GDT: Sabres at Wild, Sat 11/17/18, 6:00 pm

[TrueBlueGED]

13 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I think he deserves much better than that.  

I thought we had something ?

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, Thorny said:

Skinner - Eichel - Olofsson

Nylander - Mittelstadt - Reinhart

...that has serious potential. 

Not necessarily. If they end up in say the first wildcard occasionally, they may get a relatively easier road through the Metro on route to the conference finals..

Flip nylander and olofsson so they're on their correct wings and yes. 

Also... we should sit mittelstadt 1 game. Just to let him see from the box. I think it would give him some more perspective. 

[LTS]

49 minutes ago, WildCard said:

Why didn't Eichel bury that empty netter at the end? 

It's a classy move.  They know they've won, the Wild backed off even trying to come back.  No need to show them up.  Burying that goal gets all manner of players taking a run at you in the next game you play.

 

[North Buffalo]

13 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Right, but we'd need to spend multiple assets to fix it and so the best thing is to try and develop mittelstadt. If he doesn't work, then spend the assets. Winning like this is allowing us time to develop him. 

Patience my young padowan... 2-3 1st rounders next year in a deep draft class 1-2 the following year.. Oloffson, CJ Smith and the third Rasmus coming...

Edited November 18, 2018 by North Buffalo

[LGR4GM]

35 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

Patience my young padowan... 2-3 1st rounders next year in a deep draft class 1-2 the following year.. Oloffson, CJ Smith and the third Rasmus coming...

Go read what I wrote. I've been consistently arguing against trading those picks. 

[nfreeman]

My game notes:

- I didn't think Ullmark was at all at fault on Minny's 1st goal -- Parise, a legit NHL sniper, was allowed to stroll well into the circle and pick his spot in the top corner, which he then hit perfectly -- but I thought Ullmark should've stopped the 2nd one.  However, he recovered and had an excellent game. 

- Like Hutton did vs Winnipeg, Ullmark literally kept his team in the game until they removed heads from rectums well into the 2nd period.  Also like the Winnipeg game, the Sabres had the better of the play in the 2nd half of the game.

- Although the last 2 games have been great wins, and very exciting, it's not sustainable for the Sabres to get completely dominated for the 1st 27 min or so of a game and hope their goalie keeps them in it.

- Bogo followed up his shocking turnover at the end of regulation in the Winnipeg game with an almost equally atrocious one at the beginning of the Minny game, resulting in Minny's 1st goal. 

- Even so, Bogo had a pretty solid game and led all Sabres in ice time with 22.5 min.

- Bogo's new D partner is pretty GD good.

- Howie distributed the ice time pretty evenly, in part, I expect, due to it being the 2nd half of a back-to-back.  The forwards all had between 12.5 min and 19 min (only Eichel and Reino had 18 min or more); the D all had between 18.4 min and 22.5 min.

- I was glad to see the top line and the checking line reunited, and I thought both were effective.  However, the other 2 lines really need to start contributing.  I'd like to see more in particular from KO and Reino.

- Matt Dumba is really good.  (He's half Filipino, btw -- not sure I can remember another Filipino NHL player.)

- McCabe didn't even smile after his goal -- maybe he was too worried/PO'd that the Sabres were getting dominated?

- Here's a coaching adjustment that I've noticed:  in the last 2-3 games, Howie has put the checking line out almost every time for the shift immediately after the Sabres score.  This has been very effective and has eliminated their previous distressing tendency to get dominated in those shifts and give up a goal, commit a penalty, etc.  Instead, the checking line has been able to do what it usually does -- implement a strong forecheck and keep the puck in the opponents' defensive zone -- which keeps the momentum going for the Sabres.

- 4 games over DeLuca .500 at the quarter pole.  If that's the case at the three-quarter pole, and if their key guys stay healthy, they are going to have a real shot at the playoffs.

Go Sabres. 

 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I did not see the game, but just watched the hightlights.  Thanks, nfreeman, for the great summary above.

This seems to be a pattern where the Sabres start slowly and give up a goal, or two, and then storm back after the goaler of the night bails them out and keeps them afloat.

Not that concerned, as they are winning.  In a playoff spot now and the top teams in the East are still within spitting distance.  I  thought and hoped that they would do well, but I never dreamed that they would be 12 - 6 - 2 after 20 games.

These guys are starting to be good, or are at least very close to it and just about there.

When's the next game?  This is not something that I really felt ... looking forward longingly to the next game ... in a good 5 years.

