GDT: Game 45: Lightning @ Sabres - 1/12 7pm ET (MSG-B, WGR 550)

[toomuchsauce]

This is a feature, not a bug of 'game management'. It's insane that Vegas spreads a line for the games.

NHL wants parity at all costs...and they get it.

 

[Howie Hodge]

They're losing games. To say they're done, while they're still ahead, yeah you're being more whiner line than not.

Reality is not whining.

But if in 10 games I'm wrong, I'll be happy to own it.

You and I can make a point to talk again at that point. Hope you can tell me you told me so. I don't think that's likely old bean...

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

Reality is not whining.

But if in 10 games I'm wrong, I'll be happy to own it.

You and I can make a point to talk again at that point. Hope you can tell me you told me so. I don't think that's likely old bean...

Just keep being bitter, it'll make you happier.

 

[Panthaz89]

Yeah, I agree the refs made some brutal calls tonight, in particular the call on Eichel, but the better team won. Despite the fact that the Sabres carried play at 5v5 through the first 40 minutes, TBL was so dominant at 5v5 in the third that they out-attempted the Sabres for the entire game. That's...not great.

Cool they outchanced us in a period where they took our 2 best centers off the ice and put in Sobotka in a 4v4 situation against Stamkos and Kucherov instead of us being on the PP.......I wonder how we got outchanced heavily in such a period. Lets put Kucherov and Stamkos in the box for doing nothing and put Eichel in a 4v4 situation against them......see who gets outchanced after that.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Just keep being bitter, it'll make you happier.

You're projecting old bean, very unbecoming of you..

 

[OkimLom]

Cool they outchanced us in a period where they took our 2 best centers off the ice and put in Sobotka in a 4v4 situation against Stamkos and Kucherov instead of us being on the PP.......I wonder how we got outchanced heavily in such a period.

They didn’t just outchance us at the end of the period during this time. They dominated that whole period.

 

[toomuchsauce]

Based on the comments tonight, I feel like I might be breaking some news to some of you...but...NHL refs see most of the penalties that occur in any given game...and raise their arms to call penalties on only a small percentage of the infractions they see. That is how they are instructed to do their jobs, both formally and informally.

Yikes.

 

[Panthaz89]

Based on the comments tonight, I feel like I might be breaking some news to some of you...but...NHL refs see most of the penalties that occur in any given game...and raise their arms to call penalties on only a small percentage of the infractions they see. That is how they are instructed to do their jobs, both formally and informally.

Yikes.

Neither Jack nor Larsson committed a penalty.....

 

[Panthaz89]

They didn’t just outchance us at the end of the period during this time. They dominated that whole period.

They literally only dominated when Sobotka was on the ice....people who watched the game know what they see. Every other line had the Lightning pinned in their end even in the 3rd. There is a reason he was -3 while the rest of the lines were usually even or plus.

 

[toomuchsauce]

Cool they outchanced us in a period where they took our 2 best centers off the ice and put in Sobotka in a 4v4 situation against Stamkos and Kucherov instead of us being on the PP.......I wonder how we got outchanced heavily in such a period. Lets put Kucherov and Stamkos in the box for doing nothing and put Eichel in a 4v4 situation against them......see who gets outchanced after that.

Dude, I agree the call on Eichel was garbage. The point is, that shit happens. More to the point, actually, there was 15 minutes of 5v5 hockey in the third period. And it didn't go well. In fact, it was bad.

Anyway, (and, admittedly moving the goalposts) why is Sobotka even on the roster? That is a management problem.

 

[toomuchsauce]

Neither Jack nor Larsson committed a penalty.....

Right, but, two things: 1) shit happens fast; and 2) that is how they are instructed to do their jobs (even it up).

 

[toomuchsauce]

I cannot believe I am defending referees in this thread. What have I become?

 

[CarlWinslow]

Brutal officiating.

Between the absurd bounces of last night and the awful reffing to close this game tonight, the Sabres got hosed.

The call on Eichel was utter trash and totally changed the game.

 

[GellMann]

The results of the last two nights sucked. But they aren't playing as bad hockey right now as they were from about the last 3 games of the streak through a few games ago. If they can tighten things up some wins will follow. Just like how their best hockey this season so far wasn't actually the 10 game streak, it began sometime in the 10 games before it.

That being said, winning just 6 of 20 since it ended is disastrous. We were 10 points up on the first team outside of the playoffs about 5 weeks ago and now sit outside looking in.

 

[CrazyPsycho]

 

[OkimLom]

They literally only dominated when Sobotka was on the ice....people who watched the game know what they see. Every other line had the Lightning pinned in their end even in the 3rd. There is a reason he was -3 while the rest of the lines were usually even or plus.

Disagree about how Tampa outchancee us only when Sobotka was out there. Lightning outchanced us for the majority of the period, with them outshooting us at one point 9-3 in the period.

 

[truthbluth]

I hate the Lightning. f*** those sacks of dog shit. Warehousing talent just cause your trashy Meth infested state is so interested in catering to soulless rich people looking for a haven from taxes while the people that serve them and subsist on their crumbs have terrible public services. f***. The. Lightning.

 

[truthbluth]

“Keep your hands down.” What a joke. Eichel did everything he could to avoid contact. If it wasn’t his elbow it would have been his rib cage.

 

[K8fool]

NO argument but it's easier to just say that Tampa's a way better team than the Sabres.

And we have a ways to go to match them and the rest of the NHL elite.

That's reality guys....

How about they are better but with our effort only better 6 out of ten games.. If this , if that we are not 15 teams worse than them and can play up to or beyond them as young guys excel within the.boundries of a system that doesnt ask them to beat guys one on one except along the boards.. loved the scandella goal and pom goal yesterday.. hope is slightly shining..
But so there is no confusion.. you are correct with the above rationalizations..

 

[tsujimoto74]

Literally 0 excusable reason for the refs to be calling this complete non-penalty, especially when they'll sit there and watch countless obvious infractions without even thinking about reaching for the whistle. Officiating in this league is disgraceful.

 

[K8fool]

Sweet pass Pommers

He has played three excellent games in a row. Hopefully after all star break we can expect twenty like the these and the first twenty as this group tries to hit over 96 points with this entire group intact w Wilson as pseudo enforcer..

 

[GellMann]

Our guys don't have the instincts of the Lightning, and I'm not sure those are things that develop with time. I'd argue it's part of "hockey sense." When Tampa plays, they fill open areas of the ice like liquid. Buffalo doesn't have a lot of guys good with spatial awareness. I hate to keep dumping on Tage, who has played pretty well the last few weeks, but there were several instances of this with him tonight that were so irritating. A terrible angle to a puck at the boards he started out 10 feet closer to than any Lightning resulted in a lost battle. A misread of a teammate obviously needing him to hit open space, as he shot to the boards below all other players, while the teammate was squeezed out and Tampa was off with Tage yards behind every other player on the ice. He was the most egregious with this tonight, but it infects all of our guys. Jack and Jeff both went to the obviously wrong side of a board scrum and Tampa came back 5 on 3, 5 on 2 essentially because they can all outskate Reinhart. Who is the only Sabre forward I would actively consider as having an understanding this part of the game as the supporting player AND passer looking for his teammates to support in space, since we traded ROR.

Whereas every single random 25 goal rookie the Lightning have added since 2013 has it in spades, as does every single member of their fourth line, whose hands are the ONLY reason they aren't all better players than damn near every single forward in the Buffalo Sabres organization.

 

[OkimLom]

The results of the last two nights sucked. But they aren't playing as bad hockey right now as they were from about the last 3 games of the streak through a few games ago. If they can tighten things up some wins will follow. Just like how their best hockey this season so far wasn't actually the 10 game streak, it began sometime in the 10 games before it.

That being said, winning just 6 of 20 since it ended is disastrous. We were 10 points up on the first team outside of the playoffs about 5 weeks ago and now sit outside looking in.

Re: 10 games prior to streak;

They went 4-4-2 with their two best games against LA and Ottawa. Other than that they had inconsistent games throughout those other 8 games. Many of those games Hutton kept us in games to give us a chance. When we finally started to receive consistent secondary scoring on top of that goaltending, that’s when we started the 10 game streak.

IMO, the peak of their best played game came the games before the streak, but the streak had their most consistent games.

 

[GellMann]

Re: 10 games prior to streak;

They went 4-4-2 with their two best games against LA and Ottawa. Other than that they had inconsistent games throughout those other 8 games. Many of those games Hutton kept us in games to give us a chance. When we finally started to receive consistent secondary scoring on top of that goaltending, that’s when we started the 10 game streak.

IMO, the peak of their best played game came the games before the streak, but the streak had their most consistent games.

It's kind of a tough stretch of time to evaluate, because the first two periods against Winnipeg might be the worst two I've seen this team play this season, but that was right in the middle of the streak. That was also our worst Tampa game, and it's the only one we won. But I remember feeling more optimistic before the streak even started than I did at any point during it, until the end hit and I realized we had 20 points in 20 games, and what amazing things that does for you in the standings, which we've wiped out in an absurdly fast time period. I remember cautioning my friends that we might see the outside of the playoffs before Valentine's day. We beat that by a month

But when we sandwiched that 3 game losing streak with the wins against Montreal and the Ottawa blowout, I liked those 3 games - huge comeback against a hot BJs team that was an OTL, a solid game against the now-Pacific-owning Flames that also ended in OT, and a loss in Ottawa with some of the best possession, zone time, and chances I remember this year, immediately over-corrected in the 9-2 drubbing - those 5 games we looked like a team that was going to do something. Then we did something, but IMO never looked quite as good doing it as we did during that time.

 

[toomuchsauce]

Our guys don't have the instincts of the Lightning, and I'm not sure those are things that develop with time. I'd argue it's part of "hockey sense." When Tampa plays, they fill open areas of the ice like liquid. Buffalo doesn't have a lot of guys good with spatial awareness. I hate to keep dumping on Tage, who has played pretty well the last few weeks, but there were several instances of this with him tonight that were so irritating. A terrible angle to a puck at the boards he started out 10 feet closer to than any Lightning resulted in a lost battle. A misread of a teammate obviously needing him to hit open space, as he shot to the boards below all other players, while the teammate was squeezed out and Tampa was off with Tage yards behind every other player on the ice. He was the most egregious with this tonight, but it infects all of our guys. Jack and Jeff both went to the obviously wrong side of a board scrum and Tampa came back 5 on 3, 5 on 2 essentially because they can all outskate Reinhart. Who is the only Sabre forward I would actively consider as having an understanding this part of the game as the supporting player AND passer looking for his teammates to support in space, since we traded ROR.

Whereas every single random 25 goal rookie the Lightning have added since 2013 has it in spades, as does every single member of their fourth line, whose hands are the ONLY reason they aren't all better players than damn near every single forward in the Buffalo Sabres organization.

Straight fire. "Hockey sense" is a thing that Alex Nylander has that Tage "Toe Drag Resulting in Turnover" Thompson does not have.