Post-Game Talk (GBU): We forgot to trade for bounces

[Bobby Bottle Service]

Tyler Ennis scored against us? What the actual ****.

GWG, ffs

 

[kirby11]

Can someone ask Phil point-blank why Tage can never be benched for a night if he truly believes in making players earn their spots?

I feel somewhat bad for the kid because he's clearly overwhelmed and should be in the AHL right now, and the idiots in charge apparently think it's a better "development plan" to let him be an absolute trainwreck for 8-10 minutes per night here.

OTOH, the way he plays the game--seemingly always at half-speed, head down, refusing to ever simplify his game or throw a check--and the fact that I've rarely seen him attack anything with the kind of jump that most guys have when they're trying to break into the NHL is pretty annoying.

 

[MayDayMayDay]

Eichel, Skinner, Reinhart and Dahlin were all really good to great tonight.

Ullmark came in and, for the most part, settled things down.

Still too much dead weight. Gotta jettison Scandella, Okposo, Pominville, Sobotka, Sheary and replace with our own home grown youth. It's a big year for Rochester.

I just don't know with Risto, man. He really made me eat my words tonight. Maybe when the forward corps quality improves, his game will follow suit. I just don't know. This off-season is going to be interesting.

 

[GQS]

Toronto truly has the worst collection of posters on HFBoards.

Some of the posts in their PGT are actually alarming. I can't believe people carry that much hatred over a hockey game.

Pretty sad.

Maybe its just me, but I don't think that Leafs fans on HFboards are much worse than fans of any other team who are passionate about their franchise, just that since there's so many Leafs fans here that there's bound to be a few more bad ones just by numbers alone. Namely a large fanbase will obviously have more bad fans than a smaller fanbase even if the percentages may be the same.

 

[Man of Principles]

I'm boarding the trade Risto train and chugging full steam ahead. I know +/- is sort of outdated and not always indicative of the truth, but isn't it very glaring that he's a -25 this year and nobody else on this roster even comes close? Literally has dropped off a cliff on defense. Never was great, but now he's just... consistently idiotic and/or outworked.

 

[wshahbaz]

Eichel will leave Buffalo before the Sabres make the playoffs

quote me on that. Pegula is driving this team into the ground with his hires. GM's and HC's have all been abysmal choices

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Didn't get to watch the majority of the 2nd/3rd, but I'm gonna post anyways.

U: Housley. These guys showed they could outplay a top 6 team in the first 20. Obviously that's tough to do for a full 60, but they showed the ability is there.

But then they fall apart in the 2nd, and I can 100% confidently guarantee that Phil did nothing. I honestly haven't seen anything outside of the highlights (and lowlights), and yet I know. Tell me I'm wrong and I'll shut up for 48 hours, but what they needed was a timeout and a good tongue lashing. "Cover your f***ing man, get on the right side of the guy, and f***ing skate out there!" Slam a clipboard, send saliva flying, it isn't hard. Yet I know he chewed gum and didn't say a thing.

Please, please tell me I'm wrong. This team consistently falls apart for any given period and there is no response, there is no coaching. Babcock looked ready to rip a head off after our first goal. Housley could watch 5 goals go in against us and he'd look like a dude watching a Bob Ross marathon.

 

[The Red Helmet]

Ooooooof

It's like playing big minutes on a bad team for 5 years, a team that was intentionally tanking for a couple of those years and was notorious for not being able to score over that span, is bad for a defensemen's plus minus.

 

[threeVo]

My final back breaker for Risto was when McCabe was about to block a puck in the air and Risto inexplicably tried to high stick it, got a piece of it causing it to fly behind McCabe and send a Leaf in on a partial breakaway. I can tolerate the aimless clears up the wall here and there, but that play there really shows how low his hockey IQ is. Montour please help us.

 

[joshjull]

System? This team has no functioning system defensively. Fill needs to go.

System? We don’t need no stinking system.

 

[SundherDome]

G:
Effort in the first
Eichel
Okposo (ducks).. he gets his role
The effort from possibly the worst team we have iced all season
Passing in the first was crispy as a mother f***ing sprite
B:
Erod settling the puck and dishing it to Matthews
Hutton
Defense disappeared for about 10 min in the 2nd
Leafs defense
Botts not doing anything at forward when I can't remember a time this many quality forwards were available.
U:
The PP, ice 4 dmen and Eichel
The PK
Lack of ability for one team in Buffalo to make an in game adjustment.
Our players do this awful drifting to behind the net float thing instead of stopping just above the goal crease. If Dahlin doesn't have his body behind the net, he scores.

