Jump to content

GDT - Thursday, Jan 16 - Sabres @ Dallas - 8pm ET (WGR,MSG)


LTS

Recommended Posts

6 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Lazar is the type of guy that excels under Kruger, he's fully bought in to the role he needs to play.... and you've seen similar results at times from Larsson, Sobotka, Okposo, etc.. the not so talented guys.     That's great, but the higher end talent guys like Johansson and Skinner don't seem to do so well under him... and Reinhart... don't even get me started, the guys a train wreck!

Obvious troll is obvious, but he has 20 points in his last 20 games. 

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Thorny said:

Ullmark's starts have us at a 96 point pace. A playoff team. If that's not enough of a reason to dump Hutton and get a capable back up in here, I dunno what is. 

Rostering Hutton is tantamount to throwing away points right now. 

Really unsure why Hutton is still on this roster unless it is as simple as they knew he wouldn't get a start before the break and saw no reason to not have Johansson available in Ra-cha-cha if all he would be planned to do was sit and watch Ullmark play.

They need to have a different guy as the #2 when the next b-t-b comes up.

Not sure why Linus went back to overplaying the puck the 1st 5 minutes of the 2nd, but strangely, giving up the goal seemed to settle him down.  Didn't expect him to be able to shut Dallas down to that extent even though he did it in the 1st meeting this season.  Good on him.  Hopefully he brings that game (or better yet all 60 minutes of it) in Nashville.  If he does, they can definitely be riding a 4 game win streak into their break.

8 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Yeah in this sport it's particularly "any given night" but we are something like 18-9-1 against teams below us in the standings the last 2 seasons, so I am hopeful. 

They've been, for the most part, winning the games they should and staying competitive in the games they shouldn't.  They typically win at home and have a much tougher go on the road, which is indicative of what the eye test shows: the roster isn't quite what it needs to be but the coaching for the most part is getting the most out of the roster.  Would be interesting to know how many of this season's L's to lesser teams had Hutton getting the start.

Really like that everybody with the possible exceptions of Rodrigues and Bogosian have bought into Krueger's program.  (And even they have shown signs of buying in.)  Since Rodrigues volunteered fulltime entry into Krueger's dog house, Sheary got an opportunity and has played much better.  The way he's playing with Johansson and Frolik am expecting RK to slide Skinner onto Eichel's wing when he returns (until Olofsson comes back).  When Jeff and Victor are back am expecting Vesey to be the odd man out but depending on opponent the other could be Miller or Asplund and sometimes Rasmus 3 will be that 1st odd man out.

Was very pleasantly mildly surprised that they pulled this one out.  Do it again in Nashville.

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, darksabre said:

People are gonna be upset when they sit down for this one at 8:00 and realize the pregame just started... 

You know Duffer and Biron have some information people should hear.  This way, no one was late to the game.  (tag me next time I make a mistake you fool) ?

13 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

That's never an issue when I start a GDT. (Except when I forget.)

True... that said, the Sabres have won 2 games this week... I don't know who started those GDTs... but it seems to be working. ?

5 hours ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

Shhhhhh.,..if you keep talking like that Jason might trade him. Just enjoy.

Well, at least he would have done something. That's what people want right?  Do something?  Anything?  ?

Only caught periods 2 and 3.. looked like a typical Sabres game.  Ullmark has to stop pulling himself out of the crease so far. It looked like he was going for some kind of ego glove save on the one he missed and ended up in his net.  At least the team responded...  Good stuff.

Let's go to Nashville.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Not sure why Linus went back to overplaying the puck the 1st 5 minutes of the 2nd, but strangely, giving up the goal seemed to settle him down.

Great post. And this tidbit is right in-line with what I saw. Holy Moses was he out of control there to start the 2nd, and then, just like that, back under control. Very solid showing on his part.

  • Thanks (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, OverPowerYou said:

Does anyone think we can get 8th place? 

If we can put in games like this consistently, absolutely. This team is the one that started the season, made an appearance in, what, late November/early December. So, it's in there, it just needs to become the dominant personality. 

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, TrueBlueGED said:

Obvious troll is obvious, but he has 20 points in his last 20 games. 

