JJFIVEOH Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Hey, Roy is 27-15 on faceoffs the last two games.
LaFontaineToMogilny Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Great game that I wish would have been decided one way or another before the shootout. It's great to see the Sabres push the top of the east to the very limit, a great game by both teams, but we were a post a way to finish this one of several times. Miller back in form, but how about that Paul Gaustad?!? How many shots did he block on that 4-3 in OT? Fantastic! Carry this momentum and fire into the weekend and we should give the Islanders plenty of problems.
TheChimp Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Eleven, he doesn't hate toughness, OK? You happy now? Can you shut it? Just in case I was the last one you needed to hear that from in order to get off your latest soap box. ANYWAY, it looks like Lindy and his players found a reason to actually TRY out there this last few games. I love it. Been really exciting to listen to Sylvester and tonight RJ, and the crowd also finally found its collective cojones, too, even booed and catcalled at the appropriate times, and that is a rarity with these Chets and Muffys. I wish we coulda won but I was again thoroughly entertained. I'm looking everywhere for the other shoe to drop, of course, waiting for them to go right back into their lethargic and uninspired shell (the team and the fans both), but just like I always do when they give me one or two good solid efforts in a row, I'm hoping they never stop playing this way. If they continue, they might not make the playoffs this year but they'll at least entertain me until April, and that's more than I expected them to do. GO SABRES!!
Kristian Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 I don't like where this is going, but what the hey... I'm not sure if Lindy and Darcy are on the same page or not. Most of the "soft" core were better suited in the first couple of years after the lockout. Since then, the game's changed, and our soft core has not. I would "hope" Darcy would move 2-3 of these guys if he could... and I don't think Lindy would miss them. I also don't think every player on the team has to crush bones to be effective. I like most of our young skilled players but we don't have top line talent. Maybe someone like Ennis can become that, but outside of him and maybe Gerbe (our 2 smallest players btw) and I guess Pominville, I don't see top line talent. Toughness is not the only thing lacking on this team, and IMHO, is not the source of this team's issues. No argument there, but you need some sort of toughness from other players to balance it out. Also, there's different kinds of toughness - You don't need to throw Scott Stevens hits to be tough. Clearing your crease after a whistle, or standing in the opponents crease getting in someone's hair can be classified as toughness too. It's all about sending the message that you won't be bossed around, and the Sabres have sent the exact opposite message for the past seasons, except last years playoff series against Philly.
kishoph Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 The team has showed a lot of toughness these last two games, I can think of a time in the game where just about every player showed some grit, with the exception of Derek Roy, I posted during the game that he has become a non factor in games, other than foolish turnovers, he has become a liability on the PP. I wasn't shocked at all to see Lindy not choose him for the Shootout, he is so soft on the puck and shows little if any effort. If a player as small as Tyler Ennis can deliver some of the hardest hits in the last two games, why can't Roy at least show a little toughness and effort ? Roy is in the center of this "core" of players that are in question, moving him is the perfect example of addition by subtraction. Great team effort in the last two games. :clapping:
deluca67 Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Could it be that Lindy himself finally wised up to the fact that you need to have a pulse to win games? Maybe Lindy reads the board. It is amazing how this team looks for those few games out of the year where they play like they have a pair. If Lindy would just embrace the idea of having his team play a more physical game on a regular basis this team would be in the top eight. These last three games show how difficult the task is. They are 2-1, taken 5 out of six points and have not gained any ground. They are 9 points out of 8th with NJ having two games in hand. They are ahead of 13th & 14th by one point and have played more games. The Islanders have 2 games in hand and Montreal one.
BuffalOhio Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 If they play like that every game, I can take the losses. That was some solid effort right there. What an exciting game. 'Bout time!
SwampD Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 I loathe the loss of a point, but damn, the Sabs looked good tonight. And the crowd was really into it in the third and OT. I'm not happy that few in the crowd stood for the Sabres being introduced (I did), especially when they're going to stand for unnecessary anthems anyway 30 seconds later, but the crowd totally redeemed itself later. If this team plays like this every game, it's all possible. They can't hit goalposts forever, and it was a good game on D, on O, and everywhere. And, for the second night in a row, there should be enough evidence to kill the "Lindy hates toughness" bull-######. Don't worry. They'll be back to missing the net entirely soon enough. :devil: So, is this the team we would have seen all year but for injuries, or is this the usual Lindy led team that no matter the opponent, plays just good enough to lose? Either way, we have to almost get five out of every six points for the rest of the season to make the playoffs,.. oof.
waldo Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Everybody played well. probably the best defensive game of the year..But...no one could put the puck in the open net opportunities...again.
