Post-Game Talk (GBU): When does the sun come out again?

[Beerz]

Reinhart pulling his let's not score for the whole month routine again

 

[Gabrielor]

I slept on it, and saw some morning interviews.

Pretty much every Sabres says they lost the special teams battle last night. While that's true, they once again hugely lost 5v5 play. Can we expect them to ever focus on getting better at that?


Edit:



Jack seems convey a lot of my issues in this interview.

 

[Montag DP]

Call up nylander. Thompson hasnt done jack.

Or, put them both in Rochester until we get some decent coaching. We don't need more ruined prospects.

 

[tsujimoto74]

G:
We weren't shutout?

B/U:
Pretty much everything else about this team last night.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

Call up nylander. Thompson hasnt done jack.

But....it's more important for Buffalo to signal that they won the trade, than actually putting the best team on the ice.

 

[1972]

Eichel and Reinhart haven’t been near as good as they need to be to start the season, not generating anything during even strength hockey. Sam was a joke last night, Jack wasn’t much better. It might be time to slip those two guys up and try something new.

 

[1972]

Jake McCabe and Nathan Beaulieu and playing so much better then last season. That’s a positive at least.

 

[Dreakon13]

Didn't watch the game (too late for me) but...

G: Not the Sabres

B: The Sabres

U: Sigh... think it might be time for another break from HF. At least in the offseason the armchair coach/GM/owner-ing and narratives and conspiracy theories about why certain players are up and others are in Rochester... could be quelled somewhat with the excitement of the season starting. If the team is going to suck again, there isn't much reason to be here unless you want to discuss at length why everyone needs to be fired and everyone needs to be waived for the umpteenth time and how much better things would be if we were in charge.

 

[1972]

Reinhart pulling his let's not score for the whole month routine again

He’ll rack they points when the years over again

Edit: I’m joking, I hope.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Jim Bob]

G:
We weren't shutout?

B/U:
Pretty much everything else about this team last night.

Does B/U = Butt Ugly?

 

[brian_griffin]

The answer is Thompson. They'd both benefit from time in Roch, but the answer is Thompson.

The answer is 42 72.

Was Okposo really good or did the team outsuck him? Would be nice if he came back to real form.

I thought he was noticably good too. Engaged. Won a key O-zone faceoff enabling a direct quality shot on goal immediately after. Kind of fed off of Casey's feistyness, too.

Glad I missed this one, I guess. I saw the first 10 minutes, and what I saw was good system vs bad system. Vegas' forwards are all in on the forecheck playing man. If their man goes high, they follow. When the Sabres are in the Ozone, there's almost never more than a single forechecker, if there even is one. And then the D completely yield the blueline, leading to fast transitions on every lost possession. This can't just be about talent or effort. I cannot believe that these players are being coached to abandon the forecheck for a line change literally every time they lose possession.

Spot on. I was going to add similar thoughts to @jBuds point by point post-game take-down. Forecheck was disorganized and anemic. Terribly out of position pursuing the puck, both east-west in the Knights zone and in relation to each other. Every option was available to VGK: Up the wall puck side, through the middle, reversals behind the net. Sabres were strides away and the puck was past center ice before they were even pressuring the puck.

But....it's more important for Buffalo to signal that they won the trade, than actually putting the best team on the ice.

I maintain my original belief they want Asplund & Oloffsson (& lesser extent Pilut) to acclimate together for a period of time in Roch with Nylander.

 

[OkimLom]

Reinhart pulling his let's not score for the whole month routine again

It's annoying, but there's a huge difference of THIS Reinhart (even if he had a bad night tonight) vs what was at the start of last season. They aren't going in, but it's not a result of him playing poorly.

 

[hizzoner]

I keep hoping that the first few games are a shakedown period. And I remind myself that we are relying on the youngest of our team to carry the load. This team has talented players but they still think that their skill will win them games. This arrogance has got to go and their lip service to team play and proper zone play must end. Either there is no system or they cannot/will not execute it.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I only saw the first period but the lack of a cohesive forecheck and the large amount of 'small dumb plays' was evident. The Sabres forwards never seem to attack the correct gap when on the forecheck, but what is more annoying is what they do with the puck while in the offensive zone. I can remember two incidents where I was shaking my head in annoyance:

1) Mittelstatd gets the puck out of the corner , and blindly passed it to the point. The only problem was- there was a Knights player literally standing at the half wall. Easy pickings

2) E-Rod is on the rush, takes the puck to the up circle, and shoots the puck a mile wide resulting in a 3 on 2 the other way.

