GAME DISCUSSION THREAD

[SabresRepublic]

Didn't watch the whole game but in the third I thought Miller was off his game. He was way too

aggressive on the one goal were he was way out between the two circles.

 

Kudos to Boston for outworking us! Time to refocus and take one back - but two would be nice!

 

GO BUFFALO SABRES!!!

[Trey]

The loss of Vanek seemed to really throw the lines out of wack. They never recovered from that moment, even with the Pommer goal they didn't seem 'right'. Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but just needed to get it off my chest...so frustrating.

[Kristian]

A fitting result. You can't play like ###### and expect to win two playoff games. Sabres are pretty lucky they're not down two.

 

5-1 Boston after they took Vanek out.

 

Yup.

 

I call this one a well-earned loss.

 

Or rather, this is what happens when the Sabres system breaks down, i.e. when Ryan Miller doesn't stand on his head.

[ThePebble19]

I'm really pissed right now, but since it's so fresh, and it's been so long since our last playoff series, I can't remember if this is the way I feel every time we lose in the playoffs.

 

As a previous poster said, the lines seemed very non-cohesive after Vanek went out. Nothing was really working well together, despite the Pominville goal. Hopefully, if he is out for a while, they can work on a few things in practice before Monday to settle on a good line combo. It really hurts when you have 3 of your normal top 6 forwards out though.

 

Miller took a couple of bad angles today and we really just could not get out of our own way in the defensive zone. The d-men couldn't make a solid pass, and the forwards could not get anything even resembling a breakout going. That has got to change.

[darksabre]

The loss of Vanek seemed to really throw the lines out of wack. They never recovered from that moment, even with the Pommer goal they didn't seem 'right'. Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but just needed to get it off my chest...so frustrating.

 

That's pretty much my feeling on the whole game. We looked like we would sail to an easy win until Vanek left the game. Now, I'm not the biggest Vanek fan, but it really seemed to hurt the whole dynamic of the team.

 

Boston earned the win tonight and we lost a valuable player for who knows how long. Thems the breaks.

[Mikey]

Lindy-"I anticipate Vanek going to Boston". Although that isn't too much to say, it's a little sigh of relief. Still no official word though.

[bunomatic]

This loss hurts but nobody anticipated a sweep so put it behind and look to the next game.This is all part of the ebb and flow of the playoffs.Lets go into beantown and kick a$$ !

[SDS]

A Tale of Two Four on Twos...

 

 

Buffalo: All four men marching in a straight line like the British Army in the revolutionary War...

 

Boston: Two to the net and two dropping back proving multiple options for the puck carrier...

 

 

Hard to believe an NHL team would execute like that...

[Stoner]

Lindy-"I anticipate Vanek going to Boston". Although that isn't too much to say, it's a little sigh of relief. Still no official word though.

 

Then I think he let it slip, saying without Vanek that the other top players were "going to have to" step it up.

[Dave Dryden]

This loss hurts but nobody anticipated a sweep so put it behind and look to the next game.This is all part of the ebb and flow of the playoffs.Lets go into beantown and kick a$$ !

Agree. Boston was the better team today--Sabres have to get better to win this thing.

[SDS]

This loss hurts but nobody anticipated a sweep so put it behind and look to the next game.This is all part of the ebb and flow of the playoffs.Lets go into beantown and kick a$$ !

 

Exactly. I find it incredibly ironic how people complain about how soft the Sabres are, but let them lose one playoff game and they assume the fetal position.

 

We need to win 4 out 7, not run the table.

[Stoner]

That's pretty much my feeling on the whole game. We looked like we would sail to an easy win until Vanek left the game. Now, I'm not the biggest Vanek fan, but it really seemed to hurt the whole dynamic of the team.

 

Boston earned the win tonight and we lost a valuable player for who knows how long. Thems the breaks.

 

It's not bad luck that Vanek could be out for the season. He didn't slip in the bathtub -- he was murdered!

[Mikey]

Then I think he let it slip, saying without Vanek that the other top players were "going to have to" step it up.

 

 

Yeah, when the first question came in he sounded hesitant saying they didn't have a diagnosis yet. Let's hope we take the next 3 games and let him rest up for the next round. That is of course, as long as it isn't season ending. Man he looked bad though.

[kishoph]

I like GRIER as a all around player but I don't want to see him on the ice for 4 of the last 5 minutes in a game that we're down by a goal, while more Offensive minded players are on the bench. Did LINDY think we were up by a goal ? Under 2 minutes to go and he has ELLIS, MAIR, TORRES and GRIER on the ice, even the announcers commented that LINDY must have a lot of confidence in his 4th line to have them out there at that point in the game. Confidence, schmonfidence, put someone out there that can score. LINDY gets a big thumbs down from me for the way he handled the last 10 minutes.

[Dave Dryden]

Then I think he let it slip, saying without Vanek that the other top players were "going to have to" step it up.

I heard that too, but could not tell if he was referring to Connolly today and him needing to play better in this game given Vanek's injury. Seems unlikely to me we'll see Vanek in Boston, absent a miracle.

