GBU Sabres - Bruins; Good/Bad/Ugly

[enthusiast]

Pathetic

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

My confidence in Adams was tenuous. I didn't like the hire, but things worked last year. Right now, he's slipping toward my shit list in the way I couldn't stand Botterill.

The player pods all talk about how flat insignificant adds (or no adds) are for the room. Not addressing the team's various weaknesses deeply wounded their vibes. They aren't a deep team and have a lot of guys playing through things, but they have all collectively sagged since the deadline. I came away thinking Cozens sounded defeated on Scott's podcast. Ray and Biron talked about how Regier flattened the room with the Corkum trade in 2001. Gionta mentioned it on the Rivet/Peters pod as well.

I get that the GM is trying to maximize value and build for the future. He has to balance that against the moves to help his current team and he has done so poorly.

I don't know if Granato can get them motivated to play right now in the face of the mounting defeats. That isn't a shot at Don so much as it is systemic failure from the GM down. And if that's just the GM following ownership directives, then it's from the owners down that this team is yet again floundering.

Frankly... I speculate it's a lot of the latter...... Terry turned the team over Kim. Kim has serious health problems. The oil and gas industry is in trouble as a result of public policy. Cost certainty and efficiency still appears to be the watchword which Adams is an adherent of.

Granato has helped bring the team (partially) to playing at a weak D1 level, perhaps more NTDP/USHL level - in terms of basics and fundamentals. He's still unproven at the professional ranks IMO. I note his brother was fired the other day by U/Wisconsin. Long fall from HC of the NHL Avalanche.

All speculative and my opinion. But I'm entitled to them even when they are completely off the wall.... lol.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

I really miss when the team had some grit and pride. Being down 7-0 against a division rival would turn into a blood bath with Ray, May, Barnaby. Today it's roll over and fall asleep. It's been that way for a long while i.e. Lucic on Miller with zero response. Depressing to watch

I might be wrong...... or bigoted ...... or both...... lol. But I attribute a lot of your "fall asleep" characterization to the way hockey is being played this way in the States. (Maybe some in Canada too).

The National amateur organization is (IMO) on a crusade to take as much physical play out of the game as possible. Yes... I understand safety concerns and issues but body checking now doesn't happen until 1st year Bantam.

Over a 20 years span of coaching youth hockey, it has been noticeable (to me anyways) that players recognize very quickly whether their team sucks or not, whether their coaches have answers and whether to put in the effort if it does (suck)/ or coaches do not versus go stealth and wait out the coming of better days.

Yeah. The coach usually gets blamed for not sufficiently transcending and overcoming what has seemed to me to be a slow societal and cultural walk towards complacency and rationalization.

Pride in one's effort and having a never give up attitude seems to take second place a lot of the time.

I'll also note that the Sabres are very young and it's a really long season and few of them have experienced the ups and downs that accompany such a schedule. I believe a large number of them are mentally exhausted.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Piggybacking on this:

Our game March 4...the game immediately after the TDL....may have been our best game of the season. That was a team that came out skating hard with a purpose and rolled over the Lightning. I think the next 2 games are what broke this team -- two games we could have won but for various reasons didn't.


I think our limping home is due to a couple of reasons:

1.) Our 2 most important players (Dahlin, Thompson) are CLEARLY playing at well below full health. Tage has no confidence with his shot and Dahlin isn't skating like he used to.
2.) The kids are hitting the wall. Power, Quinn, Peterka, Cozens are all very much a game-to-game thing as to whether or not they're good.
3.) Our strength of schedule has done us zero favors. Since the TDL, 8 of our 9 games have been against teams in or trying to get into the playoffs.
4.) We are what we are -- a borderline playoff team with below-average goaltending and bottom-of-the-barrel defensive play.

Especially your point #4.......

 

[BB79]

I might be wrong...... or bigoted ...... or both...... lol. But I attribute a lot of your "fall asleep" characterization to the way hockey is being played this way in the States. (Maybe some in Canada too).

The National amateur organization is (IMO) on a crusade to take as much physical play out of the game as possible. Yes... I understand safety concerns and issues but body checking now doesn't happen until 1st year Bantam.

Over a 20 years span of coaching youth hockey, it has been noticeable (to me anyways) that players recognize very quickly whether their team sucks or not, whether their coaches have answers and whether to put in the effort if it does (suck)/ or coaches do not versus go stealth and wait out the coming of better days.

Yeah. The coach usually gets blamed for not sufficiently transcending and overcoming what has seemed to me to be a slow societal and cultural walk towards complacency and rationalization.

Pride in one's effort and having a never give up attitude seems to take second place a lot of the time.

I'll also note that the Sabres are very young and it's a really long season and few of them have experienced the ups and downs that accompany such a schedule. I believe a large number of them are mentally exhausted.

Honestly I was kind of thinking the same thing as I clicked post reply. The game in general has lost almost all of it's edge over the past couple decades. Basically the 05 lockout seemed to squash all of the rough and tumble stuff. It's become even worse due to societal change, unfortunately.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Them being inexperienced is bullsh***. The wheels have fallen off because the coaching staff and GM have done a horrible job of preparing the players to win games. The team as a whole have been horrible in playing a team game. Individual performances have carried the team through games. Whether they are Thompson or Dahlin, the numbers have shown this. It's been that way since last year as well. The wheels look like they are falling off because nobody has been Hercules on the team in any performances.

Greenway - 5 Full seasons 325 GP
Krebs - 2 Full Seasons 122 GP
Okposo - 15 seasons 971 GP
Quinn - 1 Full season 64 GP
Cozens - 3 Seasons 188 GP
Girgensons - 9 Seasons 612 GP
Mittelstadt - 5 Seasons 264 GP
Skinner - 13 Seasons 919 GP
Olofsson - 4 Seasons 255 GP
Thompson - 4 Seasons 292 GP
Peterka - 1 Season 66 GP
Tuch - 6 Seasons 366 GP

Joker - 5 Seasons 260 GP
Power - 1 Season 74 GP
Dahlin - 5 Seasons 342 GP
Clague - 4 Seasons 88 GP
Lyubushkin - 6 Seasons 266 GP
Stillman - 5 Seasons 147 GP

UPL - 1 Season 30 GP

OK....... but almost every one of the seasons has been a losing season for the players involved.
They are experienced. At losing.........

 

[Cirris]

I'm so glad i worked 10 hours today and didn't have time to scoreboard watch.

I'm so sorry to those who did watch. You have my condolences.

If you need a hug...

 

[TheStorm]

Was starting to get excited for the team in what felt like an eternity, but somehow they found a way to bring me right back down reality again.

 

[JLewyB]

This poor play really loses my confidence in making the playoffs next year. Kulich might be the only guy for reinforcements. We arent going to be a free agency destination. Are we going to make a trade that improves our nhl team next year? Probably not.

 

[SundherDome]

This poor play really loses my confidence in making the playoffs next year. Kulich might be the only guy for reinforcements. We arent going to be a free agency destination. Are we going to make a trade that improves our nhl team next year? Probably not.

I actually think we would be a destination tbh. This team is fast, scores a ton but needs a couple of pieces to really make them dangerous

 

[Montag DP]

Good - Even Adams can’t go into next year with UPL and Comrie

Bad - They’re going to sacrifice Levi on the alter of having no goalies

Ugly - Ownership still won’t give a f***

I hope no one making decisions thinks Levi is going to be a savior. That was the same mistake they made with Eichel, just at a different position. The defensive game is seriously flawed, and no goalie outside of prime Hasek could fix it on his own. Get an assistant coach who can teach defense and the PK, and we'll have a shot at not falling off a cliff again next year.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

View attachment 672196

So can someone rationally explain how all of the Bergeron, DeBrusk, Lindholm, McAvoy and Pastrnak goals weren't expected goals? Everyone one of them were IMO but yet Money Pucks deems not even 3 of the 5 were? That appears like GIGO to me.

 

[Fearnot]

G:

It was literally the only good point in the game.

 

[oldgoalie]

G: View attachment 672678 It was literally the only good point in the game.

a Sabre with some heart and soul.