GDT: Toronto @ Buffalo, 7:00pm edt, 10/21/2015

[qwksndmonster]

Ehhh. Sorry qwk, but I gotta ask, does anyone else believe he is?

Watch him. Isolate him on a couple of shifts next game.

[Doohicksie]

He probably needs to buy a vowel is all.

:w00t:

What are we missing in Pysyk? Fans and analysts love him but he consistently gets treated like a marginal player by the team.

 

His time is coming.  He's a very calm, steady influence out there.  I think DD likes his veterans over his kids when it comes to defense, is all it is.  With a little seasoning you'll see his TOI come up.

[qwksndmonster]

Well, I thought Eichel was by far the best player on the ice tonight.

That turnover he created that led to an Ennis chance was a thing of beauty.

[beerme1]

Maybe I'm alone in this thought but I want Kane and Eichel to stay together. I believe they have the potential to be the best combo. were how many games in? It will happen. If after the ten game mark they aren't working together than fine. Mix it up. But I think they have long term potential. Let them figure it out.

[Randall Flagg]

I always wondered why Jack uses such a long stick (heh), but it definitely came in handy on the play qwk mentioned, and a few others. 

[thewookie1]

Hear me out, I think Girgensons should be paired with Kane rather than Eichel. Kane's disallowed goal and good goal were both greatly brought about by Girgs. When Girgs was with Eichel and Kane their line has played better. I think it has to do with Kane and Girgs playing a similar style thus being able to predict the other. Both of them love to just run into the fray and try to get the puck to pop out, and both seem able to get it when it does pop out. Eichel isn't a wrecking ball thus his style of digging the puck out differs slightly, not to mention Eichel is sort of unpredictable.

 

Eichel should be paired with Moulson, Moulson won't win you a game on his own, or rush the D, but he doesn't rely on predicting his linemates. He gets to the net, and understands with Eichel type players that you should just expect the unexpected and be ready to cash in.

 

My idea's lines

 

Kane-Girgensons-Reinhart  1a  Bull Rush 

McGinn-O'Reilly-Gionta 1b Old Faithful

Moulson-Eichel-Ennis 1c Skill with the closer

Foligno-Legwand/Larsson-Deslauries  The Other Guys

[Doohicksie]

Maybe I'm alone in this thought but I want Kane and Eichel to stay together. I believe they have the potential to be the best combo. ###### were how many games in? It will happen. If after the ten game mark they aren't working together than fine. Mix it up. But I think they have long term potential. Let them figure it out.

 

I'm undecided.  I'm willing to give DD a while longer to tinker.  By about the quarter pole I expect him to be putting the team with the best chance to win out there.  But for now I'm willing to let him experiment.

[WildCard]

I like the idea Wookie, but I'd go

 

Kane - O'Reilly - Girgensons

Reinhart - Eichel - Ennis

[Kruppstahl]

Boyes finally wins one for Buffalo.

:thumbsup:  :lol:

[skaught]

I had to watch the game delayed tonight.

 

Glad Kane finally got his first one again! Girgs should really get an assist for that.

 

Was that Ennis or Vanek in the shootout?

 

Eichel had an awesome faceoff win and then beat everyone except the goaltender.

 

I sure as heck am enjoying watching this team way more than last year, no longer giving up 40+ shots every game.

[Randall Flagg]

Some Montreal fans are thinking that we get their backup, Condon, so that Price goes Saturday night for their home game vs. the Leafs. I don't know anything about him.

[WildCard]

Some Montreal fans are thinking that we get their backup, Condon, so that Price goes Saturday night for their home game vs. the Leafs. I don't know anything about him.

Neither do I, but I know he's not Price. This is one case where I would really welcome getting the back-up goalie

[Huckleberry]

These GDT's are getting to long.  

[dudacek]

Thoughts after a DVRed game:

• If we hadn't have pulled that one out, I would have been wondering whether two years of watching the tank has spoiled my perspective on good hockey. We aren't perfect by any means, but we have seemed consistently good at pressuring the puck and at limiting chances. We're close and will be a better team than our results have shown.
• this year's Leafs don't have much more talent than last year's Sabres, but they have a much better team. For the difference, I'd point to the men behind the benches.
• I've had our Johnson pegged as a backup who won't beat you, but he won't win any for you either. His performance in the extra time and the shootout tonight has me reconsidering.
• I remain impressed with Pysyk and every game I am surprised to see his minutes total, because it seems like he's out there more. Is it because of special teams? I wonder how long it will take before he proves himself to Dan.
• When we were prepping for the 3-on-3, I realized that Risto and Pysyk were the only defenceman we had that I felt comfortable putting on the ice.
• I don't agree that Eichel should sit, but I do think he needs to impose himself on the game more. He hasn't learned yet how much better he is than 90 percent of the other guys out there. I have been pleased, however, with how conscientious he is on the backcheck.
• Speaking of the backcheck, Ryan O'Reilly is a beast. Sure he lacks elite skill, but what a hockey player. No one will be complaining about his contract in three or four years. I can only conclude his critics view hockey in a much different way than I do.
• Of course I was excited when Kane ripped it past Bernier, but I think I was even happier when he bloodied the princess and got away with it.
• Wookiee, I am a big fan of your Kane Reinhart Girgensons suggestion.
• Franson skating backwards makes the 1986 version of Phil Russell look fast. Puts my heart in my throat every time.
• I hope the muffed puck at the blueline doesn't become McCabe's signature play.
• I've stuck up for the vets in the past, but I have to agree with Flagg and WildCard that Gionta's game has been lacking so far. I wonder how much of that is a factor of his injury.
• Isn't it a treat watching a real power play?
• Bring on the Habs. They are due to have their bubble popped and it will be interesting to see if our recent luck against them will hold.

