Game Discussion Thread

[darksabre]

If Gerbe doesn't play half of Wednesday's game it will be an injustice. He was the only one on the team at the end of the game that still had legs to make quick turns and powerful strides. He needs to be getting his fill of ice time. Let him be the hero he wants to be.

[deluca67]

Yeah true. Another thing I saw today was two undisciplined penalties on Weber and Patty. Esp. the Weber penalty. What the heck was he thinking cross-checking that dude like 5 times? He's gotta know better than that!

What was Myers thinking? That was a bad penalty.

[dudacek]

The Sabres reaction to their loss has nothing to do with what fans are saying on a message board. No one but the team knows what it means to them, so you're grasping at straws trying to make a correlation.

 

And, there is history to any entity, in this case the Sabres. They didn't come into the playoffs in a vacuum. They have made many, many mistakes that have angered the fans over the years and one of the pivotal characters in this historical drama is Darcy Regier.

 

Some players like MAG, Myers, and Enroth make him look brilliant. Other players like Connolly, Boyes, and to some degree Montador, make him look like a fool. And there's a much longer line of foolish moves than brilliant moves. Fans are tired of the foolishness, and after a disheartening loss like tonight, the frustration comes out.

 

If that bothers you, maybe you need to go find some rich, white college boys to go beat up and get it out of your system, because you clearly have no empathy for the fans who put their heart into the team.

 

..and what the fans say a message often seems to have nothing to do with what happened on the ice.

 

Stating Grags and Enroth make Darcy look brilliant while stating Boyes makes him look like a fool simply because of the past month is exactly the type of in-the-moment thinking that I was reacting to. (Can't argue Connolly :) )

The series is not over because the Sabres lost tonight. And the Sabres are not going to win by subscribing to chicken-little reactionary thinking. I am not aware of many championships won by tossing out the game plan at the first sign of adversity.

Fans are perfectly within their rights to bleat like lost little boys on the internet when their team loses. And I am perfectly within in mine to use that same tool to express my frustration with that whining.

[Freeezo]

If Gerbe doesn't play half of Wednesday's game it will be an injustice. He was the only one on the team at the end of the game that still had legs to make quick turns and powerful strides. He needs to be getting his fill of ice time. Let him be the hero he wants to be.

 

Seems right to me. They looked physically and mentally beat the 2nd half of that game...Like U said, except Gerbe..Bring back Mancari for Patty...

[TheMatrix31]

I felt like there was way too much passing and very little movement on the advantages tonight. Just shoot the damn thing.

[LGR4GM]

Now can Gerbe play center? Ya I went there again... :rolleyes:

[deluca67]

If Gerbe doesn't play half of Wednesday's game it will be an injustice. He was the only one on the team at the end of the game that still had legs to make quick turns and powerful strides. He needs to be getting his fill of ice time. Let him be the hero he wants to be.

Why not play him on the top line?

[Freeezo]

Why not play him on the top line?

 

Well to me Ruff doesn't trust him enuff defense-wise

[Stormin Norman]

And on the subject of clutch, big game big time goal scoring, who on this list is the biggest PRETENDER?

 

Jason Pomminstein

Tim Connolly

Brad Boyes

Drew Stafford

Derek Roy

Thomas Vanek

Jochen Hecht

 

Bet you can't pick just one!

[LGR4GM]

And on the subject of clutch, big game big time goal scoring, who on this list is the biggest PRETENDER?

 

Jason Pomminstein

Tim Connolly

Brad Boyes

Drew Stafford

Derek Roy

Thomas Vanek

Jochen Hecht

 

Bet you can't pick just one!

Sure I can pick one, Connolly. Pommers, Ottawa OT and he scored the other night. Stafford is young and this is only his second playoffs so I could live. Roy is injured so seriously? Vanek is close but he has produced in both playoffs post briere hes been in. Hecht... we are considering him even though hes injured and not a top 6 guy? Boyes, havent seen him in the playoffs other than this year so idk.

[Derrico]

that's the huge misnomer around here

 

He won the Vezina last year. He hasn't been as good this year but I had no problem with him once again tonight. We wouldn't have had a chance in the third if not for him. If we want to blame anyone tonight (and the past two playoffs) it's the top 6. Someone described Boyes as a similar player to Pommers when we got him. I hoped this was the wrong assessment but it's becomming clear that he does fit in well with some of the other current top 6 Sabres. Let's hope a contract year will get him going next season.

[Robviously]

And on the subject of clutch, big game big time goal scoring, who on this list is the biggest PRETENDER?

 

Jason Pomminstein

Tim Connolly

Brad Boyes

Drew Stafford

Derek Roy

Thomas Vanek

Jochen Hecht

 

Bet you can't pick just one!

Stafford tied the game tonight. Vanek tied game 2 twice. Not sure what they're doing on your list.

[Derrico]

Sure I can pick one, Connolly. Pommers, Ottawa OT and he scored the other night. Stafford is young and this is only his second playoffs so I could live. Roy is injured so seriously? Vanek is close but he has produced in both playoffs post briere hes been in. Hecht... we are considering him even though hes injured and not a top 6 guy? Boyes, havent seen him in the playoffs other than this year so idk.

 

Isn't this the second year in a row where he's been injured come playoff time?

