Lack of scoring

[Marvelo]

Just competing hard isn't enough. Sabres' lack of scoring is probably the logical result of having little talent, little teamwork, poor coaching and not having the puck enough. But at the end of the play I see lack of finish. Maybe the Sabres need a shooting coach...other than Danny Gare who would demand hard work which apparently the shooters are allergic to.

 

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/bruins_nhl/boston_bruins/2014/10/shot_doctor_glen_tucker_helps_bruins_hone_their_scoring

[LGR4GM]

Simply put the sabres have an abundance of playmakers with almost no one who could be considered a goal scorer. It would be something in this upcoming draft I would target.

[Drunkard]

Just competing hard isn't enough. Sabres' lack of scoring is probably the logical result of having little talent, little teamwork, poor coaching and not having the puck enough. But at the end of the play I see lack of finish. Maybe the Sabres need a shooting coach...other than Danny Gare who would demand hard work which apparently the shooters are allergic to.

 

http://www.bostonher...e_their_scoring

We are definitely lacking in talent and I definitely agree that we also just flat out lack finishers. Most of the talent we do have tends to fall more into the playmaker category rather than a sniper/shooter/finisher (pause for either the laugh or feeling of despair done by anyone that looks at our roster and realizes that most of them can't shoot or pass). Off the top of my head the only guys I can think of that are more prone to shoot than pass are Moulson, Stafford, Foligno, and Stewart.

[WildCard]

Simply put the sabres have an abundance of playmakers with almost no one who could be considered a goal scorer. It would be something in this upcoming draft I would target.

Who on this team is a playmaker? :huh:

[sicknfla]

Simply put the sabres have an abundance of playmakers with almost no one who could be considered a goal scorer. It would be something in this upcoming draft I would target.

 

Someone has to ask so might as well be me. Who exactly are these abundance of playmakers?

 

 

Who on this team is a playmaker? :huh:

 

You beat me to it.

[Drunkard]

Who on this team is a playmaker? :huh:

On the Sabres, being a playmaker is akin to being more prone to look for the pass rather than take the shot. Usually it results in a bad pass leading to a turnover though.

[LGR4GM]

Reinhart, Grigorenko, Hodgson, Cornel, Hurley, Ennis, Gionta. We draft a lot of guys who are considered playmakers and we have a lot of guys considered playmakers.

 

On the Sabres, being a playmaker is akin to being more prone to look for the pass rather than take the shot. Usually it results in a bad pass leading to a turnover though.

Yes, more prone to set up a shoot than to take the shot yourself.

[That Aud Smell]

I realize the talent is bottom of the barrel for the league, but it is fair to characterize our top-6 forwards as being mostly play-making-type players.

 

They may not be very good at it on the NHL level, but that is nonetheless the nature of their game.

 

Whither Donald Audette.

[WildCard]

Reinhart, Grigorenko, Hodgson, Cornel, Hurley, Ennis, Gionta. We draft a lot of guys who are considered playmakers and we have a lot of guys considered playmakers.

True, but none of those guys are on the current team right now besides Ennis and Hodgson, and Reinhart isn't making any plays on the NHL level yet. Hodgson shoots more than he sets up plays, and though Ennis may be a playmaker, Stafford, Stewart, and company are more considered shooters than playmakers.

 

The future looks set for playmakers, but as of right now the team is devoid of them.

[LGR4GM]

okay, I'll word it this way. Who on the Sabres would you trust to win you the game in OT with a shot from the circle? Moulson? Zemgus? that's about the only two names that even cross my mind.

[WildCard]

I'm not saying there's a ton of shooters, just that there're more of them than playmakers.

 

Who on this team would you rely on to set up that shot? Ennis?

[LGR4GM]

I'm not saying there's a ton of shooters, just that there're more of them than playmakers.

 

Who on this team would you rely on to set up that shot? Ennis?

Ennis, Grigs, Zemgus, Stafford, Reinhart (he'll be fine), Gionta.

[Hoss]

Reinhart, Grigorenko, Hodgson, Cornel, Hurley, Ennis, Gionta. We draft a lot of guys who are considered playmakers and we have a lot of guys considered playmakers.

 

What do Cornel and Hurley have to do with this team not scoring right now?

[WildCard]

Ennis, Grigs, Zemgus, Stafford, Reinhart (he'll be fine), Gionta.

I think we're arguing two different things here. The problem is the Sabres have no playmakers on the roster right now, not in the future.

[sicknfla]

I think the answer to this debate is we have no shooters or playmakers. Hence 8 goals in 6 games.

[qwksndmonster]

Who on this team is a playmaker? :huh:

Drew Stafford currently has 3 assists (leading the team in assists and tied for the lead for points). He is a great play maker. I cannot deny that when he is on the ice, hockey plays happen.

[LGR4GM]

O I have completely forsaken the current Sabres team. To my mind they really don't exist other than a placeholder for the 2016 team.

[Drunkard]

Drew Stafford currently has 3 assists (leading the team in assists and tied for the lead for points). He is a great play maker. I cannot deny that when he is on the ice, hockey plays happen.

Don't let him fool you though, qwk, he's just racking up all those sweet assists/points because he's in a contract year.

 

I think the answer to this debate is we have no shooters or playmakers. Hence 8 goals in 6 games.

And nobody on the roster who even averages 3 shots a game.

[Brawndo]

Through 7 games last year Buffalo was 0-6-1 and outscored 7-18. Through 7 games this year they're 1-6-0 and outscored 7-26.

[inkman]

Was this thread made with the sole intent of pissing me off? Yes the Sabres lack finishers. It's not from coaching.

 

"Hey Drewsie, when ya got da puck ya need to put it where the goalie aint"

 

Painfully stupid.

 

I think the answer to this debate is we have no shooters or playmakers. Hence 8 goals in 6 games.

Ding ding ding

[LastPommerFan]

The number of proven 10+ goal scorers (who should have at least 1 goal by now) on this team that have yet to score is, for me, proof that either Nolan is right, and the guys aren't trying, or he is.the.worst.

 

The complete lack of scoring could also be just luck. Is this team special enough to continue to have a sub 5% shooting percentage all season?

[Taro T]

The number of proven 10+ goal scorers (who should have at least 1 goal by now) on this team that have yet to score is, for me, proof that either Nolan is right, and the guys aren't trying, or he is.the.worst.

 

The complete lack of scoring could also be just luck. Is this team special enough to continue to have a sub 5% shooting percentage all season?

If they continue to treat the opposing team's slot like they're superman and it's laced w/ kryptonite, then yes they just might be.

[Andrew Amerk]

Yes. The players not being able to score is Nolan's fault.

[JJFIVEOH]

Let's point out a few obvious factors. This is a fairly new lineup compared to last year. Relatively speaking some new pieces are big parts of the lineup. Moulson wasn't here all year last year, Stewart barely played, the D core is completely revamped and Gionta was added. You don't start off the season on a tear when guys are still getting used to each other. Now let's add in the obvious.......... there is a lack of talent on this team. There are plenty of guys that can score, but there isn't enough talent to force the opposing team to have to defend 3 lines with their best defensive lines. When you can't spread the scoring around your best line is stuck against the best defensive pairings all night long. So the 1st line end up scoring less. It's not because they suck, most of them are doing all they can at this point.

 

It's also not Nolan's fault they aren't scoring. He can only do so much; he has little to work with.

 

Can we also throw in the fact that the Sabres have played arguably the top 3 Cup contenders in 4 of the first 8 games of the season, two of them on back to backs on a west coast trip?

 

This team isn't going to the playoffs this year. We all know it. But, take all those factors into consideration and the rest of the year isn't going to be this bad. They easily could have won last night, and with a lucky bounce could have gotten at least a point tonight. Compared to the first few games of the season, I think these last two were pretty decent so when you take into account who and where they were playing, they can win a few here and there against lesser teams.

[SabresBillsFan]

What I noticed is disturbing. Yes they have a couple of guys that are playmakers but they and Im talking about most players on this team don't go to the front of the net enough. They should be going hard to the net and screening the goalie which they don't do. You have to go to the dirty areas of the ice if u want to score. Moulson has been shooting more but he really doesn't have much 1 on 1 skill. The player on offense that really stands out to me is Zemgus. He just plays hard, skates really well, good 1 on 1, sound defensively. Just an all around solid player. He has captain or assistant captain written all over him.