dEnnis the Menace Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Tyler Ennis is playing great. Watched him all game and loved what I saw. Speed, aggression, and a willingness to shoot... this kid is something special. At this junction I would trade Roy for a super mighty, mild with sour cream... he contributes nothing but locker room diarrhea. Myers played fine but he needs to be more explosive and more of a game changer. He's still a kid but he is growing. Kassian who played not great but ok, was still 3x as good as Stafford. Weber and Sekera seem to have some good chemistry. At times you could see their youth but they mostly played a very solid game. Pominville and Gerbe are the hardest working players on this team and if we had more guys who had their determination, we would be much better off. Gerbe always buries his head and skates hard and has absolutely no fear. Pominville is never out of position and always knows what to do with the puck. Final thought. This team can not nor will it ever win a cup as long as Darcy is GM. 1) I agree with everything you said about Ennis, and will even go as far as to say that he is a better center than Leino :wallbash: 2) For the bolded: I was going to say get Hot instead of mild, but realized that even Mighty would not budge on that trade :( 3) The defense looks like they are really turning the page...finally 4) PAGING THE SABRES POWERPLAY TO THE WHITE COURTESY PHONE, YOUR PARTY IS WAITING FOR YOU ON THE ICE! 5) I agree with your last sentiment. that'll be all...carry on
shrader Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Has there been any word on the ref? He looked to be in awful shape as they were helping him off the ice, concussed for sure.
CallawaySabres Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 So all these Miller haters out there, you still don't think he is a buliding block on this team? That Lucic hit rocked him both pysically (by the hit) and mentally (by team's reaction). He is back on his game - FINALLY Last night proved that this team is CLEARLY better off without Stafford and Roy. They proved it last year when Roy went down and they showed last night that Stafford's absence meant NOTHING. They are not making the playoffs this year but that is no reason games can't be enjoyable again. Dump the two idiots by July and find a Center. Gaustad is playing the best hockey of his career (by a looooooong shot). Where the Hell has that been over the years? The FN Center finally got a pulse and someday......someday it will be restored fully. That first power play kill was my favorite two minutes of the season. Gaustad, the crowd, players giving it everything they had - just a thing of beauty that showed these guys still care and more importantly have the ability to play some REALLY good hockey. Beat the Isle and let's have the same team as last night (and Vanek) show up for Lucic and Co on Wednesday.
dEnnis the Menace Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 So all these Miller haters out there, you still don't think he is a buliding block on this team? That Lucic hit rocked him both pysically (by the hit) and mentally (by team's reaction). He is back on his game - FINALLY Last night proved that this team is CLEARLY better off without Stafford and Roy. They proved it last year when Roy went down and they showed last night that Stafford's absence meant NOTHING. They are not making the playoffs this year but that is no reason games can't be enjoyable again. Dump the two idiots by July and find a Center. Gaustad is playing the best hockey of his career (by a looooooong shot). Where the Hell has that been over the years? The FN Center finally got a pulse and someday......someday it will be restored fully. That first power play kill was my favorite two minutes of the season. Gaustad, the crowd, players giving it everything they had - just a thing of beauty that showed these guys still care and more importantly have the ability to play some REALLY good hockey. Beat the Isle and let's have the same team as last night (and Vanek) show up for Lucic and Co on Wednesday. Great post, and well said. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've said. :thumbsup:
Eleven Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Eleven, he doesn't hate toughness, OK? You happy now? Can you shut it? eyeroll.jpg Don't worry. They'll be back to missing the net entirely soon enough. :devil: So, is this the team we would have seen all year but for injuries, or is this the usual Lindy led team that no matter the opponent, plays just good enough to lose? Either way, we have to almost get five out of every six points for the rest of the season to make the playoffs,.. oof. I hope you're not right on the first part. Five out of every six points is TOUGH. But they just did it. Time to do it again. So all these Miller haters out there, you still don't think he is a buliding block on this team? That Lucic hit rocked him both pysically (by the hit) and mentally (by team's reaction). He is back on his game - FINALLY Last night proved that this team is CLEARLY better off without Stafford and Roy. They proved it last year when Roy went down and they showed last night that Stafford's absence meant NOTHING. They are not making the playoffs this year but that is no reason games can't be enjoyable again. Dump the two idiots by July and find a Center. Gaustad is playing the best hockey of his career (by a looooooong shot). Where the Hell has that been over the years? The FN Center finally got a pulse and someday......someday it will be restored fully. That first power play kill was my favorite two minutes of the season. Gaustad, the crowd, players giving it everything they had - just a thing of beauty that showed these guys still care and more importantly have the ability to play some REALLY good hockey. Beat the Isle and let's have the same team as last night (and Vanek) show up for Lucic and Co on Wednesday. That place was rockin' in the third and in OT last night. But I think only four people (I was one of them) stood for the team to skate out at the beginning. Something happened and the team won the fans over last night.
