Sabres Road pp

[bottlecap]

I was watching the pp last night and it looked like a 3rd grade

game of hot potato.

 

"You take it, no, you, I don't want it. I don't know what to do

with it. What the hell, I'll shoot it, etc etc.." Not only do the guys

on the pp not want the puck, they give to other guys who don't

want the puck. They have no relationship with the puck.

 

There's little skill in our passing. When we're on the road, this

lack of skill is compounded by a lack of confidence. Overall

what adds to this is a seeming lack of offensive coaching

knowledge. It's the blind leading the blind.

 

As the Devils announcers were saying, there has to be a

designated shooter on the pp and for the Sabres it's all scrambly.

They poke at the puck to get it away from the opponent and those

are their best passes.

 

When there finally is a good pass, it's to a guy who is not a sniper.

Briere and hopefully Vanek are the best hopes we've got for snipers

but our play is too scrambly and unskilled to take advantage of their

close to mid-range skill. Note that Vanek leads the team in assists.

Last year, if you saw his stats with Roch, 42 g / 25 a. He's not a passer,

he's a guy who snipes.

 

We don't have any real skilled passers, or people who are career

setter-uppers, guys with vision who could create by visualizing

what will happen 2 or 3 steps down the road on a play.

 

Our best passes bounce off errant ice chips or go to guys who don't

have a clue on how to put the puck past the goalie and into the net.

 

Also off, topic, I just see Lindy as a goalie killer. He has effectively

ruined Noronen and Biron. He's pinned his hopes on Miller, the

American guy. Can Miller be next? :unsure: