GDT: Buffalo at Chicago, 8:30pm

[TheMatrix31]

No one really knows that Girgensons is going to turn out to be. His stats from last year: 70 8 14 22 -6 14 0 1 1 115 7.0

 

70 games, 8 goals, 14 assists. Even if you accept the "bad team" factor and *double* those numbers, that's 16-18 goals if he plays all year (by that logic, Hodgson will have 90 points on that good team, so take it with a grain of salt). I like Z/Gus, but he's not the savior of the team's scoring woes. If you filled the top 9 with guys like him, the team would score (using that questionable 16-18 goals number) 162 goals from those guys, and maybe 40 more from the D and 4th liners (2ea from the F, 6 each (!) for the D), you end up 28th goals for the season.

 

Sure. I was just using him to illustrate a point.

[HopefulFuture]

I got to watch a Sabres game, YAY!

They blew it in the 3rd, BOOOOO!!!!!

 

Not surprising on a couple of note worthy issues.

1. Meszaros, there is a reason he's with the Sabres and not else where, it's showing.

2. Myers, we keep him. I like his attitude so far for this season.

3. Zadarov, please, bring him in, it can't hurt to get him the NHL experience, even in a lost cause season.

4. Girgs, more of him for years to come, YES PLEASE!

5. Samson, meh, wasn't overly impressed either way, but, I advocated back to juniors, couldn't hurt if he stays.

and finally, 6. Expect the net minders to have a long season.

 

On a side note: Buffalo 0 - 2, NYI 2 - 0, Looks good for our pick next draft, the Islanders however are not keeping their end of the deal up. I hate being wrong, but I projected them at 4 to 10th pick over all, in those first 2 games, they looked, well, good. And that sucks for us.

[Taro T]

I got to watch a Sabres game, YAY!

They blew it in the 3rd, BOOOOO!!!!!

 

Not surprising on a couple of note worthy issues.

1. Meszaros, there is a reason he's with the Sabres and not else where, it's showing.

2. Myers, we keep him. I like his attitude so far for this season.

3. Zadarov, please, bring him in, it can't hurt to get him the NHL experience, even in a lost cause season.

4. Girgs, more of him for years to come, YES PLEASE!

5. Samson, meh, wasn't overly impressed either way, but, I advocated back to juniors, couldn't hurt if he stays.

and finally, 6. Expect the net minders to have a long season.

 

On a side note: Buffalo 0 - 2, NYI 2 - 0, Looks good for our pick next draft, the Islanders however are not keeping their end of the deal up. I hate being wrong, but I projected them at 4 to 10th pick over all, in those first 2 games, they looked, well, good. And that sucks for us.

They did and the late additions of Boychuk and Leddy probably push them out of true CHL status, but had they not looked good against that injury depleted Candy Canes team, I'd've been ecstatic. They'll have to play NHL squads soon. I won't completely give up hope until they've proven they aren't horrible. (Which may come soon.)

[X. Benedict]

 

They did and the late additions of Boychuk and Leddy probably push them out of true CHL status, but had they not looked good against that injury depleted Candy Canes team, I'd've been ecstatic. They'll have to play NHL squads soon. I won't completely give up hope until they've proven they aren't horrible. (Which may come soon.)

 

All victories have been inside the CHL. Those four point games are what the CHL is all about.

[LTS]

Bells Two Hearted through the nose. Well played

 

That's one way to smell the hops.

 

Feel like Chicago gets away with some offsides

 

It's called attacking with speed. It looks offsides because by the time we realize they've hit the line they are at the faceoff dot. We're accustomed to the Sabres who are lucky if they hit the line.

 

There's the WTF wave.

 

Puck was deflected if I recall the goal correctly.

 

...have you ever been speared in the nuts?

 

Yep. You get one chance for a response before the pain sets in, even with the gear on. When it happened to me I chose to respond with a double handed stick chop to the side of a goaltenders head.

