Game Day Thread: 2013 home opener -- Ottawa vs. Buffalo 10/4/13

[dudacek]

 

Wonder if that will work thru Apple TV? I don't want to watch a game on a computer or iPad.

 

It does. I use it and it works very well.

[JJFIVEOH]

Y'all do realize that there are at least 6 players on this team that would normally still be in the minors or juniors.....right? Not only that, but most of them are getting fairly high ice time. The whole point of all this is to get them prime experience as quickly as possible so that this will be as painless as possible. This isn't the end of the world, this is what is going to happen all year. I think you're reading way too much into this.

[Weave]

Rolston ripped the forwards with the exception of the 3rd line.

 

Bill Hoppe ‏@BillHoppeNHL49m

#Sabres Ron Rolston: "We don’t have enough guys playing the right way right now."

Bill Hoppe ‏@BillHoppeNHL47m

#Sabres Rolston on Flynn/Porter/Girg: "That was our best line, I thought. Would everyone agree in this room?"

Mike Harrington ‏@BNHarrington39m

Rolston: "It's a simple game. We don't have enough guys playing the right way right now early in the season, so we're back to square one."

[grinreaper]

Wow. Two games in and minus 2. The sky is falling. Haven't you heard. There will be suffering. Better get used to it.

The more serious issue is that projected statistics show that a team that was scoring at an anemic pace last year is on a pace to double the Sabres "goals for" this year. It looks like the sky is falling and since Grigs has been projected to being a high scoring center, and he is now projected to have "0" goals and "0" points this year, he should probably be cut. Guys with auto avatars should find a counter clockwise driven internet place to spit out their chew.

 

Y'all do realize that there are at least 6 players on this team that would normally still be in the minors or juniors.....right? Not only that, but most of them are getting fairly high ice time. The whole point of all this is to get them prime experience as quickly as possible so that this will be as painless as possible. This isn't the end of the world, this is what is going to happen all year. I think you're reading way too much into this.

 

As to my previous post, you get an exemption.

[...]

Ehrhoff with 27:10 TOI. Wow, for that many minutes he obviously played a good game.

[JJFIVEOH]

Ugh, I had to turn off WGR. I can't listen to that nonsense any longer. Sabres could win the Cup in 16 games and they'd still find something to bitch about. Think I might just boycott the post-game shows from now on.

 

 

As to my previous post, you get an exemption.

 

Thanks........... I think. :P

[Robviously]

Ugh, I had to turn off WGR. I can't listen to that nonsense any longer. Sabres could win the Cup in 16 games and they'd still find something to bitch about. Think I might just boycott the post-game shows from now on.

You're basing this on fan reaction after an 0-2 start to the season for a franchise that hasn't won a playoff series in six years.

[darksabre]

Y'all do realize that there are at least 6 players on this team that would normally still be in the minors or juniors.....right? Not only that, but most of them are getting fairly high ice time. The whole point of all this is to get them prime experience as quickly as possible so that this will be as painless as possible. This isn't the end of the world, this is what is going to happen all year. I think you're reading way too much into this.

 

:thumbsup:

 

Just enjoy the new faces!

[nfreeman]

Rolston is like a boiler tank under pressure.

Ya rolston is definitely pissed off. He knows girgensons Flynn and porter were the best line tn, while having much less skill than others. Gotta be frustrating.

 

Also, he is very unhappy with grigorenkos compete level.

 

That was a helluva presser. I have to say that I like him ripping them for sloppy play. Because although it was pretty entertaining, and they generated many more chances than they did vs Detroit, it was still not winning hockey. No finish and too many turnovers.

 

Game thoughts:

* Ryan Miller...! Anderson, the same. Maybe they should award the US the gold right now.

* Zemgus Girgensons is a man. Can't see him going back to Rochester. Ever.

* Grigorenko has gone from "completely lost" to "starting to get it, but still a step behind." You can see the kid has talent.

* Cody Hodgson may not be a number one centre, but Rolston sure plays him like one.

* it's been a long time since the fourth line, and to a lesser extent the third were such an afterthought.

* Brian Flynn may actually be an NHL player. His speed and hustle were noticeable.

* Myers is starting to look confident in the defensive zone again, defending and with the puck. Can't wait to see him start lugging it again.

* What's up with Ehrhoff's shaky play on the point? That's usually one of his strengths.

* That was a factor in a power play that still very much sucked.

* Larsson looked tentative and Roston didn't seem to have much confidence in him. He may be in Rochester soon.

* I'm starting to wonder if Ennis has a place on this team moving forward. He can't seem to find chemistry with anyone.

* when he replaced Stafford (who had a solid, if not quite good enough game) on the Hodgson line, I said "mistake." 30 seconds later the puck was in our net.

* Maybe when Foligno's back, we gave the Ennis, Stafford Foligno line another try and put Girgensons with Hodgson and Vanek.

* I've already steeled myself for a long year. If we keep putting in those kinds of efforts and the kids improve, it will still be worth watching. That was hell of an exciting hockey game.