nfreeman Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Great game that I wish would have been decided one way or another before the shootout. Miller back in form, but how about that Paul Gaustad?!? How many shots did he block on that 4-3 in OT? Fantastic! The shootout ain't perfect, but IMHO it resulted in that game being much, much better than it would have been in the tie era. Bottom line is that in the tie era, both teams would have played super-conservatively in the 3rd period and overtime to safeguard the point. Totally agree on Miller and Gaustad. Goose is working his way back into the "Sabres should probably keep him at more or less the same salary" category for me. Eleven, he doesn't hate toughness, OK? You happy now? Can you shut it? Just in case I was the last one you needed to hear that from in order to get off your latest soap box. WTF are you to say this to anyone here? Either learn how to communicate respectfully, or keep quiet. No argument there, but you need some sort of toughness from other players to balance it out. Also, there's different kinds of toughness - You don't need to throw Scott Stevens hits to be tough. Clearing your crease after a whistle, or standing in the opponents crease getting in someone's hair can be classified as toughness too. It's all about sending the message that you won't be bossed around, and the Sabres have sent the exact opposite message for the past seasons, except last years playoff series against Philly. The other form of toughness that has gone by the wayside here since Black Sunday is taking a hit in the tough areas of the ice and, at a critical point in the game, converting the scoring chance into a goal. The Sabres haven't had anyone who can do that since they left. These last three games show how difficult the task is. They are 2-1, taken 5 out of six points and have not gained any ground. They are 9 points out of 8th with NJ having two games in hand. They are ahead of 13th & 14th by one point and have played more games. The Islanders have 2 games in hand and Montreal one. This. I said the other day that the Sabres would need to go 22-6-4 to get in. They just blew one of their OTLs. Now they need to go 22-6-3. If they bring it every night like they've done the last couple of nights, it will at least be interesting for a while. If they play like that every game, I can take the losses. That was some solid effort right there. What an exciting game. 'Bout time! Good call. If nothing else it was enjoyable to watch a Sabres game last night for the first time in quite a while.
bunomatic Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 They put in an effort and they won the crowd over last night. Simple but effective. I want more.Make it so.
radiomike Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Tyler Ennis is playing great. Watched him all game and loved what I saw. Speed, aggression, and a willingness to shoot... this kid is something special. At this junction I would trade Roy for a super mighty, mild with sour cream... he contributes nothing but locker room diarrhea. Myers played fine but he needs to be more explosive and more of a game changer. He's still a kid but he is growing. Kassian who played not great but ok, was still 3x as good as Stafford. Weber and Sekera seem to have some good chemistry. At times you could see their youth but they mostly played a very solid game. Pominville and Gerbe are the hardest working players on this team and if we had more guys who had their determination, we would be much better off. Gerbe always buries his head and skates hard and has absolutely no fear. Pominville is never out of position and always knows what to do with the puck. Final thought. This team can not nor will it ever win a cup as long as Darcy is GM. I'm also liking what I see from Ennis at center, I say keep the experiment going and see where it goes, could be a half way decent fall back plan which would allow us to move Roy that much easier I thought Kassian actually played pretty well, not many chances but was strong down low and actually played pretty physical, much more than whenever I watch him in Rochester anyways. But yeah, he made us forget about Stafford either way.
LabattBlue Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 They put in an effort and they won the crowd over last night. Simple but effective. I want more.Make it so. Maybe I'm just being ornery this morning, but I can't believe the positive responses after a game where the team scores ZERO goals, the PP sucks, and they LOSE....at home! Let me repeat this...65 minutes of play, ZERO GOALS. Lundqvist had to make some good saves, but wasn't called on to make dozens of suberb saves, so don't even go there. Have expectations dropped that low? Totally agree on Miller and Gaustad. Goose is working his way back into the "Sabres should probably keep him at more or less the same salary" category for me. Gooseshit plays a couple of good games, and you are ready to re-up at his current level? He needs to be paid like a high end 4th liner(1.25mil -1.5mil per year). Just because he finally realized that he is playing for a new contract(here or elsewhere), doesn't mean anything to me. More $$$ than the previously mentioned numbers, see you later.