Errors like this over and over+ an unorganized forecheck + a pretty bad defense= a really, really bad team. I'm still annoyed Botterill has done literally nothing outside of drafting Dahlin to fix the top-6 defensemen. That being said, the issues to this team run deeper than talent level. They're just an incredibly dumb hockey team, and that stems from the man behind the bench.

 

[debaser66]

Not much of a teamgame or a consistent effort through a whole game in all outings this season so far.
I really wish a good veteran coach would be available.
Still the same bad habits like last year what you got a coach for if he cant teach them anything.

 

[hizzoner]

I see the same things as everyone else. I guess I just am not ready to blame the coach. Over years of coaching I found that many of my most successful teams had less talent but that the players were smarter, more coachable and less narcissistic. Some of the most talented players I wanted no part of on my team the following year. So not being in the training room I do not take the easy way out by saying "fire the coach". That may prove to be the remedy or it might just be bringing in a new scapegoat. I know we have been in the wasteland for a long time--but when we see the oasis I do not want it to be a mirage.

 

[debaser66]

What happened to Berglund playing 9:37 min was he injured or just bad?

 

[debaser66]

I see the same things as everyone else. I guess I just am not ready to blame the coach. Over years of coaching I found that many of my most successful teams had less talent but that the players were smarter, more coachable and less narcissistic. Some of the most talented players I wanted no part of on my team the following year. So not being in the training room I do not take the easy way out by saying "fire the coach". That may prove to be the remedy or it might just be bringing in a new scapegoat. I know we have been in the wasteland for a long time--but when we see the oasis I do not want it to be a mirage.

You need someone who can reach them beyond them being able to repeat the same lines in interviews: "uh oh we gotta change the culture"
They have bad habits on the ice, no consitency.
Like one third of the roster is new, experienced player coming in, two alleged problem players gone and still they look the same overall just more skilled individually, still the same bad habits I barely witness on other teams with that consistency.
Of course its not Housleys fault alone he was handed a bad team but how do you change such a team if they play still like that come Ney year?

 

[HaNotsri]

I see the same things as everyone else. I guess I just am not ready to blame the coach. Over years of coaching I found that many of my most successful teams had less talent but that the players were smarter, more coachable and less narcissistic. Some of the most talented players I wanted no part of on my team the following year. So not being in the training room I do not take the easy way out by saying "fire the coach". That may prove to be the remedy or it might just be bringing in a new scapegoat. I know we have been in the wasteland for a long time--but when we see the oasis I do not want it to be a mirage.

”Culture” in form of the right behaviors is important but you need quality, talent, just as much to compete on a high level.
Be it intelligence, skating or a good shot.

Our greatest problem in my opinion is the lack of direction. While some of our plays are obvious I find it hard to see what our winning method is. I was frustrated with Bylsma since the team tried harder not to lose than to actually win.
It’s more chaotic with Housley but in some regards I feel the same. How are we going to win? What can we use to our advantage against other teams?

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Remember when we were ahead of the Leafs rebuild?

The tank was officially a failure.

 

[Gabrielor]

The tank was officially a failure.

We drafted guys that didn’t fit.
We traded for guys that didn’t fit.

The hope currently rests on the Swedish army amassing.

Nearly all the acquisitions from 2012 to 2015 have come in below expectations, with 2016 also trending that way.

 

[Royal Thunder]

We looked exactly like the Kings in last year's playoffs, just overwhelmed and rushed by Vegas all night. Vegas played amazing and I would like to see how we look the next 3 games in California before I totally give up on the team. Vegas' relentless style of play was too much for us, thankfully we don't have to see them again this year because we are not equipped to handle that kind of speed and pressure.

 

[dasaybz]

We looked exactly like the Kings in last year's playoffs, just overwhelmed and rushed by Vegas all night. Vegas played amazing and I would like to see how we look the next 3 games in California before I totally give up on the team. Vegas' relentless style of play was too much for us, thankfully we don't have to see them again this year because we are not equipped to handle that kind of speed and pressure.

Ya it seemed like the game was moving much too fast for the Sabres. They needed to slow the tempo down a bit, but for some reason never did. It's almost like they wanted to get into a track meet with Vegas, but Fleury and the rest of the team were just too good for them. Gotta give Vegas credit, they were fantastic last night.

 

[Gabrielor]

Doubling down on disappointment, is that we were basically at full strength last night. I doubt Hunwick or Wilson move the needle. That was are healthy starting lineup getting smoked