Fix the PP...

[LabattBlue]

- That stupid drop pass in the neutral zone is creeping its way back in on a regular basis.

 

- Too much stick handling trying to enter the zone. Dump and chase unless the open ice is there for the taking. I noticed Roy, Myers and Connolly all guilty of this last night.

 

- Gaustad's only place on the PP is in front of the net. I don't want to see him along the boards handling the puck.

 

- Remove Rivet from the PP PERMANENTLY!

 

- Get Roy back down low. I don't like him on the point at all.

 

- In this order, give Montador, Tallinder or Lydman a chance on the point.

 

- Find a way to take advantage of the faceoff in the offensive zone after the penalty. I can't count the number of times the puck is out of the zone within 10 seconds regardless of winning or losing the faceoff.

[inkman]

Nobody likes your PP...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...thread. B-)

[static70]

The power play does need help to be sure. But 4 goals in this game should have been enough, and if Vanek lifts the puck and shoots sooner, he scores on the breakway. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce in your favor.

 

That being said, it wasn't Lalaime's fault last night, Gaustad failing to backcheck in the slot, Hecht failing to collect the puck along the side of the net, down right criminal penalties in the first and of course Pominvilles bad pass in the 3rd.

A bad bounce along the boards on that break away and Lalaime's horrible goalie play on that goal was pretty much the only play I fault on Lalaime.

Buffalo's PP needs a QB, I would prefer a low guy as opposed to a point man.

 

Buffalo allowed Anaheim to walk all over them in the first period. It looked horrible. The PP could have helped equalize or actually grab control of this game, and it failed.

 

Sometimes your windshield, sometimes your the bug. :blink:

[LabattBlue]

The power play does need help to be sure. But 4 goals in this game should have been enough, and if Vanek lifts the puck and shoots sooner, he scores on the breakway. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce in your favor.

 

That being said, it wasn't Lalaime's fault last night, Gaustad failing to backcheck in the slot, Hecht failing to collect the puck along the side of the net, down right criminal penalties in the first and of course Pominvilles bad pass in the 3rd.

A bad bounce along the boards on that break away and Lalaime's horrible goalie play on that goal was pretty much the only play I fault on Lalaime.

Buffalo's PP needs a QB, I would prefer a low guy as opposed to a point man.

 

Buffalo allowed Anaheim to walk all over them in the first period. It looked horrible. The PP could have helped equalize or actually grab control of this game, and it failed.

 

Sometimes your windshield, sometimes your the bug. :blink:

Your focusing too much on last night's game. This has been a season long problem and if not corrected, will come back to haunt the Sabres come playoff time.

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

Your focusing too much on last night's game. This has been a season long problem and if not corrected, will come back to haunt the Sabres come playoff time.

Agreed. The PP can not maintain control in the zone either puck is in and out so many times within 10 seconds. Also need to get folks to shot the damn puck instead of all the pretty passing. If it dont head toward the net it cant go in

[Sabretip]

- That stupid drop pass in the neutral zone is creeping its way back in on a regular basis.

 

- Too much stick handling trying to enter the zone. Dump and chase unless the open ice is there for the taking. I noticed Roy, Myers and Connolly all guilty of this last night.

 

I couldn't agree with you more - it's a play that Ruff apparently adopted from Detroit (along with the concept of a 5-man unit) after the time he spent over the summer with Babcock but it doesn't work with the personnel the Sabres have. If anything, it ends up harming more than helping their cause because the 5th guy (Connolly, Roy or Myers) tend to overstickhandle and thus force the other 4 players to stop skating and wait at the blue line.

 

- Gaustad's only place on the PP is in front of the net. I don't want to see him along the boards handling the puck.

 

While I agree that Gaustad isn't the best stickhandler to be working the perimeter, what happens too often when the Sabres resort to leaving either Vanek or Gaustad planted in the middle of the opponent's 4-man box is that they never touch the puck and thus aren't really helping the man-advantage; the PP becomes a 4-on-4. Ruff spoke a few times about the PP struggles as needing to keep all 5 guys moving and rotating to open up lanes and seams. If Gaustad or Vanek move in and out of the slot - especially if they can help win a battle along the boards with their size - while someone else slides down into the slot, I think it helps the motion principle Ruff said needs to happen.

 

- Remove Rivet from the PP PERMANENTLY!

 

Absolutely - for whatever reason, Rivet seems the most gun-shy of all of the point men to take shots. Sometimes, he's been smart at not just blasting into an obvious shotblocker in front of him but he ends up hanging onto the puck too long in most situations and his percentages on pinches seem to never get above 50%. The trouble is, if you leave Butler and Myers in the 1st unit, who else is going to do better than Rivet on the 2nd unit?

 

- Get Roy back down low. I don't like him on the point at all.

 

I think Ruff tried Roy as an experiment but I haven't seen him there that often lately - Ruff probably saw it didn't work and that Roy doesn't have the kind of shot that can get through traffic from the blueline.

 

- In this order, give Montador, Tallinder or Lydman a chance on the point.

 

Montador is the most willing shooter but his accuracy of getting anything remotely near the net leaves a lot to be desired. I don't see Tallinder or Lydman as any upgrade over Rivet unfortunately - both are prone to the same flaws as what we see from Rivet on the PP. This is why I think most fans agree that the Sabres' # 1 need is for a true QB on the PP. Myers and/or Butler may get there with experience but neither is ready right now to help organize the PP from the point.

 

- Find a way to take advantage of the faceoff in the offensive zone after the penalty. I can't count the number of times the puck is out of the zone within 10 seconds regardless of winning or losing the faceoff.

 

Unfortunately, other than Gaustad, the Sabres don't have any other reliable face-off men so I can't see this being solved short of adding new personnel.

[Kristian]

Agreed. The PP can not maintain control in the zone either puck is in and out so many times within 10 seconds. Also need to get folks to shot the damn puck instead of all the pretty passing. If it dont head toward the net it cant go in

 

That, and someone needs to hammer into their heads that a wristshot that misses the penalty killer in front of you, is a HELLUVA lot better than a slapshot going straight in his pads :wallbash:

[nobody]

I'd like to see them try some lob dump ins where they flip the puck way up high over the first line and then crash the point of landing. Hopefully catching the second line looking up for the puck. Just keep the elbows down.

[inkman]

I'd like to see them try some dump ins where they flip over and then crash the point of landing. Hopefully looking up. Just keep the elbows down.

So you're saying you like Labatt's PP? B-)

[nobody]

So you're saying you like Labatt's PP? B-)

 

 

After I saw your first post I knew I would regret posting anything in this thread. :angry:

[spndnchz]

So you're saying you like Labatt's PP? B-)

 

He's got a good shot for an old fart. Gets in the corners well and gets the wrist shot through from the point. :nana:

[LabattBlue]

So you're saying you like Labatt's PP? B-)

:blush:

[LabattBlue]

He's got a good shot for an old fart. Gets in the corners well and gets the wrist shot through from the point. :nana:

Oh my! :wub: