Post-Game Talk (GBU): We weren't ready to play

[Royisgone]

Just like in the tank years! The GBU thread with very little participation. At least we had one tonight, so there's that.

Someone mentioned we haven't given consistent effort for a decade. It's true. Going back to Lindy Ruff's last few years as HC, consistent effort, 3 periods of work a night, and coming out ready to go at the opening face-off have been consistent problems with this team.

Remember when Harrington called out BOGO and asked him if his team was "toast"??? Bogo said he believes in each and every guy in the room, blah blah blah.

Wonder if he thinks they are toast now.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Rochester had an arguably more important game tonight against Syracuse, and they weren't going to let Wilcox (who, judging from what some Amerks fans are saying, may be worse than a tired Ullmark) play.

No joke. Who plays Wilcox over Ullmark? Well, maybe Housley

 

[krt88nc]

Why didn’t Housley challenge that second goal? Doesn’t make any sense.

 

[flashsabre]

I was at the game tonight and what are you going to do. The Sabres 1st line matches up with the Leafs 1st line but lines 2-4 aren't even close. The Sabres need about 3 more highly skilled forwards if they want to go anywhere.

-They need a couple forwards who aggressively go to the net with authority.
-Thompson made a couple really nice defensive plays tonight.
-I really love Montour's game. Everything is crisp and quick with him
-Ullmark had a rough night

-Andersen made acouple amazing saves tonight to keep the Leafs ahead.

Ugly: Leafs fans tonight acting like Tavares was returning home after being released from a P.O.W. Camp after 5 years.

 

[Ace]

If Botterill brings Housley back his future should be tied directly to the decision. When Housley goes, Botterill goes with him. The decision to just waste more time with an utter failure should have the consequence of losing your job when you figure out your mistake way too late.

The communication he praises adds up to nothing. They’re worse now than they were at any point under this terrible coach. And every time he says you can’t fault the effort he’s begging to be asked what we should fault...and why that shouldn’t be corrected.

They lose worse and more often than the roster should lose. This isn’t a bottom two roster. But for the last few months it’s a bottom two team. After being the bottom team under this coach last year. After not being the bottom team when he took over.

f*** outta here and back to Minnesota to never be heard from again.

Is that communication clear enough for you Botts?

 

[slip]

“It’s hard to win in this league”

-Phil Housley 3/2

...

The teams you play every night sure make it look easy.

...

7 coaches fired this year. We get “it’s hard to win in this league” at the end of year two as they play worse than ever.

I understand Phil’s point. It echoes what others have experienced in history:

“It’s hard fighting these Indians.”
— General Custer, Battle of Little Big Horn”

“It’s hard making money off gambling”
— Donald Trump, bankruptcy court.

“It’s hard to sing”
— Milli Vanilli, Grammy clawback interview.

 

[MagnumForce2]

G-Better draft position
B-Window for playoffs closing fast
Cant win 2 in a row
U-Phil Housley is still our coach

 

[ZZamboni]

Why didn’t Housley challenge that second goal? Doesn’t make any sense.

Maybe I’m wrong, and if someone can post an angle or two on that goal ... but to me it looked like the Sabres Dman absolutely pushed Marleau into Ullmark. Enough at least, where it wasn’t obvious enough to challenge for GI

 

[Buffaloed]

"We weren't ready to play" is a load of BS. The real problem is we weren't ready to watch. Some of you were up and down running to the fridge getting drinks and snacks, checking the scores of other games, planning the rest of your weekend and running to the bathroom etc.. How do you expect the team to stay focused when you're doing everything possible to distract them?

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Ristolainen is now a -31. That's just a fluke, right. He plays too much. Faces top lines. It couldn't be he gives up the puck in key situations night after night.

 

[GellMann]

Ristolainen is now a -31. That's just a fluke, right. He plays too much. Faces top lines. It couldn't be he gives up the puck in key situations night after night.

Holy crap

That's like 10 worse than I'd have guessed

 

[buffalojedwardo]

same thing every time we play the leafs

 

[tsujimoto74]

Maybe I’m wrong, and if someone can post an angle or two on that goal ... but to me it looked like the Sabres Dman absolutely pushed Marleau into Ullmark. Enough at least, where it wasn’t obvious enough to challenge for GI

I also thought it wasn't GI, but I still don't get what Housley thinks he has to lose by challenging it, especially considering how inconsistent GI calls are. Might as well take the chance on a play that's at least close, right? It's not like he was saving that timeout for something better.

 

[darcyRegier]

Your 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres:

 

[Kyndig]

Ristolainen is now a -31. That's just a fluke, right. He plays too much. Faces top lines. It couldn't be he gives up the puck in key situations night after night.

Goals while Risto was on the ice:
First goal Okposo blindly slapped the puck around the boards and then McCabe let Tavares whack at the puck as Ullmark laid there like a dead fish.
Second goal was a complete collapse, there was only one player NOT behind/on the red line and he wasn't even covering anyone. Puck was bouncing and rocketed off Risto's stick.
Third goal was an empty netter which has been tanking everyone's +- lately, not that the stat matters. I mean Dahlin was a +10? not too long ago.

It's easier to blame one guy than the team but blaming Risto for every single goal while hes on the ice is truly tiresome. Even ROR was a -23 here last season which was only 2 better than Risto, despite playing around 250 fewer minutes than Risto on a bottom feeder. Garbage stat is garbage.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Same as they ever where.

Watching the days go by.......

 

[toomuchsauce]

same thing every time we play the leafs

Or any other team, really.

 

[wunderpanda]

 

[Chainshot]

Just like in the tank years! The GBU thread with very little participation. At least we had one tonight, so there's that.

Someone mentioned we haven't given consistent effort for a decade. It's true. Going back to Lindy Ruff's last few years as HC, consistent effort, 3 periods of work a night, and coming out ready to go at the opening face-off have been consistent problems with this team.

Remember when Harrington called out BOGO and asked him if his team was "toast"??? Bogo said he believes in each and every guy in the room, blah blah blah.

Wonder if he thinks they are toast now.

What are we supposed to say any more? The team is badly run, badly coached, has terrible effort and regularly plays disinterested, uninspired hockey. They don't score, they don't pass, they collectively can't cover defensively and they make far too little effort coming back to allow their defensemen outlets. Their defense almost to a man carry the puck like live ordinance. And the goaltending has to be far too fine every night for them to even have a chance and is average to worse many nights.

So... what else is there to say?

 

[Chainshot]

Good thing Mitch's haven't dropped yet or else there might have been some damage there.

 

[joshjull]

Hmmm....

I could buy that

 

[Kyndig]

The Crosby special.

 

[jBuds]

Hmmm....

I could buy that

That and having a two goal lead are just... I can’t

f*** this team. Whatever.

 

[jBuds]

Toronto couldn’t have hand picked a better opponent to play against after that Isles loss of theirs.

This was the most typical outcome in the history of everything.

 

[Sinter Klaas]

When you give team chance after chance from the slot, your goalie is going to let a few in. After watching Lehner this year and comparing him to last year, I think it was the Sabres backtrack defense and soft coverage from 5 feet in front of the net that caused his depressive mood and Ullmark/Hutton will follow suit if the team can't fix it.