GDT: Game 73: Coyotes @ Sabres - 4 PM - FSAZ

[Grimes]

Yes sir, although there wasn't a ton of Yotes fans there (more than last time I was at a Yotes @ Buffalo game though). Even saw a guy in an old school green jersey with Tocchet 22 on the back.

By any chance a white jersey with a charcoal grey yotes hat + glasses?

 

[Mosby]

Not me. Went with the kachina tonight.

 

[RemoAZ]

 

[Jakey53]

This team should be in a playoff spot. **** Domingue and the first quarter of the season. I have no clue what clicked but this team is superior to that of its 2017 opening campaign. If they play like this at seasons start, were at least in a wild card spot, at least.

Curious to see what Chyka adds this summer. We win the Dahlin sweep stakes and upgrade a top 6, preferably top 3 forward, things can happen, the river should turn white.

Cool your jets. We are playing above our heads now, just the opposite how we played to start the year. I figured this team would be sniffing for a playoff spot this year and if they would have gotten a better start we may have been in that range. Next year I expect this team to be in the playoffs.

 

[Matias Maccete]

To be fair, he saw a lot of things in that job that would drive a man to drink "Bit a Cop"-drunk.

"He just yelled something about 1st line center Arcobello and attacked"

 

[Jakey53]

The only team which benefitted from the tank is Toronto, and I dare say that their success has more to do with excellent talent acquisition than Matthews. Edmonton, despite McDavid, and Buffalo, despite Eichel, are not playoff teams 3 years later. With the poor management of the previous front office I seriously doubt that either McDavid or Eichel would have saved our franchise from where it is right now.

As good as McDavid and Eichel are, it takes a supporting cast to win, but Edmonton and Buffalo should be way ahead in their development curve than they are. It proves how hard it is to win in the NHL.

 

[_Del_]

Cool your jets. We are playing above our heads now, just the opposite how we played to start the year. I figured this team would be sniffing for a playoff spot this year and if they would have gotten a better start we may have been in that range. Next year I expect this team to be in the playoffs.

20 bad games under a brand new coach who gets ECHL goaltending defines the season. The following 53 games over .500 and 20 great games as the season progresses should be completely ignored as a small sample size.

As good as McDavid and Eichel are, it takes a supporting cast to win, but Edmonton and Buffalo should be way ahead in their development curve than they are. It proves how hard it is to win in the NHL.

It's hard to win in the NHL even with superstars, but the Coyotes should definitely be expected in the playoffs seven though we have no idea what the roster looks like and we have no starting goaltender under contract. Of course you also thought we were going to be a playoff team when we got 56 points on the season, so I get it.

 

[Kaibur]

Max Domi, the fearless little pitbull. But grabbing Jordan Nolan in a nothing game in Buffalo with 10 games left in a lost season right before you sign an extension and right after you've struggled from a broken hand in a fight?! That had me on the edge of my seat, and not in a good way.

 

[MIGs Dog]

...proves how hard it is to win in the NHL.

Vegas disagrees.

 

[_Del_]

Max Domi, the fearless little pitbull. But grabbing Jordan Nolan in a nothing game in Buffalo with 10 games left in a lost season right before you sign an extension and right after you've struggled from a broken hand in a fight?! That had me on the edge of my seat, and not in a good way.

Meanwhile, Jordan Nolan is faced with a dilemma

Stolen from Sabres board

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Max Domi, the fearless little pitbull. But grabbing Jordan Nolan in a nothing game in Buffalo with 10 games left in a lost season right before you sign an extension and right after you've struggled from a broken hand in a fight?! That had me on the edge of my seat, and not in a good way.

Yeah, I was waiting for the "wrong door" comment that never came....it was bad enough that that lunk scored on us...again...the research wasn't too tough to do: he's got 23 career goals in some 350 games, guess who 5 of them have been against?

 

[SR]

Cool your jets. We are playing above our heads now, just the opposite how we played to start the year. I figured this team would be sniffing for a playoff spot this year and if they would have gotten a better start we may have been in that range. Next year I expect this team to be in the playoffs.

You said the same shit a week and half ago. I think a 20 game sample of going 15-8-2 is more than enough to prove the team has dramatically changed.

 

[FinnishCoyote]

You said the same **** a week and half ago. I think a 20 game sample of going 15-8-2 is more than enough to prove the team has dramatically changed.

Also in 2018 games we are on 97 points pace, thats playoff caliber. If we can get some depth in our offence, we could certainly get playoff spot or atleast sniff wild card spot.

 

[SR]

Also in 2018 games we are on 97 points pace, thats playoff caliber. If we can get some depth in our offence, we could certainly get playoff spot or atleast sniff wild card spot.

