2015 / 2016 Line Up

[LGR4GM]

:flirt:

The Samson Reinhart top line experiment I find very interesting. I hope they practice together until Wednesday to hopefully build a little more chemistry. Reinhart's Corsi is sitting at 60%.

Edited October 19, 2015 by LGR4GM

[Doohicksie]

The tinkering continues.  I'm good with it, just so long as at some point DD breaks up Kane and Eichel just to see how they do on separate lines.

[WildCard]

The tinkering continues.  I'm good with it, just so long as at some point DD breaks up Kane and Eichel just to see how they do on separate lines.

I don't think it's going to happen any time soon. The only constants in Byslma's lines are the d-pairings, and O'Reilly-Ennis and Kane-Eichel. 

:flirt:

The Samson Reinhart top line experiment I find very interesting. I hope they practice together until Wednesday to hopefully build a little more chemistry. Reinhart's Corsi is sitting at 60%.

I was hoping for him to be on that top line to start the season, though I pictured Kane up there with him instead of Ennis. Ennis and O'Reilly seem to have gotten some very nice chemistry working though, so maybe that's why Kane-Eichel continues to persist 

[jsb]

The tinkering continues.  I'm good with it, just so long as at some point DD breaks up Kane and Eichel just to see how they do on separate lines.

I realize you're not the only one spouting this train of thought up but it makes no sense to me whatsoever. As far as I can tell Kane's tasmanian devil play is keeping the opposition from concentrating on Eichel and is keeping him from getting any cheap shots thrown his way.

 

The kids still 18 years old and although his skill level is thru the roof, I think he needs Kane's zaniness and physical play to help him along. Besides he may be the only guy on the team that can skate with him. The sheer speed and power of these 2 together forces the other team to play a very conservative game against them. I don't see them getting split up anytime soon. I think once they fully gel together there's going to be an explosion of scoring from this line.

[qwksndmonster]

I realize you're not the only one spouting this train of thought up but it makes no sense to me whatsoever. As far as I can tell Kane's tasmanian devil play is keeping the opposition from concentrating on Eichel and is keeping him from getting any cheap shots thrown his way.

 

The kids still 18 years old and although his skill level is thru the roof, I think he needs Kane's zaniness and physical play to help him along. Besides he may be the only guy on the team that can skate with him. The sheer speed and power of these 2 together forces the other team to play a very conservative game against them. I don't see them getting split up anytime soon. I think once they fully gel together there's going to be an explosion of scoring from this line.

Nothing I've seen from Eichel indicates to me that he needs physical sheltering. It's obviously nice to have a power forward who can throw 'em on his line, but Eichel is already big and fast.

 

As for offensive zone play, their speed definitely causes a lot of havoc, but rarely has resulted in possession or quality chances. I think Ennis can definitely skate with Eichel, but speed matching is not necessarily the most important thing. Having a sniper/o-zone lurker like Moulson could benefit Eichel's game, and wouldn't necessarily cause problems in the neutral zone as long as the other winger is faster.

[jsb]

Nothing I've seen from Eichel indicates to me that he needs physical sheltering. It's obviously nice to have a power forward who can throw 'em on his line, but Eichel is already big and fast.

 

As for offensive zone play, their speed definitely causes a lot of havoc, but rarely has resulted in possession or quality chances. I think Ennis can definitely skate with Eichel, but speed matching is not necessarily the most important thing. Having a sniper/o-zone lurker like Moulson could benefit Eichel's game, and wouldn't necessarily cause problems in the neutral zone as long as the other winger is faster.

I'm not sure what your infatuation with Moulson is but he hasn't done squat this year so far to warrant playing on the top 2 lines and I might argue top 3. He's a couple of years away from playing with the Islanders and as far as I'm concerned his 25-30 goals per year stats are in the rear view mirror. Good guy to have on the team but not a top liner anymore.

[nfreeman]

I'm not sure what your infatuation with Moulson is but he hasn't done squat this year so far to warrant playing on the top 2 lines and I might argue top 3. He's a couple of years away from playing with the Islanders and as far as I'm concerned his 25-30 goals per year stats are in the rear view mirror. Good guy to have on the team but not a top liner anymore.

 

I largely agree with your hockey points, but this is obnoxiously stated. 

[qwksndmonster]

I'm not sure what your infatuation with Moulson is but he hasn't done squat this year so far to warrant playing on the top 2 lines and I might argue top 3. He's a couple of years away from playing with the Islanders and as far as I'm concerned his 25-30 goals per year stats are in the rear view mirror. Good guy to have on the team but not a top liner anymore.

Moulson is a sniper, that's what he does.  So far, Hot Daniel has been playing him with tougher grinder types which doesn't suit his game at all.  Just because a top 6 forward is being misused doesn't mean he's all of the sudden not a top 6 forward.  In my view, Kane and Moulson are both being misused.

[3putt]

Moulson is a sniper, that's what he does.  So far, Hot Daniel has been playing him with tougher grinder types which doesn't suit his game at all.  Just because a top 6 forward is being misused doesn't mean he's all of the sudden not a top 6 forward.  In my view, Kane and Moulson are both being misused.

I think we have a different definition of sniper.  Ovi on the half wall is a sniper.  Jack roofing it is a sniper.  Matty Mo is a garbage man cleaning up rebounds and banging home open looks.  He is good at it, but sniping is beating the gt when he knows its coming.  Matty can play his game with anyone who can get pucks to the net.

[qwksndmonster]

I think we have a different definition of sniper.  Ovi on the half wall is a sniper.  Jack roofing it is a sniper.  Matty Mo is a garbage man cleaning up rebounds and banging home open looks.  He is good at it, but sniping is beating the gt when he knows its coming.  Matty can play his game with anyone who can get pucks to the net.

That's fair.  Above I classified him as a sniper/o-zone lurker but you're right that paying the price in the slot is how he gets a lot of his goals.  "Finisher" is more accurate than "sniper."

Edited October 19, 2015 by qwksndmonster

[freester]

I largely agree with your hockey points, but this is obnoxiously stated. 

Thank you Emily Post

[qwksndmonster]

Thank you Emily Post

I largely agree with your making fun of nfreeman, but this is objectionably expressed.

[3putt]

That's fair.  Above I classified him as a sniper/o-zone lurker but you're right that paying the price in the slot is how he gets a lot of his goals.  "Finisher" is more accurate than "sniper."

I think finisher is apt. He pays his dues to score and no one can say he doesn't earn em

[Weave]

I largely agree with your making fun of nfreeman, but this is objectionably expressed.

 

This could go on forever.

 

*posted with maximum objectionality*

[Doohicksie]

Thank you Emily Post

 

[Weave]

You sir, have done irreparable harm to my eyes.  I needed to gouge them out with a spoon.  You shall be hearing from my lawyer.

 

 

ELEVEN!  Pick up the white courtesy phone!

[Doohicksie]

I was actually looking for this picture,

 

 

...but the other one was too much to pass up.  Way too much.

[WildCard]

I largely agree with your hockey points, but this is obnoxiously stated. 

You're an awesome poster nfreeman, but you gotta let the little stuff like this go. 

[jsb]

In my haste of posting a comment from work, if I offended someone..... that was not my intent.

 

Although I still think Moulson is over-rated...

[WildCard]

TUESDAY’S PRACTICE

 

Forwards

 

23 Sam Reinhart – 90 Ryan O'Reilly – 63 Tyler Ennis

 

9 Evander Kane – 15 Jack Eichel – 88 Jamie McGinn

 

26 Matt Moulson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 12 Brian Gionta

 

44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 17 David Legwand/22 Johan Larsson – 82 Marcus Foligno

 

Defense

 

4 Josh Gorges – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen

 

29 Jake McCabe – 3 Mark Pysyk

 

6 Mike Weber – 46 Cody Franson

 

25 Carlo Colaiacovo

 

31 Chad Johnson

50 Nathan Lieuwen

 

 

“More [about] the rounding out of another line,” Bylsma said of the switch. “[They’re] guys that have played together, had some success together last year.”

 

Eichel and Kane, he said, require little assistance moving the puck up the ice. So on that line, the team is looking for a net-front presence. Gionta was able to serve in that role, but so can Jamie McGinn, as evidenced by the two tip-in goals he scored in Buffalo’s preseason finale on Oct. 2.

 

“Jack, really, from the top of the circles doesn’t need a lot of help,” Bylsma said. “He’s a guy who can carry the load and can carry the mail. We’re looking at more guys [for] getting on the inside and being at the net front for that line.

 

“Jamie’s hopefully going to be a guy who’s going to get on the inside. The two goals he scored here in Buffalo were examples of what he can bring for that line.”

As for the Eichel and Kane line, it may only be a matter of time before they start showing up on the score sheet more often. Kane has not yet scored a goal in the regular season, but Bylsma pointed to three specific instances where matters of circumstance prevented him from hitting an open net.

 

Kane also had a game-tying goal overturned by a coach’s challenge in the team’s home opener on Oct. 8 and Eichel was stoned on a scoring chance in front of the net on Saturday in Tampa Bay.

 

“We’ve thought about breaking it up, but when you look at some of the opportunities they have had to score … you go back to Florida and Jack gave Evander an empty cage and, you know, by chance, luck, circumstance, it hits the defenseman’s stick. That’s the only thing that would prevent it from going in,” Bylsma said, recounting one of Kane’s missed opportunities.

 

“If you look at three goals in those games you’d be feeling a lot different about them as a pair. I think the opportunities have been there.”

http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=784002&navid=DL|BUF|home Edited October 20, 2015 by WildCard

[Doohicksie]

6 Mike Weber – 46 Cody Franson

 

I really really don't like that.

 

Not crazy about the third line either.  But I can at least justify it with DD trying different forward combinations to see what works.  We already know Weber/Franson is too slow to work.

[WildCard]

I really really don't like that.

 

Not crazy about the third line either.  But I can at least justify it with DD trying different forward combinations to see what works.  We already know Weber/Franson is too slow to work.

Weber and Franson at this point is going to happen, the only good thing about it is they're the 3rd pair

 

I like the 3rd line a lot because it puts Zemgus back as a center, and puts him in control of that line. We've seen what he can do in that position, and with some familiar line mates that line could thrive, especially as the 3rd and not the 2nd line

[Derrico]

Still waiting to try Eichel and Kane on separate lines for a couple of games.  But I loved the top line last game so not sure that's going to work right now.

[WildCard]

Still waiting to try Eichel and Kane on separate lines for a couple of games.  But I loved the top line last game so not sure that's going to work right now.

Well, Byslma is right. I don't like the pair either, but they are getting opportunities. They looked really good with Zemgus on that line, but with needing him to center that 3rd line, maybe McGinn can provide that tenacious fore-check on the dump ins and that net-presence, both of which Gionta is terrible at 

[TrueBlueGED]

Well, Byslma is right. I don't like the pair either, but they are getting opportunities. They looked really good with Zemgus on that line, but with needing him to center that 3rd line, maybe McGinn can provide that tenacious fore-check on the dump ins and that net-presence, both of which Gionta is terrible at

I don't think the test should be whether they've gotten chances--you put that much talent together and there going to generate something. The real question to me is how much more could Eichel generate if he didn't spend half of every shift praying to get the puck back on his stick.