 

I'm curious about the people who think Jonas had a good game. He did not. He was lucky early and I think it was obvious with multiple posts and, the final score. I guess if you're a tanker, Jonas had a good game. The rest of us want to tell you he looked shaky and nervous and should have been pulled.

Different strokes for different folks here

 

Why does hitting the post mean the goal was out of position? There's a reason it does not count as a shot on goal you know. People love to assume that if the goalie had just been quicker he would have made the save so they assume if the shot was a 1/2" left/right/lower it would have been a goal. What they fail to reason is that if the puck were that 1/2" left/right/lower it would also be 1/2" less distance for the goaltender to move. So, there might be a save. I never fault goalies for tipped shots of which many of the goals have been. As for the Kane goal.. well, I think Kane, all alone, in the slot, is going to score more often than not against any goalie. I think the Hossa goal was weak. That's about it.

 

The biggest problem for Enroth are his rebounds. They always have been.

 

Apparently Nolan is a motivator and not a teacher. This team needs instruction on how to play in their own end and how to get out also. Get used to the 40+ shots against.

 

You don't play players in the NHL that don't know how to play in their own end. There is NOTHING these coaches are teaching these kids that they don't already know. They've been playing hockey 6 times a week for the better part of 10 years and those coaches all preach the same thing. You can go online and download the animated drills and systems for every team in hockey, international as well. Coaches use these. The fundamentals are the same. There are some finer points to be made on what players should do but it's not much in my opinion.

 

I would say that Nolan is stubborn or his players are just stupid. They've still not figured out how to beat the 2 man forecheck and EVERY team is doing it to them. The Sabres need to stretch the ice and stop trying to play it up the half wall to the winger who has his back to the play. There are a few players who are being patient and making the shorter pass to the center ice player who is turning up ice. That's far more effective. They can also shoot someone out the zone to keep the other team from holding half wall winger as well. That's on the coach to change it. However, every player has done this before, I guarantee it.

 

As for the game.

 

Meszaros and Benoit are useless. They need to take some time off the ice.

The team still lacks chemistry. They are not on the same page. This could be a lack of "system". However, i believe, despite what Nolan says, they have a system. It's just not a complex system. These players are still not used to where each other are going to be. The few who do are obvious.

[X. Benedict]

 

The team still lacks chemistry. They are not on the same page. This could be a lack of "system". However, i believe, despite what Nolan says, they have a system. It's just not a complex system. These players are still not used to where each other are going to be. The few who do are obvious.

 

His system is taken from the High School play book.

 

It's called Varsity North. Get the puck and go North.

[Robviously]

Welp, I guess we'll just have to hope that we end up as lucky as Chicago finally was after a decade of worthlessness in a quarter of the time, I guess.

Welp, I guess Blackhawks fans are probably pretty OK with their two Stanley Cup banners in the past 5 years, I guess.

[X. Benedict]

 

Welp, I guess Blackhawks fans are probably pretty OK with their two Stanley Cup banners in the past 5 years, I guess.

 

But we will all get to say that we stuck with the team through the darkest hours. (Along with those who lost interest in 2009 and will say the same thing anyway). That's when we raise a banner, of course.

Edited October 13, 2014 by X. Benedict

[LGR4GM]

But we will all get to say that we stuck with the team through the darkest hours. (Along with those who lost interest in 2009 and will say the same thing anyway). That's when we raise a banner, of course.

I think when the Sabres win the Stanley Cup members of this board should be given free tickets because we've been suffering a ton.

[Jsixspd]

I didn't have time to watch the entire game, but I watched sections here and there of the 3rd period. The Sabres looked totally inept when it came to basic fundamentals like passing. I seem to recall a Sabres PP where a gently passed puck bounced, not once, but TWICE, off the foot of Tyler Myers and he struggled to maintain control. The product on the ice seemed like complete garbage; I've seen college teams with better puck control.

[LTS]

His system is taken from the High School play book.

 

It's called Varsity North. Get the puck and go North.

 

Well, I'd agree with you, except I see them doing more South and East/West. :) North to the half wall and then South again. East/West until turned over. When they try North it's usually just to dump it back to the opposition. :)