Fair assessment of our playoff woes on NHL.com

[RETURNTOGLORY]

This is an article on NHL.com from Amalie Benjamin.

Here's a snippet. I encourage you to read the entire article. I feel she's near spot-on.

"

Big guys weren't big enough

There was no question that in Game 6, some of the Sabres big names, notably Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, began to find their games. But it came a bit too late and wasn't quite enough.

But forward Alex Tuch didn't find his game at all.

After scoring seven points (four goals, three assists) in six games against the Bruins, Tuch had no points despite leading the team with 26 shots on goal and was minus-8 against the Canadiens. The Western New York native is the team's biggest pending unrestricted free agent.

As Tuch said after the 6-3 loss in Game 5, "I've got to bear down. I've got to be better. … I can't play the way I'm playing right now."

While some of the Sabres depth players -- forwards Zach Benson and Josh Doan among them -- did a good job of providing offense, it wasn't enough to make up for the vanishing act pulled by the top guys that, in some games, included misplayed pucks, mistimed penalties, or outright mistakes.

Dahlin (five points) and Thompson (four) had major bounce-backs in Game 6, and Dahlin scored the game-tying goal in Game 7, but had they been bigger factors earlier in the series, it's possible it wouldn't have gotten that far."

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/playoffs/why-buffalo-sabres-are-eliminated-from-2025-2026-postseason

Edited May 19 by RETURNTOGLORY

[PerreaultForever]

Listening to the locker clean out interviews there's too much happy with the season talk and not enough I have to be better talk. I can understand it, and it's real, but now they have to shift the bar of expectation and next season has to be about winning the cup. Anything else is failure. They likely won't win it, but that has to be the goal and expectation. 

[CallawaySabres]

Montreal put pucks on net from all over the place and got some lucky bounces, Buffalo tried to be too pretty and did not test their goalie nearly enough....that was the difference. There was nothing more and nothing less, Buffalo was the better team but fell short unfortunately. One play in OT summed up the whole series - Tage coming in on the 2 on 1 and never even got the shot off.

[French Collection]

1 minute ago, CallawaySabres said:

Montreal put pucks on net from all over the place and got some lucky bounces, Buffalo tried to be too pretty and did not test their goalie nearly enough....that was the difference. There was nothing more and nothing less, Buffalo was the better team but fell short unfortunately. One play in OT summed up the whole series - Tage coming in on the 2 on 1 and never even got the shot off.

Tommy Dangles, that handle says a lot.

[Trettioåtta]

Alex Tuch: after the game when the locker room opened he was still sitting there in his gear while most players were gone or doing media. Friedman said ”I don’t know what it means but it was striking”

Not even on the ice for a single goal scored by the Sabres.

I think it really falls on him. For all the complaints about TNT - which are very valid - ultimately he did put up points in the series when we needed them.

Norris didn't put up many points, but more than Tuch - and he was noticeable along the walls and faceoff a lot

Edited May 19 by Trettioåtta

[RETURNTOGLORY]

1 minute ago, CallawaySabres said:

Montreal put pucks on net from all over the place and got some lucky bounces, Buffalo tried to be too pretty and did not test their goalie nearly enough....that was the difference. There was nothing more and nothing less, Buffalo was the better team but fell short unfortunately. One play in OT summed up the whole series - Tage coming in on the 2 on 1 and never even got the shot off.

I've literally SCREAMED the entire season about the lack of shooting and the teams habitual overpassing!

Clear and unobstructed shots from the kill-zone but more often than not, that " last second" pass for a " better shot"!

It ***** killed me! 

The difference when your coached by a former D man going against a team coached by a star forward?

[RETURNTOGLORY]

1 minute ago, Trettioåtta said:

Alex Tuch: after the game when the locker room opened he was still sitting there in his gear while most players were gone or doing media. Friedman said ”I don’t know what it means but it was striking”

Hopefully it meant several things:

1) He knows he let his team down

2) He played like crap in the Montreal series ( He had ZERO POINTS and was a minus 7!)

3) His day's in Buffalo may be numbered.

4) He realized that his performance may affect a potential signing( $$) with a new team.

5) He may have started to reconsider his ask from the Sabres and give in to the hometown discount.

6) Continue to reflect how badly he played in the Montreal series!

[Trettioåtta]

Just now, RETURNTOGLORY said:

Hopefully it meant several things:

1) He knows he let his team down

2) He played like crap in the Montreal series ( He had ZERO POINTS and was a minus 7!)

3) His day's in Buffalo may be numbered.

4) He realized that his performance may affect a potential signing( $$) with a new team.

