sam Reinhart has ever played ?

Edited April 7, 2018 by GASabresIUFAN

[LGR4GM]

Go look at each of the guys in 2016 and see what they have done in the 2 seasons since being drafted and tell me honestly that they are showing NHL type development. Glotov is an overager and scored a bunch this year in Jrs and that is why he got an ATO. Budik potted 15 goals as a D and could get a look, but the rest; terrible.

 

 

Was that the single worst hockey game Sam Reinhart has ever played ?

Does cliff Pu not count? Casey Fitzgerald? Of course at least half of the guys after round 2 don't look like anything. You keep tossing that out like it proves something. Go look at round 4-7 probably 80% of those players will never see the NHL. 10% will for a cup of coffee. 9% for some 3rd and 4th line duty as fringe guys. 1% as something good.

 

I don't need every player from 3-7 to hit. I need every other year. 2.5 players per draft. Your 1st and 2nd are a must. Tim Murray sucks and I'm glad he's gone. He seems to have drafted okay. Better than Darcy.

Edited April 7, 2018 by Skurk Liger

[SwampD]

That was not a well played hockey game by either team. Careless turnovers, sloppy defense, and terrible puck managment. It might be entertaining for the casual fan, but that's not how you win hockey games.

I thought the same thing. Was talking about it during the game and the only word I could come up with was scrambly.

 

Good to see the new guys score, though.

[dudacek]

From a coach’s perspective it was a terrible game. From a fan’s, it was very entertaining.

Reinforced my opinion that good coaching is responsible for dull hockey.

Mistakes create opportunities for great plays and great saves.

Mistakes are fun.

Edited April 7, 2018 by dudacek

[Derrico]

I know that at the end of the day, wins and standings are what matters. But I remember watching us limp half-assed to the finish line, a 55 point team for our last 25 games, 1-5 in the last 6, getting shut out in the first Florida game, game 81 last season.

 

I'm having a helluva lot more fun watching kids out there having fun and learning what it's like to play the best of the best at high speed. We made a ###### ton of mistakes tonight. Erod, Eichel, Nylander, Mittelstadt, Reinhart, Guhle, Risto. But they didn't put their tails between their legs and hide in the corner, doing their best to lose 3-1 instead. They ###### played and had fun doing it.

 

Botterill, I know it might be tough, but we need to embrace this. Stop clinging to 3-1 gritty losses where Pominville makes the smart chip, Gionta getting the puck on net 1 on 3 while his boys change.

 

Toronto added youth, mistakes, and speed at the end of 2015-16 with worse-looking results than this and look what that blossomed into. New Jersey signed a bunch of small college kids (Butcher, Bratt, and added Hischier) and went nuts. This is the way we have to go. Let ERod fly around surprising everyone, even himself. Let Casey do Casey things, navigating areas we haven't seen Sabres handle pucks since Briere. Let Jack the Stallion gallop down the ice, with fast and smart players getting to the places they need to be so Jack can find them.

 

No more tying trash bags to Jack's waist and having him deflect pucks off of them every once in a while, an active black hole on the ice the rest of the time.

 

No Griffith, no Pouliot, no Nolan, no Larsson. Sparse Zemgus. No Falk, Gorges, Tennyson. Add 4-5 smart, well-placed, well-timed pieces. They don't need to be the dazzling names, the big contracts. Find the right guys, plug them in, and we'll have plenty of fun next year.

 

Let's goooooooo!

Your giving me hope here bud. Good post. I had fun watching that last night. Feels like it's been awhile since I could say that.

[PASabreFan]

Your giving me hope here bud. Good post. I had fun watching that last night. Feels like it's been awhile since I could say that.

He's pretty good, no? Wasting his time in physics. He should be Hockey Poet Laureate.

[Derrico]

He's pretty good, no? Wasting his time in physics. He should be Hockey Poet Laureate.

I know. Whenever he goes on long stretches for 'school work' I get pretty annoyed. Your more valuable here man....

[Jsixspd]

Wow,  TB took the 2 goal lead and started coasting - Sabres made them pay in the 2nd period and racked up the goals.   

