GAME DISCUSSION THREAD

[mercury]

I think they have been fair all game. They gave major props to Buffalo earlier in the game too.

 

Indeed.

[nfreeman]

What does tick me off however, is that Ruff is back to his old #%^$#! with mishandling his backups. Lalime is going to stink royally next time he takes the ice, as little as he plays. This is one game where you should play your backup. You took the first game of two on the road - You play your backup for the second game, supposedly the toughest of the two, and anything you get is a bonus.

Completely agree. Lalime has to play more, and the 2nd half of back-to-backs is the obvious situation. He should play every GD one of those. Miller is tied for 3rd in the NHL in games played -- he's played in 41 out of our 49 games. We all know how this story ends.

 

LOL, I think Miller played that fine, Bertuzzi looked like the old 50 goal scorer that he once was on that play............Miller made some mistakes last night, but this one wasn't his fault.

Bertie made a nice move and shot, but I didn't like the way Miller played it -- it looked to me like he was too far back in the net.

 

Separately, I didn't like Pierre Maguire last night at all. It sounded like he was just making pre-cooked points for the sake of being outspoken (Butler is struggling, Max is a gamebreaker, etc.) -- not tying his comments to the reality of the game. Also, did anyone else's picture look overexposed (i.e. ice too white, with blue & red lines on ice faded)? That's how it looked on my DirecTV HD picture on NHLN. Overall it wasn't TSN's finest hour.

[carpandean]

Speaking on the commentators, did anyone catch when they were talking about how Connolly was playing in only his fifteenth game and had missed so many over the past three years due to those concussion symptoms that keep affecting him? He hasn't had anything attributed to a concussion since 2006-07 and even then, wasn't it really a neck problem?

[R_Dudley]

Shame they couldn't hang with them the last ten minutes or so.

Kipper makes big-time save on Paille's tremendous effort.

 

Much has been spoken about Lindy's handling of the goalies. Here we go again.

I have to say that you cannot play Miller in back-to-backs.Lalime needs the work and the Sabres need him to get the work.

I'm not saying we would have come out differently from this one, but I'm just saying.

There has to be some stats to back this up. I do not recall Miller playing well in back-to-backs.

 

They left him out to dry, aside from the klunker that Cammalleri scored.

Five shots in the third doesn't help either.

A couple of posts mentioned Butler's errors tonight.

Without seeing them, I have confidence that he will learn from them.That is the bright side to playing the youth.

Now if Tallinder makes the same f-up...

 

....

Anyway, did anyone seriously expect us to beat both The Oilers and Flames back to back? One out of two isn't bad in this case.

 

What does tick me off however, is that Ruff is back to his old #%^$#! with mishandling his backups. Lalime is going to stink royally next time he takes the ice, as little as he plays. This is one game where you should play your backup. You took the first game of two on the road - You play your backup for the second game, supposedly the toughest of the two, and anything you get is a bonus.

 

I almost posted that about playing Lalime last night but thought it might sound like the typical hindsight 20/20 comment I often bristle at here. However after sleeping on it I totally agree. This is one area in the past Lindy had a better handle on. I think it would have been wise to give Miller the break/rest in the back to back after what we saw last year when he burned out. Sometimes you have to concede you may be adding more risk to let in a few more goals however it can also be used to shake up the rest of the teams play in front of him. Maybe you tell the team they need to score 6 tonight and just let them play a little looser just to change it up, focus on getting a few other players games dialed in, whether it's scoring, defensive play, some more ice time experince, whatever just use it to it's max potential.

Now what are we going to do with the next 2 ? Try and salvage the road trip or be happy with a split.. It was the perfect time to have played lalime last night and then let Miller play Saturday and Monday.. :rolleyes:

 

Lindy I'm calling you out now, you used to have a much better pulse on this in the past and since you stepped up and called out allot of your players already this year, it's time you step up your game and start using some of that experience you have gained all these seasons.

Damn it, know when to hold em and know when to fold em and make the decisions and moves like you have confidence, a plan and that Jack Adams award coach you know you are. :chris: Okay now Boss whatcha going to do ?

[LabattBlue]

I missed most of the game as I was snowblowing/shoveling/freezing my ass off. But let me see if I have this summary correct...

 

After dominating the Oilers the previous night, the Sabres fall behind 2-0, tie the game up in the 2nd and then get dominated in the 3rd with our "above average" goalie looking like anything but that.

 

When does this team stop taking one step forward and two steps back. Who honestly believes that they will get their act together enough to win a playoff series(if they end up making the playoffs)?

 

I'm sorry, but the last season and a half(and all the home losses earlier this year that I witnessed in person) have zapped any enthusiasm out of me.

[rickshaw]

That's like saying you knew some of the goals from the inaugural season could have been used tonight. It's not like they keep a stockpile, and pick and choose where they're going to spend their goals.

 

 

Really, it's not? Gee, I didn't know that. Thanks for filling me in.

 

It was simply a comment where you wish they could have saved a few from the game before, for the next night. On average, if the team scores 6 goals a game, I like their chances.

[Fronz1103]

hey all, I havent been on in a long time, even when I am on, I'm not a full time contributor (one who responds to most threads) but anyways something disturbed, no that may not be the word but was eerily similar to a game i remember back in the spring of 2006. And this might have been stated already but im not bout to go back and read all eight pages of this thread......

Yes, think about it. THIS GAME played out just like the Buffalo Carolina game 7 ECF.

short d-men going into it, sabres fell behind early but tie it going into the third just to see a more determined team take it away.

And when i first thought of it, I thought the Sabres should have dug deeper and pulled it out, they should have the experienced players to pull this game out no matter the defensive personnel because all their forwards have been there before.