5) He may have started to reconsider his ask from the Sabres and give in to the hometown discount.

6) Continue to reflect how badly he played in the Montreal series!

Hard to justify $11M when you don't put up any points in the seven most important games of the season

[Scottysabres]

We all knew this. It’s not news. The depth scoring on this team during the regular season run was fabulous. Hell, even Carrick was finding his scoring touch before the injury but as soon as he got here.

I've said it once…..scratch that…..WE’VE said it once we’ve said it a thousand gazzilion times, we need a true top line. Our lines 2 and 3 have plenty of guns, our line 4 could use a tweak but otherwise was good. 
 

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency…….which leads to clutch……imho.

Go out and get McDavid, that’s my hope as fruitless as it sounds because we it is. But the point is bring in that caliber of player.

[tom webster]

10 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

Montreal put pucks on net from all over the place and got some lucky bounces, Buffalo tried to be too pretty and did not test their goalie nearly enough....that was the difference. There was nothing more and nothing less, Buffalo was the better team but fell short unfortunately. One play in OT summed up the whole series - Tage coming in on the 2 on 1 and never even got the shot off.

Hockey is just such a weird sport. Buffalo out chanced them 60/40 over the last three games and lost two of them.

Alex Tuch is being vilified for his series performance but was third in league in five on five chances in the second round,

Montreal was badly outplayed for the entirety of round one game seven and two thirds of second round game seven, has gotten almost nothing five on five from their first line and are the media darlings and in the conference finals.

Who knew that Alex Newhook outperforming Jason Zucker could mean so much?

[quill]

4 minutes ago, Trettioåtta said:

Alex Tuch: after the game when the locker room opened he was still sitting there in his gear while most players were gone or doing media. Friedman said ”I don’t know what it means but it was striking”

A player sitting there still in his gear when most of the others were gone is something "striking?" That is one of the dumbest things to be concerned about ever. So what if it took Tuch a little longer to clear his head and get into street clothes after such a disastrous loss.

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, tom webster said:

Hockey is just such a weird sport. Buffalo out chanced them 60/40 over the last three games and lost two of them.

Alex Tuch is being vilified for his series performance but was third in league in five on five chances in the second round,

Montreal was badly outplayed for the entirety of round one game seven and two thirds of second round game seven, has gotten almost nothing five on five from their first line and are the media darlings and in the conference finals.

Who knew that Alex Newhook outperforming Jason Zucker could mean so much?

The Habs have lived this post-season on flulke goals, PP goals, bad goals, and good puck luck in their own end.

Feel strongly that teams "make their own luck" but this has been kind of crazy.  

Really can't see them giving the Canes a good series, but if the Canes come in rusty, and especially if Anderson took the long layoff to find his Ghost of Playoffs Past, they could actually pull this off.

And REALLY hope somebody in the analytics or the hockey departments manages to figure out just how they managed to go 2-5 in 7 home playoff games.  The Granato led teams were awful at home and respectable or even actually good on the road.  But, both of these years under Ruff they were not just good but very good at home; at least until Game 2 of Round 1 and then the wheels fell off.

[thewookie1]

2 minutes ago, Taro T said:

The Habs have lived this post-season on flulke goals, PP goals, bad goals, and good puck luck in their own end.

Feel strongly that teams "make their own luck" but this has been kind of crazy.  

Really can't see them giving the Canes a good series, but if the Canes come in rusty, and especially if Anderson took the long layoff to find his Ghost of Playoffs Past, they could actually pull this off.

And REALLY hope somebody in the analytics or the hockey departments manages to figure out just how they managed to go 2-5 in 7 home playoff games.  The Granato led teams were awful at home and respectable or even actually good on the road.  But, both of these years under Ruff they were not just good but very good at home; at least until Game 2 of Round 1 and then the wheels fell off.

Think it just came down to the team feels they need to put on a show for the fans and Thompson is at the top of that list as one could see by his point splits between home/away. They all need to embrace the Benson & Doan, patent pending, approach of playing relentless and letting the crowd get entertained by watching the energy. 

The Habs have to be the luckiest team in the league this year in the playoffs. How in the world does a team get completely outplayed in two separate Game 7s and yet still win both. 

34 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Listening to the locker clean out interviews there's too much happy with the season talk and not enough I have to be better talk. I can understand it, and it's real, but now they have to shift the bar of expectation and next season has to be about winning the cup. Anything else is failure. They likely won't win it, but that has to be the goal and expectation. 

