People get really bent out of shape this season. It's kinda amusing.
In case you hadn't noticed, TB is more talented, faster, quicker and more skilled.
So Hakstol puts out a bigger lineup and plays more physical instead of trying to match TB stride for stride.
How can they win in the toughest arena in the league while losing to Buffalo? Because that's what mediocre teams do, win when they bring their A game and lose to bad teams when they bring their C game.
And when you have mediocre talent, your best hope for winning is to play a disciplined, conservative style of play.
Manning scores the game winning goal on a fine play (uh, a D-man behind the net, is the world ending?)
So how many goals has Sanheim scored? Or assisted?
Sanheim will be the better player down the road, but he's still a work in progress. And Manning (UFA) needs to be showcased for a trade (otherwise, you might be looking at an extension)
Konecny played much better, but like the team, is this a trend or just a night where he was more focused?'
Patrick is looking better skating, I think he's still a month or so away from being effective, but he can now beat Lehtera in a race.
I hate slap shots, Provorov got too excited and broke his stick trying to shoot the puck as hard as possible instead of just getting it on net - he needs to have a long talk with Gudas. Gudas has a real nice wrist from the point that gets through traffic, which is the point of a shot from the blue line - get it through traffic and good things happen. If you're gonna slap it, forget the big windup, develop a quick, short stroke and practice getting the puck on net and not firing away blindly.
Why do veterans play at the end of games? Gee, Filppula blows a lot of offensive chances because his skills have declined, but he's one of the few forwards who knows where to be on defense and consistently breaks up plays. MacDonald had the key sequence on the last TB PP where he blocks a shot (the one area where he excels) then clears the puck, ending the threat.
Lehtera or Leier is a wash, neither does much of anything.
Weal at least can actually handle a puck, though the magic of last season is gone.
Weise is playing better recently, wonder if someone explained to him that if you're a big power forward with limited skills, you can skate in Allentown or hit in Philly. He's become a consistent presence in front of the net, which is desperately needed on this team.
Just waiting for the kids from the AHL to arrive.
And as far as playing kids, this team isn't out of the playoff race, for all you people whining about wasting G and Voracek's best years, are you going to tell them the team should give up on the playoffs before the New Year starts? Plenty of time to play kids in March after the firesale if they fall behind by 10 points by mid-February.