I've come to the following conclusion on my view of Reinhart: I have vague, speculative biases that want to convince me that, in fact, he's a self-satisfied silver-spoon underachiever. Thinks a lot of himself. Thinks he's "doing the work," when, in fact, he doesn't know that he doesn't know he's not doing the work needed. 

But ball don't lie, as they say. The assist on the first goal was absolutely top-notch. The smarts. The vision. The hands. I think maybe he's just good. Good enough to be a good team's RW1, most likely.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, ... said:

If we can put in games like this consistently, absolutely. This team is the one that started the season, made an appearance in, what, late November/early December. So, it's in there, it just needs to become the dominant personality. 

The guy who writes the "Down Goes Brown" column for the Athletic (Sean McIndoe) will probably try to take credit for the win streak because he was talking about them being just outside his bottom 5 teams and when he was talking about them being just outside his top 5 teams is when they started that really bad early November streak.

But, as long as he doesn't talk about them any more, they've got a good chance. ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought, and stay with me, Reinhart had a meh game. I liked the pass to Vesey but there were a few times where I wanted him to be just a little harder on the puck. IN all honestly I think that is one of the biggest critiques of his game overall and something that he does well in some games but is mediocre in others. 

Lazar... well okay. 

Dahlin, you know how we talk about confidence? This is the guy that when he is confident he does amazing things. There was a sequence last night where he drifted backwards but also kinda sidesways across the ice with the puck and got a shot off. Should have been a goal or assist with the chaos that ensued but he's starting to really get comfortable. 

Jack. He's a top player in this league. Top 10 for sure and maybe top 5. Just always something. 

Bogo was there. 

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I thought, and stay with me, Reinhart had a meh game. I liked the pass to Vesey but there were a few times where I wanted him to be just a little harder on the puck. IN all honestly I think that is one of the biggest critiques of his game overall and something that he does well in some games but is mediocre in others. 

Lazar... well okay. 

Dahlin, you know how we talk about confidence? This is the guy that when he is confident he does amazing things. There was a sequence last night where he drifted backwards but also kinda sidesways across the ice with the puck and got a shot off. Should have been a goal or assist with the chaos that ensued but he's starting to really get comfortable. 

Jack. He's a top player in this league. Top 10 for sure and maybe top 5. Just always something. 

Bogo was there. 

 Bogo got motivated/involved/inspired when he got face planted into the boards by a good hard check.

Not sure if he felt fragile after coming back from the injuries and that is what it took to get him going?

He must have a fear that another injury ends his career no matter how small. No team will pick him up unless he finishes this year healthy. 

Just seems like the passion came back into him after that hit. I hope he finally got back on the horse.

Edited by woods-racer
  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick thoughts:

1. What a great team win for the Sabres. Linus Ullmark was steady, contributions from multiple places.

2. Lazar should not make a trip to Rochester the rest of the year. Good energy, does the little things. 

3. Frolik isnt a 'sexy' move, but he will help us win games more then hurt us.

4. Sometimes injuries can bring a team together and maybe in the long run Skinner and Olofsson out is the best thing that could have happened to this team. Credit Kruger and his staff for helping keeping the ship afloat. Recent Sabres teams would have sank like the Titanic. Not this team.

5. It becomes clearer by the day this team is a bonafide #2 center away from being a consistent playoff team. We are closer then most think. Stay the course.

  • Like (+1) 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes I think this board needs Vraylar to handle the mood swings here.

It was a good win against a solid team on the road and we should be happy about it.  However the flaws remain.  Ullmark is still over playing his position as seen on the lone Dallas goal.  It’s been a trend lately as he tries to do to much.  

We are still getting next to nothing out of our mid tier forwards.  Sheary has 9 points in his last 18 games except 5 points came in just two games in December.  MoJo is pointless in 5 straight and -3 in those games.  Vesey has been a little better lately w 7 points in his last 18 games but 6 goals for the season is terrible.

The truth is we have 4 very good D in Risto, Dahlin, Montour and Jokiharju ages 19-25 and a top 5 player in Eichel and a few complimentary forwards in VO, Skinner and Reinhart.  After that the rest are easily replaced.  Sad.  At least we have a core that can be improved.

Edited by GASabresIUFAN
  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Really like that everybody with the possible exceptions of Rodrigues and Bogosian have bought into Krueger's program.  (And even they have shown signs of buying in.) 

This is kind of a strange statement to me.  The common impression is that these guys have asked for a trade, but I think in both cases it isn't so much that they want out as it is that they want to play.  And if not here, then trade.  They are the byproducts of what was stated as the approach at the beginning of the year:  To create internal competition to raise the level of team play.  The fact that these guys are commonly viewed as the losers in that competition does not mean that they did not buy into RFK's system from the start, it's simply that RFK frequently had other players on the roster who he wanted on the ice.  And the indications they want out I think were more indications that they want to play.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Was very pleasantly mildly surprised that they pulled this one out. 

I've been going to the games in Dallas for a while and while I always hoped for a win, this game felt different right from the start.  I felt a supreme confidence that this would be a win.  Not sure why, maybe it was the Jack Daniels talking, but I felt they would win before and all during the game.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Skibum said:

Settle down, two of those were empty netters last night. 

True, but they weren't empty netters like Lazar's last game which was a bit of a desperation lob to relieve pressure.  They were the result of harrying the Stars all the way down the ice and eventually getting a shot off.  Sure, they were empty netters but they were the result of solid, aggressive effort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, ... said:

If we can put in games like this consistently, absolutely. This team is the one that started the season, made an appearance in, what, late November/early December. So, it's in there, it just needs to become the dominant personality. 

I think we're finding out how hard culture change is.  The way you word this though makes you realize that this is something that is being fostered and encouraged, even if it is tough to keep up at first.  The fact that they are getting back to it shows that Krueger is a superior coach to Housley (who once he lost the magic had no way to rekindle it).

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Sometimes I think this board needs Vraylar to handle the mood swings here.

It was a good win against a solid team on the road and we should be happy about it.  However the flaws remain.  Ullmark is still over playing his position as seen on the lone Dallas goal.  It’s been a trend lately as he tries to do to much.  

We are still getting next to nothing out of our mid tier forwards.  Sheary has 9 points in his last 18 games except 5 points came in just two games in December.  MoJo is pointless in 5 straight and -3 in those games.  Vesey has been a little better lately w 7 points in his last 18 games but 6 goals for the season is terrible.

The truth is we have 4 very good D in Risto, Dahlin, Montour and Jokiharju ages 19-25 and a top 5 player in Eichel and a few complimentary forwards in VO, Skinner and Reinhart.  After that the rest are easily replaced.  Sad.  At least we have a core that can be improved.

I agree with most of this -- especially the mood swings! -- but it's also worth noting IMHO that they showed some mental toughness in winning a tight game on the road against a very good team, and in winning 3 in a row after 2 bad losses had dropped them to a spot where the season was very close to being over at the halfway mark.

I also thought the Mojo-Sheary line was quite good last night and Mojo in particular created quite a few chances.  I'm fairly optimistic that once Skinner returns, he and Mojo will make that 2nd line a productive one again.

As for Ullmark -- he's certainly flawed, and if JB doesn't bring in another goalie this summer, it will be close to a firing offense.  The positive take is that Ullmark hasn't fallen off the table the way Hutton has, and the way Ullmark did in the 2nd half last year, and that he's providing at least decent goaltending.

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I think that is one of the biggest critiques of his game overall and something that he does well in some games but is mediocre in others.

I think board work is probably one of the hardest things to be consistently good at.  You know you're going to take a pounding, that any lingering injury is going to hurt.  Then when you're already sore, you need to dish it out to the opponent.  I think dealing with that is a skill, if you will, that some guys naturally have and some can't muster on a consistent basis (and other guys, not at all).  What makes the LOG line so good is that each of those guys (and Lazar when he skates with them) are pretty good at taking that beating and giving it right back.

Reino is by no means the best on the team at that, but he's head and shoulders above where he was earlier in his career.

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I just realized this is Larkin Square. 

Yeah, it's part of training camp (or maybe prospects camp, I forget).

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is OLD. A NEW topic should be started unless there is a VERY SPECIFIC REASON to revive this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...