 

[sabremike]

BTW shout out to the numerous people at the Disturbed concert at MSG and random people on the street who gave me "Let's Go Buffalo" shouts for wearing my Eichel jersey.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Eichel will leave Buffalo before the Sabres make the playoffs

quote me on that. Pegula is driving this team into the ground with his hires. GM's and HC's have all been abysmal choices

Ok we can quote you on that, but do we get anything else for when you are wrong?

 

[CrazyPsycho]

It's like playing big minutes on a bad team for 5 years, a team that was intentionally tanking for a couple of those years and was notorious for not being able to score over that span, is bad for a defensemen's plus minus.

Hes 2nd last in the NHL this season

 

[Royisgone]

Risto was awful. They didn't want to play montour tonight because of the travel. Are you ****ing kidding me? Montour at 50%>>>>>Hunwick+Scandella combined.

Pains me to say I would rather have Lindy Ruff then any of the clowns who have succeeded him. This team needs a harsher voice behind the bench. so sick of this team allowing a goal then getting shellacked and allowing even more right away.

Jack does not deserve this ****. Thank god hes here for 7 more years should hopefully make the playoffs by 2025. Playoffs are over. This team is not winning 14 of 20.

Did you just figure that out tonight?

 

[Kyndig]

+- really? Give me a break..now I know you're desperate. Basement dweller teams tank your + -

Eichel is tied with Okposo for the 5th worst +- among forwards in the NHL at -56 since 2015. He probably would've passed everyone if he didn't keep getting injured..we should just get rid of him.

OEL is -5 behind Risto in that same time frame..I suppose it's just a coincidence since he plays top minutes against everyone's best on another basement dweller.

 

[Paxon]

Ooooooof

That OEL is #2 says it all

 

[sabremike]

+/- is an awful stat but Risto is a rare example of it actually being meaningful because he is very often the culprit for goals against by making terrible plays.

 

[Icicle]

Lol people blaming Tage for not having Sobotka or Okposo to pass to on breakouts. Not sure a rookie could be put in a worse situation in the league stuck with those two. Some of you have a serious narrative to push.

Especially when you can blame Risto or Hunwick directly for every goal against. Reallllly could’ve used Montour tonight.

Tage, Rodrigues, Sam, all had numerous chances and couldn’t hit the net. I hope the coach isn’t letting that go unpunished.

But seriously bad bounces killed this game. That deflection off the refs foot at the end probably cost this team a point by itself. Their terrible call on Tage being checked somehow being a tripping call that led to the two minute breakdown that lost them the game already had me grinding an axe for them.

They looked great the rest of the game. As soon as Sobotka gets benched this team will succeed.

 

[Club]

Missed the 3rd. But I'm very excited for Montour tomorrow if he is playing.

Loved the Eichel 1-0 goal and glad Reinhart gave me some points in fantasy!

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

I'm curious whose call it was to keep Montour out- what a stupid f***ing move. These guys travel all the time, numerous teams put their new pieces right on the ice, they've spent their entire careers moving about and playing right away.. Montour with a 6 pack in him has gotta be better than Hunwick. Now is not the time to be cautious. Very well coulda cost us the game, good work guys.

Also, Sheary sucks.

 

[old kummelweck]

Three goal in under 3 minutes and not a mention of the goal tending issue this team has? Reinhart was right and Hutton should be embarrassed trolling him after 1.5 good games.

#1 need this off-season is goaltending.

 

[old kummelweck]

Also, Dahlin once again wipes out at the blue line mishandling the puck during a critical PP... ending the game - no mention other than on everyone’s good column? How many times have we seen him do that this year? Then right back on the Ice and doesn’t miss a shift.

I can’t criticize the Sabres development of this kid, but he’s led to several critical swings in key games and I wonder if the overall team record has suffered because of it.

 

[Tatre]

Also, Dahlin once again wipes out at the blue line mishandling the puck during a critical PP... ending the game - no mention other than it everyone’s good column? How many times have we seen him do that this year? Then right back on the Iceland doesn’t miss a shift.

I can’t criticize the Sabres development of this kid, but he’s led to several critical swings in key games and I wonder if the overall team record has suffered because of it.

The puck bounced off a ref's skate, that type of thing happens sometimes. We've even seen it go our way this season. He was mostly good last night, compared to some of the last few games.

 

[Fezzy126]

Open to find Risto-McCabe

I mean I know what I’d do this offseason but I don’t want to run afoul of the resistance

Can’t play with Scandella
Can’t play with Dahlin
Can’t play with McCabe

Can’t play here

This was literally 2 games ago: