game discussion thread GDT: Buffalo at Toronto (3/31/2012, 7:05PM)

[deluca67]

Well, that was a pathetic, if in-character, performance by this team.

 

Stick a fork in 'em.

This is 100% true.

 

I watched last night and kept saying to myself "I can't believe they didn't show up for this game." I lost count of how many times Lindy Ruff has been unable to have this team ready to play, It's inexcusable, even though some will try. This performance, IMO, was worse than the game 7 performance against the Flyers.

 

If Regier and Ruff are both brought back it will cast serious doubt on Pegula's desire to win a Stanley Cup. Bringing back Status Quo will be proof that the Cup is not priority #1.

[I am Defecting]

I'm not happy about how free Lindy feels to throw his players under a bus in post-game interviews. Seems he does it alot these days.

 

That's a trait in Lindy that I don't see in other coaches or managers that I admire. If it were effective, I could see the point, but he's done it with a number of players - Vanek sticks in my head. Most good coaches seem to shelter their players from media criticism, whereas Lindy has a tendency to giftwrap these juicy quotes for the media to jump on.

[LaLaLaFontaine]

The tank is out of gas, only one line is playing fine hockey now, but only when the opposite

lines are not too strong ( it looked for me so in the Pittsburgh game). And Foligno is so slow, i only realized this fact today when he several times was overrun by Toronto players.

 

Vanek is playing like a shadow from his past, he is slow, it seems to be that he is injured.

 

Roy is showing some motivation, BUT he is only a mediocre to good playmaker and an awful scorer. He misses so many opportunities that is just a shame.

 

In this game our defense was sad mob of players. I liked Sulzer, i was ashamed of Sekera and McNabb and Breggan and not ready yet.

 

The season is not over yet but today our chances of making the playoffs got another 30% bump. i believe the chances are at 10% that we make the playoffs.

[nucci]

I'm not happy about how free Lindy feels to throw his players under a bus in post-game interviews. Seems he does it alot these days.

He's just telling he truth. Why does it bother you? That play was a killer!

[tulax]

You mean, we might actually keep him? Is that what you;re saying would be an example of not taking advantage of his value?

Yes, that's what I mean. I could only speculate as to why he's such a streaky player, however, if you can get a good return he should be made available.

[Claude_Verret]

 

We'll wait for the Sabres to fire the Status Quo and share it with all Sabre fans. That will be a true day of celebration for all of Sabre Nation.

 

In other words, you guys better get used to more of this TSC nonsense because even I fully know the status quo aint going nowhere.

[Jsixspd]

Nope, Pegula seems to be a Regier/Ruff fanboy - which likely means they'll both return next year, and probably another entire line will be wasted on lazy, underachieving Derek Roy yet again.

 

Those two - Ruff and Regier - have had longer than any other GM/coach combo in the league to get it done - and it isn't happening. Holy crap, the Caps fire their head coach in mid-season - and it looks almost certain THEY'RE going to the playoffs, whereas we 'stayed the course' with Lindy Ruff, and doesn't look like we're even going to squeak in, even though Ruff is gifted with one of the highest payrolls in the NHL.

 

WTF is with Buffalo sports, in general, hanging tough with losers?

 

Totally agreed. You go out there and beat a clearly inferior opponent. Bottom freakin' line. You don't feel you were properly motivated or coached to take on the opponent? Screw it. Hype yourself up. Listen to whatever music you want to. Dammit, take it into your own freakin' hands.

 

Coaches fault my ass. Not this one.

 

Sorry, but the Coach, like any manager or boss, is the leader of the team - a leader has to provide a source of motivation/inspiration to his team, or he's not much of a leader. Just Google "coaching" and "motivation" and you'll see countless pages on the subject.

 

Last night - with the game FAR from lost, in the early 2nd period - I noticed the team looking totally lifeless and uninterested on the bench. Ruff just standing there with his usual stony expression, doing nothing, saying nothing. He should be able to look around, and see his team is down, and be talking to those guys, engaging those guys, reminding them what's at stake, and what needs to be done. Giving them strategies. He doesn't have to tell them "they suck", keep it positive, and upbeat.

 

And yes, ultimately the final motivation has to come from within each player - but I don't have confidence that Lindy Ruff is doing his job as the team leader to ignite that spark.

[kishoph]

I'm not happy about how free Lindy feels to throw his players under a bus in post-game interviews. Seems he does it alot these days.

 

 

I'm sure that Lindy will never take any share of the blame for what is wrong with this team.

 

I believe that he has destroyed Thomas Vanek (among others). Vanek was not lighting it up during "the benching", but he's always been streaky, this time he never recovered from his slump, until just recently where he scored a goal 3 games in a row, even so after the 3rd game in which he scored, Lindy felt it necessary to call out Vanek for missed opportunities, Vanek responded yesterday with a uninspired, no points, no shots, -2 game against Toronto.

[DR HOLLIDAY]

I'm sure that Lindy will never take any share of the blame for what is wrong with this team.

