Game Discussion Thread GDT: Buffalo Sabres @ Winnipeg Jets 3/5/12 8:00PM

[thesportsbuff]

Game will be shown on NBC Sports Network, coverage beginning at 7:30 and puck drop just after 8PM.

 

It's the final stop of a lengthy road trip in which the Sabres have performed admirably. Ryan Miller, specifically, has been hotter than a firecracker, but other Sabres have been chipping in too. Even Drew Stafford and Ville Leino are scoring goals! The Hodgson trade seems to have really provided a spark for the team. Despite the fact that he hasn't shown up on the scoresheet yet, it's evident that his line with Stafford and Ennis is thriving. They've been probably our most dangerous line since the trade.

 

However, lost amidst all the excitement of the past week is the fact that Thomas Vanek has been ice cold. He's scored only four goals so far in 2012, and added only four assists for a total of 8 points in the last 24 games. That's going to have to change sooner or later if the Sabres expect to not only take over 8th place tonight, but hold on to it throughout the rest of the season.

 

So after stringing together some BIG wins on the West coast... over the hottest team in hockey (Anaheim), an annual playoff qualifier (San Jose), and the class of the Western Conference in Vancouver... we have a huge opportunity against a beatable Winnipeg team tonight.

 

Let's go get 8th place.

 

Let's Go Buffalo!

[TheMatrix31]

Playoff hockey. Gotta love it.

[CallawaySabres]

That place will be rockin tonight and I think it will be a very hard fought game. Luke Adam on the first line with Pomm and Vanek while putting Roy on the 4th - why not? That first line is dead in the water and it just might work.

[NowDoYouBelieve]

If the Sabres win, the Caps will still have a negligible lead in points percentage, even if the standings reflect the Sabres in 8th.

 

69/65 > 70/66

[Redemption City]

Huge game. This one should show us what this team would look like in the playoffs. Hope the first line shows up.

[eball]

Hard to overstate the importance of this one. A true 4-pt game that could put the Sabres above the Mendoza line for the first time in a while.

[JohnRobertEichel]

If the Sabres win, the Caps will still have a negligible lead in points percentage, even if the standings reflect the Sabres in 8th.

 

69/65 > 70/66

 

Yes, but at least the Sabres now control their own playoff destiny. If they win all of their remaining games (including a regulation win against the Caps), then there is nothing any other team can do to prevent the Sabres from making the playoffs :w00t: .

 

That place will be rockin tonight and I think it will be a very hard fought game. Luke Adam on the first line with Pomm and Vanek while putting Roy on the 4th - why not? That first line is dead in the water and it just might work.

 

Reuniting the Vanek-Adam-Pominville would make sense. But Lindy will be Lindy...

 

Roy really is toxic, isn't he?

[deluca67]

Don't get too overexcited about this one. It's a 17 game race, playoffs spots will not be awarded on Tuesday. Miller needs to keep playing as he has been the last few games. The forwards can not allow themselves to get frustrated by Pavelec who can look really good any given night.

 

Just keep doing what they have been doing and the Sabres be just fine.

[thesportsbuff]

Just a little preview post from TheSportsBuff: http://www.thesportsbuff.com/?p=1233

[plenzmd1]

Don't get too overexcited about this one. It's a 17 game race, playoffs spots will not be awarded on Tuesday. Miller needs to keep playing as he has been the last few games. The forwards can not allow themselves to get frustrated by Pavelec who can look really good any given night.

 

Just keep doing what they have been doing and the Sabres be just fine.

 

I know hat you are saying...but damn this sure feels like a playoff game...same feel as that. Sunday game vs the Canes last year.

 

I picked a bad week to stop sniffing glue

[NowDoYouBelieve]

I knw hat yiu are saying...but damnthis sure feels like a pkayoff game...same feel as that. Sunday game vs the Canes last year.

 

I picked a bad week to stop sniffing glue

 

Now, be honest plenz, did you actually stop sniffing glue?

