Lindy suggests Sabres didn't realize Habs are "a great team"

[PASabreFan]

"I said before this started. They beat a helluva team, they are a helluva team, don't take them for granted. If we don't realize it now, we're never going to realize it."

I find this borderline shocking. If true, what a massive failure of leadership.

Edited May 11 by PASabreFan

[Mango]

This is who these guys have been for years.

Dahlin. Tage. They've stood in front of mics for years, including this one, and flat out said that they thought they could get by with less.

 

[Big Guava]

They have been playing way, way too loose.

They look like the team under Granato on D that played defense as a last resort without any structure whatsoever instead of the team the majority of the year that has played D extremely well and were very disciplined in making sure that was handled first.

I mean, this is the same Montreal team that had 9!!! Shots on goal in game 7 against TB including 0 in the 2nd period.

It's completely unacceptable. Keep seeing forwards trying to leave the zone early or not get back to try and start offense the other way instead of ensuring their D zone is locked down.

They better get back to fundamentals they played with 3/4 of the season or they only have 2 games left in their season.

Edited May 11 by Big Guava

[Indabuff]

This looks like early season Sabres to me, cause for concern imo.  Need to get that mojo and tempo flowing again. 

 

[TageMVP]

Same kinda shyt they used to say when Granato was coach. How are those ideologies still lingering? 

Id fire Appert right now. He seems like Granato light with the "its all good just try harder next time" method of motivation 

Ruff needs to figure something out and fast. I still think its possible 

Sabres are the team that are letting the opponent dictate everything. First shift next game, Id start the 4th line and tell Malenstyn to absolutely label Hutson to set the tome then go from there 

[Indabuff]

5 minutes ago, TageMVP said:

 

Id fire Appert right now. 

Fire Appert, call him and tell him it was a mistake then fire his ass again... into the goddam sun.

[ASlugAbove]

It is interesting to me that St. Louis basically said he knew this series would have more offensive zone space than last series vs Tampa. Why though? I mean aren't our D similar to Tampa in the physical, big body, puck movers? Does it really boil down to our players getting sloppy, lazy, "river hockey" style that we can't limit or slow them down at all? Tampa held them to 9 shots in a game 7, and none for 30 straight mins. I can't fathom we're that different defensively from Tampa, and we're getting walked in our own end. 

[...]

Just for the sake of clarity, what are y'all thinking Ruff and the coaching staff should be doing at this point in time?

[Pimlach]

10 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

"I said before this started. They beat a helluva team, they are a helluva team, don't take them for granted. If we don't realize it now, we're never going to realize it."

I find this borderline shocking. If true, what a massive failure of leadership.

The thread title is very misleading.   Replay the interview at the 3 minute 50 second mark.  He didn’t suggest the Sabres took them for granted, as stated in the thread title.  He said he told them “don’t take them for granted”.    If the players need to be told that then the massive failure is within them.  I don’t think the problem is taking Montreal for granted, the problem is execution on the ice. Lindy is responsible for that. 

Edited May 11 by Pimlach

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, ASlugAbove said:

It is interesting to me that St. Louis basically said he knew this series would have more offensive zone space than last series vs Tampa. Why though? I mean aren't our D similar to Tampa in the physical, big body, puck movers? Does it really boil down to our players getting sloppy, lazy, "river hockey" style that we can't limit or slow them down at all? Tampa held them to 9 shots in a game 7, and none for 30 straight mins. I can't fathom we're that different defensively from Tampa, and we're getting walked in our own end. 

Come on.  Tampa has Cup winners on their roster.  They are a hardened and physical perennial playoff team.  The Sabres have 14 players that never played in the playoffs until now.   No way should this be a surprise.  

[SABRES 0311]

We need a better middle six. I’ll admit I was wrong about Benson. He is a top six guy.

[RETURNTOGLORY]

5 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

"I said before this started. They beat a helluva team, they are a helluva team, don't take them for granted. If we don't realize it now, we're never going to realize it."

I find this borderline shocking. If true, what a massive failure of leadership.

I said last night the team lacked leadership, and got mocked. 

[PASabreFan]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

The thread title is very misleading.   Replay the interview at the 3 minute 50 second mark.  He didn’t suggest the Sabres took them for granted, as stated in the thread title.  He sad he told them “don’t take them for granted”.    If the players need to be told that then the massive failure is within them.  I don’t think the problem is taking Montreal for granted, the problem is execution on the ice. Lindy is responsible for that. 

If we don't realize it NOW? What do you think Lindy is saying? "I told them not to take them for granted and they listened?"

Lindy's been beating this "The Habs are good" drum. Is it for the fans?

[PASabreFan]

But I did edit title for clarity.

[tom webster]

7 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

"I said before this started. They beat a helluva team, they are a helluva team, don't take them for granted. If we don't realize it now, we're never going to realize it."

I find this borderline shocking. If true, what a massive failure of leadership.

One of the great mysteries of mankind. What information people choose to believe in the “black and white,” what they choose to believe in the “gray” and when they choose to believe it. 
 

I stopped listening to player interviews and sports press conferences about fifty years ago. It makes for great debate and is usually a great example of “people hear what they want to hear.”

[Sabre The Cup]

We looked slow last night compared to the Habs.

The puck just stuck to their sticks. We give the puck away, and they're flying the other way, almost like choreography.

My opinion? It's all mental. Carrick gets dropped at the end of the game? Something is really off. 

[Ross Rhea]

6 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Come on.  Tampa has Cup winners on their roster.  They are a hardened and physical perennial playoff team.  The Sabres have 14 players that never played in the playoffs until now.   No way should this be a surprise.  

