I Put Last Night on DD

[K-9]

Just re-watched the first period and these guys came out skating in mud, passed like crap, turned the puck over like it was going out of style, and had no energy. 

 

Like they were feeling sorry for themselves. 

 

That's on DD. A good coach can make the Eichel injury a galvanizing event that the team rallies around. I got the impression DD coddled them instead of challenging them. Not surprised because DD was in hangdog mode himself all afternoon after Jack went down. 

 

I fully believe that motivation and attitude, etc,. are personal responsibilities that coaches actually have little control over in their players, but that doesn't mean coaches should exhibit their lack of confidence and that's the impression I got from DD last night. 

 

Others much more knowledgeable can argue the merits of his systems, but I don't want a coach that feels sorry for himself and I think DD did that last night. 

[Hoss]

You leave Doris Day out of this

[K-9]

You leave Doris Day out of this

When is Doris Day, anyway?

[MattPie]

When is Doris Day, anyway?

 

I have a friend named Doris, her birthday is June 8th.

[qwksndmonster]

I'm pretty quick to be critical of Hot Daniel, but I can't blame him for last night. The guys were trying on the most part, they just weren't very good.

[Derrico]

You re-watched the first period?  Ugggggggly.

[wjag]

I put it on GMTM..  Those are his players....

[nfreeman]

That start to the game was terrible indeed, although it seemed like they got their intensity and skating up after about 12 minutes.

 

Not sure it's fair to blame DDB -- I don't think there's a pep talk that can mask the losses of their #1 or #2 forward, their #3 forward and their #2 defenseman, plus the hobbling of their other #1/#2 forward.

 

If they come out looking that bad in their next few games, though, I'll be right there with you.

[Randall Flagg]

Yup. My psychology was awful last night regarding our team, so I can't say the players shouldn't have been affected. It must change though, and DD will play a role in that

[TrueBlueGED]

The team iced last night was worse than last season's through no fault of Bylsma's. Not sure what he could do about it.

 

But I'm also pretty sure I want a different coach.

[Doohicksie]

If they come out looking that bad in their next few games, though, I'll be right there with you.

 

Oh but they will. 

 

Going into the opener, the thought was the Ok and Kuli would be ready to go, that ROR would be FINE, and that Jack would lead them.  In the space of a day or two, that all fell apart.  You can't blame that on DDB.  Take any team and remove 4 of their top 5 or 6 players and you're likely to see the train wreck we saw in Game 1.  It's just too much to ask a coach to instantly adjust to getting his head cut off.

 

And it won't go away overnight.  I think most of the road trip will look like Game 1.  It will start to come together, but there will still be defensive lapses and failure to finish around the net.  The team will start functioning right after several games, probably around the start of November.

 

The players with day-to-day injuries will be back in the lineup.  Players will know their roles, will be better acquainted with their linemates, and things will definitely be better.  Despite what we saw in Game 1, this team isn't that bad and DDB doesn't suck as a coach.  He just got swamped with the prospect of losing most of the team's studs all at once.

[darksabre]

The team iced last night was worse than last season's through no fault of Bylsma's. Not sure what he could do about it.

 

But I'm also pretty sure I want a different coach.

Stop saying things I agree with. You're not letting me generate content of my own!

[Doohicksie]

I'm not ready to fire DD just yet, but neither will I cry if he gets the boot.

[Jsixspd]

I'm pretty quick to be critical of Hot Daniel, but I can't blame him for last night. The guys were trying on the most part, they just weren't very good.

Since much of our lineup is a carryover from the supposed 'tank' seasons this provides proof, if any were needed, that the Sabres players never intentionally tanked or threw a game - they're just mediocre and not very good.  A bunch of poor players, no matter how hard they try, won't win very often, if at all.  

[pi2000]

I don't blame Bylsma for this...  the team was flat for obvious reasons, it should be expected.    Eichel, Okposo, Kulikov all out... O'Reilly not 100%.    These are guys everybody on the team was looking forward to playing with for the past few months.

 

You don't think Bylsma tried to rally his guys before the game, during the game, between periods?    

 

A west coast trip is perfect right now.    They'll come together and rally, they have some winnable games, I expect a big improvement, maybe not Sunday, but by mid-week.  

[Doohicksie]

They'll come together and rally, they have some winnable games, I expect a big improvement, maybe not Sunday, but by mid-week.  

 

I won't let myself be that optimistic, but I agree with the sentiment.  October will be a lost month.

[nfreeman]

Oh but they will. 

 

Going into the opener, the thought was the Ok and Kuli would be ready to go, that ROR would be FINE, and that Jack would lead them.  In the space of a day or two, that all fell apart.  You can't blame that on DDB.  Take any team and remove 4 of their top 5 or 6 players and you're likely to see the train wreck we saw in Game 1.  It's just too much to ask a coach to instantly adjust to getting his head cut off.

 

And it won't go away overnight.  I think most of the road trip will look like Game 1.  It will start to come together, but there will still be defensive lapses and failure to finish around the net.  The team will start functioning right after several games, probably around the start of November.

 

The players with day-to-day injuries will be back in the lineup.  Players will know their roles, will be better acquainted with their linemates, and things will definitely be better.  Despite what we saw in Game 1, this team isn't that bad and DDB doesn't suck as a coach.  He just got swamped with the prospect of losing most of the team's studs all at once.

 

All of this is fair -- but I was referring specifically to the first 10 minutes of the game, in which the Sabres looked like a deer in the headlights.  That can't continue.  Even if they aren't good enough to grind out wins, they need to be able to answer the opening bell and come out swinging -- and DDB needs to be able to make that happen.

[K-9]

I don't blame Bylsma for this...  the team was flat for obvious reasons, it should be expected.    Eichel, Okposo, Kulikov all out... O'Reilly not 100%.    These are guys everybody on the team was looking forward to playing with for the past few months.

 

You don't think Bylsma tried to rally his guys before the game, during the game, between periods?    

 

A west coast trip is perfect right now.    They'll come together and rally, they have some winnable games, I expect a big improvement, maybe not Sunday, but by mid-week.  

No, I don't. His own negative psyche made that impossible, imo. 

 

I get that we faced adversity, but that can and should be used as an opportunity; a chance to galvanize the team. And I am disappointed that Bylsma seemingly missed that opportunity.

 

And if he pairs Nelson with Franson again, I'll know it goes deeper than just a wounded psyche.  

[pi2000]

No, I don't. His own negative psyche made that impossible, imo. 

 

I get that we faced adversity, but that can and should be used as an opportunity; a chance to galvanize the team. And I am disappointed that Bylsma seemingly missed that opportunity.

 

And if he pairs Nelson with Franson again, I'll know it goes deeper than just a wounded psyche.  

 

You really believe that?   That he didn't talk to his team about this being an opportunity to rally?   

 

Who would you have paired Franson with?  

[Stoner]

Who's Jayne Mansfield?

[K-9]

You really believe that?   That he didn't talk to his team about this being an opportunity to rally?   

 

Who would you have paired Franson with?  

Yes, I really believe that. I think he talked to them but it was ineffective because of his own buy-in to the tragedy of it all and I think that engendered a feeling of feeling sorry for themselves. 

 

As to the Franson question, of course I have the luxury of hindsight and it's really not fair to say who I'd pair BEFORE the game, but they were so bad in the first I would have paired him with McCabe, and Nelson with Bogo afterward. Although Nelson would have dragged any partner down with his timid play, while Franson is mostly limited from a skating perspective. 

 

Look, I understand Bylsma was up against it as a coach with 3 of his regulars out and a fourth playing hurt. I just had a feeling based on how he sounded Wednesday and how he looked and sounded yesterday, that he felt it was an impossible situation going in. And they played like that in the first. 

[pi2000]

Yes, I really believe that. I think he talked to them but it was ineffective because of his own buy-in to the tragedy of it all and I think that engendered a feeling of feeling sorry for themselves. 

 

As to the Franson question, of course I have the luxury of hindsight and it's really not fair to say who I'd pair BEFORE the game, but they were so bad in the first I would have paired him with McCabe, and Nelson with Bogo afterward. Although Nelson would have dragged any partner down with his timid play, while Franson is mostly limited from a skating perspective. 

 

Look, I understand Bylsma was up against it as a coach with 3 of his regulars out and a fourth playing hurt. I just had a feeling based on how he sounded Wednesday and how he looked and sounded yesterday, that he felt it was an impossible situation going in. And they played like that in the first. 

 

OK, I can see that.   He did look and sound depressed in his press conferences leading up to the game, no reason to think his demeanor in the locker room would be any different.    

[SwampD]

So,… um,… Bump?

[ddaryl]

I guess winning out West means we also put that on DD

[darksabre]

Is DD a wizard who cast a spell upon the Oilers goalies?