PerreaultForever Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 4 hours ago, dudacek said: Eakin is capable of 30-40 points. Larsson has never scored 20. Maybe the reason Larsson got such defensive deployment is because he could not create offence, and they have no intention of using Eakin in exactly the same way. Occam’s razor? Occam's razor says Eakin was the best available body and they didn't think as deeply about it as you are. Just a proven 3rd liner who would sign for what they had to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 8 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said: He scored 15 pts last year and he won't get anywhere near 35-40 (full season) with wingers like KO and Rieder. He'll be lucky to get to 15 again in this shortened season. If Eakin, as the Sabres 3rd like center, only gets 15 points, this team is in BIG trouble, as this means there is little to no production from the 3rd or 4th lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brawndo Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 5 minutes ago, Brawndo said: Interesting that all 3 guys on the 5th line are C's. And when Cozens shows up, there'll still be a glut of spare C's. Also interesting that Johansson is practicing with the NHLers and Tokarski's practicing w/ the Amerks. (Well, not all that interesting.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 This is a 4 minute plus clip of a scrimmage with Staal mic'd up. Staal is a talker. The GM clearly added veteran leadership. This clip was taken from Sabres.com. Mic'd Up: Eric Staal | NHL.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 5 minutes ago, JohnC said: This is a 4 minute plus clip of a scrimmage with Staal mic'd up. Staal is a talker. The GM clearly added veteran leadership. This clip was taken from Sabres.com. Mic'd Up: Eric Staal | NHL.com That link didn’t take me there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brawndo Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 1 minute ago, SwampD said: That link didn’t take me there. If you go to Sabres.com it will get you there. And it will provide some other short interesting segments. You can also try: Official Buffalo Sabres Website | NHL.com 2 minutes ago, Brawndo said: That first PP unit looks potent. If I'm not mistake was Krueger reluctant last year to use Skinner on any of the PP units? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudacek Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 21 minutes ago, JohnC said: If you go to Sabres.com it will get you there. And it will provide some other short interesting segments. You can also try: Official Buffalo Sabres Website | NHL.com That first PP unit looks potent. If I'm not mistake was Krueger reluctant last year to use Skinner on any of the PP units? He played on PP1 for the first six weeks or so and was removed for lack of production. They tried a few different guys in his spot before settling on Risto. He was on PP2 for most part for the rest of the year, not that it meant much given the lack of time that unit got. It will be interesting to see whether PP2 gets more this year; doesn't look bad if Tage can deliver on his promise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 43 minutes ago, JohnC said: If you go to Sabres.com it will get you there. And it will provide some other short interesting segments. You can also try: Official Buffalo Sabres Website | NHL.com That first PP unit looks potent. If I'm not mistake was Krueger reluctant last year to use Skinner on any of the PP units? 18 minutes ago, dudacek said: He played on PP1 for the first six weeks or so and was removed for lack of production. They tried a few different guys in his spot before settling on Risto. He was on PP2 for most part for the rest of the year, not that it meant much given the lack of time that unit got. It will be interesting to see whether PP2 gets more this year; doesn't look bad if Tage can deliver on his promise. Yep. Skinner was on the 2nd unit most of the time with occasional time on the 1st unit. Am perfectly fine w/ 9 of those 10 skaters, but for the love of all that is Holy why is Ristolainen getting g 2nd unit usage when Montour & Miller are available? Please let it be that Krueger plans on using Dahlin-Montour as his primary pair & doesn't want to overwork Montour and not because you just can't ever get too much Risto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freester Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 13 minutes ago, Taro T said: Yep. Skinner was on the 2nd unit most of the time with occasional time on the 1st unit. Am perfectly fine w/ 9 of those 10 skaters, but for the love of all that is Holy why is Ristolainen getting g 2nd unit usage when Montour & Miller are available? Please let it be that Krueger plans on using Dahlin-Montour as his primary pair & doesn't want to overwork Montour and not because you just can't ever get too much Risto. You're fine with KO but not Risto??? Risto has scored consistently on the pp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 16 minutes ago, Taro T said: Yep. Skinner was on the 2nd unit most of the time with occasional time on the 1st unit. Am perfectly fine w/ 9 of those 10 skaters, but for the love of all that is Holy why is Ristolainen getting g 2nd unit usage when Montour & Miller are available? Please let it be that Krueger plans on using Dahlin-Montour as his primary pair & doesn't want to overwork Montour and not because you just can't ever get too much Risto. I have to echo @freester here. Risto is actually good on the PP, at the point. It’s what he is best at. He should be on the 2nd PP unit. Montour I don’t think is even good in the offensive zone. Miller is ok, though I haven’t seen him on the PP much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) 14 minutes ago, freester said: You're fine with KO but not Risto??? Risto has scored consistently on the pp. 10 minutes ago, Curt said: I have to echo @freester here. Risto is actually good on the PP, at the point. It’s what he is best at. He should be on the 2nd PP unit. Montour I don’t think is even good in the offensive zone. Miller is ok, though I haven’t seen him on the PP much. It is STRICTLY on an ice time / usage basis that my preference is to not use Ristolainen on that 2nd unit. Yes, he's good on the PP, so is Miller. And am expecting Montour to look much more capable at both ends with a full year under Krueger's system, a stable linemate, & playing on his strong side. In past seasons, I've advocated for Risto to get top PP usage with the rookie Dahlin getting 2nd PP because his shot is (was) stronger and the pass to Eichel was on his forehand. In a vacuum, have no problem w/ Risto on that 2nd unit. But as those minutes push him up towards 24/game, would really rather see somebody else there. As for Okposo, of the guys IN THE LINEUP, who do you put in his place? Lazar, Eakin, & Reider are pretty much the other options. Okposo is strong on the boards and still has a heavy accurate shot. His issues are speed & quickness; neither of which are all that important in a