* I was having flashbacks to the Ted Nolan/Dominik Hasek team.

 

Good post, as always. I agree especially with the bolded part. One quibble: the 3rd line (Zemgus-Porter-Flynn) got about 13 min of ice time and was the only line RR didn't seem to want to strangle.

 

i didnt think myers was that bad. i actually thought he was way better than last game.

 

flynn needs to be with porter and porter with flynn. they have solid chemistry and girgs seemed to really connect when placed with them.

 

pysyk is great. kid is going to be a solid player.

 

miller....wow.

 

girgs looked better on his skates. but still not really clicking with anyone. hopefully armia will be the perfect fit for him.

 

larrson...did he get injured? i didnt notice him the last half of the 3rd.

 

hank was pretty solid as well.

 

the goal is obviously get it to vanek. if the guy gets that many shots a game, he needs to score.

 

everyone else....eh. nothing amazing.

 

go sabres. definitely a fun game to watch. i will take that over any game from last year.

 

 

Good post. I thought the bolded part myself a number of times tonight.

 

My game notes:

 

- during the pregame intros by RJ, they all looked PO'd and impatient to get started. I attributed that at the time to Vanek setting the tone, but since seeing RR's presser I think it might have come from him.

 

- I really liked Risto's game tonight. He plays a physical game without going for big hits and falling out of position (although I think he will lay someone out if the opportunity presents itself in the flow). I think we might be looking at a career top-pairing guy.

 

- RR clearly isn't ready to praise him yet, but I will: that was the best I've seen Griggy look. If he wants it and works hard he could become a really good player.

 

- How could anyone want to trade Miller?

 

- Girgensons is a beast. DeLuca: you wanted a Lucic? (Did anyone not want one?) Here he is.

 

- The Sabres still have major issues in the top 6. When Vanek is fighting it, as he was tonight, they have a skill deficit and they need other guys to step up and bury chances -- like Ott failed to do on a great chance in the 2nd or 3rd.

 

- I didn't like Vanek's game or Hodgson's game tonight.

 

- Whoop-de-dam-do for the much-anticipated unveiling of Larsson. 7 nondescript minutes, most of which were with Scott and Kaleta.

 

- That was a tough regulation loss to swallow -- and they're going to have RR tearing them new ones for the next 20 hours, and then they have Pittsgburgh on the road. Let's see how resilient they are.

 

- 0-2 or not, this is a better team than last year's team.

[grinreaper]

Ugh, I had to turn off WGR. I can't listen to that nonsense any longer. Sabres could win the Cup in 16 games and they'd still find something to bitch about. Think I might just boycott the post-game shows from now on.

 

 

 

Thanks........... I think. :P

Hey, blue cars confuse me. You're a good poster, and don't look at my post count, I've been a Sabres fan since the early seventies. Have pictures with #11 and others.

[darksabre]

Sitting down to watch the encore. Wow sizzle you weren't kidding about the empty seats!

 

I like the energy the team is showing. I think they could have won this game if a few more shots were on net.

[IKnowPhysics]

I thought it was a hell of a game, especially for the goaltenders, one with a lot of positives for Buffalo.

 

Myers is better. Stafford is a lot better. Zemgus is going gangbusters. Ristolainen looked A LOT more comfortable. Vanek is playing well and with a sense of accountability- every shift he's working. Kaleta continues to get smarter, while bringing back the "human torpedo" element of his rookie year. Grigorenko made some sharp plays.

 

The coaching looks to be great so far- much better focus on close puck support in all zones, which, combined with quick passes, is helping us maintain better possession, move the puck more efficiently, and buffer turnover mistakes. I like the aggressive forecheck- make the kids skate their nuts off and force mistakes.

 

There's still an enormous amount of work to be done, so let's build on it and move forward.

[JJFIVEOH]

You're basing this on fan reaction after an 0-2 start to the season for a franchise that hasn't won a playoff series in six years.

I'm basing it on fan reaction to a season for a franchise in which EVERYBODY knew was going to be less than stellar, but knowing there is tons of potential and there is nowhere to go but up. I'd expect these types of reaction the last two years. Not this year. Especially not after two games. How anybody can look at this lineup and not be optimistic is beyond me. The vast majority of NHL'ers that become full time players don't usually even break into the league until their early 20's. These guys are getting incredible experience right now, it's only going to make them better in the near future.

 

Hey, blue cars confuse me. You're a good poster, and don't look at my post count, I've been a Sabres fan since the early seventies. Have pictures with #11 and others.

 

Post counts don't mean anything, it's all about quality. ;)

 

Sitting down to watch the encore. Wow sizzle you weren't kidding about the empty seats!

 

I like the energy the team is showing. I think they could have won this game if a few more shots were on net.

 

This team is better than last year. If you include Zadorov, Tropp and Armia, the Sabres have 11 players with less than 100 games experience. It can only get better.

