Post-Game Talk (GBU): LA calls it the 'Buffalo model'

[gallagt01]

Good:
-Enroth.
-Ristolainen and Zadorov.
-Myers had a strong game, I thought.
-Physicality. Strong team win.
-Gionta took flak early in the season — some even compared him to Leino — but he's been a very important player for this team and his presence as a leader and captain is, in my opinion, visible every night.
-Praise from the NBCSN crew.

Bad:
-I've got nothing.

Ugly:
-I've got nothing.


This team is playing a strong defensive game. They're being handily outshot and out possessed every game, but these are the tilts I look at and fully understand Ted Nolan's presence in this rebuild.

Strong team D, guys buying in, guys working hard.

That's the kind of culture I want young players developing in.

Click to read more...

 

[enthusiast]

A+ title

 

[Prospector74]

Good: Ennis, Enroth, Rasmus, Zadorov, Myers, Gorges, Gionta, Hodgson. Our overall play and the hits.

Bad: Stewart.

Ugly: The puck to Doughty's chest. Couple inches higher and that could have been horrific.

 

[1972]

G: win
B: win
U: win

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Outshot yes, but weak sh-t don't count.

 

[ZeroPT*]

The title

 

[jBuds]

Nice job on the title.

You're mostly right with your good. I can't stress enough the importance of Risto/Zads' pairing's emergence. With Myers, you've got half of a very good unit as is: imagine what happens when Rasmus and NZ develop a bit and gain experience. Talk about a recipe for turnaround...

Also still a bit unheralded is the goaltending. The tandem has worked, and worked extremely well, at that. Each of the goalies has had a hot streak, both have proven valuable at times, and both have pushed each other to be better. More Enroth pushing Neuvirth to be tougher and more durable, but valuing one above the other is highly debatable. Neither would be as good without the other here so far imo.

Gionta has indeed stepped up; the emergence of a true first line has been critical... And we are slowly seeing a collective commitment to a type of thicker game with more emphasis on things like the forecheck, protecting leads, limiting quality chances, good goaltending, and defensive zone/neutral zone commitment from the forwards defensively.

I dig it. Add the three first rounders to the top prospect pool as it currently stands, with the team showing improvement on the ice largely due to three monster pieces of any "future" we may have... I can see the light, personally.

 

[jBuds]

Thrilled that this kind of performance happened on the national stage, as well. The league needed to see that we've improved and aren't a total pushover, despite it being a busy night around the league.

 

[Zman5778]

Nice job on the title.

You're mostly right with your good. I can't stress enough the importance of Risto/Zads' pairing's emergence. With Myers, you've got half of a very good unit as is: imagine what happens when Rasmus and NZ develop a bit and gain experience. Talk about a recipe for turnaround...

Between Myers/Gorges and Risto/Zads (Rads? Zisto? we've GOTTA come up with a nickname for those two....not "the kids"), that's roughly 45 minutes per game that we're not a complete trainwreck in our end.

Do we get hemmed in? Sure.....but at this point, that's more on the forwards than on the defense.

 

[JLewyB]

Watching this teams defense gets me more and more excited to see Reinhart develop. Teams just won't be able to score goals on us.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[Zman5778]

Watching this teams defense gets me more and more excited to see Reinhart develop. Teams just won't be able to score goals on us.

Don't forget about Schaller and Compher, two already advanced guys defensively....and Fasching and Possler aren't slouches either. Armia's 2 way game is coming around, as is Grigorenko's.

I'm sitting here trying to think of who our most offensively-minded, defensively deficient prospect is right now....and I'm drawing a huge blank. Obviously in the NHL, it's Hodgson.

But I don't think we've got anyone that's nearly as incompetent defensively in the system. Most of our top 10 prospect forwards are at worst mediocre in their own zone.