[RazielSabre]

That place will be rockin tonight and I think it will be a very hard fought game. Luke Adam on the first line with Pomm and Vanek while putting Roy on the 4th - why not? That first line is dead in the water and it just might work.

I thought Adam was with Roch?

 

Sabres win, Though Winnipeg are difficult to gauge, they're a good team. I hope Hodgson gets his first point tonight as well, as well as Van and Pom getting back on track.

 

Yes, but at least the Sabres now control their own playoff destiny. If they win all of their remaining games (including a regulation win against the Caps), then there is nothing any other team can do to prevent the Sabres from making the playoffs :w00t: .

 

 

 

Reuniting the Vanek-Adam-Pominville would make sense. But Lindy will be Lindy...

 

Roy really is toxic, isn't he?

Roy and Van have also managed to log about 60-70 point seasons together for a while now, this is one bad year. Infact for Van and Pom only one bad stretch.

[Derrico]

It'll be a tough game. Winnipeg is a completely different team at home (20-10-4) versus on the road (11-17-4). We're going to need another strong performance out of Miller tonight. Let's hope Hodgson can get on the stat sheet tonight.

[Jsixspd]

Vanek is in a huge slump. Ruff should consider singling him out for additional discipline. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Guess he wanted him to play more like his 'son', Roy, does. And it worked - Thomas Vanek has been scoring at a Roy like pace since Lindy started trying to 'fix' Thomas.

[LabattBlue]

That place will be rockin tonight and I think it will be a very hard fought game. Luke Adam on the first line with Pomm and Vanek while putting Roy on the 4th - why not? That first line is dead in the water and it just might work.

Did I miss Adam getting called up? Based on what I saw of the Amerks game last night, if that is indicative of his play since he has been sent down, leave him there for the rest of the season.

[CallawaySabres]

Did I miss Adam getting called up? Based on what I saw of the Amerks game last night, if that is indicative of his play since he has been sent down, leave him there for the rest of the season.

 

He has not been called up, I am just trying to get Roy as far away from Vanek as possible.....

[Redemption City]

It sucks that this game is on NBCS. I think Buffalo usually does pretty well for themselves on national tv, though.

[bunomatic]

GO SABRES ! Thats all I got.

[Samson's Flow]

This is one of those games that if we play a stinker could really set us back. All the confidence gained by taking 6 points so far could be lost if the one team that we are trying to catch smokes us tonight.

 

We need to play a solid game and keep up the hot play. A nice game by the top line Vanek and Pommers would be great.

 

Go Sabres!

[Doohicksie]

Don't get too overexcited about this one. It's a 17 game race, playoffs spots will not be awarded on Tuesday. Miller needs to keep playing as he has been the last few games. The forwards can not allow themselves to get frustrated by Pavelec who can look really good any given night.

 

Just keep doing what they have been doing and the Sabres be just fine.

 

BS. This game is HUGE.

 

as well, as well as

 

:wacko:

 

Anyway, I hope tonight is THE night the Sabres get back into playoff position, and stay there. I was looking at the standings and considering their surge of late, moving up beyond 8th isn't out of the question, although it would require some slip-ups by the teams above them. Regardless, they just need to keep playing like they've been.

[waldo]

I've talked to all the individuals," said coach Lindy Ruff, who has no plans to shuffle the trio. "Part of it here recently is I've liked what the other lines have done. I thought [brad] Boyes, [Matt] Ellis and [Corey] Tropp really played well [saturday] night. The [Cody] Hodgson line was good. I think the [Ville] Leino line was 11 chances for and only on the ice for one against.

"You really don't want to split any of that up, so on that front those three veteran players have to figure it out and get it going better."

 

Lindy Ruff..Ya gotta love the guy. Lets put more pressure on the 1st line with my comments..Throw them under the buss again.. The aformentioned reasoning must be why he broke up the Adam, Pom, Vanek line chemistry, how many times? , when they were clicking?

