Post-Game Talk (GBU): The Kids, The Vets, and the Powerplay

[Jame]

How do you make a line irrelevant for most of the night? play Ennis at center

 

[SackTastic]

The statement could easily be putting Stafford in the pressbox for the next game and putting Larsson into the lineup to replace him. Of the two, I thought Stafford was worse than Leino and should be the one to sit.

I can't disagree with that.

If they're going to lose games, lose them with effort. Didn't see that from Drew tonight.

 

[slip]

You know what I hated about tonight? No passion/hustle and little physical play.

Yeah, Regier's fingerprints are still all over this team. **** can this guy before it's too late, Terry.

 

[indigoo]

How do you make a line irrelevant for most of the night? play Ennis at center

I don't understand why they are still forcing this...

 

[MayDay]

I'm just happy hockey's back!

Not even upset about the loss. I know this is a rebuilding year, I expect them to lose. For these season, I'm happy just to watch the young players develop.

 

[Chainshot]

I can't disagree with that.

If they're going to lose games, lose them with effort. Didn't see that from Drew tonight.

Lazy and stupid were the two words that came to mind on most of the plays from Staff tonight. They can't afford for him to get the sort of ice he got and do things that are both lazy or stupid.

 

[aceface33]

You know what I hated about tonight? No passion/hustle and little physical play.

Yeah, Regier's fingerprints are still all over this team. **** can this guy before it's too late, Terry.

The Sabres were more physical than Detroit I thought.

Too bad Detroit completely outclasses them on talent.

I saw passion/hustle from Flynn, Girgs, Ott, Kaleta, Porter. But there's the talent level thing again.

 

[Rivet52]

The Good:

- Ott came to play as usual. He had a few good hits and an honest effort all game.
- Girgensons' first NHL goal in his first NHL game.
- The PK got the job done.
- Miller again kept us in the game, as he usually does.
- I thought Tallinder and Ehrhoff were both pretty good. I wasn't thrilled with the other four defensemen.

The Bad:

- Myers looked like he usually does: out-muscled by smaller players, confused, and turn-over prone.
- Leino wasn't good tonight. He gave the puck away at least two or three times.
- Not so surprising but Ristolainen looked like a rookie. He too had at least a few bad giveaways.
- Our passing was particularly bad tonight. Pucks being passed into players' feet or too far ahead.

The Ugly:

- The PP was dreadful as it has been for years. Zone-entry was a huge problem and even when we got in we quickly lost possession due to poor puck movement. Stop the drop-pass to Ennis and start dumping-and-chasing! We couldn't get shots through and had very few scoring chances for all the penalties Detroit took. Failing to convert on neither of the 5-on-3s is unacceptable.
- Detroit being back in our division.

 

[Sabreality]

Foligno & Larsson in.

Stafford & Leino out.

would anyone really have a problem with this?

i can handle highs and lows from youth. not sure i can deal with watching those 2 for 81 more.

 

[Timbo Slice]

That was more painful than I imagined it would be. I was picturing a young, exciting, bad team. Not just a young, bad team. The growing pains will be worse than I thought.

 

[Zip15]

The Sabres were more physical than Detroit I thought.

Too bad Detroit completely outclasses them on talent.

I saw passion/hustle from Flynn, Grigs, Ott, Kaleta, Porter. But there's the talent level thing again.

Agreed. I thought effort was the there for the most part. They just don't have enough talent.

 

[SackTastic]

Lazy and stupid were the two words that came to mind on most of the plays from Staff tonight. They can't afford for him to get the sort of ice he got and do things that are both lazy or stupid.

Every time the topic of a player that has the skill but not the grey matter to play the sport, Stafford comes to mind. Maybe they broke him by pulling him up too early, maybe he really never had what you need at this level to begin with. Wouldn't be the first or last player.

It's not like he's trying to make the correct playing and just failing. I could live with that. But just head scratching, why would you do that stuff, again and again.