Edited October 22, 2015 by dudacek

[Huckleberry]

 

I can keep watching this :D

 

Johnson doesn't seem to be losing games, no need to go after another goalie i think.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Huckleberry

[WildCard]

As for Pysyk's TOI: http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20152016/TH020088.HTM

 

Pysyk: 17s on the pp, 0s on the pk, 15:42 EV, 11s in OT

 

McCabe: 38s on the pp, 45s on the pk, 16:04 EV, 45s in OT

 

Weber: 0s on the pp, 75s on the pk, 17:49 EV, 0s in OT

 

So, what I believe it is, is Pysyk isn't a pk guy, and the pp d-men will always be Risto and Franson. He's getting similar EV time to McCabe, and as others have noted, he's not going to beat out Weber-Franson because a) Franson, and b) it's a young pairing 

 

 

 

Edit: Good breakdown dudacek.

 

- Definitely agree with Eichel, that's a lot of the reason I want Kane off his line. I think his tendency is to defer to Kane, but I think if you give Eichel control of that line he plays much more freely, and let's it go out there. 

 

- Good comparison with the Leafs to last year's Sabres. It shows how much coaching matters

 

- Chad Johnson came up big tonight. Usually you can be an average goalie and win, but he made some elite saves tonight; at least 3-4 of them

 

- I like Kane- Reinhart - Girgensons, but again, where does that leave O'Reilly, Ennis, and Eichel? All on the same line?

Edited October 22, 2015 by WildCard

[dudacek]

As for Pysyk's TOI: http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20152016/TH020088.HTM

 

Pysyk: 17s on the pp, 0s on the pk, 15:42 EV, 11s in OT

 

McCabe: 38s on the pp, 45s on the pk, 16:04 EV, 45s in OT

 

Weber: 0s on the pp, 75s on the pk, 17:49 EV, 0s in OT

 

So, what I believe it is, is Pysyk isn't a pk guy, and the pp d-men will always be Risto and Franson. He's getting similar EV time to McCabe, and as others have noted, he's not going to beat out Weber-Franson because a) Franson, and b) it's a young pairing 

 

 

 

Edit: Good breakdown dudacek.

 

- Definitely agree with Eichel, that's a lot of the reason I want Kane off his line. I think his tendency is to defer to Kane, but I think if you give Eichel control of that line he plays much more freely, and let's it go out there. 

 

- Good comparison with the Leafs to last year's Sabres. It shows how much coaching matters

 

- Chad Johnson came up big tonight. Usually you can be an average goalie and win, but he made some elite saves tonight; at least 3-4 of them

 

- I like Kane- Reinhart - Girgensons, but again, where does that leave O'Reilly, Ennis, and Eichel? All on the same line?

 

Not a bad idea at all.

[...]

Wookie, good call on an appropriate tag for Eichel's game: he is unpredictable. So, Kane, with his limited vision, might be better off with someone whose tendencies he can predict and rely on.

 

Part of what makes Eichel such a threat is that you never know what he's going to do. If that flummoxes his linemates, no wonder they're not getting points. I agree that Moulson seems capable of handling that. I also find ROR to be unpredictable with his game - it's tough to predict where he's coming from and where he'll try to go.

 

So, I think a Moulson, Eichel, ROR line would be an interesting experiment.

Edited October 22, 2015 by SiZzlEmeIsTEr

[Huckleberry]

game 7 coming and everyone still juggling lines :D

[X. Benedict]

Eichel does see the game from above already. He shall not sit! I am covering my ears and going lalalalalalalala.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uwCMf71nOA

me too. lalalalalalalala.

[That Aud Smell]

This is obnoxiously stated. Please excuse yourself from the forum and light yourself on fire. Thank you.

I saw a regular poster upthread who got what was apparently a joke.

 

Busy time of year for me. Think I'm insufficiently immersed here to get a lot of inside meta-SS jokes.

 

And if'n it was not a joke. Well, then.

Edited October 22, 2015 by That Aud Smell

[nucci]

I don't mind O'Reilly but it's the contract that's gonna kill me. Next year 8 million. What happens when Jack is off his entry level and Kane's contract is done. They will both demand equal amount of money. Their lies the problem.

That's a few years away....a lot will have changed by then. Let the GM worry about contracts.

[X. Benedict]

The who now?

 

That's rich. Being called obnoxious (so you're nfreeman now?) by the most consistently obnoxious member here.

Self-immolation by Buddhist monks practically turned public opinion against Vietnam or something,  Hoss must have known that or something. We will miss Wildcard though. He's become one of my favorite posters - a true son of this board.  But this is too important. 

[That Aud Smell]

Self-immolation by Buddhist monks practically turned public opinion against Vietnam or something, Hoss must have known that or something. We will miss Wildcard though. He's become one of my favorite posters - a true son of this board. But this is too important.

Ha! You captured my pre-edit sentiment (which is sorta fun). Pre-coffee me saw no humour there. But then I saw TrueBlue did. So, maybe I'm just slow on the uptake.

[X. Benedict]

That's a few years away....a lot will have changed by then. Let the GM worry about contracts.

Really though. Enjoy the hockey. His presence is really trans-formative. Instead of getting outshot and outdrawn by 10 every night the Sabres are outshooting everyone and outdrawing everyone by 10. It's, what is it called?, it's, nice. 

 

Embrace the nice.