GO SABRES!!

Edited November 18, 2018 by New Scotland (NS)
I'm an idiot ...

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

It's a classy move.  They know they've won, the Wild backed off even trying to come back.  No need to show them up.  Burying that goal gets all manner of players taking a run at you in the next game you play.

 

I thought the Wild conceding with a few seconds left from their own line was weird. You can at least put on a display for the fans. Fire the puck toward the Buffalo goal.

[North Buffalo]

43 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Go read what I wrote. I've been consistently arguing against trading those picks. 

Yeh but trading Sam before we see what we have in Mitts and those guys is premature.  Not sure you would get enough for Sam to get a very good 2C without trading Sam and one of those picks.

8 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

I did not see the game, but just watched the hightlights.  Thanks, nfreeman, for the great summary above.

This seems to be a pattern where the Sabres start slowly and give up a goal, or two, and then storm back after the goaler of the night bails them out and keeps them afloat.

Not that concerned, as they are winning.  In a playoff spot now and the top teams in the East are still within spitting distance.  I  thought and hoped that they would do well, but I never dreamed that they would be 12 - 6 - 2 after 20 games.

These guys are starting to be good, or are at least very close to it and just about there.

When's the next game?  This is not something that I really felt ... looking forward longingly to the next game ... in a good 5 years.

GO SABRES!!

Next game Monday against Pitts probably without Sid.  Hopefully they put it to the burgh.

[PASabreFan]

Watched the end one more time. Dahlin's celly was pretty good. Down on one knee while spinning around. Young, stretchy ligaments must be nice. I'm not sure that Eichel passed the puck to Pominville on the winner. It looked like the Wild player might have tipped it. Unfortunately I'm watching in standard def because my cable company has had the wrong programming on the high def MSG channel all weekend. Finally, I'm still shocked at Dumba quitting with 4 seconds left and just giving Eichel the puck. It's only a one in a million shot to tie the game from where that play would have started (Wild line), but what Dumba did made it zero in a million.

[stinky finger]

 

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

My game notes:

- I didn't think Ullmark was at all at fault on Minny's 1st goal -- Parise, a legit NHL sniper, was allowed to stroll well into the circle and pick his spot in the top corner, which he then hit perfectly -- but I thought Ullmark should've stopped the 2nd one.  However, he recovered and had an excellent game. 

- Like Hutton did vs Winnipeg, Ullmark literally kept his team in the game until they removed heads from rectums well into the 2nd period.  Also like the Winnipeg game, the Sabres had the better of the play in the 2nd half of the game.

- Although the last 2 games have been great wins, and very exciting, it's not sustainable for the Sabres to get completely dominated for the 1st 27 min or so of a game and hope their goalie keeps them in it.

- Bogo followed up his shocking turnover at the end of regulation in the Winnipeg game with an almost equally atrocious one at the beginning of the Minny game, resulting in Minny's 1st goal. 

- Even so, Bogo had a pretty solid game and led all Sabres in ice time with 22.5 min.

- Bogo's new D partner is pretty GD good.

- Howie distributed the ice time pretty evenly, in part, I expect, due to it being the 2nd half of a back-to-back.  The forwards all had between 12.5 min and 19 min (only Eichel and Reino had 18 min or more); the D all had between 18.4 min and 22.5 min.

- I was glad to see the top line and the checking line reunited, and I thought both were effective.  However, the other 2 lines really need to start contributing.  I'd like to see more in particular from KO and Reino.

- Matt Dumba is really good.  (He's half Filipino, btw -- not sure I can remember another Filipino NHL player.)

- McCabe didn't even smile after his goal -- maybe he was too worried/PO'd that the Sabres were getting dominated?

- Here's a coaching adjustment that I've noticed:  in the last 2-3 games, Howie has put the checking line out almost every time for the shift immediately after the Sabres score.  This has been very effective and has eliminated their previous distressing tendency to get dominated in those shifts and give up a goal, commit a penalty, etc.  Instead, the checking line has been able to do what it usually does -- implement a strong forecheck and keep the puck in the opponents' defensive zone -- which keeps the momentum going for the Sabres.

- 4 games over DeLuca .500 at the quarter pole.  If that's the case at the three-quarter pole, and if their key guys stay healthy, they are going to have a real shot at the playoffs.

Go Sabres. 

 

Terrific summary. Thanks for taking the time.