However, it didnt play out, leaving me to ask myself is this team the same team that wasnt quite good enough when push came to shove in the play-offs?

Granite, this wasnt a play-off game, i understand that but your going to tell me that this team of veteran forwards couldnt pull one complete period outta their behinds knowing they have 48 hours before their next tilt?

It leaves me to say that this team is just as good as they were in 2006! however, we all know that even 2006's team just wasnt good enough. agreed, care to disagree?

[BuffalOhio]

Completely agree. Lalime has to play more, and the 2nd half of back-to-backs is the obvious situation. He should play every GD one of those. Miller is tied for 3rd in the NHL in games played -- he's played in 41 out of our 49 games. We all know how this story ends.

Bertie made a nice move and shot, but I didn't like the way Miller played it -- it looked to me like he was too far back in the net.

 

Separately, I didn't like Pierre Maguire last night at all. It sounded like he was just making pre-cooked points for the sake of being outspoken (Butler is struggling, Max is a gamebreaker, etc.) -- not tying his comments to the reality of the game. Also, did anyone else's picture look overexposed (i.e. ice too white, with blue & red lines on ice faded)? That's how it looked on my DirecTV HD picture on NHLN. Overall it wasn't TSN's finest hour.

 

I thought the pictures was fine, and yes, Maguire was a bit off last night with his facts.

[BuffalOhio]

Speaking on the commentators, did anyone catch when they were talking about how Connolly was playing in only his fifteenth game and had missed so many over the past three years due to those concussion symptoms that keep affecting him? He hasn't had anything attributed to a concussion since 2006-07 and even then, wasn't it really a neck problem?

 

Yes, I noticed. What about the broken vertebrae and broken rib? Only the concussion. Great Pete, just great.

[carpandean]

I missed most of the game as I was snowblowing/shoveling/freezing my ass off. But let me see if I have this summary correct...

 

After dominating the Oilers the previous night, the Sabres fall behind 2-0, tie the game up in the 2nd and then get dominated in the 3rd with our "above average" goalie looking like anything but that.

 

When does this team stop taking one step forward and two steps back. Who honestly believes that they will get their act together enough to win a playoff series(if they end up making the playoffs)?

 

I'm sorry, but the last season and a half(and all the home losses earlier this year that I witnessed in person) have zapped any enthusiasm out of me.

The first two periods were pretty even. Flames were a little better in the first, but mostly it was Butler making bad plays that gave them the lead. In the second, after the puck squeaked through Miller (still haven't seen a replay from in front of him to see what really happened), the Sabres battled back to get even. They started the third on fire and had several opportunities to take the lead that either hit posts or were stopped by amazing saves by Kipper (most notably on a really nice play by Paille shortly before the Flames' go-ahead goal.) After Lydman got beat, leading to a breakaway, they did seem to let down a bit. The rest of the third was not too impressive. Basically, a very good road game against one of the top-tier teams in the league for the first 43 minutes. If one of those early third-period chances goes in, the outcome could have been very different.

 

It was definitely disappointing, but not a big step backward. We were playing our 7th (Paetsch, a very loose 7th), 9th (Butler, assuming Weber was 8th or, really, 7th) and 10th (Gragnani, though arguments could be made that he'd be lower if everyone were healthy) defensemen. It wasn't a Chicago or Detroit game, and the Flames are that caliber of team. If they play well against Phoenix, they will have completed a very good January (currently 8-4 with losses only to three top WC teams and one hot EC team who are 4-1 in their last 5 and 7-3 in their last 10, having beaten the Flyers, Canadiens and us) despite a tough schedule. They haven't proven that they are a top-tier team -- I don't think anybody really felt that they were there yet -- but I do believe that they've shown that they can compete with anyone in the East and we all know that in the playoffs anything can happen. They've come out of the gauntlet sitting (just) on the inside looking out. That's a good sign.

 

I'd still like to see a couple of moves, though ..

[DR HOLLIDAY]

I thought the pictures was fine, and yes, Maguire was a bit off last night with his facts.

 

Maguire is on TSN here and Canada and he is a douche............He picks 2 or 3 things to harp on all game and oh my god he hammers on them the entire game.

[Bmwolf21]

Completely agree. Lalime has to play more, and the 2nd half of back-to-backs is the obvious situation. He should play every GD one of those. Miller is tied for 3rd in the NHL in games played -- he's played in 41 out of our 49 games. We all know how this story ends.

Bertie made a nice move and shot, but I didn't like the way Miller played it -- it looked to me like he was too far back in the net.

Did Lindy get spoiled with Dom playing 72 games in Lindy's first year as HC and winning the Hart? Or is he just distrustful of backup goalies in general? I just don't get it. Miller's back on pace for 69 games this year - that seems like a little too much. I'd like to see him in the neighborhood of 62-65.

 

Separately, I didn't like Pierre Maguire last night at all. It sounded like he was just making pre-cooked points for the sake of being outspoken (Butler is struggling, Max is a gamebreaker, etc.) -- not tying his comments to the reality of the game. Also, did anyone else's picture look overexposed (i.e. ice too white, with blue & red lines on ice faded)? That's how it looked on my DirecTV HD picture on NHLN. Overall it wasn't TSN's finest hour.

I thought the ice looked washed out in the first and early second period, but it seemed to get better as the game went on. I missed the comments on Max, but I had no problem with Maguire harping on Butler - the kid had an uncharacteristic bad game, looked very shaky throughout and the other commentators had interviews with the Flames where they talked about Butler's shaky play and how they were going to target him when he was on the ice.