[darksabre]

I really like John Scott in the Rob Ray role. He's perfect for it. It's nostalgic.

 

I also disagree with whoever said Stafford looked good. He has no awareness.

[darksabre]

Girgensons is definitely ready for the NHL. I'm glad I was right about that.

[IKnowPhysics]

I won't say he's "good," but his effort level seems to be much improved. He's also boosted his ability/willingness to be strong on the puck and less of a turnover machine. There's still negatives, but these are the positives I see.

[inkman]

I won't say he's "good," but his effort level seems to be much improved. He's also boosted his ability/willingness to be strong on the puck and less of a turnover machine. There's still negatives, but these are the positives I see.

Umm...who?

[darksabre]

I won't say he's "good," but his effort level seems to be much improved. He's also boosted his ability/willingness to be strong on the puck and less of a turnover machine. There's still negatives, but these are the positives I see.

 

I guess. I just think Flynn could do what Drew does.

 

I feel like I'm watching a playoff game. I love the compete level. Girgensons is a checking machine. Strong on the forecheck and the backcheck.

 

I can see Mike Weber's beard from my house.

[Koomkie]

 

 

 

That was a helluva presser. I have to say that I like him ripping them for sloppy play. Because although it was pretty entertaining, and they generated many more chances than they did vs Detroit, it was still not winning hockey. No finish and too many turnovers.

 

 

 

Good post, as always. I agree especially with the bolded part. One quibble: the 3rd line (Zemgus-Porter-Flynn) got about 13 min of ice time and was the only line RR didn't seem to want to strangle.

 

 

 

Good post. I thought the bolded part myself a number of times tonight.

 

My game notes:

 

- during the pregame intros by RJ, they all looked PO'd and impatient to get started. I attributed that at the time to Vanek setting the tone, but since seeing RR's presser I think it might have come from him.

 

- I really liked Risto's game tonight. He plays a physical game without going for big hits and falling out of position (although I think he will lay someone out if the opportunity presents itself in the flow). I think we might be looking at a career top-pairing guy.

 

- RR clearly isn't ready to praise him yet, but I will: that was the best I've seen Griggy look. If he wants it and works hard he could become a really good player.

 

- How could anyone want to trade Miller?

 

- Girgensons is a beast. DeLuca: you wanted a Lucic? (Did anyone not want one?) Here he is.

 

- The Sabres still have major issues in the top 6. When Vanek is fighting it, as he was tonight, they have a skill deficit and they need other guys to step up and bury chances -- like Ott failed to do on a great chance in the 2nd or 3rd.

 

- I didn't like Vanek's game or Hodgson's game tonight.

 

- Whoop-de-dam-do for the much-anticipated unveiling of Larsson. 7 nondescript minutes, most of which were with Scott and Kaleta.

 

- That was a tough regulation loss to swallow -- and they're going to have RR tearing them new ones for the next 20 hours, and then they have Pittsgburgh on the road. Let's see how resilient they are.

 

- 0-2 or not, this is a better team than last year's team.

i forgot about ristolainen. I agree with what you said. Although I think Pysyk looks much better at the moment... I think both will be great players. Everything else is pretty right on

[...]

The key to that top line is going to be Foligno. He isn't skilled, but he's big and has heart and will happily go to the front of the net and make a mess.

 

Stafford, since he's here, he just needs to take the puck to the net. He's afraid to commit to the skill game right now.

 

Ennis needs to look at what he's doing. I think the commercials and contract have him a little too confident in his abilities.

 

One thing about Leino, when he's playing, is that he's not afraid to get dirty on the boards and has the skill to finish. I think he may have been rusty and being injured again doesn't help.

 

As I said earlier in the thread, Grigs needs to bulk up a little so he isn't knocked around so easily. But...the kid is 19. He has many years to go yet and, if his progress continues, even slow but steady as it is, he should be a damn good play-maker at least.

[Andrew Amerk]

I must not have seen the same game as everyone else around here.

 

Aside from Miller, the team was pathetic.

[IKnowPhysics]

I must not have seen the same game as everyone else around here.

 

Aside from Miller, the team was pathetic.

 

Naw, man.

 

I love the compete level.

[neverenough]

Do they ever show Vanek on the bench not turning his head left to right?

[Kristian]

The key to that top line is going to be Foligno. He isn't skilled, but he's big and has heart and will happily go to the front of the net and make a mess.

 

Stafford, since he's here, he just needs to take the puck to the net. He's afraid to commit to the skill game right now.

 

Which is was Lindy was trying to tell him for years - He won't do it.

[LaLaLaFontaine]

Without reading any thing

 

good things: Miller, effort, Girgensons, Tallinder, Pysyk

 

Bad things: Grigorenko ( He is Russian and skates so bad? Send him back to Russian skating school, he needs to improve !), Vanek ( did not use his many chances, let his head down on the bench = bad example) Scott (only player who skates worse than Grigorenko), Stafford ( i like his effort but he is only a bottom 6 player who earns 2.5 milion too much), PP