Post-Game Talk (GBU): The powerless play

struckbyaparkedcar

Guilty of Being Right
Mar 1, 2008
18,243
1,847
Upstate NY
Would have been interested to see Mittelstadt on PP1 given how flat that unit looked. Larsson is also confirmed washed.

FWIW, there were line changes, Skinner was double shifted with Mittelstadt and Berglund.

This team doesn't generate good shots 5v5 until score effects set in one way or another.
 

MayDayMayDay

Out here doing time bandit shit...
Feb 22, 2012
3,794
2,613
Peoria, AZ
G:
Dahlin
Eichel
Reinhart
Periods of extended possession

B:
Tage (tough night for him, but he'll bounce back. Let him work through it, don't crush his confidence.)
Okposo
Refs
Sheary
Risto
Scandella

U:
Housley. This was his worst game as coach. Even down 3-0, I had this feeling that with some adjustments, we could battle back. But we didn't adjust.

Housley lost me tonight. He needs to know his players and what adjustments to make to change the trajectory of this game (i.e. OK >< Dahlin on the PP) and he didn't. I don't trust that he knows these players well enough to adapt and succeed on the fly.

Let's bounce back on Saturday.
 

darcyRegier

Registered User
Mar 27, 2017
2,401
1,244
Another thing...our powerplay is going to suck until we add an actual scoring threat to it opposite Eichel. Teams can just shadow him and let Okposo and Risto handle the puck the entire time, rendering the powerplay completely ineffective.

One of Dahlin, Erod, or Mitts absolutely needs to be subbed in for Okposo. And Skinner should be parked right next to Reinhart in front of the goalie on pp1, those two are excellent in tight around the net. Sheary can go to pp2.
 

Ralonzo

Я хочу!
Nov 6, 2006
15,897
6,970
Virginia
My level of comfort in watching Dahlin and - after 4 games - feeling like he's not gonna MAG up a situation like every other d-man on the team does all the time... at age 18... it's a bit shocking.

Is that what generational is?
 

GellMann

Registered User
Dec 16, 2014
4,281
3,779
Lancaster NY
I know this will be destroyed, but I’m not that salty about this game.

Took penalties, got in a hole early, couldn’t score on the PP...it was a different feel than the garbage of yesteryear.

Who in the room stands up when they get in such a hole? Who is prepared to help talk the guys out of the feeling of “here we go again!”...? None of the letter wearers fit the bill, they need game and playoff experience themselves. It’s going to take time for everything to come together.

The key difference for me - and again, I know this will get Flamed - is the movement of the guys (particularly the wingers) when they don’t have the puck. I saw churning, I saw stops and Starts. I saw sticks used as an asset and not a flailing seatbelt for one’s waist.

I think what I’m trying to say is that this kind of 6-1 loss is a billion times more tolerable than the one of dejection we saw 68x last season. We lost every single loose puck battle, which reeks of last season on the surface... but instead of losing the battles because we arrive late or behind, or the wrong guy arrives, we lost a lot to bounces and **** puck luck.

It doesn’t change the notion that it’s not even close to good enough. But relative to what we’ve been for such an extended period of time, I’ll take this over other stuff.


this is concerning, as it obviously was taken as a shot by Housley...since coaches and players seldom oppose each other on those sides of the debate. If anything it’s usuallg the other way around - coach Hates practice but players didn’t think it was bad

It doesn’t bode well for Housley that the alternate captain is so freely speaking negatively about the practice, no matter if he says he meant it pertaining to the players’ effort level or competitiveness, not as a slight to the plan or to the head coach. It’s absolutely the latter. It worries me, as you don’t really show those kinds of armor chinks in public if you’re fully on board with your coach.
I honestly felt this way too when watching
 

Tage2Tuch

Because TheJackAttack is in Black
May 10, 2004
9,048
2,658
CAN
I need to shower. In the third where they couldn’t make a pass or enter the zone. What wAs that? How does that happen? It’s not like Colorado is the devils of 03, they’re not bad either but come on.


Missing out on McDavid ruined this franchise

Eichel is nowhere near the generational talent everyone thought he was. sorry

Ridiculous is you lurking our forums waiting for a loss where he doesn’t get a point (and he had a highlight reel goal he created called off) just to mumble this trash.

No one on here would even defend the guy if he wasn’t as insanely talented as he is. Just because you get off on a team doing not well when he’s only on the ice 1-3rd of an entire game (a team sport? Go figure) doesent mean the best player kn the team is trash.
 
Last edited:

jBuds

pretty damn valuable
Apr 9, 2005
30,876
1,449
Richmond, VA
I honestly felt this way too when watching
It didn’t feel like such a lopsided game @MayDayMayDay I had a similar feeling to yours, where a few adjustments and a double shift here or there in the final qtr of the first period and or early second, it’s a different road to the final result, and possibly a less lopsided one
 

debaser66

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Mar 10, 2012
4,825
2,590
Get Pilut up scratch Nelson or Beaulieu.
Dahiln should play 1st pairing minutes and on PP1 instead of Risto or KO.
Sent Thompson to Rochester and call up Nylander.
 
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DJN21

Registered User
Aug 8, 2011
9,425
2,567
Rochester
Hasn't been mentioned yet so I'll throw it out there....zadorov made us his lady early. Mccabe took 3 hard hits in the first. Mitts took the penalty. The aves were fast and finished checks and we had no answer for half the game....larry for elie? Mehhh

Gut check time
 

toomuchsauce

Registered User
Jan 7, 2015
2,617
1,639
I know this will be destroyed, but I’m not that salty about this game.

Took penalties, got in a hole early, couldn’t score on the PP...it was a different feel than the garbage of yesteryear.