Well, same old Sabres.....  they called it a game basically after the 2nd period.   Only 7 shots on goal in the 3rd, even with a power play during the period.   Tampa Bay realized - 'hey we need to win this game' and started playing like they meant it, with 16 SOG.   

Doesn't seem to matter if the coach is Bylsma or Housley - the team can't seem to play a full 60 minutes.    Don't know if it's a lack of physical, or mental, conditioning.  The team needs more push to win!

[Taro T]

Huh, so the commercial break is the first non-goal/icing whistle AFTER 10 minutes, because the clock stopped at 10 exactly and no commercial break. Interesting.

 

Look at his stats, he's really good.

You didn't know that? Interesting. :p

[PASabreFan]

You didn't know that? Interesting. :P

I think we've talked about this before, but there must be some TV timeout guidelines that the league doesn't share with the public for when TV timeouts would be too close together. For example -- 14:00 break comes with 9:59 left, then they come back from commercial and right away there's an offside. I've seen them not go to the TV timeout until the next whistle.

[North Buffalo]

I was watching the game while I played FortNite all night.  I was super excited to see Mittlestadt and Nylander get their first goals.  I'm a sucker for that, for any team.  You work your butt off to get to the NHL and you finally get that goal.... man, that's something to cheer, for any kid who makes it happen.

 

But of course, the Sabres kids are even more special.  So yeah... hell yeah for those two.  

 

They lost, to Tampa.  They put up the goals but they aren't THAT good yet.  We know what it will take and we have to have faith that it's coming.  There will be changes but right now I don't know how Botterill isn't all over trying to sign Nelson.  I think he's a key factor in how fast things turn around.

 

Enjoy it people.. even in the loss.

 

Peace.

What is your fortnite name... probably gotten beaten up by my son whose game name is FireMaker O3

[Taro T]

I think we've talked about this before, but there must be some TV timeout guidelines that the league doesn't share with the public for when TV timeouts would be too close together. For example -- 14:00 break comes with 9:59 left, then they come back from commercial and right away there's an offside. I've seen them not go to the TV timeout until the next whistle.

There very likely are caveats that the TV timeout can be shifted for certain circumstances such as serious injury or extended rink safety issue. Heck, they occassionally (VERY rarely) finish a period after having to repair the glass w/ only a few seconds left in the period.

 

Have seen them skip the TV timeout on REALLY small bits of game play between timeouts, but haven't been able to say for certain if there is a hard & fast time for that or if it's up to the broadcasting crew as have also seen b-t-b commercials w/ very short game play between as well.

[LTS]

What is your fortnite name... probably gotten beaten up by my son whose game name is FireMaker O3

 

Haven't run into him yet.. I'm on PC as InstantSpuds2  (because on the Xbox I am InstantSpuds and Epic can't merge Xbox and PC profiles... :doh: )

[TrueBlueGED]

Let's not pretend that Toronto and NJ are upcoming Cup dynasties, ok?

Toronto absolutely is. You old farts ( :p) have to stop pretending they're the Leafs if a few years ago that was rolling Bozak out as their top center.

 

Separately, I've long said I thought Nylander would be a better NHLer than AHLer*, and nothing he's shown in these games has dissuaded me from that position. His strengths are maximized and weaknesses minimized.

 

*This in no way, shape, or form should be taken to mean I think he's a budding all-star.

[WildCard]

Toronto absolutely is. You old farts ( :P) have to stop pretending they're the Leafs if a few years ago that was rolling Bozak out as their top center.

 

Separately, I've long said I thought Nylander would be a better NHLer than AHLer*, and nothing he's shown in these games has dissuaded me from that position. His strengths are maximized and weaknesses minimized.

 

*This in no way, shape, or form should be taken to mean I think he's a budding all-star.

I'm just aware that they're the same Leafs they've been for the last 50 years ;)

[Thorny]

Jesus, OReillys turn to cough it up.

Our two best passers playing for Tampa tonight.

I’d say Eichel is at least tied for being the best passer on the team. I’d put him and Reinhart at the top, with O’Reilly 3rd.

Edited April 8, 2018 by Thorny