Your 3rd point is most true. While this streak is vastly exciting, if not unlikely, it is not sustainable. We all realize this team isn't complete. JBotts has work to do but has the makings and assets to improve the roster. 

What's most important - in my very untrained eyes - is this team is learning to win. Culture change well underway. So very promising.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kruppstahl]

3 hours ago, LTS said:

It's a classy move.  They know they've won, the Wild backed off even trying to come back.  No need to show them up.  Burying that goal gets all manner of players taking a run at you in the next game you play.

 

Nah.  Watch it again.  Eichel took the shot!  He just did it a bit too late and missed the net.

I think he thought, based on the way the D-man wasn't even trying to move the puck, that the horn was about to go.  When he realized it hadn't sounded yet, he thought "Oh there's a bit more time, take the shot" and so he did...just as the horn was sounding.

Kind of a weird play, I agree, but wasn't about being a "Classy move" or not trying to score...or keeping guys off him next game.

That NHL is dead now for the most part anyway.  It's a very low key affair these days played without emotion and intensity, most of the time. At least in the regular season.

Playoffs are different.

 

[Kruppstahl]

13 minutes ago, Leaf Blower said:

 

Terrific summary. Thanks for taking the time.

Your 3rd point is most true. While this streak is vastly exciting, if not unlikely, it is not sustainable. We all realize this team isn't complete. JBotts has work to do but has the makings and assets to improve the roster. 

What's most important - in my very untrained eyes - is this team is learning to win. Culture change well underway. So very promising.

 

 

 

 

 

No offense, but "learning to win" is just a meaningless cliche spoken by sports fans.  It's not a real thing.

What is different this year is the team is putting in more of a consistent effort, and they have better talent on the ice, particularly in terms of moving the puck out of the D end and generating offense.

We have actually now played 2 crappy games in a row, and won both of them!  So that is something new.  The team reminds me of how we looked around 2005, 2006 and that era.  We are now good enough to mail in a garbage game while still keeping it close...and then do what it takes to steal a win in the 3rd period.

That's another form of progress.  This team was nowhere close to being able to do that in the last few years.

We have yet to put in anything close to a solid, 3 period game on this trip.

But you can't complain about the results, so far!

[PASabreFan]

17 minutes ago, Kruppstahl said:

Nah.  Watch it again.  Eichel took the shot!  He just did it a bit too late and missed the net.

I think he thought, based on the way the D-man wasn't even trying to move the puck, that the horn was about to go.  When he realized it hadn't sounded yet, he thought "Oh there's a bit more time, take the shot" and so he did...just as the horn was sounding.

Kind of a weird play, I agree, but wasn't about being a "Classy move" or not trying to score...or keeping guys off him next game.

That NHL is dead now for the most part anyway.  It's a very low key affair these days played without emotion and intensity, most of the time. At least in the regular season.

Playoffs are different.

 

Jack shot it wide on purpose. He could have picked off any corner from there.

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

No offense, but "learning to win" is just a meaningless cliche spoken by sports fans.  It's not a real thing.

Someone should tell Phil Housley that, he used the exact expression after the Colorado Loss

 

Phil Housley:

Emphasis on special teams play: "Our penalty kill has been pretty good. Unfortunate that we gave up those two early goals. Special teams overall were an important part of the game tonight."

No easy feat: "It's hard to win in this league.  Every shift is important; how you prepare is important. We're still a young team learning to win. It was a good lesson to learn tonight that it's tough out there and you can take days or shifts off."

Praising Okposo for practice comment: "That's good by him. I thought the tempo of tonight was really good, but it slowed down too much on the power play. We're going to get back at it tomorrow and prepare for Arizona."

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/locker-room-sabres-avalanche-1

Edited November 18, 2018 by Brawndo

[Doohickie]

3 hours ago, nfreeman said:

The forwards all had between 12.5 min and 19 min

Pommer had 11:37, the lowest of all players, and scored the winning goal.  I don't know what it means, but it's interesting.

3 hours ago, nfreeman said:

- McCabe didn't even smile after his goal -- maybe he was too worried/PO'd that the Sabres were getting dominated?

He's been through the tank.  The dude is all business now.  That's a good thing.

[Doohickie]

2 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

This seems to be a pattern where the Sabres start slowly and give up a goal, or two, and then storm back after the goaler of the night bails them out and keeps them afloat.

It seems like they're learning what a real good team looks like, then making adjustments.  This is certainly not sustainable, but I also expect their preparation for such teams to be better going forward and they will get better starts.  If they're learning from these "mistakes" then I can accept them as part of the team's growing process.

