GDT: Stars @ Sabres - Tue Feb 6, 2024, 7:00 pm ET MSG, ESPN+ BSSWX 📺 WGR 📻

[Thorny]

15 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

The culture of losing. No reason to be negative, the fierce warrior Ras says. DOMINATED THE STARS raves the Olean Times Herald. We shoulda won, says SabreSpace.

I don't get it. If the Bills get in the red zone eight times and come away with one touchdown and lose by two points, no one on the Bills and no one in Bills organized crime is happy. Allen would light himself on fire in the mud lot. The opposing D would not be praised. We wouldn't have gotten "goal lined."

Kudos to Channel 4 of all places.

SABRES FIND NEW WAY TO LOSE

It’s the general erosion of a willingness to have any sort of expectations over the course of a long 13 years. I agree it’s frustrating because it’s misplaced- it is on the franchise to provide a product worthy of the consumer. But it is understandable because we’ve been historically abnormally bad for so long.

People will pay for the MCU until they don’t: but even that beloved franchise has seen their returns start to significantly diminish because of the perceived quality of the product.

There will always be those that will simply take the CONTENT any way they can get, with a full smile. They are the ones that dive into every release day one. I don’t know if this sort of loyalty is comparable to loyalty to a hockey team - but both maybe might kinda sorta stem from the thinking that, if you keep your expectations low enough, you’ll forever be satisfied. You don’t have to deal with the crushing weight of disappointment if you aren’t expecting anything. 

Edited February 7 by Thorny

[WhenWillItEnd66]

They played a good game. Have to give them credit, they should have won this game easily. They were the better team with the exception of:

 

- Go to the freaking net!!! You crash a hot goalie and make him uncomfortable!!!!! 100 shots were not going to go in the way he was playing!! Even on the PP, Tuch looked uncomfortable going there and was doing a ***** job at screening the goalie.

- Faceoffs.... ughhhh. God we are horrible!!

- Refs - some crappy calls at the end. 

The good:

- Offensive zone pressure was great!!!! 

- PK. with the exception of the 1 PP goal our PK was money!! 2 5 on 3 and no goals.

- Lots of hard skating and pressure!! You will win 8 out of 10 of those games!!!

 

This team needs a gritty scorer and a gritty dman! If we get that this team can possible make a run! 6K and the defense are doing their job, time for the offense to do theirs!!!! 

[PASabreFan]

12 minutes ago, WhenWillItEnd66 said:

They played a good game. Have to give them credit, they should have won this game easily. They were the better team with the exception of:

 

- Go to the freaking net!!! You crash a hot goalie and make him uncomfortable!!!!! 100 shots were not going to go in the way he was playing!! Even on the PP, Tuch looked uncomfortable going there and was doing a ***** job at screening the goalie.

- Faceoffs.... ughhhh. God we are horrible!!

- Refs - some crappy calls at the end. 

The good:

- Offensive zone pressure was great!!!! 

- PK. with the exception of the 1 PP goal our PK was money!! 2 5 on 3 and no goals.

- Lots of hard skating and pressure!! You will win 8 out of 10 of those games!!!

 

This team needs a gritty scorer and a gritty dman! If we get that this team can possible make a run! 6K and the defense are doing their job, time for the offense to do theirs!!!! 

You missed a very big exception of.

[WhenWillItEnd66]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

You missed a very big exception of.

The 2 goals that they allowed?? LOL

[PASabreFan]

22 minutes ago, Thorny said:

It’s the general erosion of a willingness to have any sort of expectations over the course of a long 13 years. I agree it’s frustrating because it’s misplaced- it is on the franchise to provide a product worthy of the consumer. But it is understandable because we’ve been historically abnormally bad for so long.

People will pay for the MCU until they don’t: but even that beloved franchise has seen their returns start to significantly diminish because of the perceived quality of the product.

There will always be those that will simply take the CONTENT any way they can get, with a full smile. They are the ones that dive into every release day one. I don’t know if this sort of loyalty is comparable to loyalty to a hockey team - but both maybe might kinda sorta stem from the thinking that, if you keep your expectations low enough, you’ll forever be satisfied. You don’t have to deal with the crushing weight of disappointment if you aren’t expecting anything. 

And that's Ginnie from Elma. She's great. She also tells her teenage granddaughter who flunked an algebra test, It's OK hunny you tried.

[PASabreFan]

2 minutes ago, WhenWillItEnd66 said:

The 2 goals that they allowed?? LOL

Never mind.

[JustOneParade]

14 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

How is it that we score maybe one lucky goal a season whereas at least 20+ go in on us?

We made Dallas look bad and yet we still lost because of their damn goalie. We should of ran the bastard, play dirty its not like the refs are going to cut you any slack. WTF was both those 5v3 penalties? Felt like the fix was in with that Clifton penalty especially; on the PK how many times have we seen Sabres take blatant crosschecks with no call. Benson got literally dumped twice in the 1sst in front of the net with the puck nowhere near him and they weren't "I'm stronger and taller" falls; they were crosscheck style falls.

This year has been a freaking test in anger management; the Sabres have bad games where you're angry and then you have games like these where they play great and yet lose anyway.

'Luck has the smell of perspiration'.

[MattPie]

54 minutes ago, WhenWillItEnd66 said:

...

- Lots of hard skating and pressure!! You will win 8 out of 10 of those games!!!

This team needs a gritty scorer and a gritty dman! If we get that this team can possible make a run! 6K and the defense are doing their job, time for the offense to do theirs!!!! 

Luckily, they'll need to win 8 out of 10 for the rest of the season to make a run.

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

And that's Ginnie from Elma. She's great. She also tells her teenage granddaughter who flunked an algebra test, It's OK hunny you tried.

I’ve gotten a thumbs down or an eye roll on nearly every critical post I’ve made of this team in this thread. In most threads of late. Hank follows me around doing it. NS does it. Others too. Times have changed. The ones that are ok with never being good have had it: I suppose they have a point - it’s not getting any better and if you aren’t good with the team as is, why bother being around? The reactions don’t bother me but honestly I keep coming back to the same thing:

I like the fans. If the fans would be happier around here just burying their faces in the sand I will honestly try to post less. I’m starting to feel kind of bad for telling the truth 

there really is more than one way to be a fan. The loveable losers thing can work. It’s not for me when it comes to the sabres but I do get it

somewhat of a paradise lost situation. Better to reign in hell. I get it 

Edited February 7 by Thorny

[MattPie]

6 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I’ve gotten a thumbs down or an eye roll on nearly every critical post I’ve made of this team in this thread. In most threads of late. Hank follows me around doing it. NS does it. Others too. Times have changed. The ones that are ok with never being good have had it: I suppose they have a point - it’s not getting any better and if you aren’t good with the team as is, why bother being around? The reactions don’t bother me but honestly I keep coming back to the same thing:

I like the fans. If the fans would be happier around here just burying their faces in the sand I will honestly try to post less. I’m starting to feel kind of bad for telling the truth 

there really is more than one way to be a fan. The loveable losers thing can work. It’s not for me when it comes to the sabres but I do get it

somewhat of a paradise lost situation. Better to reign in hell. I get it 

Soooooo, if it doesn't bother you why post about it?

[Thorny]

9 minutes ago, MattPie said:

Soooooo, if it doesn't bother you why post about it?

Because it does bother me. Looking back I wrote that a little awkwardly- as I said a little further on, I’m genuinely worried it’s becoming upsetting to those who’d rather use the Sabres purely as an escape. What I meant is I’m not offended by it: unfortunately it’s always the same several posters.

it’s a difficult line: I want to expand on what I personally believe to be the truth but also sometimes struggle determining the value in it relative to the context of where the discussion is taking place.

The sabres stopped being a place I earmarked for joy a long time ago: I don’t need that from them. Don’t count on them to fulfill that anymore. Don’t need to use them as an escape from anything. I like to engage here purely for the engagement and camaraderie. If my engagement infringes on that camaraderie: that’s a real issue to me 

Edited February 7 by Thorny

[SabreFinn]

I have been in leadership course where they teached that when giving feedback it should be three positive things for one negative. So here we go:

One negative:

The goal scoring. It is really difficult now. It has got them frustrated, and that makes it even harder. They need some "easy" goals to unlock it, the problem is that the easy bouncing goals do not come if they do not work hard enough in front of the net.

Positive 1:

Due to The Hockey Writers, since the horribel loss to Columbus they have given the fewest goalchances 5 on5 in the league. That is a big improvment.

Positive 2:

Goaltending. UPL is looking like the goalie we have waited for. And Levi is in Rochester and getting games and getting time to develop his game.

Positive 3:

Cozens. He is improving, and I think he has looked as good as ever lately. He should not be on the PK, but he is not putting himself to play there either, Adams need to get a player that take face offs and PK. And he need to get goalscoring going again.

[bunomatic]

7 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I’ve gotten a thumbs down or an eye roll on nearly every critical post I’ve made of this team in this thread. In most threads of late. Hank follows me around doing it. NS does it. Others too. Times have changed. The ones that are ok with never being good have had it: I suppose they have a point - it’s not getting any better and if you aren’t good with the team as is, why bother being around? The reactions don’t bother me but honestly I keep coming back to the same thing:

I like the fans. If the fans would be happier around here just burying their faces in the sand I will honestly try to post less. I’m starting to feel kind of bad for telling the truth 

Don’t feel bad. Lots o dudes around here don’t mind the losing. Some even see progress in a losing season. I see a team thats regressed , a gm thats mia and a coaching staff thats in over their heads. Some might say I’m wrong but thats what I see.

[CallawaySabres]

9 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Because it does bother me. Looking back I wrote that a little awkwardly- as I said a little further on, I’m genuinely worried it’s becoming upsetting to those who’d rather use the Sabres purely as an escape. What I meant is I’m not offended by it: unfortunately it’s always the same several posters.

it’s a difficult line: I want to expand on what I personally believe to be the truth but also sometimes struggle determining the value in it relative to the context of where the discussion is taking place.

