PerreaultForever

My view is different. I don't actually see an "identity" yet and I don't see enough "greasy goals". Ruff talks about that but that's pretty much standard by the book hockey talk for most teams and coaches. I don't think there's anybody who says don't "go to the net". What I see possibly developing with Ruff is an attention to details and structure. Team play is stronger and positional play is getting stronger. The little things that add up. Sorely missing from this team for years.

That's been my view for quite a while. There is a balance in these things but for the most part they draft too much on speed and skill analytics and not enough on size and character. hence we have to trade for a Malenstyn rather than having several of them in the system. My thought is they keep drafting the same way figuring eventually one sticks. Benson for example. But maybe they feel they can trade a surplus of skill guys for the grinders, whoa re easier to find as pros. Maybe. It doesn't work though if these guys lose their trade value like you said.

Is it possible they are just too small, too light?

If you want to think about wildcard spots, the Flyers are not a threat this year. Watching them play the Caps and boy do they look bad. Caps on the other hand look like the Caps and they will be in that wildcard race with their mixture of old guys and misfits.

This isn't the only thing, but one of the bigger things with Quinn is he isn't fighting through traffic. It's like he wants open ice but if he doesn't get it (which generally you don't in the NHL) he just becomes a passive non entity. He's there, but he's not doing anything.

I really think we have to try Cozens on the wing and see how that goes. Having him try to carry 2 young guys isn't working. Perhaps, Peterka-Thompson-Tuch Zucker-McLeod-Cozens Greenway-Krebs-Quinn Malenstyn-Lafferty-Kubel (when he returns) Benson and Kulich sub as needed but ideally Adams uses that cap money and gets a veteran winger added. To me, Quinn is as much of a problem as Cozens, probably more. He's a weakness currently and we'd be better off with a physical winger in his spot.

Bruins look like garbage. This could be their crash and burn year.

Well they almost blew it but there were some real good things in this game. Real positive signs. Good attention to details, good team structure, energetic skating, lots of sticks in lanes and even some blocked shots. Little things that add up. You can definitely build off this win. I thought that was perhaps Jokiharju's best game as a Sabre. Perhaps a turnaround is still possible this year after all and maybe even the overdue Boston/Buffalo flip, as the Bruins look dreadful.

Power plays soft for his size, there's no question about that and anybody who argues differently is clearly clueless. The only question is will this change over time as he (hopefully) grows stronger or is that just his temperament and he will always be soft (and thus less effective on D). I suspect he will improve in time but who knows. Something I'd add though is that on most of those goals where he is "standing there looking befuddled" Byram is out of position and chasing the play and thus being an even greater liability. Power is at least in position. I think it's a horrible pairing and our lack of disciplined physical stay at home D men is a team weakness. Our one guy who is supposed to be that (Samuelsson) seems afraid of the puck hitting him so we basically have nobody in that role.

Sure, but these are hockey players. Professional athletes. There are banged up players on every roster all the time. So no excuses.

Lindy on the bench I'm just hoping for a controversial goal in the crease off a skate maybe so we can have a "no goal" chant.

Incorrect. When someone says up I do not say down, I say which way are you looking at it because if I look the other way it's down from there but up from over there. If they say go I don't say stop I say why? I like it here why should I go? I'm a question asker. I over analyze. It's my engineer's mind I guess but I dissect everything and speculate on most things as well. I need solid facts for full proofs. Now, where did I say he was "robustly healthy"? Please don't make false attributions to try to make your point. I never said anything like that, see my other post replying to @Kristian for clarity if you still need it.

Just to be clear I'm not debating that he might have a small lingering something from that early issue (whatever it is/was) just that that isn't a big enough thing to explain his play. If it was significant enough to be hampering his play to the extent his play has been off, then that Krebs incident doesn't make sense and there's no way that would have been considered acceptable by Ruff. If Dahlin was actually significantly injured there's no way Ruff is going to excuse Krebs with a boys will be boys comment. That just makes no sense at all.

It is interesting to see if Berube will turn them into a 2 way team this year or not. Those big name Leafs love to play loose and wide open hockey and the Sabres teams have flourished in that so yes, we beat them at that type of game, several times. Trouble is most teams don't play that way. On a side note Zemgus scrapping tonight with Domi. He seems to have a new energy as well.

"not 100%" is not "hurt".

I understand why they get made, but I think the constant Bills comparisons are pointless. Bills get so much praise but really, where would they be without one star QB? Middle of the pack at best and while they might still beat the Jets (because the Jets are the Sabres) the "team" is not all that special. There's no one guy in hockey that can make as much difference as a star QB. Maybe a Hasek level goalie but that's about it and that's rare. Even a McDavid doesn't get you a cup without a full team around him. Sabres aren't the anti-Bills, but they are a soft team with no culture of winning or hard work and competitiveness and as I've been saying for years here until they fix that culture it won't matter who is on the roster.

Bull. You telling me he's playing hurt but laying into Krebs in practice? Not a chance. A hurt player would not do that and if he was really hurt he'd have a no contact jersey on. That is "obvious".

It's a simple explanation and is always a possibility. There have been many cases of things like that in hockey on many teams. When Torts went to Vancouver the Sedins basically decided nope, not going to play for him and Torts was out the door. Krejci didn't want to play for Cassidy in Boston. Bruins kept him so Krejci quit and went back to Czechia. Then DeBrusk wanted out so that was it for Cassidy. Point is being a good coach does not mean star players will respond and play for you. Dahlin has had issues before when he was asked to play a more disciplined detailed way. So it's possible there is a problem. I'd be happier if it's some temporary thing or lingering injury but they say he's healthy so I have to assume that's true.

There are many possible explanations. Doesn't like the demands Ruff is making of them maybe? That could hold for several of them. We might have a bunch of Pierre Luc DuBois types. Hard to say. I can't help but think though that things have gone on so long that these guys watch everyone who leaves winning cups and doing great and they think, can't wait to get traded. wtfk.

Even teams. UPL the difference. Peterka still good. Samuelsson still bad. 4th line was better than they've been. Quinn is a weakling.

Just to be devil's advocate one could point to our goaltending so far and say it's dropped off under Ruff so maybe the way he has the D playing contributes to the goaltending performances. The Sabres D is BAD.

Well It's Benson's turn tonight and otherwise everything is exactly the same and all the lines are exactly the same just Kulich in for Benson instead of Quinn. Rotating deck chairs and really no consequences for bad play at all. Same old Sabres but really, what options does he have? Gilbert for Samuelsson maybe but otherwise, like every year, there's no group of players pushing for roster spots to put in there.

Ottawa hands Tampa their first loss and they did it without Ullmark. Both teams looked better than the Sabres. Sabres might want to watch the game to learn how to actually run a PP.

Yes, maybe he'd actually block a shot instead of turning away from it and just getting in the goalie's way.