 

[enthusiast]

Between Myers/Gorges and Risto/Zads (Rads? Zisto? we've GOTTA come up with a nickname for those two....not "the kids"),

the RZA

Shouts out Ol Dirty Darcy runnin picks off the harbor since 97 rest in peace fam... no snow where you at now only sun namsayin

shouts out Zem-God, Moulface Thrilla, Mikki GZArenko, Defendah Pysk, Raenhart the Chef, my man Compff, Maksa Killa out in that net, and we comin for you Jackadonna, we out floatin like we on that Hudson like Fasching namean

you come to buffalo better not be no zednik fam

 

[ZeroPT*]

the RZA

Shouts out Ol Dirty Darcy runnin picks off the harbor since 97 rest in peace fam... no snow where you at now only sun namsayin

shouts out Zem-God, Moulface Thrilla, Mikki GZArenko, Defendah Pysk, Raenhart the Chef, my man Compff, Maksa Killa out in that net, and we comin for you Jackadonna, we out floatin like we on that Hudson like Fasching namean

you come to buffalo better not be no zednik fam

This post is beautiful

 

[DJN21]

Wanna give alittle love here to kaleta who threw a few bigt hits and had a few good clearing chips...4th liners dont get much recognition but Des has a few good shots and I thought kaleta had his first good game back because before he looked waiver worthy. On the same topic Cody was rather invisible to me when usually he throws a few hits etc.

Foligno left alot to be desired...seemed like the kinda game hed show up for..guess not.

Myers in his own end looked amazing...

Enroth.

 

[Irving Zisman]

I think I need to change my undies

 

[joshjull]

The awesome


Trying to match up Zads/Risto and Girgs as much as possible against Kopitar. And those 3 handling the assignment very well

 

[Montag DP]

One thing that has changed for the better with Nolan behind the bench is the work ethic of the team as a whole. That was one thing that drove me crazy with the Lindy Ruff teams even in 06-07 when we were good. They would consistently take periods off and just not work hard. It's not like that anymore, from what I've seen, outside of a couple players. That alone makes Nolan a good choice for now, IMO.

 

[enthusiast]

This list is beautiful

I should have gone with GRIZA the Genius in retrospect

 

[30Yonge]

I should have gone with GRIZA the Genius in retrospect

Drinking Bleach becomes the very apt E-ratic Conqueror when fed into the Wu-Tang Name Generator.
Zemgus Girgensons = Lord of Chaos using the original Wu Generator.

 

[slip]

The Wu Blue, this is the Triumph!

Zem hits atomically, and Nolan's philosophy
Of compete and hard work will define how we dropping these
victories, Murray's trades are like armed robbery
Gonna win the lottery, or pick in the top 3
Battle scarred vets and explosions when Zads hits
Tremendous, Myers's shine gonna blind his critics
Grigs, Reinhart, the future of the new millennium
Compher, Pysyk, and Ristolainen
Exciting the fans with drastic puck tactics
Teddy P with the funds man life is fantastic
No need to rush gonna ease the young guns in
Slowly build a winner, that is the function
When we learn to score this team's going to war
Cups piling up on the floor, but diehard fans demand more
Locker room full of soldiers, control the league slowly
Silence the haters, yo Milbury blow me!

 

[Wisent42]

G: The title
The defense
The team effort
The hits. General Zad's hit on Kopitar, as shown above, was beautiful.
Enroth.

A detail I loved when everyone came in to congratulate, or thank, Enroth was the look on Noidberg's face. He looked genuinly happy. Like, not just "my team won"-happy. I'm probably reading too much into it, but the tandem thing seems to be working and our goalies look like they have a healthy competition where they thrive to make themselves and eachother better.

 

[phosphene*]

I think everyone here knew our defense would be sick, it was just a matter of when. Christmas is coming early.

 

[wunderpanda]

G- a shut out victory over the champs
- coaching & the team

B- nothing bad when you shut out the Kings

 

[brian_griffin]

Good:
-Enroth.
-Ristolainen and Zadorov.
-Myers had a strong game, I thought.
-Physicality. Strong team win.
-Gionta took flak early in the season — some even compared him to Leino — but he's been a very important player for this team and his presence as a leader and captain is, in my opinion, visible every night.
-Praise from the NBCSN crew.

Bad:
-I've got nothing.

Ugly:
-I've got nothing.


This team is playing a strong defensive game. They're being handily outshot and out possessed every game, but these are the tilts I look at and fully understand Ted Nolan's presence in this rebuild.

Strong team D, guys buying in, guys working hard.

That's the kind of culture I want young players developing in.

I thought Gionta had some good wheels and elusiveness last night. Any sluggishness or lazy from early in the season definitely wasn't there.

The team D was solid. Collapsing in their own zone. Not chasing (that Sabres centipede avatar wasn't that long ago). Short, close, passes once posession re-gained, no forwards leaving the D-zone early. So much of those aspects were 180-degrees different last night than from 12+ months ago.

Outshot yes, but weak sh-t don't count.

LA kept bringing it, but it was rather weak - limited repeat chances. I heard the announcers say LA was on the 1st of a 5-game roadie; my visual assessment would have guessed it was the last game, or the 2nd of a back-to-back.

Nice job on the title.

You're mostly right with your good. I can't stress enough the importance of Risto/Zads' pairing's emergence. With Myers, you've got half of a very good unit as is: imagine what happens when Rasmus and NZ develop a bit and gain experience. Talk about a recipe for turnaround...

Also still a bit unheralded is the goaltending. The tandem has worked, and worked extremely well, at that. Each of the goalies has had a hot streak, both have proven valuable at times, and both have pushed each other to be better. More Enroth pushing Neuvirth to be tougher and more durable, but valuing one above the other is highly debatable. Neither would be as good without the other here so far imo.

Gionta has indeed stepped up; the emergence of a true first line has been critical... And we are slowly seeing a collective commitment to a type of thicker game with more emphasis on things like the forecheck, protecting leads, limiting quality chances, good goaltending, and defensive zone/neutral zone commitment from the forwards defensively.

I dig it. Add the three first rounders to the top prospect pool as it currently stands, with the team showing improvement on the ice largely due to three monster pieces of any "future" we may have... I can see the light, personally.

Re: 55 & 51. I was truly impressed by their poise, especially Risto, when handling the puck below their goal line with Kings converging on them. Separately, a couple times I felt Risto backed into the slot too quickly and too much (versus forcing his man wide) when there were some King rushes down the left wing. And then I reminded myself HE JUST TURNED 20 YEARS OLD and HAS PLAYED LESS THAN A FULL NHL SEASON!! Both of them - wow. Weak elbowing call on Zadarov - e.g., Chara wouldn't have been whistled.

Watching this teams defense gets me more and more excited to see Reinhart develop. Teams just won't be able to score goals on us.

Agreed, but Sabres won't be able to score, either.

Wanna give alittle love here to kaleta who threw a few bigt hits and had a few good clearing chips...4th liners dont get much recognition but Des has a few good shots and I thought kaleta had his first good game back because before he looked waiver worthy. On the same topic Cody was rather invisible to me when usually he throws a few hits etc.

Foligno left alot to be desired...seemed like the kinda game hed show up for..guess not.

Myers in his own end looked amazing...

Enroth.

Kaleta looked no different than what I've been accustomed to in the past - good to see. D-Lo was solid. McCormick wasn't hitting, yet his positioning and puck support in the high slot of the D-zone was noticeable to me.

The awesome


Trying to match up Zads/Risto and Girgs as much as possible against Kopitar. And those 3 handling the assignment very well

100% this - I noticed it too.

The Wu Blue, this is the Triumph!

Zem hits atomically, and Nolan's philosophy
Of compete and hard work will define how we dropping these
victories, Murray's trades are like armed robbery
Gonna win the lottery, or pick in the top 3
Battle scarred vets and explosions when Zads hits
Tremendous, Myers's shine gonna blind his critics
Grigs, Reinhart, the future of the new millennium
Compher, Pysyk, and Ristolainen
Exciting the fans with drastic puck tactics
Teddy P with the funds man life is fantastic
No need to rush gonna ease the young guns in
Slowly build a winner, that is the function
When we learn to score this team's going to war
Cups piling up on the floor, but diehard fans demand more
Locker room full of soldiers, control the league slowly
Silence the haters, yo Milbury blow me!

Terry

G: The title
The defense
The team effort
The hits. General Zad's hit on Kopitar, as shown above, was beautiful.
Enroth.

A detail I loved when everyone came in to congratulate, or thank, Enroth was the look on Noidberg's face. He looked genuinly happy. Like, not just "my team won"-happy. I'm probably reading too much into it, but the tandem thing seems to be working and our goalies look like they have a healthy competition where they thrive to make themselves and eachother better.

IMO, one reason the goaltending tandem has worked is I assume neither feels threatened by the other. The roles / responsibilities (true tandem / split) were clearly defined in the offseason. Both are pending UFAs - same situation. Both know they'll be in the NHL next year, it's just a question of what role - starter, backup, tandem - and with whom.

G- a shut out victory over the champs
- coaching & the team

B- nothing bad when you shut out the Kings

Indeed. Despite the huge differential in shot attempts, the Kings did not look dangerous.