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lindy ruff is a genius


blugold43

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i have always thought he needed to put more pressure on max to draw defenders and then look to PASS. apparently he has figured it out:

 

"I really believe - and if I can get him to believe it - that a breakout year for him might be three times as many assists as it is goals," Ruff said. "He creates enough openings just by using his speed and his stickhandling that if he finds other people, his breakout year isn't going to come in the goals column. ( http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20051...?tbd1023876.asp )"

 

it seems so obvious i want to conk his and max's heads together like 2 coconuts...i mean, of course the guy is not going to able to FINISH all the crazy plays he tries to create for himself. watching max trying to skate through 3 defenders and get get meaningful shots off has been one of the great frustrations of being a sabre fan recently. however, there is NO excuse for him not finding open guys all over the place the way he draws attention. i think this might be one of the keys to us maintaining the torrid pace we've set as of late.

 

all i want to know is, where was this advice for the last 3 seasons?? :blink:

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hmm ive never thought of max as a playmaker but he sure has been racking up the assists recently. And your absolutly right. he does attract alot of attention and leaves other team mates wide open for a pass.

 

He also draws the odd penalty here and there from his skating.

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agreed, interesting thought. Helping the team is helping the team and once he is racking up assists, as said earlier, he will be racking up points.

 

on a different subject, Connelly is team leading scorer, drawing with Briere.

 

anyway, i think Max could break out this year.

 

Vanek-Connelly-Max

 

2 playmakers and a skilled goalscorer, this could help Vanek score more.

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This isn't the first time Ruff has talked about Max needing to learn to use his teammates. It's just hte first season were Max is actually listening to him and it's working.

Trust comes with success. Max has made plays before but now they are ending up in the net. He feels better about making plays because his linemates are finishing the plays.

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Lindy is lucky that Campbell and Connolly have the right instincts to for the power play and don't have to be coached in that regard. If LR has learned what makes power play work, it certainly took him long enough to do so.

 

I am not ready to let Lindy off the hook just yet as a coach. I certainly hope he has learned a few things and the current run is more "directed" than merely a matter of having the right personnel mix. If it's the latter, we may still not be out of the Ruff woods, as personnel do change, for whatever reason. Let's hope.

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Trust comes with success. Max has made plays before but now they are ending up in the net. He feels better about making plays because his linemates are finishing the plays.

i agree with that... confidence is key espcially with this team... which would explain why they win so many games when they score the first goal and so few when they get scored on first.

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i agree with that... confidence is key espcially with this team... which would explain why they win so many games when they score the first goal and so few when they get scored on first.

The Sabres are 6-5 when they give up the 1st goal and 10-4-1 when they score the 1st one.

 

Obviously, they win more by scoring 1st than by being scored on, but they are one of only 5 teams with a winning record when scored on 1st. Their 66.7% winning percentage when scoring 1st is only middle of the pack (tied for 14th).

 

That stat tells me very little about team confidence and more about work ethic and talent. They do not typically let down (unless playing Ottawa) when they are trailing but also do not have the talent to put teams away when their hard work provides them a lead. It is something they need to keep in the back of their heads - they are not good enough to beat teams on talent alone. They need to skate hard the full 60 minutes. If they work the whole 60 or 65, good things can happen.

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Lindy is lucky that Campbell and Connolly have the right instincts to for the power play and don't have to be coached in that regard. If LR has learned what makes power play work, it certainly took him long enough to do so.

 

I am not ready to let Lindy off the hook just yet as a coach. I certainly hope he has learned a few things and the current run is more "directed" than merely a matter of having the right personnel mix. If it's the latter, we may still not be out of the Ruff woods, as personnel do change, for whatever reason. Let's hope.

So if Ruff isn't a genius, then Regier must be, right?

 

I mean, he didn't listen to everyone in WNY that was begging for Connolly and Campbell, amongst others, to be shipped out for a bag of pucks.

 

He also didn't listen to everyone who said dump Biron.

 

He also didn't hamstring the Sabres capwise like a bunch of GMs by spending widely on guys in FA this past summer.

 

This team is playing way above expectations. So that means that some of the people in charge down at HSBC Arena know what they are doing, right?

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So if Ruff isn't a genius, then Regier must be, right?

 

I mean, he didn't listen to everyone in WNY that was begging for Connolly and Campbell, amongst others, to be shipped out for a bag of pucks.

 

He also didn't listen to everyone who said dump Biron.

 

He also didn't hamstring the Sabres capwise like a bunch of GMs by spending widely on guys in FA this past summer.

 

This team is playing way above expectations. So that means that some of the people in charge down at HSBC Arena know what they are doing, right?

nahh, they still are dunces, but its the perfect storm.....a good storm!

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