Let's hope Ron can figure it out. Just tossing him out there and doing the same thing every night just isn't working.

 

[BloFan4Life]

I can't disagree with that.

If they're going to lose games, lose them with effort. Didn't see that from Drew tonight.

but... but...but the meanies in the GDT told me he gives effort.

I disagree 100% on this point. Stafford is giving a ton of effort, however, the goals aren't there. I don't equate the two necessarily.

He backchecking and hustling. He's getting shots. I fail to see what statistic you're using to base your "stafford is lazy" argument on, if it's not goals.

 

[stokes84]

I have a hard time with the "Good", because I don't think a single player played a complete game. There were flashes from a bunch of players, but no one stands out as deserving special consideration. Miller, I guess.

Bad - RWs are the worst in the league, I imagine. Stafford and Leino, enough said. Flynn hustles, but im not convinced he's an NHLer. I thought Ehrhoff was extremely sloppy. Surprised to see him in goods. Vanek's first game after being named captain was pitiful. Is he checked out?

Ugly - PP. WTF?

 

[Gabrielor]

G:
Grigorenko
Grigensons
Miller
Flynn

B:
Vanek
Hodgson on faceoffs

U:
Ennis
Stafford

 

[couture23]

THE AMAZING: Some guy from /r/hockey on Reddit is going to get a new tattoo..

"If Zemgus scores tonight, I'm going to get a tattoo of a potato with the Sabres logo and ZG#28 on it."

and

"This is happening. I can't say exactly when, hopefully next week or the week after. Pics will definitely come. I give anyone who replied to that comment permission to remind me if I haven't delivered by the end of October. This will be my first tattoo haha"

 

[Revelate]

Ennis was horrendous.

 

[Zip15]

Almost 2 1/2 minutes of 5-on-3. Did we have any scoring chances? That's unacceptable.

 

[stokes84]

How do you make a line irrelevant for most of the night? play Ennis at center

Agenda pushing. He was arguably our most dangerous player, not that it says much.

 

[FanboySlayer*]

Good: No injuries

Bad: No injuries

Ugly: The Buffalo Jills cheerleaders

 

[BloFan4Life]

That was more painful than I imagined it would be. I was picturing a young, exciting, bad team. Not just a young, bad team. The growing pains will be worse than I thought.

This is where the problem lies. The young guys were young and exciting. The guys that made it bad, Leino/Staff/McCormick/Vanek, were the vets that shouldn't even be on this team. Imagine having 2 other lines like the Grigs, Girgs and Flynn line.

 

[Timbo Slice]

THE AMAZING: Some guy from /r/hockey on Reddit is going to get a new tattoo..

"If Zemgus scores tonight, I'm going to get a tattoo of a potato with the Sabres logo and ZG#28 on it."

and

"This is happening. I can't say exactly when, hopefully next week or the week after. Pics will definitely come. I give anyone who replied to that comment permission to remind me if I haven't delivered by the end of October. This will be my first tattoo haha"

****ing amazing

 

[Chainshot]

Agenda pushing. He was arguably our most dangerous player, not that it says much.

Tonight he was pretty much ****. The puck came to die on his stick -- the bad pass to Myers in his wheelhouse on the second five-on-three was a perfect isolation of what was going wrong for him.

 

[slip]

The Sabres were more physical than Detroit I thought.

On a certain level they were. But Buffalo was soft is other ways, such as Stafford and Ennis attempting to skate through 2-3 Redwings at a time, losing puck battles, dominated at the dot, errant passes, etc. I understand we're young and prone to error, but I sense an underlying apathy in our play. Have guys like Vanek and Stafford already mentally checked out?

 

[Djp]

Foligno & Larsson in.

Stafford & Leino out.

would anyone really have a problem with this?

i can handle highs and lows from youth. not sure i can deal with watching those 2 for 81 more.

Umm...to get Foligno in a player needs to be removed for the 23 man roster.