People need to stop with this excuse. Montreal was out after 5 games last year and their goalie is a rookie this year, Buffalo has guys that have played playoff hockey, played Olympic hockey and a couple guys won the cup before.

[transient]

7 hours ago, ... said:

Just for the sake of clarity, what are y'all thinking Ruff and the coaching staff should be doing at this point in time?

I don’t know about the rest of the coaching staff, but I’m hoping Appert is tidying up his CV in preparation of a job search… 🤷‍♂️

[bob_sauve28]

6 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Come on.  Tampa has Cup winners on their roster.  They are a hardened and physical perennial playoff team.  The Sabres have 14 players that never played in the playoffs until now.   No way should this be a surprise.  

This is how I see it. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

How many cup winners do the Habs have on their roster?  Their coach has several.

The Habs as a whole have much more playoff experience than the Sabres.

The Bruins played way above expectations during the regular season and the Sabres exposed their flaws, but I would not say that was an easy series.

The Habs are a playoff tested team.

It seems that the Sabres were not prepared for them. 

Is that coaching - partly, but the main reason is on the players.  They appear to think that they can just walts around and win in the second round and beyond.

They will play better in game 4 and beyond - I still think the Sabres will win the series in 6 or 7.

Also, Lindy did not listen to me - he should have started 6K.  The team did get a spark with the first goal not even a minute in ... the problem is they did not tend that spark into a flame.

 

[caseydean]

3 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

If we don't realize it NOW? What do you think Lindy is saying? "I told them not to take them for granted and they listened?"

Lindy's been beating this "The Habs are good" drum. Is it for the fans?

I actually think that the team was expecting to play TB in the second round.  The guys they added-- like Stanley-- were suited precisely for the kind of game TB plays. They are not well-equipped to play Montreal's faster game (which suggests Stanley and maybe Timmins should sit and Kesselring and Metsa should play).   Instead, they get Montreal, which came as a bit of surprise and perhaps with the expectation that they were not as good as TB.  Enter Lindy's point-- that just because they are not TB that does not mean they are not effing good.  Indeed, good enough to beat TB, even if they got a bit lucky in game 7.  And then the Sabres rolled Montreal in game 1, which reinforced the notion that Montreal is not as good as TB.

So, all he is saying is that if there was any doubt that Montreal is effing good (or as good as TB), that has been dispelled.  Reading anything more into his comments is just projection IMO.

 

 

[triumph_communes]

Lyon is the better goalie. Full stop. It’d be 10 goals against if it was UPL

Tuch is what Tuch is. Nothing unless someone else motivates him. Which works when Krebs has energy. But Krebs sucks in this series and then so does Tuch. 
 

Tage is probably hurt and he’s over thinking it. He has to do it alone when Krebs is ***** and Tuch follows his lead. We won a lot of games not because of the top line. 
 

We sorely miss Östlund. If there was any question to it. Zucker is hurt and that’s really punishing us ontop of that. We really just need all the lines jumbled because the current spine is broken since key players aren’t in. 
 

We need Metsa in the back against Montreal. They’re too fast for Stanley. He was good against Boston and probably Tampa, but that’s not who we’ve got. Need to make this change before it’s too late. 
 

I was a huge fan of Norris but he is totally out of it now. Power is weak and that isn’t getting better with age. Thomas for these two would’ve been huge for this playoff run. If these were the discussions I trust in Jarmo. I also don’t give up Helenius no matter what 

 

Lindy should be thanked. He broke the curse.  But ultimately the failures on the PP fall on him even if it’s apperts creation. We have a dynamic flowing offense 5v5., but we get into the power play and everyone is stagnant and slow. With the talent we have this is a travesty. It’s entirely coaching fault, not players. 
 

they at least played well in the 3rd.  But that’s when MTL took their foot off the gas. Our defensive zone coverage is terribly and this is not how we played half the year. This is on coaching to figure this ***** out. 
 

Jumble the forwards. Get Metaa in there. Ride Lyon out. Or we have two frustrating games left 

[Gatorman0519]

First time in the playoffs in a long time. We have hit the wall of truth of who we are. The key is what Jarmo does in the off season to see if we continue to climb the ladder or this season was a mirage. 

[Pimlach]

44 minutes ago, caseydean said:

I actually think that the team was expecting to play TB in the second round.  The guys they added-- like Stanley-- were suited precisely for the kind of game TB plays. They are not well-equipped to play Montreal's faster game (which suggests Stanley and maybe Timmins should sit and Kesselring and Metsa should play).   Instead, they get Montreal, which came as a bit of surprise and perhaps with the expectation that they were not as good as TB.  Enter Lindy's point-- that just because they are not TB that does not mean they are not effing good.  Indeed, good enough to beat TB, even if they got a bit lucky in game 7.  And then the Sabres rolled Montreal in game 1, which reinforced the notion that Montreal is not as good as TB.

So, all he is saying is that if there was any doubt that Montreal is effing good (or as good as TB), that has been dispelled.  Reading anything more into his comments is just projection IMO.

 

 

This rationale I can get behind.  I don’t see a need to read much into Lindy’s comments.   Saying Montreal is a good team is obvious and the players know that.   Lindy appears to have no answers   

Montreal is playing much better hockey right now.  They are peaking, and the Sabres appear to be losing confidence.  

Edited May 11 by Pimlach

[triumph_communes]

I roll

Malenstyn-McLeod-Tuch

Benson-Thompson-Doan

Quinn-Norris-Zucker

Krebs-Carrick-Greenway

and I swap Malenstyn and Quinn every other shift or so. But our other forwards  need sparks and Krebs isn’t sparking this series. 

I also keep Stanley in, but sub Metsa for Timmins. He’s put his heart out there, but he’s over his head. Stanley plays better with Metsa