[LTS]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

Nah.  Watch it again.  Eichel took the shot!  He just did it a bit too late and missed the net.

I think he thought, based on the way the D-man wasn't even trying to move the puck, that the horn was about to go.  When he realized it hadn't sounded yet, he thought "Oh there's a bit more time, take the shot" and so he did...just as the horn was sounding.

Kind of a weird play, I agree, but wasn't about being a "Classy move" or not trying to score...or keeping guys off him next game.

That NHL is dead now for the most part anyway.  It's a very low key affair these days played without emotion and intensity, most of the time. At least in the regular season.

Playoffs are different.

 

 

52 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Jack shot it wide on purpose. He could have picked off any corner from there.

I 100% agree with PA here.  He shot it wide.  I know we've questioned his shooting accuracy but he's not missing a wide open net with no pressure.  He just got rid of the puck.  He could have shot it earlier if he had wanted to score.  The Wild had already backed off him.  He waited for the horn and shot right as it was about to sound.

[...]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

No offense, but "learning to win" is just a meaningless cliche spoken by sports fans.  It's not a real thing.

38 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

He's been through the tank.  The dude is all business now.  That's a good thing.

Agreed. His post-game interview was pretty much exactly that. Criticized the team for being asleep during the first, or something to that effect.  I was like "woah...alright".

[...]

35 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

It seems like they're learning what a real good team looks like, then making adjustments.  This is certainly not sustainable, but I also expect their preparation for such teams to be better going forward and they will get better starts.  If they're learning from these "mistakes" then I can accept them as part of the team's growing process.

My theory is that, given what the core has been through (except Dahlin and Skinner), they under-estimate their ability to hang with the better teams, so, as HCPH has said several times recently, they give the other team too much respect in the first, until they figure out they CAN hang with them.

[Doohickie]

16 minutes ago, ... said:

Agreed. His post-game interview was pretty much exactly that. Criticized the team for being asleep during the first, or something to that effect.  I was like "woah...alright".

I saw that too and thought the same thing.  This really started last year with him.  It's almost like he made the conscious decision that he wants to be part of the Cup win here.

[stinky finger]

3 hours ago, Kruppstahl said:

No offense, but "learning to win" is just a meaningless cliche spoken by sports fans.  It's not a real thing.

What is different this year is the team is putting in more of a consistent effort, and they have better talent on the ice, particularly in terms of moving the puck out of the D end and generating offense.

We have actually now played 2 crappy games in a row, and won both of them!  So that is something new.  The team reminds me of how we looked around 2005, 2006 and that era.  We are now good enough to mail in a garbage game while still keeping it close...and then do what it takes to steal a win in the 3rd period.

That's another form of progress.  This team was nowhere close to being able to do that in the last few years.

We have yet to put in anything close to a solid, 3 period game on this trip.

But you can't complain about the results, so far!

Culture change is real. They ARE learning to win making anything else unacceptable.

This team has accepted failure in these previous years. This unit will not accept loss. They have learned that they are never out of it.

No offense.

 

 

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

13 minutes ago, Leaf Blower said:

Culture change is real. They ARE learning to win making anything else unacceptable.

This team has accepted failure in these previous years. This unit will not accept loss. They have learned that they are never out of it.

No offense.

 

 

We need more than that to have success in the future. 

Instead of "never out of it" we need the attitude "we can win every time from start to finish". How long will come from behind victories last? When will we start to win games for 60 minutes? That's when when you CHANGE the culture.

That said, it's a good way to start that change. We just need to keep the change headed in this direction and good things will come.

[Andrew Amerk]

6 hours ago, nfreeman said:

 

- Matt Dumba is really good.  (He's half Filipino, btw -- not sure I can remember another Filipino NHL player.)

 

Here is your answer:

https://www.philstar.com/sports/2015/11/07/1519658/filipino-canadian-makes-nhl-history

[stinky finger]

24 minutes ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

We need more than that to have success in the future. 

Instead of "never out of it" we need the attitude "we can win every time from start to finish". How long will come from behind victories last? When will we start to win games for 60 minutes? That's when when you CHANGE the culture.

That said, it's a good way to start that change. We just need to keep the change headed in this direction and good things will come.

Absolutely agree. Of course this come from behind model isn't sustainable. Gotta start somewhere, somehow. This is just how it's happening thus far. 

Where I disagree? The culture change is in motion - now.