Hoss Posted May 1, 2015 Report Posted May 1, 2015 Oh - I see the Sabres are looking to host their own tournament at Harbor Center (Harbour Centre?) though it might not be this year. Just another reason I think about moving back to Buffalo occasionally. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabres-nhl/sabres-notebook-rising-cap-could-limit-murrays-dealing-20150318 Ah, interesting. There's your reason. It'd be really cool if the two cities could schedule two separate tournaments and then the champion of each tournament plays a championship game in the NHL team's arenas... Alternate the championship game year by year. If all 30 (31/32 soon) teams could get involved it would be awesome. Quote
MBHockey13 Posted May 1, 2015 Report Posted May 1, 2015 (edited) Ah, interesting. There's your reason. It'd be really cool if the two cities could schedule two separate tournaments and then the champion of each tournament plays a championship game in the NHL team's arenas... Alternate the championship game year by year. If all 30 (31/32 soon) teams could get involved it would be awesome. That would be sweet! I bet the NBC Sports Network or the NHL Network could find room on their channels for some of that! I've been enjoying watching the sled hockey from the Harbor Center. It's very photogenic and they weren't lying when they said it was designed for camera angles. EDIT: I found this that discusses it and brings up the TV thing. http://twointhebox.com/2015/03/19/might-the-sabres-be-in-line-for-their-own-prospect-tournament/ Edited May 1, 2015 by MBHockey13 Quote
French Collection Posted May 1, 2015 Report Posted May 1, 2015 Not all players respond to the call for this tournament. Nagging injuries, family or other commitments, contract status, disinterest, multiple years of deep playoff runs and international travel may be factors. I don't know about the USA teams but Canada usually fields a team of young stars wanting to develop and show the national program they are commited. By the way, almost half of the Canadian Olympic team is still in the playoffs, so I wouldn't call the team stacked. It just speaks of the depth of the program. Toews, Sharp, Keith, Getzlaf, Perry, Price, Subban, Nash and Stamkos (had he been healthy) plus Seabrook from the 2010 team. Quote
K-9 Posted May 1, 2015 Report Posted May 1, 2015 Solid, if not spectacular debut against pro players for Jack Eichel. Was very responsible in his own zone which is what I looked for first. Seemed to grow in confidence as the game progressed and looked like he fit right in with the speed of the US team. Had him playing the half wall on the left side on power plays and looked like they were trying to set him up for the "Ovechkin" from the circle. He's got a major league shot already from what I saw. Was on the ice for a goal against, but no fault of his own as he played his position well on that shift. All in all, I'll take it as a good first step. GO SABRES!!! Quote
thewookie1 Posted May 2, 2015 Report Posted May 2, 2015 Hmm, anyone know how I could watch today's game live? Quote
Randall Flagg Posted May 2, 2015 Report Posted May 2, 2015 Hmm, anyone know how I could watch today's game live?either stream it on the nbc thing or watch it replayed at 7:00pm on nbcsn . Quote
Cereal Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 either stream it on the nbc thing or watch it replayed at 7:00pm on nbcsn . Bump... reminder tat there IS hockey on tonight (right now). Eichel at least looks very confident playing with big boys, skating well. Quote
Andrew Amerk Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 Just saw this thread. Anyone else watching? Quote
WildCard Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 I thought it was on at 11pm, it's on now? Watching it now, thanks for the heads up. Quote
WildCard Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 2-1 in the third and he is getting a ton of ice-time, on the pp too, and at center. Quote
Brawndo Posted May 3, 2015 Author Report Posted May 3, 2015 Getting Defensive Zone Faceoffs with less than 3 minutes left and he won the draw. Quote
SwampD Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 I thought it was on at 11pm, it's on now? Watching it now, thanks for the heads up. Well that sucks. I thought it was on at 11 as well. Quote
Eleven Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 I thought it was on at 11pm, it's on now? Watching it now, thanks for the heads up. Well that sucks. I thought it was on at 11 as well. I saw it live--was it delayed? And don't even think about making this my fault. Quote
thewookie1 Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 I have to say, I'm impressed that after one game he seems to already be getting used to IIHF level hockey. Granted this was Norway and a weakened Finnish team, but what better way to get him into the swing of things. Quote