Let them settle themselves like we are; there are higher expectations but still much to celebrate from this season 

[Trettioåtta]

36 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Listening to the locker clean out interviews there's too much happy with the season talk and not enough I have to be better talk. I can understand it, and it's real, but now they have to shift the bar of expectation and next season has to be about winning the cup. Anything else is failure. They likely won't win it, but that has to be the goal and expectation. 

This is good. Let them be positive and look forward to building something better. Throughout the tank all we heard was 'I have to be better next season'. That negative view doesn't motivate people, it consumes them. Just because they can reflect on the good of the season, doesn't mean they are satisfied with the outcome.

[RETURNTOGLORY]

34 minutes ago, Trettioåtta said:

Hard to justify $11M when you don't put up any points in the seven most important games of the season

100% agree!

The most crucial series in the teams last 20 years, and more so importantly, Tuchs, and he dissapears. 

Of course their will be a team out there willing to pay him. 

[Carmel Corn]

44 minutes ago, RETURNTOGLORY said:

Hopefully it meant several things:

1) He knows he let his team down

2) He played like crap in the Montreal series ( He had ZERO POINTS and was a minus 7!)

3) His day's in Buffalo may be numbered.

4) He realized that his performance may affect a potential signing( $$) with a new team.

5) He may have started to reconsider his ask from the Sabres and give in to the hometown discount.

6) Continue to reflect how badly he played in the Montreal series!

Rest assured that Tuch’s agent will be in denial about most of the points above….except maybe #3.

[Trettioåtta]

1 minute ago, Carmel Corn said:

Rest assured that Tuch’s agent will be in denial about most of the points above….except maybe #3.

"I guarantee you it doesn't change a single thing as far as how he's viewed across the market," Scott Bartlett told ESPN on Tuesday.

[inkman]

19 minutes ago, Trettioåtta said:

"I guarantee you it doesn't change a single thing as far as how he's viewed across the market," Scott Bartlett told ESPN on Tuesday.

I mean what’s he supposed to say. “He had a rough go of it” I expect his payday and subsequently my payday will be significantly less. Not for nothing, he’s the top forward UFA. Someone will throw $70-80 mill at him. 

[SwampD]

2 hours ago, Trettioåtta said:

Alex Tuch: after the game when the locker room opened he was still sitting there in his gear while most players were gone or doing media. Friedman said ”I don’t know what it means but it was striking”

Not even on the ice for a single goal scored by the Sabres.

I think it really falls on him. For all the complaints about TNT - which are very valid - ultimately he did put up points in the series when we needed them.

Norris didn't put up many points, but more than Tuch - and he was noticeable along the walls and faceoff a lot

He was probably thinking, “I really should have signed the deal they already offered me…”

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, Trettioåtta said:

This is good. Let them be positive and look forward to building something better. Throughout the tank all we heard was 'I have to be better next season'. That negative view doesn't motivate people, it consumes them. Just because they can reflect on the good of the season, doesn't mean they are satisfied with the outcome.

That's fair. I'm just saying for next year I want the hunger there. I want them to not be happy with this year and want more. I don't want them relaxing all summer. I want that attitude one of them said (I'm forgetting which now maybe it was Doan) of next season starts now. 

[thewookie1]

9 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

That's fair. I'm just saying for next year I want the hunger there. I want them to not be happy with this year and want more. I don't want them relaxing all summer. I want that attitude one of them said (I'm forgetting which now maybe it was Doan) of next season starts now. 

Yeah, Doan had a great interview and do believe them when they say that they’ve got a taste of it and want more. 
 

3 hours ago, Trettioåtta said:

"I guarantee you it doesn't change a single thing as far as how he's viewed across the market," Scott Bartlett told ESPN on Tuesday.

I don’t think the agent matters if Tuch wants to stick around. If he wants to finish out his career in Buffalo and continue building with this team he is going to have to take less than market value. It’s entirely up to him.

Personally I’d take 8x8.5mil and keep playing for my childhood team, but thats just me. To me, if I were a player, if I loved my situation the difference between 68mil and 88mil would be meaningless. Either way you are making significant money and in Buffalo you know that post-retirement you’ll never be in trouble with finding post retirement work and feeling at home. The agent would obviously disagree but motivation can stem from many factors. Money is merely one of them.

[Gatorman0519]

Our top guys didn’t do enough and the goaltending was not good enough. The depth scoring and defense was really good I thought. Some big moves need to be made to become a contender. Right now we look like a playoff team but nowhere near a Colorado or Carolina. If we don’t pull that off we will be like Toronto or Minny, just a first or second round team every year. For me that’s not good enough.