Who in the room stands up when they get in such a hole? Who is prepared to help talk the guys out of the feeling of “here we go again!”...? None of the letter wearers fit the bill, they need game and playoff experience themselves. It’s going to take time for everything to come together.

The key difference for me - and again, I know this will get Flamed - is the movement of the guys (particularly the wingers) when they don’t have the puck. I saw churning, I saw stops and Starts. I saw sticks used as an asset and not a flailing seatbelt for one’s waist.

I think what I’m trying to say is that this kind of 6-1 loss is a billion times more tolerable than the one of dejection we saw 68x last season. We lost every single loose puck battle, which reeks of last season on the surface... but instead of losing the battles because we arrive late or behind, or the wrong guy arrives, we lost a lot to bounces and **** puck luck.

It doesn’t change the notion that it’s not even close to good enough. But relative to what we’ve been for such an extended period of time, I’ll take this over other stuff.


this is concerning, as it obviously was taken as a shot by Housley...since coaches and players seldom oppose each other on those sides of the debate. If anything it’s usuallg the other way around - coach Hates practice but players didn’t think it was bad

It doesn’t bode well for Housley that the alternate captain is so freely speaking negatively about the practice, no matter if he says he meant it pertaining to the players’ effort level or competitiveness, not as a slight to the plan or to the head coach. It’s absolutely the latter. It worries me, as you don’t really show those kinds of armor chinks in public if you’re fully on board with your coach.


I generally agree with the notion that, though bad, it's better than it was. However, they're still bad. Until Ristolainen is being used as a 2nd or 3rd pair PP specialist, then...the team is bad.

They are bad. They're best players are young. They could get better. They are more skilled than the tank-era teams. Root for them to get better. Rooting for them to win games is a fools errand, because this team is still f***ing clueless.

This organization has been lapped twice-over by the New Jersey Devils ffs.

Having said this, I sincerely hope the Sabres are the anti-Bills in that they don't decide to trade their most talented players for "character guys" who all go to the same church.
 
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BuffaloGooner

Registered User
Sep 8, 2011
3,711
4,973
Sloan, NY
G
Eichel
Reinhart
Dahlin
Blow-you with a goal!
Mitts is finding his next gear

B
Nelson is not close to NHL caliber
Okposo is becoming a nothing player. A Pouliot, if you will. A 6 million dollar waste of space
Sheary fought it tonight
Larsson is just so bad

U
The score is way worse than how that game really went. I’m still extremely optimistic for the season. We’re less than 5 games into an 82 game season. Some of these comments sound as if we just finished 31st a second time.
 
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Howie Hodge

Zombie Woof
Sep 16, 2017
4,422
4,027
Buffalo, NY
If they even win a single game I will be shocked. Another season over by October, what exactly did we do to deserve this absolute bull****???

Okay Mike, make me be negative - like I need prodding!

I'm not optimistic at this point, four home games. Two we sucked. One we had a goalie stand on his head for us.

Best dig that potato up to put behind the bench when we get back from the road trip if it goes like we expect it to really go...

Okay, now I feel better.
 

La Cosa Nostra

Caporegime
Jun 25, 2009
14,073
2,335
4 down, 78 to go. In a league where even the best team in the league will lose nearly 30 games a year, it is one game. The refs were horrible and so soon as the Avs got 2 quick PP goals it was over. Not to mention that disallowed goal and the Bs 4th Avs goal. In reality it should have damn well been 3-2 after Beaulieus goal and 99.99% of the time that doesnt happen on the 4th goal.

Varlamov played great it happens. At the end of the day we got the bare minimum 4 out of 8 points on the home stand. Dahlin has looked damn good. So has Skinner and that is without scoring also.

As for the real negatives.

Okposo. He should get 5 minutes a game. Thank God Bogo is getting close. Nelson is awful. Makes Chad Ruhwedel look like PK Subban. Cannot wait for Bogo and Pilut to replace Nelson and Blowyou and Nylander to replace Thonpson. Larsson should be waived also.
 
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wunderpanda

Registered User
Apr 9, 2012
5,491
467
I don’t believe that ugly if you bring a torts type in here they’ll whip these boys into shape.
Wouldn't hurt to try.

Botts would need to dump any complacent players that have outlasted Bylsma, Nolan & Rolston tho; there has been limited player accountability because the coaches been taking the blame since Ruff vs Enroth.
 

Sabre the Win

Joke of a Franchise
Jun 27, 2013
12,245
4,920
If they even win a single game I will be shocked. Another season over by October, what exactly did we do to deserve this absolute bull****???
They should win against the Coyotes on Saturday, then they play Vegas again who had been struggling and then San Jose who we have a pretty good record against, its possible to come out with 3 wins in the next 3 only for the Kings and Anaheim to crush everyone's Sabres wild card dreams reminding us we suck.
 

Nedo801

Registered User
Jul 13, 2017
78
69
Biggest difference is that Hutton was not a wall. And he can not be every game.
 

Reddawg

We're all mad here
Sponsor
Mar 22, 2007
8,915
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Rochester, NY
Sheary needs to come off the top PP, I can’t even count how many times the play died on his stick due to turnovers.

I honestly wouldn’t mind putting Dahlin in his spot on the top PP and seeing what happens. I have a feeling it would be pretty epic.
 

CrazyPsycho

Elite Drafter
Sep 25, 2003
17,670
5,251
It didn’t feel like such a lopsided game @MayDayMayDay I had a similar feeling to yours, where a few adjustments and a double shift here or there in the final qtr of the first period and or early second, it’s a different road to the final result, and possibly a less lopsided one

I know ppl are saying it wasnt lopsided, but I feel like the Avs could have easily put up 10. Hutton saved so many high quality chances (especially early).
 

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