[DR HOLLIDAY]

Why would he be up ice when his man is going to the net? When the puck is behind the end line?

 

The Sabres have been using that set play to great effect all series, Butler fanned on his pass to bank it off the boards and out the other side, it has worked great for them on a great many Penalty kills in this series. Maybe they have been using it to much.

[X. Benedict]

The Sabres have been using that set play to great effect all series, Butler fanned on his pass to bank it off the boards and out the other side, it has worked great for them on a great many Penalty kills in this series. Maybe they have been using it to much.

 

Butler said a play was on and forwards were breaking for the far side. he took the blame.

Rightly so. Good man.

[LGR4GM]

Isn't this the second year in a row where he's been injured come playoff time?

arrg! That means yes I believe so. Hecht can go, TC can go, Either Stafford or Pommers or even Boyes can go. Gerbe needs some top 6 time because I've seen enough. I dont wanna complain more because i just dont. I want to win a playoff series for the first time in almost half a decade. We sorta kinda outplayed philly but they have the talent to capitalize on their chances and unfortunately we dont. I hope this ship rights itself. LETS GO BUFFALO, prove me wrong.

[Freeezo]

Butler said a play was on and forwards were breaking for the far side. he took the blame.

Rightly so. Good man.

 

yeah good to hear he said that. Butler has the skills. Good skater for a big guy. He still makes a few too many mistakes a game..

[nfreeman]

Hope is starting to fade.

 

The TC-Pommer-Vanek line was terrible. $17MM worth of mediocrity in crunch time.

 

11 is 100% right about Vanek and the captaincy. The thought of it makes me sick.

 

Pittsburgh, already an elite team, brought in 2 quality UFA defensemen last summer, lost the best player in the NHL plus another in the top 5 with injuries and still finished with over 100 points and are going to advance in the playoffs. The Sabres brought in 2 third-tier FA defensemen, had to work like hell to get into the playoffs, and are probably going to get cashed out in the 1st round by a superior team -- largely because their D are making several grievous errors per game that the Flyers are converting into goals. Tonight Butler was victimized on the 2nd goal and Leopold screwed up not once but twice on the GWG.

 

I will not take TP's professed determination to win seriously if major changes are not made to the top 6 this summer. Pominville needs to be traded regardless of the return, waived or sent to the minors. It cannot be acceptable for an alleged team leader and top-line forward to be this invisible for 2 consecutive playoffs -- and to continue to make bonehead plays in 3rd period PP situations when the team is losing and desperately needs a goal. Frankly if it hadn't been for 2 isolated plays by Vanek on the PP early in game 2, he'd be next on the list.

 

Tonight was TC's 25th (or is it 26th?) straight playoff game without a goal.

 

I will say that I thought Boyes, Ennis and Stafford were much better tonight than in the first 2 games.

 

The Sabres also need a veteran defenseman this summer from the "quality" bin, not the "Really? Someone wants to give me a 3-year deal?" bin.

 

Briere continues to be significantly better than any forward on the Sabres.

 

I'm done for now.

[darksabre]

Why not play him on the top line?

 

Your guess is as good as mine. Our backs are nearly against the wall. If Gerbe can beat Philly's top D pairing then let him. The kid has shown that he has true grit. Let him take it to Philly. What's the worst that could happen?

[donteatyellowsnow]

Butler said a play was on and forwards were breaking for the far side. he took the blame.

Rightly so. Good man.

 

nice to hear, now if the goalie could just learn from him.

[...]

Why not play him on the top line?

 

 

I doubt he'd get the time everyone seems to think he has earned.

 

If anything, the coaches need to determine when it's time to put out a clutch player, and that's when they should release the Gerbe.

 

Can the Sabres coaches make that call, I think, is the question. They keep trying the same players in the same slots and it ain't working right now. For example, why keep Boyes as a center? He doesn't do well there. Why have Connolly on the PP? He doesn't perform well there, either.

[donteatyellowsnow]

He won the Vezina last year. He hasn't been as good this year but I had no problem with him once again tonight. We wouldn't have had a chance in the third if not for him. If we want to blame anyone tonight (and the past two playoffs) it's the top 6. Someone described Boyes as a similar player to Pommers when we got him. I hoped this was the wrong assessment but it's becomming clear that he does fit in well with some of the other current top 6 Sabres. Let's hope a contract year will get him going next season.

 

So! How's that working out for him? One half year of good play does not make a player "great".

[BuffalOhio]

Brutal giveaway/miss by Butler. And no support in the slot. That hurts.

 

Absolutely should have been a hooking call on Hartnell. Caused a turnover in the d-zone. Brutal miss by the officials. God. Darn. It!

[darksabre]

So! How's that working out for him? One half year of good play does not make a player "great".

 

A year of acceptable play doesn't make him bad either. Your own logic is the rebut to your argument.

[LGR4GM]

nice to hear, now if the goalie could just learn from him.

First is this a Miller slam because I am still looking for those soft goals from him... Still waiting...

 

I hate to say this and its an overreaction but I would be perfectly ok with seeing every top 6 player with the exception of ennis gone. Staff, Pommers, Vanek, TC, and that other guy Boyes, door, gone, goodbye. I am sorry I am just angry I am going to bed and will post non reactionary crazy talk tomorrow... NIGHT!