Post-Game Talk: Post-mortem: Sabres 7, Devils 2

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

Everything that can go wrong seems to have gone wrong. I will say a couple thing are pretty obvious.

Mueller is an absolute train wreck with the puck. Throwing it away like it's hot potato, he needs to settle down.

Devils need to push Hughes to wing. At the very least, give him wingers he can rely on defensively like Coleman or Palmieri. He looks like he's struggling out there physically and knowing where to be. I'd like to see Hughes - Zacha be a thing for a while with them alternating at center. Possibly even Coleman too.

Gusev needs to be put in an ideal situation to succeed. He's been struggling a bit due to the lack of time and space along with better defense. He has too much skill not to adapt but there's going to be an adjustment period.

Hall - Hischier - Palmieri
Coleman - Hughes - Simmonds
Gusev - Zajac - Bratt
Wood - Zacha - Hayden

I would put Gusev with Nico and let Hall drive another line.

 

[Azathoth]

I have said it before but it deserves repeating. The Devils hyped Jack Hughes much too much. It is only two games but he doesn't belong in the NHL yet. He needs to put on weight and spend time upgrading his play to be able to play in the NHL.

You might be right, but they also aren’t doing him any favors by having Wood be one of his wingers and him seemingly always out with the Sevs-Mueller black hole of suck.

 

[Blender]

They need to go back to the drawing board with these lines and find some balance to the lineup. We have enough depth we don't need to overload one line and leave another to get feasted on.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Some of these takes. Yeesh.

 

[MartyOwns]

i’d go:

bratt nico palms
hall hughes simmonds
gusev zajac coleman
wood zacha hayden

 

[Maine Fan]

I don't disagree that it's mostly a lineup that shys away from defensive coverage, but they aren't that bad. Four out of six periods of hockey they have looked like an ECHL team.

Watch the play in the D zone. The players see an opponent get the puck, then go chase him. Once the puck zips by them, they go chase the guy who gets it next. It's 100% reactionary. No one has any idea where to go or what to do outside of go get the guy who has the puck once he gets the puck.

Our breakout is terrible too and again completely reactionary. Get the puck, then look for the open guy, then pass it to him. The forwards aren't following a set play, so the defenders trying to find open players need to scan the entire ice to figure out if anyone is open. This is what is making them look like grenade handlers. They are waiting for someone to get open and trying to locate them without knowing who it is that is going to be open and where they are going to be open. Not to mention that, more often then not, the open man requires passing through multiple attacking players sticks to get the puck. The game is way to fast to be gliding and waiting for someone to get open.

The offensive zone is a little better, but I think it's a result of long time pros like Zajac and Simmonds having had the cycle game ingrained in them for so long. They can actually kind of execute a system from time to time. Every now and then they actually use some short passes to get guys open. However, for the most part, it looks very similar. Get the puck and look around for someone that is open, then get them the puck. The only reason it looks a bit better than the defensive zone is because of how talented our forwards are offensively. They can actually improvise offensively and look somewhat competent. They aren't good enough defensively to do that. Very few teams are.

Point is, it's pond hockey out there, and it's been that way since Hynes took over. As a result, our lows are really, really low. I don't doubt that he is trying to teach some kind of system, but his system either blows, or he can't get the players to understand how to play it. Either way, that's squarely on him. Any competent coach could make this team at least competitive at the NHL level. I don't think we are a Cup threat, but this is a team that should be able to make the playoffs and scare their first round opponent.

I agree with your assessment. The fix to this assessment is a complete coaching change except for the goalie coach. I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon.

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

Why is Zajac leading the team in minutes again?

 

[Maine Fan]

i’d go:

bratt nico palms
hall hughes simmonds
gusev zajac coleman
wood zacha hayden

Certainly worth a try, the change would help Hughes or give him some cover.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Why is Zajac leading the team in minutes again?

Because he's a veteran player that's played under competent coaches and can basically coach himself. Therefore, he actually looks decent.

 

[The 29th Pick]

I have said it before but it deserves repeating. The Devils hyped Jack Hughes much too much. It is only two games but he doesn't belong in the NHL yet. He needs to put on weight and spend time upgrading his play to be able to play in the NHL.

Hughes is a few years away for sure, and this team needs a lot of help at D and goaltending, I think the rebuild is still a ways away. Maybe Shero should consider trading Hall and some of the older players. Let this be Nico's team, lock him up now, and keep adding pieces.

 

[varano]

Everything that can go wrong seems to have gone wrong. I will say a couple thing are pretty obvious.

Mueller is an absolute train wreck with the puck. Throwing it away like it's hot potato, he needs to settle down.

Devils need to push Hughes to wing. At the very least, give him wingers he can rely on defensively like Coleman or Palmieri. He looks like he's struggling out there physically and knowing where to be. I'd like to see Hughes - Zacha be a thing for a while with them alternating at center. Possibly even Coleman too.

Gusev needs to be put in an ideal situation to succeed. He's been struggling a bit due to the lack of time and space along with better defense. He has too much skill not to adapt but there's going to be an adjustment period.

Hall - Hischier - Palmieri
Coleman - Hughes - Simmonds
Gusev - Zajac - Bratt
Wood - Zacha - Hayden

I dont think the answer is to push him to wing. Put him down the lineup, limit his minutes a bit but I think the only way for a natural center to grow is to keep playing the position. Once he gets spanked around a bit, he'll learn the defensive side of the game.