Agreed

 

[ClassLessCoyote]

For those of you trashing Edmonton and Buffalo, here are a few things you're ignoring. Nobody ever said McDavid, Eichel, and Matthews would single handy make whatever franchise they get drafted on great until their respective careers are over. Hockey is a team sport but not a chance in hell does Chicago win a cup without Towes and Kane and not a chance in hell Pittsburgh wins a cup without Crosby and Malkin. Edmonton went to the WCSF last season and that team had the better ability and better chance than Nashville to beat Pittsburgh in the final but failed to get past Anaheim due to the late 3rd period collapse in Game 5. The issues with Edmonton have more to do with management with the head coach being the biggest issue and not so much the players. Buffalo isn't going to suck forever and when Buffalo gets its shot at the cup with Eichel we're going to see again the importance of having a Crosby, or Malkin, or McDavid, etc on a team.

For those of you who are praising Vegas, here are a few things you're ignoring. Vegas is in their 1st NHL season and have surprised the hockey world but this season could still be a fluke season if they the fail miserably next season and could be out of the playoffs as early in the 1st round. There's a good chance Vegas could be out in the 1st round given the amont of losses racked in the the 2nd half of their season. Lot's hockey fans thought the Coyotes turned things around with how surprising good the team did in the 11-12 season but with each passing bad season serves as a reminder of how much of flue that team is.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

Solid win. Always a fan of that! Was not the prettiest game ever, but finding ways to win is what this team needs to do consistently.

Strome Thoughts:

1. The number one change right now is he's holding the puck longer. Some of this I think was on Tocchet, earlier in the season the Coyotes had this advance the puck at all costs mentality even if there was no one to advance it to. Now they are more deliberate and it just works better in general.

2. He's actually skating by and around defenders. Seems like this is partially due to it being a matchup of bottom feeders, I don't think he'd be able to pull this much against the Wild from Saturday. If he's still here we'll see how it goes against a better team. Florida is a middle of the pack team in terms of goals given up so that might be a better look.

3. I don't think he scores that kind of heads up bank shot goal before. He was too overwhelmed or being run over, getting his pocked picked before he made his next move after getting the puck.

4. He's spending a lot more time below the faceoff dots and behind the net, working the opposition instead of playing a 100% anticipation game.

Totally agree with your comments on Strome, especially number 4. Noticed he's not sitting back and watching the play as much. Maybe it's a confidence thing or system but he's much better when he's actually playing and getting the puck. Nice smart bank shot, too. My dream is that he and Keller both progress in their development + any other players the Yotes acquire to make the offense something other teams actually have a hard time dealing with. Excited to see if he can keep it going.

Also, blegh Nolan is terrible.

 

[Name Nameless]

Coming in late, watching now, spoiled. Game started at midnight for me, gave up on watching it out of bitter experience, but couldn't not check the results when I got up this morning.

Anyhow. Great to see the Yotes are in no way the worst team in the NHL. Buffalo was bad, but the Canucks are much, much worse, so no way Buffalo ends up last unless they really wants to. Yotes will blast past all of Habs, Sens and maybe even the Red Wings IMHO, all this tanking is an embarassment.

Anyhows, great to see Strome getting a good game. And pretty much so many on the team. Keller still gets points but do appear slighly snakebitten to me. Then again, I know nothing about hockey. Schenns contract is up this summer. I'm sure he is a nice guy, and I hope to hear about him having a good year somewhere else next year (sorry.)

 

[rt]

I listened to part of this on the radio. One thing I noticed that I really liked was Heeter was calling the game was how many impact players were getting their names called repeatedly that we've actually drafted and developed. It sounded on the radio how you hoped it would've after the first round of the 2016 draft. OEL, Chychrun, Keller, Perlini, Domi, Fischer, Dvorak, Strome, etc. Hearing all of these names all on my drive home was really encouraging. If we can get OEL and Raanta signed to reasonable deals, hit a home run with our next draft pick, and make one more solid trade for an impact roster player, I'm going to have feelings of positivity I haven't experienced since the WCF run.

 

[IPreferPi]

Lot's hockey fans thought the Coyotes turned things around with how surprising good the team did in the 11-12 season but with each passing bad season serves as a reminder of how much of flue that team is.

The Yotes were a playoff team for two seasons before the 2012 WCF run as well despite being pegged as a lottery team and dealing with bankruptcy/NHL ownership baggage for each of those three years. So no, it wasn't exactly a fluke - we had the right combination of veterans and young talent and a coach who knew how to get the most from his roster.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

This game felt like a team needing two points vs a team playing for last place. I am not saying this as a negative for the Sabres, we have been there before too many times. I am just stating this as major positive for our team development.

Our key players were all noticeable on most shifts, and I am curious to see if we can carry this in tonight's game.

 

[rt]

Am I reading gamecenter right, and Strome is 4/4 on the dot against ROR? Nice!

He lost all 10 of his subsequent faceoffs after this post and ended up 4 & 10 on draws. Damn do I know how to jinx or what?