GAME DISCUSSION THREAD

[Eleven]

Just got home from the game, and I'm not about to read every post. But I'm not about to start a separate "My Observations" thread, either, a la TSW, so here goes:

 

--First period, same problems as the Coyotes game. Great forecheck, lousy passes.

 

--Second period, the Red Wings came out trapping. I think Lindy used the review time (on the no goal) to tell the team how to get around it, and damn, it worked.

 

--After the second Sabres goal, those passes came back. All of the sudden, the team looked like '06-'07 not only in attitude and aggression, but also in talent. Tape-to-tape passes. Patience when it was needed, and pucks at the net when patience wasn't needed. Beautiful hockey.

 

--Yeah, I know Kaleta got creamed, and Gaustad "did nothing about it" while he was on top of the puck that happened to be three feet away from the Red Wings' net. Which would you rather have had? Gaustad taking a minor, or Gaustad possibly scoring another goal? He did right. No Red Wing is going to think the Sabres were "weak" because of this game, and no other team will think so, either.

 

--What do some of you mean, Vanek finally "showed up" tonight? Didn't he have a GWG last Thursday?

 

--Now is not the time to trade Tallinder. He's been terrific, and yeah, he probably should be sent elsewhere if the Sabres can get good compensation. But Sekera is out. When Sekera comes back, let's think about it.

 

--Tim Kennedy played a solid game. When Mair comes back, who's the odd man out? I think Ellis, Mair, or Hecht could be traded before Tallinder is.

 

--Pommer continues to impress on D, but he needs to get back that scoring touch. He really could be the best two-way forward the team ever has had (yes, I did watch Luce) if he does.

 

--Miller, great again. And he looked like a normal person after the game, not a dried-out husk of an overused goalie. Please, Lindy, even if it means 2 points, please let him rest one game this weekend.

 

--Speaking of the points, is there a team in the NHL with a better record (I don't mean points total, I mean record, as in points won divided by points available) than our Sabs? If there is, it's damned close. Very, very nice start to the season.

[billsrcursed]

There was a lot of talk about Ruff this off-season. Tonight really showed that the message of playing out of character is hitting home. They had MacArthur and Connolly crashing the crease. Roy played a controlled game in the offensive zone. It's early and a lot of hockey is left to be played. Ruff now has a benchmark to point to the rest of the season. When players start to slip into old habits he can pull out this game footage as a example of what can happen when players adhere to the system.

 

Roy made mention of this during his interview tonight on Versus. He implied that Lindy changed the team's gameplan for this year and that the guys not only bought into it, but that they fully intend to stick to it no matter what. Miller also commented on the fact that even the young guys have picked up nicely on the system and seem to have a firm grasp on their "new" style of play. Interesting to see a core group of guys change so much. Guess that happens when you're finally sick of losing...

 

On another note, I think the loss of Vanek won't be as bad as it would have prior to this year. While the Sabres still seem to pinch and forecheck aggressively, their style of puck possession hockey leads me to believe that they won't be leaning on offense as much this year. Seems the gameplan would be favorable of injuries, if that's at all possible.

 

Overall, the fact that the team has accepted Lindy's new approach with open arms is a HUGE positive. The true test will be when we fall behind or lose a couple of games, will the guys be able to stick to it and not pack it in??

[nfreeman]

There's a lot less firepower without Vanek, but this team still has enough grinders to prevent the other team from scoring, and I think we need to expect the blueliners to step up and contribute on offense. This is how Tyler Myers can really step up his game over the next few weeks and provide the offense that will be missing. I think if the Sabres can score 2-3 goals/game over the next few weeks, that may just be enough to win games with the defensive, puck possession game they are playing right now. No Vanek hurts, but I think this team can survive. Having said that, I fully expect a regulation loss on Saturday to Atlanta, especially if Lalime is in net.

Good call on Myers stepping up. I can really see him doing so. As for Lalime this weekend, this will be a good test for both him and overall team mental toughness.

 

Well I will say that unlike last year, I felt comfortable with the lead. The Sabres are just playing sound defensively right now. Last year, I would've been thinking that the other team is going to come back and force overtime. Tonight, I never felt that we were going to give up the lead.

I agree. They are much better in their defensive zone this year.

 

Keep banging that drum. Nothing will happen with the team as long as the wins keep coming. DR is patient to a fault.

