Post-Game Talk: #31 | Sabres 1 at FLYERS 2 | Thu., Dec. 14, 7:00 pm ET

Amorgus

Registered User
Sep 22, 2017
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Rochester NY
I guess it's a good thing I was on phone calls during most of this game to keep me awake. It's also a good thing I wasn't on the phone yet when that first goal got scored. Holy hell was that awful! I'm glad that didn't set the theme for the rest of the game.
 

Curufinwe

Registered User
Feb 28, 2013
55,502
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As much as this team is apparently must-win mode – if one believes the talking heads – this was about the only game where Lyon had a chance to get some game action as a starter.

Fortunately, the next back to back games don't happen for another week. Neuvirth should probably play in Buffalo or CBJ.
 

deadhead

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Feb 26, 2014
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I am entirely up front that the way I want to go comes with more mistakes and specifically more glaring ones, but I have spent countless hours reading research and papers and books on what we can reasonably say is and is not repeatable and every angle that passes the smell test to me says you need to take more risks, not less. Dictating and putting pressure on the other team to react has real, tangible value. I certainly don't think it's a conspiracy, but I do think Hextall could not disagree with me more. I

I don't think Hextall disagrees with you at all, but sees it from a different perspective.

That is, "first, do no harm," i.e., like Brett Brown, he thinks offense starts with defense, learn to play great defense. Then build your offensive attack off transition from defense.

Hextall has drafted a lot of potentially explosive offensive players, I doubt he did that so they'd play a Devil's type of trap game.

Rather, I think he wants a team with talented offensive players to play a disciplned, fundamentally sound style of game, then build their offense off that style of play.

His ideal team would have 6 Couts, 3 Girous, 3 Raffls and 6 Provorovs.
I'm joking of course, but they are the players that fit what Hextall is rrying to build, players who aren't necessarly the most physically talented, but are smart, focused, disciplined and highly competitve. A team full of those kind of players would score a lot, but not give up a lot of easy goals.

Right now the scheme is boring because a lot of the players are boring, That is going to change in the near future. When Provorov, Giroux and Couts are on the ice, this team is not boring, when the Laughton line is on e the ice. Sanheim is definitely not boring, scary, but not boring.

In Hextall's world, if you have a limited player like Manning, you coach him not to be too aggressive (he could be a 40 point scorer on some teams, of course he'd also be -20), so if you have a lot of limited players, the team looks conservative. But Provorov has not been coached to play it safe, and with Sanheim, the emphasis isn't to be conservative, but to be smart - not the same thing.
 

deadhead

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Feb 26, 2014
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They have, look at Manning two years ago and today. He's far more disciplined. His problems now are more lack of talent, he can't outskate mistakes like Ghost does.

Manning deserves credit from going from an AHL journeyman to NHL 3rd pair defenseman through hard work. His problem is he's probably hit his ceiling at this point - but Schultz had a long NHL career. And I suspect Manning will be playing somewhere for a number of years, just not here.
 

deadhead

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Feb 26, 2014
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21,617
The numbers say Ghost isn't a great ES player right now, and hasn't been since his first couple months. Great PP QB, but at ES he's nothing special, no matter how pretty he looks.

I think the jabs at Ghost aren't jabs, just correctives to the fact that many people overrate him here. Because of his defensive limitations due to his size (he isn't nearly as strong as Kimmo and it shows, especially in the D-zone where he consistently loses puck battles), he has to be elite on offense to be a top defenseman.

He also needs to clean up the bad plays, because he can't be elite on offense if he's consistently giving the other team HDSCs.

Ghost 5x5
CF 49.5%, SCF% 48.2%, HDCF 45.2%, xGF% 49.1%
 

Striiker

Former Flyers Fan
Jun 2, 2013
89,442
155,161
Pennsylvania
He's always playing with deadweight.

He isn't the problem, the skill doesn't disappear. But admitting that would be admitting that Hagg and Manning are horrible, which you'll never do, so it's easier to dishonestly bash Gostisbehere.
 

Foggy14

Registered User
Sep 13, 2017
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For me, this was the turning point in the game.

DRF-vr9XcAAg6cI.jpg


A major mistake by Elliott (his second in the first four minutes) and it looks like the Sabres are going up 2-0 early. But a rookie bails him out.

Seconds later, another veteran (Weise) makes a big mistake in neutral ice and turns the puck over. After a good touch by Gudas, the rookie retrieves the puck and does what the veteran Weise should have done; get it deep in the Sabres' zone. The Flyers score seconds later.

The rookie didn't get on the score sheet for this sequence, but he saved a goal and made the smart play that led to a goal for the Flyers. That evened the game, got the Flyers moving in the right direction and gave them a chance to win it later.

Sure hope the coaches gave the rookie a pat on the back for that shift.
 

YEM

Registered User
Mar 7, 2010
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sabers need about 5 [more] years of a 76ers-like tank job, they are horrid
 

Tripod

I hate this team
Aug 12, 2008
78,751
86,033
Nova Scotia
The numbers say Ghost isn't a great ES player right now, and hasn't been since his first couple months. Great PP QB, but at ES he's nothing special, no matter how pretty he looks.

I think the jabs at Ghost aren't jabs, just correctives to the fact that many people overrate him here. Because of his defensive limitations due to his size (he isn't nearly as strong as Kimmo and it shows, especially in the D-zone where he consistently loses puck battles), he has to be elite on offense to be a top defenseman.

He also needs to clean up the bad plays, because he can't be elite on offense if he's consistently giving the other team HDSCs.

Ghost 5x5
CF 49.5%, SCF% 48.2%, HDCF 45.2%, xGF% 49.1%
Now compare that to when he plays with Provorov.
 

Flyerfan4life

Registered User
Jun 9, 2010
34,596
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Richmond BC, Canada
They have, look at Manning two years ago and today. He's far more disciplined. His problems now are more lack of talent, he can't outskate mistakes like Ghost does.

Manning deserves credit from going from an AHL journeyman to NHL 3rd pair defenseman through hard work. His problem is he's probably hit his ceiling at this point - but Schultz had a long NHL career. And I suspect Manning will be playing somewhere for a number of years, just not here.

your level of delussional knows no boundaries does it..
 

Rebels57

Former Flyers fan
Sponsor
Sep 28, 2014
76,383
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Winning two games in a row where the goalie gave up an awful goal in the 1st 10 minutes is hopefully a sign the team as a whole have turned the corner mentally. They didn't let Elliott's lapses deflate them.

It would be good to get Neuvirth back soon so Elliott doesn't have to play every game in December. Giving him that kind of workload is asking for trouble.

I don't see any chance Neuvirth is here next year. He's far too unreliable and keeps putting the team in difficult situations. I think he is traded one way or another.
 

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