The sabres stopped being a place I earmarked for joy a long time ago: I don’t need that from them. Don’t count on them to fulfill that anymore. Don’t need to use them as an escape from anything. I like to engage here purely for the engagement and camaraderie. If my engagement infringes on that camaraderie: that’s a real issue to me 

[Thorny]

15 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Don’t feel bad. Lots o dudes around here don’t mind the losing. Some even see progress in a losing season. I see a team thats regressed , a gm thats mia and a coaching staff thats in over their heads. Some might say I’m wrong but thats what I see.

I feel bad because for the most part I’m not even quoting the posters sending out the reactions. If all those posts are doing is angering certain people i’m assuredly in the wrong - as the true central benefit to this board is, again, the camaraderie. If you can’t add to that there’s no point. I can’t make the Sabres good by posting about all the stuff they’re  objectively bad at: I’m sure Adams doesn’t read the board. And if he did I’m sure he wouldn’t care. I was on this tangent yesterday- we are faceless, paying customers to these people. The kinship is with the fans 

I clearly have a massive gripe with Adams and the Org. But if me speaking truth to power on that just pisses off the fans it’s arguably self-defeating. I post about the org and instead, the fans are who take it personally: because not all see it as the consumer-product relationship I do

for some, it’s tuchy and mittsy and behind 2 stalls, and one big happy family. I see that as marketing. Others see it as a relationship 

Edited February 7 by Thorny

[#freejame]

You’ve got a friend in me, @Thorny

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, #freejame said:

You’ve got a friend in me, @Thorny

that’s how I picture you and @PASabreFanin my mind 

[#freejame]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

that’s how I picture you and @PASabreFanin my mind 

I like that you get a Woody when you think of me 

[Archie Lee]

12 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Don’t feel bad. Lots o dudes around here don’t mind the losing. Some even see progress in a losing season. I see a team thats regressed , a gm thats mia and a coaching staff thats in over their heads. Some might say I’m wrong but thats what I see.

I learned a long time ago that nothing I think, feel or express has any bearing on how any of my favorite sports teams perform.  I can buy a ticket or not.  I can watch on TV or not.  I can come to places like this and share my thoughts and enjoy reading the thoughts of others, or not.  There are probably 10-12 people associated with the Sabres whose opinions matter when it comes to the performance of individual players.  Three or four people whose opinion matters on the performance of an assistant coach.  Two people when it comes to the head coach.  One when it comes to the GM.  None of them post here.

Like most of you, I take this way more seriously than is rational. That's the great thing about being a fan of a team:  you get to experience the highs and lows of extreme emotions over something that is ultimately meaningless. No doubt though, we are overdue for some joy.

 

 

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, #freejame said:

I like that you get a Woody when you think of me 

And buzzed when I think of PA

[Sabres73]

8 hours ago, phil_soisson said:

13 years, but they did play very well. Gee, I feel better. The bar is so low with this franchise.

We're talking about this one game obviously, not 13 years, or low bars.

[pi2000]

7 hours ago, #freejame said:

It’s embarrassing how little this team goes to the front of the net. 

 

This matches the eye test.

The Stars are an experienced team, they know how to score in his league (traffic, secondary chances).   

On the otherhand, the Sabres young stars still believe they can snipe unscreened goalies from everywhere on the ice.     

Sure they put up 50 shots, but 95% of them are easy saves at this level.

They'd score more goals by passing up those low percentage shots and instead look for ways to get more pucks and bodies to the high danger area.  

[SwampD]

13 hours ago, SDS said:

Are you specifically talking about the scoring chances he had?

His overall play. He skates too upright with his feet to close together and it’s very pretty and he tries too many cutsie backhand passes that always end up in trouble (many on the team do this). He needs to get grittier. I think if he did, he would be a force, another whole level up.

[PerreaultForever]

15 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

 

This matches the eye test.

The Stars are an experienced team, they know how to score in his league (traffic, secondary chances).   

On the otherhand, the Sabres young stars still believe they can snipe unscreened goalies from everywhere on the ice.     

Sure they put up 50 shots, but 95% of them are easy saves at this level.

They'd score more goals by passing up those low percentage shots and instead look for ways to get more pucks and bodies to the high danger area.  

This "young" excuse has carrried on for far too long. Skinner isn't young. Okposo is old. Thompson's been in the league for several years, that's your "top" line right now. Cozens has been in the league several years. It holds for Benson and maybe Peterka but Mitts, Greenway and Tuch have all been in the league for many years now. Girgs is old. Writing all this off as "they're young" is just BS. 

It's on the coaching and the way they are teaching the team to play. Proper hockey should have been driven into them in training camp and it should be a standard they are held to. Age has nothing to do with it. Dallas has young guys too, but they make them play the right way. 

But yes, easy shots from low danger areas has been an issue for years and still is. 

[Getpucksdeep]

1 hour ago, bunomatic said:

Don’t feel bad. Lots o dudes around here don’t mind the losing. Some even see progress in a losing season. I see a team thats regressed , a gm thats mia and a coaching staff thats in over their heads. Some might say I’m wrong but thats what I see.

The GM was selling words with Marty and Duff pregame yesterday fwiw. He said he's on cycle 3 of calls with all the other GMs prior to trade deadline. I believe him, but I don't care that much. It's the same story over and over.