 

[Blender]

Because he's a veteran player that's played under competent coaches and can basically coach himself. Therefore, he actually looks decent.

Ever reliable Zajac is always going to play a lot. Every coach loves guys like him, and for good reason.

 

[My3Sons]

very interesting theory. If Shero is that involved I think we've got major problems though.

I don’t think he’s micro managing but Hynes is trying to run a team based on Shero’s vision and it isn’t working. This was Hynes first NHL gig and he probably said what Shero wanted to hear to land it. Now he has to deliver. Maybe the defense is that poor or maybe the reliance on younger players is bad or maybe Hynes can only coach an old school system or maybe it’s as simple as Cory getting hurt again

 

[Maine Fan]

Hughes is a few years away for sure, and this team needs a lot of help at D and goaltending, I think the rebuild is still a ways away. Maybe Shero should consider trading Hall and some of the older players. Let this be Nico's team, lock him up now, and keep adding pieces.

I can't disagree but this doesn't fix the coaching problems and I am only speaking about making the playoffs. They are a long way from earning the Cup.

 

[Whaddagoal]

Because he's a veteran player that's played under competent coaches and can basically coach himself. Therefore, he actually looks decent.

Zajac should be captain...

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Ever reliable Zajac is always going to play a lot. Every coach loves guys like him, and for good reason.

Zajac is a good player. Nothing wrong with playing good players.

 

[Nico Hischier]

I agree with moving jack to wing for now and having zacha as his center

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Hughes next to Zajac makes too much sense not to happen. It just seems like a band-aid for this situation. Maybe give it a few more games.

It’s not like every line is getting outplayed. The top line and the Zajac line have been good. The rest of the team and the defense has been ass.

 

[Nico Hischier]

Some ideas

Hughes zacha bratt
Gusev zajac Palmieri
Hall Nico Coleman
Wood Boqvist Simmonds

In any order


It’s nice having this much depth and while we have had some heartbreaking losses, we haven’t had many injuries yet. I think both Hall and Cory are OK

 

[Azathoth]

When the team has fallen apart under Hynes in the past they have reverted to a low event system. They have looked more competitive in that system to my eye. They would still lose but it would be 2-1 against or 3-2 or something close. I think Hynes can coach a traditional conservative system. I wonder if the issue is Shero on some level? He sees a run and gun team and has almost built one but either Hynes is out of his element with that style or the team isn’t quite ready for run and gun? Maybe Hynes favors the grinders because those guys play to a conservative style on their own? Maybe Shero needs to let Hynes go conservative early and see what the results are for a few games?

I wouldn’t mind trying out the conservative approach. I think the reason they lost so much in hynes’ conservative game plans was because the best forward on the team at that time was who, Cammilari (sp)? There’s not reason a team with Hall, Nico, Gusev, Palms, Bratt, etc shouldn’t be able to play a conservative style of hockey and still be able to score enough goals to win.

 

[glenwo2]

Miles Wood has this helmet off/head to the bench rule mastered. Twice in two nights. ****ing idiot.

Hynes is an even bigger idiot for not telling him that he does not have to go to the bench but instead can put the Helmet back on and keep playing.

 

[Tundra]

Why is Zajac leading the team in minutes again?

And in a 7-2 game no less. Talk about stupidity. One of the most offensively limited players.

 

[billingtons ghost]

But he looked jumpy technique wise from the start - not as quiet and just positionally square to the puck as last year when he came up, nor reacting very well to shots. He didn’t seem to be seeing the puck well but that may have been just being screened.

As you say it would be hard to look confident in back of that mess but that’s actually what you often ask of a goalie when you are getting bombed back there - to hold the fort while the team gets its game together.

I agree, he didn't look good. I think conditioning played a role because he was wiped late in the game, and if so that's on him...

We're talking about a youngster who played with zero expectations last year... Getting bombed for 7 when there are now expectations and pressure ain't a good thing.

 

[Devils731]

I wouldn’t mind trying out the conservative approach. I think the reason they lost so much in hynes’ conservative game plans was because the best forward on the team at that time was who, Cammilari (sp)? There’s not reason a team with Hall, Nico, Gusev, Palms, Bratt, etc shouldn’t be able to play a conservative style of hockey and still be able to score enough goals to win.

I’d be very interested in seeing a simpler system designed to force teams to the wall in the neutral zone and a defensive zone system that focused on being in front of the offensive players instead of behind.

Let other teams over commit and then counterattack. Right now the Devils over commit to create offense that isn’t effective enough and other teams get to breeze through the neutral zone on the counterattack.

The worst is seeing remarks from the coaches that the team needs to work more. The team skates like madmen in the defensive zone, it’s just useless skating. It’s not a try harder issue.

For example, the weak side winger will cover nobody in the slot and then skate at the pointman once the puck rotates. The defenseman at the point has all day before the winger arrives, he has multiple shooting, passing, and skating options. The defenseman wasted no energy to get all these options but the Devils winger just wasted a bunch in his ineffective sprint to the point(and also his sprint back to cover the empty slot once the puck moves)

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

Because he's a veteran player that's played under competent coaches and can basically coach himself. Therefore, he actually looks decent.

Zajac with 1 shot on goal in 2 games compared to Hall's 9? For a second line center that is leading the team's ice time at 17:55, I would think we need more opportunities. Not so sure he should be ahead of Jack Hughes right now. Give Hughes more ice time than Zajac. Put him on the 2nd line.

I suppose Hughes is on line 3 to relieve rookie pressure. The pressure will be there no matter what. Play him.