 

"Hodgson line had 11 chance and how many goals? they were only on the ice for one against"? and who did you pair them with defensively , Lindy? and what line were they rolling against? so much crap. Hodgson is a playmaking center...easy to understand why you would not want him on your one line?

[LaFontaineToMogilny]

I've talked to all the individuals," said coach Lindy Ruff, who has no plans to shuffle the trio. "Part of it here recently is I've liked what the other lines have done. I thought [brad] Boyes, [Matt] Ellis and [Corey] Tropp really played well [saturday] night. The [Cody] Hodgson line was good. I think the [Ville] Leino line was 11 chances for and only on the ice for one against.

"You really don't want to split any of that up, so on that front those three veteran players have to figure it out and get it going better."

 

Lindy Ruff..Ya gotta love the guy. Lets put more pressure on the 1st line with my comments.... The aformentioned reasoning must be why he broke up the Adam, Pom, Vanek line chemistry, how many times? , when they were clicking?

 

Aaaah, the legend of Luke Adam. Last I heard Luke Adam is having trouble holding down a top 6 spot in Rochester, yet I keep hearing what a terrible move it was to get him of our top line. I must have watched some alternate version of the Sabres season this year, because when I was watching Luke Adam center our top line he most certainly was not clicking. He looked good for two games in Europe, then quickly went from invisible to absolutely atrocious. That he stayed on the top line as long as he did was remarkable enough.

[waldo]

Aaaah, the legend of Luke Adam. Last I heard Luke Adam is having trouble holding down a top 6 spot in Rochester, yet I keep hearing what a terrible move it was to get him of our top line. I must have watched some alternate version of the Sabres season this year, because when I was watching Luke Adam center our top line he most certainly was not clicking. He looked good for two games in Europe, then quickly went from invisible to absolutely atrocious. That he stayed on the top line as long as he did was remarkable enough.

 

 

You are smart enough to know what i said LaFontaine.. Luke adam's competence as a center was not the point...the point was breaking up hot lines... the point was setting the tone for big games with devisive comments .....the point was hypocracy. That line with its AHL center probably still has the lead in pts. When your two top wingers get less than two touches a game ...It may not always be their fault especially when you take one of them down to 12 minutes and, roll them with your third pair...Is the line in a slump..yes.are the opposing teams still playing their shutdown linmes against them yes. it is a question of how a coach chooses to handle that situation

[K-9]

I've talked to all the individuals," said coach Lindy Ruff, who has no plans to shuffle the trio. "Part of it here recently is I've liked what the other lines have done. I thought [brad] Boyes, [Matt] Ellis and [Corey] Tropp really played well [saturday] night. The [Cody] Hodgson line was good. I think the [Ville] Leino line was 11 chances for and only on the ice for one against.

"You really don't want to split any of that up, so on that front those three veteran players have to figure it out and get it going better."

 

Lindy Ruff..Ya gotta love the guy. Lets put more pressure on the 1st line with my comments..Throw them under the buss again.. The aformentioned reasoning must be why he broke up the Adam, Pom, Vanek line chemistry, how many times? , when they were clicking?

 

"Hodgson line had 11 chance and how many goals? they were only on the ice for one against"? and who did you pair them with defensively , Lindy? and what line were they rolling against? so much crap. Hodgson is a playmaking center...easy to understand why you would not want him on your one line?

 

That's throwing them under the bus? Hardly.

 

The chemistry of the other three lines the last three games is evident. Now is NOT the time to disrupt that. Why would Ruff or any coach do that now? When things slow down again (and they will) my bet is Lindy won't waste any time moving Hodgson to center Vanek and Pominville.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[waldo]

That's throwing them under the bus? Hardly.

 

The chemistry of the other three lines the last three games is evident. Now is NOT the time to disrupt that. Why would Ruff or any coach do that now? When things slow down again (and they will) my bet is Lindy won't waste any time moving Hodgson to center Vanek and Pominville.

 

GO SABRES!!!

Did i say change the lines