Robviously Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 2-1 in the third and he is getting a ton of ice-time, on the pp too, and at center. I started watching in the first period and wasn't even sure if he was playing after a few minutes. By the 2nd period he was all over the ice and by the third period he was probably the best player out there. Really impressive game. Quote
inkman Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 ...Eichel was pretty un-impressive IMO. The worst for me was that they sent him in to take 3 important face-offs: 2-PP and 1-PK and he got smoked on all three. You lost me here. You want to criticize a player and the first thing you mention is face offs. I don't care if Jack Eichel ever rakes a face off let alone win one. Quote
TrueBlueGED Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 You lost me here. You want to criticize a player and the first thing you mention is face offs. I don't care if Jack Eichel ever rakes a face off let alone win one. Amen! Best description I ever read of faceoffs is "an over-emphasized one-on-one battle in a game of hundreds one-on-one battles." Quote
carpandean Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 You lost me here. You want to criticize a player and the first thing you mention is face offs. I don't care if Jack Eichel ever rakes a face off let alone win one. Faceoffs are also one of the skills that a player can still develop at this age. Sidney Crosby wasn't great at them initially and decided to focus a lot of attention one year on improving; he's now very, very good at them. Quote
French Collection Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 Face offs are an important part of the game, they lead to possession. I'm not a fancy stat guy but you need to win the majority of the battles to have the puck more often.. I agree that it is a skill that can be taught and these young guys will need training and possibly a mentor. Bring back Konopka. LOL Quote
TrueBlueGED Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 Face offs are an important part of the game, they lead to possession. I'm not a fancy stat guy but you need to win the majority of the battles to have the puck more often.. I agree that it is a skill that can be taught and these young guys will need training and possibly a mentor. Bring back Konopka. LOL Yup, you need to win the majority of battles...and you can do that without winning the majority of faceoffs. Faceoffs are no more important than any other battle that takes place during a game, yet they're tracked and put on a pedestal. Quote
SwampD Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 Yup, you need to win the majority of battles...and you can do that without winning the majority of faceoffs. Faceoffs are no more important than any other battle that takes place during a game, yet they're tracked and put on a pedestal. But with 6 seconds left on the clock and down by one goal, it may be the only battle you need to win in order to have a chance at winning the game. Quote
Randall Flagg Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 We didn't win the faceoff prior to Drury's tying goal. Though we didn't really lose it either. I believe it went to the boards and we won a couple puck battles after that. Quote
TrueBlueGED Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 But with 6 seconds left on the clock and down by one goal, it may be the only battle you need to win in order to have a chance at winning the game. Maybe. But if you win a few other battles throughout the game, you may not need that faceoff. Quote
French Collection Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 Just sayin' it's a battle that starts out fairly, played out dozens of times a game, that can give you possession of the puck. It's not like the jump ball in basketball. When Bergeron lines up against a guy 10-15 percentage points below him, there is a distinct advantage. Same as Gerbe going into the corner vs Corey Perry. There are constant matchups that coaches try to take advantage of and the face off is an easy one to use. The other skill that is getting more recognition is the takeaway, which Datsyuk is a master at. Seems like Stone is good at this as well. Quote
Hoss Posted May 3, 2015 Report Posted May 3, 2015 Maybe. But if you win a few other battles throughout the game, you may not need that faceoff. This is a pretty weak argument. Of course this is the case, but how does that change the fact that the faceoffs in a tie or one-goal game late is important? Faceoffs are huge. I want my star center to know how to win them in key situations. There's more than a handful of games a year where a team got a point or more because of their ability to win a draw clean late in the game. I'm not saying Eichel's struggles at the dot are a big deal right now because they're not. He'll learn as he grows. But it's an important skill. Quote
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