Half-Assed GDT: Hunting Buffalo- Blues versus Sabres 7pm Tonight

[Blueston]

Fair enough. I don’t watch other teams outside of Buffalo and the playoffs

Maybe one day you can watch both Buffalo and the playoffs at same time.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Maybe one day you can watch both Buffalo and the playoffs at same time.

Hopefully. It’s been so long I forget what that’s like

 

[Mike Liut]

Binner would have given up at least 8 or 9 goals. Easily!

or he could have shut them out.

 

[execwrite1]

Any word on Krug - seemed to be missing in the third period.

 

[Zezel’s Pretzels]

Any word on Krug - seemed to be missing in the third period.

He came back…

 

[Puck Luck]

Binnington would have given up 4-5. This game was similar to the Leafs game. If Binnington only gave up 3 and won I would be fine with that game.

There’s no way to know that.

I’m no Binny apologist, but if the name on the back of the jersey was different and all other things being equal, the tone ITT would be way different

i don’t know why i bother addressing the trolls and hot take generators (that’s not directed at you Josh)

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Is this game an anomaly for the Blues? They don’t look like a slow, plodding, hit everyone and their mom team like they did when they won the Cup

This is pretty much what we’ve seen all year:
Talented forward depth in waves, maddening defensive lapses and good to great play in goal making up the difference. The team speed was targeted as an area of emphasis, with some success.

They’re fun to watch and they have accumulated a lot of points, but it’s nearly universally recognized they need an upgrade in top 4 LHD and to tighten up the ship if they expect to win playoff series (plural). There is the small matter of having to go through Colorado in our division, 1st or 2nd round.

The only caveat is that Binnington has struggled since his Covid return, and Husso has played well enough to deserve to take the starting role.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

This is pretty much what we’ve seen all year:
Talented forward depth in waves, maddening defensive lapses and good to great play in goal making up the difference. The team speed was targeted as an area of emphasis, with some success.

They’re fun to watch and they have accumulated a lot of points, but it’s nearly universally recognized they need an upgrade in top 4 LHD and to tighten up the ship if they expect to win playoff series (plural). There is the small matter of having to go through Colorado in our division, 1st or 2nd round.

The only caveat is that Binnington has struggled since his Covid return, and Husso has played well enough to deserve to take the starting role.

Tarasenko returning to form and robbing Buchnevich helps too

 

[Joshuar56]

There’s no way to know that.

I’m no Binny apologist, but if the name on the back of the jersey was different and all other things being equal, the tone ITT would be way different

i don’t know why i bother addressing the trolls and hot take generators (that’s not directed at you Josh)

If you look at Binnington's performance after coming back from Covid when facing over 30 shots it doesn't bode well. His save % is around 88 over the last 3 months. That would be about 4.5 goals last night. There's no way to know with certainty, but odds wouldn't have been good.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Tarasenko returning to form and robbing Buchnevich helps too

While true, both guys have been cast in complimentary roles.

Watching the team lead in goals has been like tennis. 6 guys with 16+ goals and none of them is the leading goal scorer from last year (Perron) or the Captain (OReilly).

If you’re a defending coach with a shut-down line, who do you match then against?

 

[Reality Czech]

Tarasenko returning to form and robbing Buchnevich helps too

Plus the emergence of Thomas and Kyrou as legitimate top line caliber talents and Faulk playing like a two-way beast.

Despite his rough exterior, Berube is very much a player's coach who isn't committed to the old-school defense first approach. While he does expect guys to work their butts off, he doesn't try to force round pegs into square holes like Hitchcock used to do. He lets the forwards run free as long as they play responsible hockey.

 

[BlueDream]

Plus the emergence of Thomas and Kyrou as legitimate top line caliber talents and Faulk playing like a two-way beast.

Despite his rough exterior, Berube is very much a player's coach who isn't committed to the old-school defense first approach. While he does expect guys to work their butts off, he doesn't try to force round pegs into square holes like Hitchcock used to do. He lets the forwards run free as long as they play responsible hockey.

Yep, and Berube also likes creativity. He doesn’t want guys to just throw pucks on net, he preaches making plays first to find better scoring opportunities.

I think we sometimes pass up too many shots but he’s alright with guys doing this, where as Hitchcock was much simpler and just wanted you to throw pucks at the net. I think this is a big reason why our Corsi numbers are low and we get outshot a lot. We don’t take low danger shots.

 

[BlueMed]

Plus the emergence of Thomas and Kyrou as legitimate top line caliber talents and Faulk playing like a two-way beast.

Despite his rough exterior, Berube is very much a player's coach who isn't committed to the old-school defense first approach. While he does expect guys to work their butts off, he doesn't try to force round pegs into square holes like Hitchcock used to do. He lets the forwards run free as long as they play responsible hockey.

Yep, and Berube also likes creativity. He doesn’t want guys to just throw pucks on net, he preaches making plays first to find better scoring opportunities.

I think we sometimes pass up too many shots but he’s alright with guys doing this, where as Hitchcock was much simpler and just wanted you to throw pucks at the net. I think this is a big reason why our Corsi numbers are low and we get outshot a lot. We don’t take low danger shots.

Do you guys remember when our 1C was Backes? Our center depth was horrible. TJ Oshie was recently on a podcast and talked about how Hitch destroyed his creativity by forcing players to dump the puck and retrieve it instead of pulling up and making a play. Meanwhile, Tarasenko scored 40 goals in that system without a bonafide 1C next to him.

 

[Reality Czech]

Do you guys remember when our 1C was Backes? Our center depth was horrible. TJ Oshie was recently on a podcast and talked about how Hitch destroyed his creativity but forcing players to dump the puck and retrieve it instead of pulling up and making a play. Meanwhile, Tarasenko scored 40 goals in that system without a bonafide 1C next to him.

Absolutely. Hitch's system could be effective with the right personnel, but it would never work with our current roster and of course wasn't always fun to watch. And as Oshie said, you run the risk of stifling players' creativity and causing them to lose their love for the game.

I did like Hitch as a person though. Have you guys heard in interviews how he liked it when his players gave it back to him? I think it was Reaves who said during his rookie year Steen told Hitch to F off during a practice and Hitch just laughed it off. Can't imagine anyone talking back to Chief!

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I really appreciate Berube's approach. If I were a player, I'd want it straight. No manipulation or games...just honestly tell a guy what he needs to do. I think Berube's two best qualities are his clear no-nonsense communication, and his mental toughness. The Blues have become a team that routinely wins after giving up a bad goal, and rarely going the other direction of giving up leads easily. The team shows up and competes. Its pretty rare that they look like they're taking a night off. I credit Berube for instilling that.

He's also good at giving players confidence. I remember during the playoffs a couple years ago, about a struggling Tarasenko, "He needs to be play better, but I know he will." or something like that. It was a great vote of confidence and Vlad responded. More recently, I've read similar quotes from Berube about Binnington. There is no lack of appreciation for Husso, and Husso is being treated fairly, but Binnington is getting positive messages and a fair chance to play out of his funk, too.

Contrast Berube with a guy like Babcock playing mind games (of course, there are lots of more extreme examples out there). I think there have been some great teams that won IN SPITE of sub-optimal coaching decisions. Berube's locker room speech before Game 7 only had the credibility and power it had because he'd been honest with guys all along.