 

I believe that he has destroyed Thomas Vanek (among others). Vanek was not lighting it up during "the benching", but he's always been streaky, this time he never recovered from his slump, until just recently where he scored a goal 3 games in a row, even so after the 3rd game in which he scored, Lindy felt it necessary to call out Vanek for missed opportunities, Vanek responded yesterday with a uninspired, no points, no shots, -2 game against Toronto.

 

I also think he was playing very injured, he could hardly skate.

 

I'm not happy about how free Lindy feels to throw his players under a bus in post-game interviews. Seems he does it alot these days.

 

Sekera was driving the bus, stopped the bus got out and tossed himself under it.........It was a horrible, horrible play.....It was such an obvious play that if he had mentioned the play everyone would know exactly who he was talking about.......Lindy was probably mad at one of his veteran D making that mistake, if it was one of the rooks nothing would have been said.

[Marvelo]

I'm sure that Lindy will never take any share of the blame for what is wrong with this team.

 

 

Like putting out Braden McNabb in the last minute of yesterday's 2nd period...It might be the truth, but you don't want to point out players who made bad plays in the post game presser. It's a team sport and you don't want to embarrass your players.

[BarDown]

Ok...I'm gonna give this a try...I don't post too often, but I do enjoy reading everyone's opinion. I don't know more than anyone else who posts, but i have played in college and coached at the high school and junior level (and i totally understand that it's not the same as the nhl)...that all being said, I think this team is on it's way to being very good and a cup contender. I know this season has been disappointing to all of us, but I believe they have made strides toward being a better franchise. The acquisitions of Ehrhoff, Regehr, Leino, Hodgson, and Sulzer have been good ones. Other guys that are new, or fairly new, like Ennis, Gerbe, Foligno, and Tropp have been upgrades for us.

 

I believe the reason for our disappointing season is the injuries...I know, I know it's just a bad excuse for some of you (and everyone says every team has injuries) but if you realistically look back at the season, it's obvious. At one point, it got so bad that we dressed 9 guys who started in Rochester...half our team basically. As a coach, with so many young guys playing, you try to rely on your veterans...which leads to more wear and tear on the healthy guys. Some people have been on Vanek lately, c'mon it's obvious he's hurt...at best he's playing at 50%. Earlier this season, Miller was playing poorly...this coincided with his hit by Lucic, the guy was concussed!...when he got his health back, he was the Miller that we expect him to be.

 

We've had a GREAT run since the all-star break, mainly because the team has been basically healthy. Yeah, I know we dropped the last two, and looked bad...but we had 3 starting def out (ok 2, if you don't count Weber as a starter)...that is devastating. I know as a coach, if I lost my 2 best D men, your screwed.

 

People look at Lindy as the problem...maybe he is...but, the system they play is sound (and not really that much different than other teams). They say maybe he can't motivate...these are Pros! They are paid to be motivated! Most people agree that Bill Belichick is the best NFL coach...he is NOT a motivator, but he is a great coach.

 

Some people bash Darcy...maybe he's a terrible GM...but I think the moves he's made (with Pegula in charge) have been very smart. Brian Cashman of the Yankees is a great GM, his team wins every year, but he makes bad player decisions.

 

Bottom line is I know this season has been frustrating, but I think they're headed towards being one of the premier NHL teams. We all had high hopes for this year, but if you look back at the season rationally, you can see that the injuries we had really took their toll on the wins.

 

I know it's not over yet (although we kinda need a minor miracle to get in), but if we don't make the playoffs, I still think we have a bright future.

 

How'd I do?

[TrueBlueGED]

This is 100% true.

 

I watched last night and kept saying to myself "I can't believe they didn't show up for this game." I lost count of how many times Lindy Ruff has been unable to have this team ready to play, It's inexcusable, even though some will try. This performance, IMO, was worse than the game 7 performance against the Flyers.

 

If Regier and Ruff are both brought back it will cast serious doubt on Pegula's desire to win a Stanley Cup. Bringing back Status Quo will be proof that the Cup is not priority #1.

 

You don't agree with me, therefore you don't care.

 

Good logic there. And by good, I mean comically bad.

[deluca67]

You don't agree with me, therefore you don't care.

 

Good logic there. And by good, I mean comically bad.

You can't say the team is all about the Stanley Cup and continue to employee those that have gotten this team to the playoffs 4 out of 10 years. That may seem funny to you, I think it's more sad than anything. Sad and frustrating.

[G-Daddy]

Blow. It. Up. 15 years is enough.

[nfreeman]

Ok...I'm gonna give this a try...I don't post too often, but I do enjoy reading everyone's opinion. I don't know more than anyone else who posts, but i have played in college and coached at the high school and junior level (and i totally understand that it's not the same as the nhl)...that all being said, I think this team is on it's way to being very good and a cup contender. I know this season has been disappointing to all of us, but I believe they have made strides toward being a better franchise. The acquisitions of Ehrhoff, Regehr, Leino, Hodgson, and Sulzer have been good ones. Other guys that are new, or fairly new, like Ennis, Gerbe, Foligno, and Tropp have been upgrades for us.

 

I believe the reason for our disappointing season is the injuries...I know, I know it's just a bad excuse for some of you (and everyone says every team has injuries) but if you realistically look back at the season, it's obvious. At one point, it got so bad that we dressed 9 guys who started in Rochester...half our team basically. As a coach, with so many young guys playing, you try to rely on your veterans...which leads to more wear and tear on the healthy guys. Some people have been on Vanek lately, c'mon it's obvious he's hurt...at best he's playing at 50%. Earlier this season, Miller was playing poorly...this coincided with his hit by Lucic, the guy was concussed!...when he got his health back, he was the Miller that we expect him to be.

 

We've had a GREAT run since the all-star break, mainly because the team has been basically healthy. Yeah, I know we dropped the last two, and looked bad...but we had 3 starting def out (ok 2, if you don't count Weber as a starter)...that is devastating. I know as a coach, if I lost my 2 best D men, your screwed.

 

People look at Lindy as the problem...maybe he is...but, the system they play is sound (and not really that much different than other teams). They say maybe he can't motivate...these are Pros! They are paid to be motivated! Most people agree that Bill Belichick is the best NFL coach...he is NOT a motivator, but he is a great coach.

 

Some people bash Darcy...maybe he's a terrible GM...but I think the moves he's made (with Pegula in charge) have been very smart. Brian Cashman of the Yankees is a great GM, his team wins every year, but he makes bad player decisions.

 

Bottom line is I know this season has been frustrating, but I think they're headed towards being one of the premier NHL teams. We all had high hopes for this year, but if you look back at the season rationally, you can see that the injuries we had really took their toll on the wins.

 

I know it's not over yet (although we kinda need a minor miracle to get in), but if we don't make the playoffs, I still think we have a bright future.

 

How'd I do?

 

Very well. Keep 'em coming.

[TheChimp]

Only problem is, I can't count how many times I've seen this team play themselves out of a playoff spot in November-December, only to finish strong and either squeak in, or JUST miss the playoffs. leaving everyone thinking "everything will be SO much better next year".

 

It's a trend that started when Marty Biron took over from Hasek, carried through the bankruptcy years, was shortly interrupted by the post-lockout rules, and then re-emerged after Drury and Briere left.

 

Bottom line is, in my book - The roster might look new, but the team is very much the same as it always was.

 

I mean, what team serious about the playoffs lose to a third string goalie one night, and to the freakin' Leafs the next?

 

Nothing ever changes in Sabreland.

I don't disagree at all. What I meant by my last line, though, is that I don't see Darcy the same way anymore, and along with finally giving him credit for the trades and picks he's made in the last handful of years, I also see a real possibility that he might now also be willing to make the boldest move of his career and dump Lindy Ruff, which I still think would be a great idea. Far as I know, Mike Keenan is still outwardly begging teams to hire him as HC. Heart. Beat.

[TrueBlueGED]

You can't say the team is all about the Stanley Cup and continue to employee those that have gotten this team to the playoffs 4 out of 10 years. That may seem funny to you, I think it's more sad than anything. Sad and frustrating.

 

You can, actually. Pegula's position was to give Regier and Ruff a clean slate for the things that happened under previous ownership. As far as he's concerned, this is their 1st year on the job. You simply disagree with the analysis and position, which is fine. But to say Pegula isn't committed to winning just because he's taking a different approach than you want him to, is as I said, laughably bad logic.

[Bmwolf21]

Very well. Keep 'em coming.

 

Agreed. Good post.

[Wyldnwoody44]

 

 

Agreed. Good post.

 

I agree as well. Very well put and I like the optimism :)

[SwampD]

Very well. Keep 'em coming.

Agreed. Good post.

I agree, although, I think you need a high colonic to dislodge all the kitten fur and sunshine.

[Bmwolf21]

I agree, although, I think you need a high colonic to dislodge all the kitten fur and sunshine.

 

Couple good hard coughs will dislodge that hairball.

[qwksndmonster]

Apparently Bulleit (see whisky thread) isn't strong enough; I'll have what you're having.

 

This still (see previous post in this thread) is the worst thread I think I've seen on here in forever.

 

Not your fault, quicksand.

It was intended more as gallows-humor than anything else.

 

I'm not quite as heart-broken as I thought I'd be. I guess I used all my sadness and anger up during the dark months of the season.

[Eleven]

It was intended more as gallows-humor than anything else.

 

I'm not quite as heart-broken as I thought I'd be. I guess I used all my sadness and anger up during the dark months of the season.

 

For me, everything after the Winnipeg game (3/8? 3/9?) has been "bonus hockey."

[CallawaySabres]

It was intended more as gallows-humor than anything else.

 

I'm not quite as heart-broken as I thought I'd be. I guess I used all my sadness and anger up during the dark months of the season.

 

Yup, I accepted it was probably over aftr the home loss against Pitt (with our remaining schedule.) It just felt as though all the air came out that night...

[BarDown]

I agree, although, I think you need a high colonic to dislodge all the kitten fur and sunshine.

Aw, c'mon...it wasn't that bad, was it?