Correct.

 

Game thoughts...

 

- I was at the game and they WON! :D

 

- Myers rush leading to Kaleta's goal....I don't know if he caught the dman off guard, has a very nice second gear or a combination of both, but that was impressive.

 

- Miller on the penalty shot! :thumbsup:

 

- The Sabres with a dominating 2nd period.

 

- I tried a couple of weeks ago to say that the Sabres box office pricing is out of control and tonight was a sign I was correct. A game against the Stanley Cup runner-ups and the crowd is 1100 or so below capacity.

 

- Pominville did a real nice job along the boards just prior to MacArthur's goal.

 

- Quality win against a Western Conference powerhouse tempered by an injury to Vanek.

 

- Kennedy looked very nervous with the puck. Made several questionable plays.

 

- Stafford getting rewarded with a goal after playing extremely well the past couple of games.

 

- Connolly with another lackluster game.

 

- Kaleta with a goal and an assist! If his upside can be 10-15 goals a year on top of being a pain in the ass to play against, he will be a Sabre for a long time!

Good post, as always. I thought Kennedy looked pretty good though. Connolly looked like he was in a coma until after the scoring flurry.

 

My 2 cents:

 

- Broadly, the Sabres are executing extremely well in all phases. They dominated a very good team tonight for almost the entire game other than about the second half of the 1st period. I think even those who've been calling for Lindy to go have to admit that they look very well-coached.

 

- Myers was 2nd on the team in ice time and drove the net beautifully to set up the tiebreaking goal in a game that was still 1-1 in the 2nd period.

 

There was this kid from Parry Sound, you see, and...

 

- Am I crazy or was that the best Sabres win in years? I guess the SJ game last year was pretty awesome.

 

- If Vanek is out for 3 weeks, that's about 8 or 9 games. We'll see if they are mentally tough enough this year to overcome it and win 5 or 6 of the games.

 

- Another fairly nifty goal by Mac. He fielded a tricky pass with his skate, kicked it to his stick, and one-timed it under the goalie on the backhand.

 

- I think playing Lalime is the right call this weekend, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen.

 

- Did the Sabres look this good in their hot start last year?

 

That was a great win.

[JujuFish]

--Speaking of the points, is there a team in the NHL with a better record (I don't mean points total, I mean record, as in points won divided by points available) than our Sabs? If there is, it's damned close. Very, very nice start to the season.

The Sabres were already tied first in the league before tonight, achieving 83.3% of their possible points.

Now they have sole possession of first place with 87.5%.

[carpandean]

The Sabres were already tied first in the league before tonight, achieving 83.3% of their possible points.

Now they have sole possession of first place with 87.5%.

They are also alone at #1 in the East through four games played. Though, it will be hard to hold onto that through five and six games played with the Rangers and Penguins each at 10 points though six.

[BuffalOhio]

Found a great way to listen to the game tonight. I am currently in Vancouver, Washington, and drove down here from Seattle after flying from Cleveland. What a mess.

 

Anyway, I remembered that I had FlyCast on my Blackberry, so I tuned in WGR550 and listened to the game while I was driving. Until the 3rd period, it kept stopping on me. I think because of the Versus mess, more people were tuned into the WGR550 broadcast than usual, so I kept getting kicked off. Once the outcome was decided (nice and early I might add!), I listened to the whole 3rd period and the postgame show until some jackass called me on my phone.

 

Thought I'd pass it along for those out of towners that want to listen to Rick and can't see the games on TV.

 

It's free!

 

Great game, boys! Keep it up and help us forget about the Bills!

[VansTheMans]

 

 

- Did the Sabres look this good in their hot start last year?

 

That was a great win.

 

I'd have to say they are even tighter and playing overall better hockey than their hot start last year.

[Calvin]

I'd have to say they are even tighter and playing overall better hockey than their hot start last year.

I agree, last year they looked streaky in the hot start.. kinda like where we got lucky with a few bounces - with streaks like those, you know you'll win some and lose a bunch too

 

This year definitely looks different - someone had observed that it looks like Ruff has brought back a lot of learnings from his co-coaches at Hockey Canada, and is using them to good effect

 

Hey, maybe with fewer shots on goal even Lalime gets a chance to do better.. i'd rather he started against the Islanders than the Thrashers

[Stoner]

LOL yes it is ... I enjoyed when he said that Richie Cunningham (RON Howard) was taking over in goal ....

