GDT: BUFFALO AT BOSTON 1PM NEW YEARS EVE

[Marvelo]

Dislocated wrist, out for few weeks per DD

 

 

Thanks. I was wondering about this. Larsson is one of the few valuable pieces of this team.

[woods-racer]

I don't think anyone could disagree with you on your point.  However with the puck already headed towards the offensive zone we don't use many options besides dumping the puck in and we're especially bad once we have possession in the offensive zone.

 

We have to be one of the few teams that when cycling the puck  the forwards butts are facing the goalie. Hard to generate scoring chances that way.

[Randall Flagg]

Watched a replay of this game, didn't feel like seeing it live. 

Nobody will convince me that Justin Bailey can't be Conor Sheary. I'm not convinced his NHL ceiling is much higher, though. If Nylander is on Jack's other wing long term, it could be effective. 

 

Color me shocked that we continue to be unable to handle possession teams that know what we're going to do. Absolutely shocked, I tell ya. Stretch pass, or Jack/Sam/Kane tries to go allllllll the way.

Tuukka is amazing. 

Derek Grant somehow turned a couple preseason goals into a regular NHL paycheck, scoring zero goals and being a PK specialist on the worst PK in the league. With this, Gorges' continuing to get 20+ minutes despite being a trash can, Moulson continuing to ride shotgun to Jack despite being a completely useless plug, and *Deslauriers continuing to play in the NHL, I have to wonder why Zemgus' leash has always been so short, or why Jack gets benched from a power play for not back-checking on a goal. Accountability, fine, but where the hell is it in those previous examples? 

 

PK - there's no aggression. An ultra-conservative PK with slow skaters like Josh, Gionta, Franson, and Grant being key parts and having no reach (in Gio's case) is a recipe for teams being able to whip the puck around for as long as they want until something opens up. I want Foligno and Kane to be the main PK forwards, maybe Zemgus, and I like to see Jack out there for the last 20-30 seconds once in a while, but would rather not make that a regular occurrence. I believe it was Zetterberg that said the best thing that could have happened to his career, production-wise and energy-wise, was when he got less PK minutes, and I hope to ease ROR off of those as other defensive players get better. 

 

*Nic Deslauriers. Get the puck near the blue line, skate three strides, chip it off the boards behind the backing-off d-man. Skate too slow to possibly catch it, and when the d-man gives the puck to a forward, take a wiiiiiiide loop with about 10 crossover strides, the path encompassing the entire width of the rink between the opposing blue line and top of the circles in the offensive zone. Come back late down the opposite wing he started, way behind the play. Churning those legs and flailing those arms, working hard, while doing it. A play style that lends to lots of 1min+ long shifts, too. 
 

[Randall Flagg]

So this is where we're talking about Jack's angry outburst. I really liked his comments today: 

 

http://buffalonews.com/2017/01/01/sabres-eichel-lets-voice-heard/

 

It worries me when Jack is angry though. 

 

And he was doing a lot of gliding in Boston, when he was upset and we were down. Wasn't happy to see that.

Edited January 2, 2017 by Randall Flagg

[Stoner]

Oh, Jack's a pissah!

[Brawndo]

Eichel's goal has been changed to Okposo

[spndnchz]

Eichel's goal has been changed to Okposo

 

Figured as much when Okposo grabbed his shin after the goal.

[Randall Flagg]

Damn. Samson deserves a point from being the only one to consistently generate anything in that game