[SDS]

I like GRIER as a all around player but I don't want to see him on the ice for 4 of the last 5 minutes in a game that we're down by a goal, while more Offensive minded players are on the bench. Did LINDY think we were up by a goal ? Under 2 minutes to go and he has ELLIS, MAIR, TORRES and GRIER on the ice, even the announcers commented that LINDY must have a lot of confidence in his 4th line to have them out there at that point in the game. Confidence, schmonfidence, put someone out there that can score. LINDY gets a big thumbs down from me for the way he handled the last 10 minutes.

 

I thought the same exact thing when I saw Grier out there. Maybe digging in the corners when the goalie pulled, but he just doesn't move fast enough when we need to gain possession.

[Stoner]

Agree. Boston was the better team today--Sabres have to get better to win this thing.

 

You think they're going to clean up their own end overnight? It's Game 84 and we still don't know what we have here. World-beaters the first half, very average the second half. Great first periods, terrible second periods, one great third period, one bad one. Even Miller has been up and down -- tearing up the league last fall and tailing off before the Olympics and not totally rebounding after that IMHO.

[ThePebble19]

An interesting thought regarding our anemic power play...

 

Without Tim Connolly in the lineup over the last 9 games of the year, the Sabres were 24.2% on the PP, far better than the 17% we were all year long...They seem to do so much more holding of the puck, and less shooting when he is out there.

 

Maybe it is time to rest him on the PP. I know that stat is based on a small section of games, but it was certainly better than it had been in a long time when he wasn't there.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I'm missing your point.

 

You think NHL players accidentally do that with their sticks?

 

My favorite is when Chara took Roy and Connolly out on the same whistle. It looked like for about 5 seconds Connolly popped a shoulder.

 

By the way....nobody responded to the fact Kennedy took a 2 handed swing at the crotch of a Boston player and connected. I guess people value knees more.

 

Who's to say Vanek didn't sell the call and hurt himself on his own going into the boards? There was an uproar a few weeks ago on a slash that he took the old Luganius on. This was a penalty for sure, but it is up to the Sabres to respond. Ryder cleans the clock of Sekera. He's no tough guy. How about a Pomminstein or Tallinder doing something to make a statement?

[Dave Dryden]

You think they're going to clean up their own end overnight? It's Game 84 and we still don't know what we have here. World-beaters the first half, very average the second half. Great first periods, terrible second periods, one great third period, one bad one. Even Miller has been up and down -- tearing up the league last fall and tailing off before the Olympics and not totally rebounding after that IMHO.

It really doesn't matter what I think they will do--they need to get better. If they don't--or can't as you suggest--then they won't win the series. Boston put lots of pressure on the Sabres, and they did not respond well.

 

Anyway, at least you can rest easy, they finally lost after leading after 2.

[SDS]

You think they're going to clean up their own end overnight? It's Game 84 and we still don't know what we have here. World-beaters the first half, very average the second half. Great first periods, terrible second periods, one great third period, one bad one. Even Miller has been up and down -- tearing up the league last fall and tailing off before the Olympics and not totally rebounding after that IMHO.

 

Maybe you don't, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out... Once you do, maybe you'll stop gnashing your teeth about a cat not being dog.

[Stoner]

It really doesn't matter what I think they will do--they need to get better. If they don't--or can't as you suggest--then they won't win the series. Boston put lots of pressure on the Sabres, and they did not respond well.

 

Anyway, at least you can rest easy, they finally lost after leading after 2.

 

Yup and now Lindy's under .500 in Game 2 after winning Game 1. All is right with the world.

[Stoner]

Maybe you don't, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out... Once you do, maybe you'll stop gnashing your teeth about a cat not being dog.

 

Well said. :blink:

[deluca67]

It's not bad luck that Vanek could be out for the season. He didn't slip in the bathtub -- he was murdered!

It's deja vu all over again.

 

Last year the Sabres play the Sens and the Sens showed everyone how soft the Sabres were and ran Miller all night. A week or so later Gomez, taking his inspiration from the Sens effort, ends the Sabres playoff hopes by running Miller.

 

This season? The Sens rough up the Sabres again. This time they tried to take Vanek out with a slash to his legs. What happens today? The Bruins slash Vanek's legs out from under him and take him out of the game if not longer.

 

You can't beat a team like Boston when only two or three Sabres play with any intensity.

 

Hats off to the Bruins. They beat the Sabres. All they have to do is keep to the formula and the Sabres may not have a chance in this series. The only hope is that Lindy Ruff has some drill or some film work scheduled to instill some heart and intensity into this roster.

[Stoner]

It's deja vu all over again.

 

Last year the Sabres play the Sens and the Sens showed everyone how soft the Sabres were and ran Miller all night. A week or so later Gomez, taking his inspiration from the Sens effort, ends the Sabres playoff hopes by running Miller.

 

This season? The Sens rough up the Sabres again. This time they tried to take Vanek out with a slash to his legs. What happens today? The Bruins slash Vanek's legs out from under him and take him out of the game if not longer.

 

You can't beat a team like Boston when only two or three Sabres play with any intensity.

 

Hats off to the Bruins. They beat the Sabres. All they have to do is keep to the formula and the Sabres may not have a chance in this series. The only hope is that Lindy Ruff has some drill or some film work scheduled to instill some heart and intensity into this roster.

Post of the year. The slash on Vanek in the Ottawa game was another one Swamp said was no big deal, seen 100 times a game. Sabres might have Swamp's mindset.