support role on the 2nd PP. Edited January 7, 2021 by Taro T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudacek Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 Risto and Miller are both good on the PP, more than capable of QBing PP2. I think Montour is going to be leaned on heavily at ES and play his best hockey as a Sabre this year. Which also bodes well for Dahlin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brawndo Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) 8 minutes ago, dudacek said: Risto and Miller are both good on the PP, more than capable of QBing PP2. I think Montour is going to be leaned on heavily at ES and play his best hockey as a Sabre this year. Which also bodes well for Dahlin. Again, my concern with having Ristolainen on the 2PP isn't his skill level - he's actually quite good in that role; it's simply a question of ice time. And if Montour & Dahlin are the even strength beasts, then put Miller there. Because really don't trust that Kruger will be able to fully wean himself from overusing Risto but making him the 3rd or 4th option for that role forces the issue. Edited January 7, 2021 by Taro T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGR4GM Posted January 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 15 minutes ago, Brawndo said: If I were Quinn and Cozens I would have spent all day yesterday asleep after that whirlwind of a tourney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudacek Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 18 minutes ago, LGR4GM said: If I were Quinn and Cozens I would have spent all day yesterday asleep after that whirlwind of a tourney. I would imagine that today was an awful day of personal recrimination. It would have been kinda like screwing up big time, then spending a day in jail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Taro T said: Yep. Skinner was on the 2nd unit most of the time with occasional time on the 1st unit. Am perfectly fine w/ 9 of those 10 skaters, but for the love of all that is Holy why is Ristolainen getting g 2nd unit usage when Montour & Miller are available? Please let it be that Krueger plans on using Dahlin-Montour as his primary pair & doesn't want to overwork Montour and not because you just can't ever get too much Risto. If Risto is going to play on the second PP unit I would rather see him play down low in front of the net instead of the point. The few times he played that role on the PP he was difficult to move out and obstructed the goalie. The Sabres have had glaring deficiencies over the past number of years. One of the glaring deficiencies is not having net presence to make it more difficult for the goalie. Reinhart has been our best player at doing that dirty and punishing job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) 27 minutes ago, JohnC said: If Risto is going to play on the second PP unit I would rather see him play down low in front of the net instead of the point. The few times he played that role on the PP he was difficult to move out and obstructed the goalie. The Sabres have had glaring deficiencies over the past number of years. One of the glaring deficiencies is not having net presence to make it more difficult for the goalie. Reinhart has been our best player at doing that dirty and punishing job. They'll likely run that occasionally, but there are drawbacks to it as well as the positive of having an ox screening the goalie. The drawbacks primarily being: 1. there is now either no D-man at the point to work against rushes when the PKers clear or they are lessening the offense by pulling a F off the ice for either Montour or Miller to set up at the top; or, 2. Risto isn't going to be particularly adept at converting rebounds nor at helping w/ puck battles along the boards because in both cases he's trying to do the opposite of what he's normally doing, so by playing him there it's essentially a 4v4 w/ a permanent screen in front of the goalie. Are those forwards going to win enough puck battles to get the puck to spots where a screened shot will work? (And remember, he's on the 2nd unit; not the 1st.) The strategy can definitely work but primarily as a change up; there's a reason the B's used Chara low in front sparingly rather than as their go-to formation. When the D knows it's coming, they can adjust their strategy as well and usually effectively counteract it by almost treating it as a 4v4 but w/ a D cheating slightly towards the ox in front. And, it also LIKELY reduces the opportunity to be developing plays from low to high that the Liger is so fond of. (Not positive on that count, but with essentially battling 4v4 with the D marking up on the low puck carrying F the passing lanes are definitely affected. So, pretty sure that down low strategy wouldn't work from that.) Edited January 7, 2021 by Taro T 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 Anyone know the date/time for the 2nd intra-squad scrimmage? Poked around sabres.com, but no luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudacek Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 3 minutes ago, LabattBlue said: Anyone know the date/time for the 2nd intra-squad scrimmage? Poked around sabres.com, but no luck. Pretty sure it’s 7 p.m. Saturday Buffalo time and will be streamed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASabresIUFAN Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 Gold group 4 Taylor Hall - 9 Jack Eichel - 68 Victor Olofsson 53 Jeff Skinner - 12 Eric Staal - 23 Sam Reinhart 13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo 38 Riley Sheahan - 27 Curtis Lazar - 72 Tage Thompson Practice lines today. Nice bottom 6. Absolute garbage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) 7 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said: Gold group 4 Taylor Hall - 9 Jack Eichel - 68 Victor Olofsson 53 Jeff Skinner - 12 Eric Staal - 23 Sam Reinhart 13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo 38 Riley Sheahan - 27 Curtis Lazar - 72 Tage Thompson Practice lines today. Nice bottom 6. Absolute garbage. But the top 6 looks saahweet! EDIT: honestly though, it’s going to depend on the development of the young guys. If a couple of Thompson, Routsalainen, Mitts, Cozens (and even Lazar could have some upside) can do well in a limited, bottom 6 scoring line role, that will help tremendously. Edited January 7, 2021 by Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudacek Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 9 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said: Gold group 4 Taylor Hall - 9 Jack Eichel - 68 Victor Olofsson 53 Jeff Skinner - 12 Eric Staal - 23 Sam Reinhart 13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo 38 Riley Sheahan - 27 Curtis Lazar - 72 Tage Thompson Practice lines today. Nice bottom 6. Absolute garbage. What were you expecting? Okposo, Thompson Eakin, Reider and Lazar were always in that mix. Cozens and Girgensons are unavailable. Sheahan is a proven NHL 4th liner. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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