 

I didn't want to say anything, because it seems like I've been hearing things of late. I'm glad I'm not crazy. Or maybe we both are.

 

AYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

[deluca67]

Looking at the schedule there is no need to play Lalime this weekend. They have a couple of days off before the weekend and three after the back to back games. Collect the four points and play Lalime when you have three games in four nights or something like that. There is no need to risk points this early in the season.

[LabattBlue]

Looking at the schedule there is no need to play Lalime this weekend. They have a couple of days off before the weekend and three after the back to back games. Collect the four points and play Lalime when you have three games in four nights or something like that. There is no need to risk points this early in the season.

It's not so much that Miller needs the break, it is more a question of Lalime going so long without playing, that he is rusty when he finally gets a chance.

[shrader]

I didn't want to say anything, because it seems like I've been hearing things of late. I'm glad I'm not crazy. Or maybe we both are.

 

AYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

 

You're actually imagining this entire messageboard.

[RayFinkle]

It's not so much that Miller needs the break, it is more a question of Lalime going so long without playing, that he is rusty when he finally gets a chance.

I'm personally not remotely concerned about Lalime be "rusty". Last year when he was all lubed up, he was subpar. Miller is hot right now. Never bench a hot goalie just because you need to squeeze in a game for the backup.

[spndnchz]

Great game. Good stop by Miller on the penalty shot. That could have given Detroit some life. Good support for Miller the whole game.

 

Nice move by Myers on the rush, no hesitation. My new name for him is Stud Muffin.

 

I loved it when Lindy had that smile on his face after Vanek's second goal. Haven't seen that in a while.

[inkman]

My new name for him is Stud Muffin.

He needs to get in line. B-)

[Stoner]

He needs to get in line. B-)

 

I heard she just likes to eat the tops.

[mercury]

whose wearing the A's... i know goose has one, who else?

 

As far as I can tell, Gaustad and Pominville are the alternate captains for home games, while Roy and Hecht serve in that capacity for away games.

[inkman]

I heard she just likes to eat the tops.

I heard she just like to eat.

 

You're actually imagining this entire messageboard.

I just see this:

[spndnchz]

Your life is the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the Matrix. You are the eventuality of an anomaly, which despite my sincerest efforts I have been unable to eliminate from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision. While it remains a burden to assiduously avoid, it is not unexpected, and thus not beyond a measure of control. Which has led you, inexorably, here.

[wjag]

Your life is the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the Matrix. You are the eventuality of an anomaly, which despite my sincerest efforts I have been unable to eliminate from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision. While it remains a burden to assiduously avoid, it is not unexpected, and thus not beyond a measure of control. Which has led you, inexorably, here.

For the record, is that bad?

[Two or less]

I've been really busy last few days and havn't been able to come online much to post on this forum which sucks. But i'm running low on time right now too so i can't read this entire 11 page thread. With the great posters we got on this forum, i'm sure most if not all aspects of the game were already covered, but one thing that stood out to me, not sure if anyone posted it, is that Henrik Tallinder was a +5 last night. That is incredible. He has made some big steps. His trade value must be getting bigger and bigger by the day. Not sure if anyone noticed that or not but that stood out to me.

[...]

I've been really busy last few days and havn't been able to come online much to post on this forum which sucks. But i'm running low on time right now too so i can't read this entire 11 page thread. With the great posters we got on this forum, i'm sure most if not all aspects of the game were already covered, but one thing that stood out to me, not sure if anyone posted it, is that Henrik Tallinder was a +5 last night. That is incredible. He has made some big steps. His trade value must be getting bigger and bigger by the day. Not sure if anyone noticed that or not but that stood out to me.

 

 

 

I said somewhere we need to trade Tallinder now while he's hot.

[LabattBlue]

I said somewhere we need to trade Tallinder now while he's hot.

That was me! :D

[Calvin]

That was me! :D

Playing with Myers seems to have given Hank a new lease of life!

 

Come the trade deadline, do we hold on to him or ship him off with the future in mind? In his current form I can imagine quite a few teams will want him..

[...]

They should either keep Tallinder or Lydman - and get rid of the other NOW, plus Paille or Hecht (although Hecht's line has been playing well...) and get some beast up front.

 

Then trade the remaining old D man at the deadline.