Game discussion thread Jets at Sabres 1-7-2017 @ 1pm

[DirtDart]

Great game by the boys. We left at the end of the second per usual, the baby never can last into the third. Driving to Bar Bill I turned on the radio, and almost crashed hearing we were up by 1.

 

Good to see Dan spark the boys, what a game.

Wow, amazing game. 2017 has been good for the Sabres so far. 3 games and 5 points. And yes, Jack, 6 would be better. But no team ever finishes the season with 164 points either.

 

But on the negative side - will it last? Even bad teams have good streaks - so the next 3 games could be 1 point earned and 5 left on the table. And Lehner let in his almost obligatory 3 goals this game. One of the goals (can't recall if 2nd or 3rd Jets goal) he left the rebound laying right there a foot or two in front of him and it got hammered into the net - that was frustrating to see.

 

Just looked at Lehner's game log - last time he had a 1 goal game was late November. Since then he's had 9 three goal games, and three 2 goal games.

At least two goals per game are due to the Defense losing coverage, or forgetting they are actually allowed to clear players out of the crease.

[That Aud Smell]

Re Franson: It's always different watching a game live, but there was a shift in the first when he got absolutely abused. No goal or penalty resulted, but it was ugly. That may have biased me, and then the two penalties came (and the Jets scored on one (Stafford?)).

 

But I didn't notice him beyond that (other than being good in the final 5), so that likely means he was good at those times.

 

Otoh, saying Franson was among our best D yesterday is damning with faint praise. Not a good showing from the Sabres D yesterday in general, it seemed.

Edited January 8, 2017 by That Aud Smell

[Stoner]

I like the guy behind the glass on Foligno's goal. He started to celebrate, froze, looked to the ref, then went crazy when the ref pointed. Rick nailed that call. A delayed reaction from everyone in the building.

[Doohicksie]

Laine has a concussion.  Jets still calling it a clean hit.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Laine has a concussion.  Jets still calling it a clean hit.

 

That's bad news and long-term there could be significant damage.

 

Hockey is at very high-speed and can be very dangerous.

 

He is an exciting player to watch, so I hope he heals completely and is back soon.

[Huckleberry]

I like the guy behind the glass on Foligno's goal. He started to celebrate, froze, looked to the ref, then went crazy when the ref pointed. Rick nailed that call. A delayed reaction from everyone in the building.

 

just noticed him, I want to buy him a beer, true fan.   

That's bad news and long-term there could be significant damage.

 

Hockey is at very high-speed and can be very dangerous.

 

He is an exciting player to watch, so I hope he heals completely and is back soon.

 

Hope they check out McCabe as well, not comparable, but when I was 16 I got hit with a fast ball on the side of the head , with the one shooting it only 2 meters away.

I didn't black out that sunday morning, kept playing but when the game was over, I found myself lying in my bed 30 minutes later, blinds down, going dizzy all day long.

[Meathead]

mccabes souvenir:

 

[Thorner]

Great comeback win. They really played a great 3rd as a team. I'm hoping they can build on that. McCabe's hit was very powerful, and very clean. Hopefully Laine is ok, and hopefully he learns now to keep his head up.

 

Love beating the Jets. 4 in a row, now.

[GrassValleyGreg]

Re Franson: It's always different watching a game live, but there was a shift in the first when he got absolutely abused. No goal or penalty resulted, but it was ugly. That may have biased me, and then the two penalties came (and the Jets scored on one (Stafford?)).

 

But I didn't notice him beyond that (other than being good in the final 5), so that likely means he was good at those times.

 

Otoh, saying Franson was among our best D yesterday is damning with faint praise. Not a good showing from the Sabres D yesterday in general, it seemed.

 

Thought Franson had an awful game. A number of glaring mental errors; lackadaisical around the puck. It's a shame Kuli has not been able to get it going. He's a big weapon in the type of transition game we're trying to play.

[LTS]

Finally back in town and able to comment on the game... 

 

The 3rd period, easily one of the best periods I have witnessed live.  And I was there when Barnaby fought Garth Snow... awesome at the time although not a fan of it now. 

 

The first and second periods were absolutely brutal and the 2nd was the worst of it.  How the Sabres came back to get that many shots is beyond me.  Lehner's 3rd goal was terrible. I would have scored on that play. 

 

The Sabres can trade Kane.. they have Bailey who is similar to Kane but can really fly.

 

ROR is a magician. No idea how he does it but wow, watching him play live is incredible.  For as much as Jack can be fun to watch I'll take ROR just stealing pucks from people and holding onto it against significant numbers.  Insane.

 

Girgensons is a new player.  There's no other way to think of it other than he saw himself below Larsson and had given up.  Since Larsson went out he's had a ton of intensity.

 

The fans definitely did not like the Sabres not using the Laine hit as the Carubba Collision.  I understand it's a show of respect by the organization but the fans really undo a lot of that when they reign down that many boos... (I was booing).  It was a clean hit... and holy hell did you feel it in the arena.  Laine got a good ovation from the crowd when they got him up though.

 

It made my trip to Erie, PA after the game in the friggin lake effect snow worth it.

[russ]

Little late to the party, but wondering if anyone else noticed this on the Foligno goal; as Franson gets the puck at center ice, both teams start a line change. Foligno makes a bee line for the bench and then curls off at the blue line and takes the pass. Eichel let's the pass go right in front of him but doesn't seem to see Foligno to his side. Designed play? It truly was a thing of beauty.

Edited January 10, 2017 by russ

[russ]

Eh, probably just clearing the zone, but my theory sounds so much cooler.

[Doohicksie]

Little late to the party, but wondering if anyone else noticed this on the Foligno goal; as Franson gets the puck at center ice, both teams start a line change. Foligno makes a bee line for the bench and then curls off at the blue line and takes the pass. Eichel let's the pass go right in front of him but doesn't seem to see Foligno to his side. Designed play? It truly was a thing of beauty.

 

I got the sense at the time that the defenders were keying off Jack and that he was a decoy, so, yeah I saw it too.

[LTS]

This reminded me of an article on The Players Tribune.  It was OEL's article and he references a small thing Lidstrom did on a play.  It's not by accident.  It blew my mind because it made me think of all the other little things that you don't ever notice without that high end hockey sense.

 

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/oliver-ekman-larsson-nhl-arizona-coyotes/

 

Look part way down to the description of the OT winner PHX vs. DET and his description and evidence of what Lidstrom does on the play.  It's pretty cool.

[Norcal]

Just noticed that McCabe got burned on the first Jests goal by Laine with a nice little chip by him in the neutral zone. McCabe must have went to school because he aced the final.

[russ]

This reminded me of an article on The Players Tribune. It was OEL's article and he references a small thing Lidstrom did on a play. It's not by accident. It blew my mind because it made me think of all the other little things that you don't ever notice without that high end hockey sense.

 

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/oliver-ekman-larsson-nhl-arizona-coyotes/

 

Look part way down to the description of the OT winner PHX vs. DET and his description and evidence of what Lidstrom does on the play. It's pretty cool.

So many things go unnoticed by us fans, but are merely tools of the trade; the will to hone those skills the difference between the master and the apprentice.