GBU The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Panthers Pounce 3/7/22

[Chainshot]

The Good:

- First period.
- Tuch played!
- Stretches of the third which are probably score effects.
- So that's what years of high drafting, judicious trading, and nailing a number of reclamation projects looks like? Huh.
- Asplund and Hinostroza looked fresh and energetic. Would've loved for Asplund to get off the schnide tonight but it was not to be.
- The PP units moved the puck well and got some quality looks. Knight was the goalie he was projected to be tonight.

The Bad:

- Struggling to not get shutout at home.
- Krebs had a rough night with some turnovers, some teammate surprises who couldn't finish and of course not being able to hit the net himself with a number of chances. Hope he continues to learn from this.

The Ugly:

- Third in four against quality opponents showed all over them tonight.
- Not getting to see Hayden-Gudas after the penalties.
- The penalty when Marchment and Hayden collided was so randomly terrible. If Hayden falls too, I bet there is no call there at all.

Click to read more...

 

[Fjordy]

Good:

Asplund, Dahlin and Bryson

Bad:

This team

Ugly: -

 

[BFLO]

The Good:
- So that's what years of high drafting, judicious trading, and nailing a number of reclamation projects looks like? Huh.

Could be us in a few years if we win a few trades, pick up some good veteran UFAs and if some of our drafted players turn into stars. Oh and sign everyone for less than market value, aside from one big mistake.

G: Dahlin had a couple of fantastic rushes. (Why does no one ever seem to go with him to cash in the rebound/loose puck?

We scored a goal.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

G
Dahlin
Panthers look like a Stanley Cup favorites, relentless on the puck, make it looks easy

B
One Step forward two back every time
Opponents have learned quick to stop the Sabres one line
Krebs hitting the rookie wall
Where is Cozens ?

 

[Chainshot]

Could be us in a few years if we win a few trades, pick up some good veteran UFAs and if some of our drafted players turn into stars. Oh and sign everyone for less than market value, aside from one big mistake.

G: Dahlin had a couple of fantastic rushes. (Why does no one ever seem to go with him to cash in the rebound/loose puck?

We scored a goal.

Florida has had a knack for taking the unheralded from very good teams and plugging them into their middle lines to great effect. Verhaeghe and Acciari as UFA's from Tampa and Boston, Vatrano as a waiver pickup from the Bruins, giving Duclair a chance after so many teams have old-boys-clubbed the kid nearly out of the league, Marchment as almost an afterthought coming out of the Leafs system. It's impressive.

They also have struck gold with Bennett. That was one of the best ever rejuvenation trades ever.

 

[GrierIsGod123]

Good
-Asplund- Great straight line speed, simple effective two way game.
-Hayden - Been solid for the last bit. Could see teams being more interested in him than Eakin.
-Dahlin - Stud, as he's been for most of the season. He's so far ahead in terms of talent from anyone on this roster.
-Bryson - Playing pretty well on the right. Bodes well for his future here.

Bad
-Cozens - Lots of giveaways, he really seems to struggle to control the puck. Not sure if he just has mediocre hands, but he seems to not keep the puck at all on a string. Mildly concerned about his hockey IQ too, as he skates the puck into trouble a lot. Luckily he's a gamer, so just needs to find his way and what exactly he's going to be in the NHL.
-Samuelsson-Fitz pairing - They seemed to struggle a bit more than the other pairings. Fitz is a gamer, but sometimes worries me out there. Samuelsson is a stud though, and think his upside is super exciting in terms of being something they don't have.
-Top line - They were just that tad bit off tonight and couldn't bear down on the chances they did create. Every few games they have an off night like this one.

Ugly
-Granato/The lines - Not sure what Granato was thinking here. None of the new line combos made sense tonight. The Asplund-Krebs-Olofsson and Mitts-Cozens-Okposo lines were working pretty well, outside of against the trap yesterday. Two things I know, Cozens-Okposo works and Asplund with more skilled guys works. Both of the young centers NEED that defensive presence.
-Krebs - His advanced stats are shit, the eye test is shit ... I know he's young, but damn has he been hot garbage outside of some flashes on the PP. I need patience, but there are plenty of players at his age performing around the league. His time in the NHL so far has been largely underwhelming. Clearly needs to put on some muscle and start learning from his (many) mistakes.

 

[sabremike]

Tage was so embarrassed that he's hiding from the media:

 

[Der Jaeger]

There's some Krebs angst, understandably so. Cozens too. Remember, both these kids just became legal to drink in the US over the past two months. They need more time in a weight room and in an NHL training facility, and a lot of patience. Both are really talented with good intangibles. It'll come.

 

[EichHart]

G- Only 24 games left

 

[Uberpecker]

Obviously the Panthers are the much better team, but the game also turned into a bit of a perfect storm.

Shots ended up almost even, Sabres were unlucky during the first one and a half periods and hit the post at least twice, all the while the Panthers were burying seemingly every chance they got during those couple of minutes in the second.

Earned loss, but 6-1 seems too high.

 

[Uberpecker]

Florida has had a knack for taking the unheralded from very good teams and plugging them into their middle lines to great effect. Verhaeghe and Acciari as UFA's from Tampa and Boston, Vatrano as a waiver pickup from the Bruins, giving Duclair a chance after so many teams have old-boys-clubbed the kid nearly out of the league, Marchment as almost an afterthought coming out of the Leafs system. It's impressive.

They also have struck gold with Bennett. That was one of the best ever rejuvenation trades ever.

Wasn't all luck, though. At least with Verhaeghe, Duclair and Bennett one could see it coming. And the others were low risk high reward plugged into an already well-built team.

Good GMs seem to do a lot of common sense things.

 

[Fezzy126]

Florida has had a knack for taking the unheralded from very good teams and plugging them into their middle lines to great effect. Verhaeghe and Acciari as UFA's from Tampa and Boston, Vatrano as a waiver pickup from the Bruins, giving Duclair a chance after so many teams have old-boys-clubbed the kid nearly out of the league, Marchment as almost an afterthought coming out of the Leafs system. It's impressive.

They also have struck gold with Bennett. That was one of the best ever rejuvenation trades ever.

A few years ago the Panthers were as much of a joke as we were, then they just started doing smart things. I'm just going to copy and paste a post of mine from last year every time we play the Panthers:

Zito was a GM candidate I was desperately beating the drum for both pre and post-Botterill. So far everything he has touched is turning to gold: Verhaeghe, Hornqvist, Bennett, Montour, hell even Duclair & Gudas have been positive contributors. Following the debacle of the post-Gallant era, this team looks set up for long term success.

I remain hopeful for Adams & Co, but man what a run the Panthers front office has been on.

 

[buffalowing88]

G
Dahlin
Panthers look like a Stanley Cup favorites, relentless on the puck, make it looks easy

B
One Step forward two back every time
Opponents have learned quick to stop the Sabres one line
Krebs hitting the rookie wall
Where is Cozens ?

Almost seems like we have a minor league coach behind the bench who can't carry momentum....

And who knows where Cozens ever is. He's sure got a lotta heart though, right!

 

[buffalowing88]

There's some Krebs angst, understandably so. Cozens too. Remember, both these kids just became legal to drink in the US over the past two months. They need more time in a weight room and in an NHL training facility, and a lot of patience. Both are really talented with good intangibles. It'll come.

C'mon, stop it. There have been plenty of guys who were scoring and producing in general by the age of 21 in recent years. Lets not move the goalposts here. The average peak for an NHL star is 23-24. So our guys will just be starting to put it together right around then?

No.

Cozens is LIMITED offensively. There's no reason to deny it and say he's a good ol' boy who keeps his stick on the ice.

Krebs I think will be fine but he needs as much ice-time as we can pump him for now because he's already smart enough for the game and has the tools. He just needs to keep getting his feet wet while he can since Vegas slow-played him.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Good
-Asplund- Great straight line speed, simple effective two way game.
-Hayden - Been solid for the last bit. Could see teams being more interested in him than Eakin.
-Dahlin - Stud, as he's been for most of the season. He's so far ahead in terms of talent from anyone on this roster.
-Bryson - Playing pretty well on the right. Bodes well for his future here.

Bad
-Cozens - Lots of giveaways, he really seems to struggle to control the puck. Not sure if he just has mediocre hands, but he seems to not keep the puck at all on a string. Mildly concerned about his hockey IQ too, as he skates the puck into trouble a lot. Luckily he's a gamer, so just needs to find his way and what exactly he's going to be in the NHL.
-Samuelsson-Fitz pairing - They seemed to struggle a bit more than the other pairings. Fitz is a gamer, but sometimes worries me out there. Samuelsson is a stud though, and think his upside is super exciting in terms of being something they don't have.
-Top line - They were just that tad bit off tonight and couldn't bear down on the chances they did create. Every few games they have an off night like this one.

Ugly
-Granato/The lines - Not sure what Granato was thinking here. None of the new line combos made sense tonight. The Asplund-Krebs-Olofsson and Mitts-Cozens-Okposo lines were working pretty well, outside of against the trap yesterday. Two things I know, Cozens-Okposo works and Asplund with more skilled guys works. Both of the young centers NEED that defensive presence.
-Krebs - His advanced stats are shit, the eye test is shit ... I know he's young, but damn has he been hot garbage outside of some flashes on the PP. I need patience, but there are plenty of players at his age performing around the league. His time in the NHL so far has been largely underwhelming. Clearly needs to put on some muscle and start learning from his (many) mistakes.

C'mon, stop it. There have been plenty of guys who were scoring and producing in general by the age of 21 in recent years. Lets not move the goalposts here. The average peak for an NHL star is 23-24. So our guys will just be starting to put it together right around then?

No.

Cozens is LIMITED offensively. There's no reason to deny it and say he's a good ol' boy who keeps his stick on the ice.

Krebs I think will be fine but he needs as much ice-time as we can pump him for now because he's already smart enough for the game and has the tools. He just needs to keep getting his feet wet while he can since Vegas slow-played him.

It’s Cozens’ stickhandling that has me slightly concerned- he seems to push the puck more than he actually handles it, and I’m just not sure that’s somethin dudes usually improve. I’d like for him to learn from Tuch and maybe Okposo. Tuch knows how to get by guys and use what he has, Okposo can be shifty enough at a larger size, and Cozens just needs both those things. Currently he just kinda skates it into an area where the D can challenge him and it’s knocked off his stick. He’s gotta find a fix for that.

Krebs looked worse this game, but I think his issues are easier to fix. Eliminate the dangerous passes. Shoot more. That’s it. Get stronger, I guess, but even somethin like that comes with experience. You learn how to take contact and stay on your feet, currently he’s just a bit unused to the talent level of the nhl imo.

Not an awful game, they looked good in the first, 6-1 is what happens when a growing team faces a powerhouse that are finishing their chances.

 

[Buffaloed]

Almost seems like we have a minor league coach behind the bench who can't carry momentum....

And who knows where Cozens ever is. He's sure got a lotta heart though, right!

I think it's more like we almost have a minor league team. The Sabres don't have the experience to impose their style on other teams and force them to change how they play. Good teams routinely force the Sabres to abandon their style. You can't win by trying to play your opponents style better than they can. The Sabres can win with the style they play. That was demonstrated in the Drury Briere years. They need more talent that forces the opposition to back off.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

A young team is only going to get better through tolerating their mistakes. There were plenty tonight.

Kudos to whipping-boy Hagg. His game is much improved over the last 5 or so.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Boy do I miss Reinhart. Glad we have Levi, but Reinhart is thriving over there. Would've loved to have him as our 1C for the future, but I digress. Figured I'd beat the dead horse in a relevant GBU at least.

As for the game, I watched about half of it. They looked good in the first period. Second period was blah. I can't get too mad. The Panthers are a legit contender who are firing on all cylinders right now. Just shows you how much more climbing there is to do. It sucks we have possibly the two best teams in the league in our division, and I don't see either of them slowing down for the foreseeable future. We're going to have to hit on a lot of lottery tickets to contend with these teams.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

Boy do I miss Reinhart. Glad we have Levi, but Reinhart is thriving over there. Would've loved to have him as our 1C for the future, but I digress. Figured I'd beat the dead horse in a relevant GBU at least.

As for the game, I watched about half of it. They looked good in the first period. Second period was blah. I can't get too mad. The Panthers are a legit contender who are firing on all cylinders right now. Just shows you how much more climbing there is to do. It sucks we have possibly the two best teams in the league in our division, and I don't see either of them slowing down for the foreseeable future. We're going to have to hit on a lot of lottery tickets to contend with these teams.

If Reinhart is your best player then you are in trouble. He can be an excellent complimentary player though - which is exactly the chance he's getting playing on Florida. They are such a stacked team this year & beyond.

I'm not so doom & gloom about our prospects though. We don't need to 'hit on lottery tickets'. We just need to develop the young players we already have properly. If they build the right side of the D, bring in a proven #1A vet goalie & get the likes of Power, Quinn & Peterka into the lineup - i can see us making strides as soon as next season.

It's no longer based on luck. Our destiny is in our hands & Adams doesn't have any excuses. Aside from bridging Dahlin - I've liked what he's done for the most part thus far.

 

[Chainshot]

Wasn't all luck, though. At least with Verhaeghe, Duclair and Bennett one could see it coming. And the others were low risk high reward plugged into an already well-built team.

Good GMs seem to do a lot of common sense things.

Didn't say it was luck, said they found unheralded players. That means they had an idea what they were doing. We instead had Scott Wilson.

 

[Chainshot]

Good measuring stick game against one of the class of the East last night. They need to find the small victories - how they played in the first period - and note how things unraveled in the second. Do more of the one, less of the other, as they go forward.

 

[GrierIsGod123]

Good measuring stick game against one of the class of the East last night. They need to find the small victories - how they played in the first period - and note how things unraveled in the second. Do more of the one, less of the other, as they go forward.

I like that Granato mentioned that during his postgame comments. It sounds like he'll expect them to play FL much better next time around.

 

[GrierIsGod123]

Didn't say it was luck, said they found unheralded players. That means they had an idea what they were doing. We instead had Scott Wilson.

This is where the Sabres have consistently failed, especially under Botterill. It's the small incremental improvements to the team and its depth that we've simply been incapable of finding. Instead, we end up with net negative players like Cody Eakin and Anders Bjork. The data was out there for Eakin to say he was barely an NHL player, if at all. We thought he could not only fill Larry's role but likely that he'd improve on it. Yikes!

 

[Jim Bob]

This is where the Sabres have consistently failed, especially under Botterill. It's the small incremental improvements to the team and its depth that we've simply been incapable of finding. Instead, we end up with net negative players like Cody Eakin and Anders Bjork. The data was out there for Eakin to say he was barely an NHL player, if at all. Ralph thought he could not only fill Larry's role but likely that he'd improve on it. Yikes!

Fixed it for you.

 

[GrierIsGod123]

Fixed it for you.

That wouldn't have happened a year later when they hired Karmanos and several analytic gurus. Ralph would've gotten laughed out of the room.