Koomkie Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Few things, not sure if it was discussed...i can't really follow the game thread because of a major delay, but did lindy tweak the "system" a little and allow for at least one forechecker in while changing? i only counted a few times where they would dump and do a full change and it seemed to only be after a really long shift. Ennis, gerbe, anyone is a killer line. i hope those guys stay together because it would be awesome if they could get some real chemistry going. pommers is a captain...i think the past few games should be proof enough. i am also really liking what i see from leino and boyes lately...boyes especially. but leino i think has shown a lot of fight and skill lately...now if we can get him to pick his head up before he passes, we should have a great little player on our hands! really fun game to watch....thank you sabres. go sabres. Maybe I'm just being ornery this morning, but I can't believe the positive responses after a game where the team scores ZERO goals, the PP sucks, and they LOSE....at home! Let me repeat this...65 minutes of play, ZERO GOALS. Lundqvist had to make some good saves, but wasn't called on to make dozens of suberb saves, so don't even go there. Have expectations dropped that low? Gooseshit plays a couple of good games, and you are ready to re-up at his current level? He needs to be paid like a high end 4th liner(1.25mil -1.5mil per year). Just because he finally realized that he is playing for a new contract(here or elsewhere), doesn't mean anything to me. More $$$ than the previously mentioned numbers, see you later. i disagree, i think Hank was the only reason we lost that game. miller played well, but he had nowhere near as much solid pressure as hank.
bunomatic Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Maybe I'm just being ornery this morning, but I can't believe the positive responses after a game where the team scores ZERO goals, the PP sucks, and they LOSE....at home! Let me repeat this...65 minutes of play, ZERO GOALS. Lundqvist had to make some good saves, but wasn't called on to make dozens of suberb saves, so don't even go there. Have expectations dropped that low? Labatt. I think you're just ornery this morning. Even though I want Regier gone yesterday and am on the fire Lindy bandwagon mostly kinda sorta and do believe we've had the soft core for too long and would like more toughness and grit and leadership added to the roster, I can make a distinction when the team puts in an effort and plays like they do care. I'd like to see more of that thing we call care. Every game if possible. If we're going to lose we might as well lose giving an effort. As for the offence the Rangers didn't have much of that either last night. I'm of the mind that when we get somewhat of a turnover in players and possibly a new and improved G.M. the offence will come in increments. Until then I'll post positive thoughts when I see an honest effort.
Weave Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Don't worry. They'll be back to missing the net entirely soon enough. :devil: So, is this the team we would have seen all year but for injuries, or is this the usual Lindy led team that no matter the opponent, plays just good enough to lose? Either way, we have to almost get five out of every six points for the rest of the season to make the playoffs,.. oof. I see it as, this the the way the team usually plays, wait until their backs are against the wall and then play to potential. In past years they have limited this nasty little habit to within games, play nonchalant for 40 minutes and show up when the game gets late and they are down. This year they applied it to the season. They are at do or die and decided it is time to do.
nfreeman Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 Maybe I'm just being ornery this morning, but I can't believe the positive responses after a game where the team scores ZERO goals, the PP sucks, and they LOSE....at home! Let me repeat this...65 minutes of play, ZERO GOALS. Lundqvist had to make some good saves, but wasn't called on to make dozens of suberb saves, so don't even go there. Have expectations dropped that low? Gooseshit plays a couple of good games, and you are ready to re-up at his current level? He needs to be paid like a high end 4th liner(1.25mil -1.5mil per year). Just because he finally realized that he is playing for a new contract(here or elsewhere), doesn't mean anything to me. More $$$ than the previously mentioned numbers, see you later. Ornery indeed. You're certainly right that the Sabres need wins. But that was a great hockey game. The Sabres showed plenty of spirit and Miller is back in the zone. I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying that game, especially after the last 2 months of terrible hockey. As for Gaustad, while I agree that he's overpaid at his current deal, I do think the overpayment is only about $500K or so. Ink's post about Goose yesterday was spot on IMHO -- if the Sabres don't give him $2MM+, someone else will, and then the Sabres will find themselves in need of yet another center. I'm not sure it's worth going down that road to save $500K. We should remember that there just aren't that many centers out there. Chicago, one of the best teams in the NHL, just traded for Brendan Morrisson, a guy who's well past over the hill and has been a frequent healthy scratch for Calgary, with the idea of making him their #2 center.
bunomatic Posted February 2, 2012 Report Posted February 2, 2012 I see it as, this the the way the team usually plays, wait until their backs are against the wall and then play to potential. In past years they have limited this nasty little habit to within games, play nonchalant for 40 minutes and show up when the game gets late and they are down. This year they applied it to the season. They are at do or die and decided it is time to do. Like a switch.
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