GDT GDT - Sabres at New Jersey - February 6, 2017 7:00 PM

[PromoTheRobot]

Will Murray fire disco that should be the question. Eichel isn't the star I thought he would be with this team.

Been watching since day one. Time for a coaching change

Spinning their wheels

If they hit 85, they won't fire DD.

[CallawaySabres]

Will Murray fire disco that should be the question. Eichel isn't the star I thought he would be with this team.

Been watching since day one. Time for a coaching change

Spinning their wheels

We need another top 5 pick for Eichel...sad but true

[JJFIVEOH]

Goober hesitated to give Kane credit for sticking up for Girgs, then he didn't even have the balls to be critical of the call made on the double minor. The guy can't even get through a presser without stumbling and second guessing himself. 

 

I want a coach with some balls. 

[Brawndo]

The Leafs lost 6-5 in OT.

 

Five rookies scored for them, including Matthews who scored his 24th.

 

But let's put Bailey on a line with D-Lo.

[Jsixspd]

The blistering 82 point pace continues.  And the Sabres are a full 10 games below .500.   AND were swept by an 8 games below .500 NJ in the season series!  Disgusting how many teams are coming away with season series wins against the Sabres!  

[SabresBillsFan]

So if your Murray and we land top 5 what position is in dire need. We could use another winger but I see a big need for a number 1 defenseman. What do you think our need is?

[WildCard]

So if your Murray and we land top 5 what position is in dire need. We could use another winger but I see a big need for a number 1 defenseman. What do you think our need is?

It's easily defensman. Though I'm hoping we trade it away

[Doohicksie]

Check out @BradleyGelber's Tweet: https://twitter.com/BradleyGelber/status/828791388770811904?s=09interference

 

And then Rob Ray tries to explain the call.  Geez.

[dudacek]

I know picking on the defence when the offence scores one isn't kosher.

But how many games is our PK going to cost us?

 

The 26th ranked PP in the league goes 2 for 4.

 

A goal every five PPs is bad. We allow a goal one every four! 74.5 per cent!

We've been 29th or 30th pretty much the entire year.

 

We were 9th last year at 82.6 per cent.

How many games has this cost us and how are we going to fix it?

[kishoph]

How can the refs see this and not call it interference? I just don't understand.

 

Watching Robin Lehner's reaction after the goal tells me that his arm was never touched. After the goal Lehner stays on his knees for a couple of seconds then gets up looks to the sky, then turns back towards the net. If Lehner's arm was in fact hit he would of been charging after the referee instantly after the goal was scored. Even after 10-15 seconds pass, Lehner's leaning on the net and the ref skates right past him and Lehner says/does nothing. I don't think that Robin Lehner suddenly got shy and didn't want to cause a commotion arguing interference. 

[North Buffalo]

Unintended Tank on, I want Vilamake and trade for Ghost... nice back end pairing. Thro in Ghule with Falk and Franson and you have a nice top 7

Edited February 7, 2017 by North Buffalo

[eman]

So if your Murray and we land top 5 what position is in dire need. We could use another winger but I see a big need for a number 1 defenseman. What do you think our need is?

Our most pressing need is a coach. (and a D-man) but I'll settle for a new coach. One preferably with some emotion and cajones. I've seen enough and Jack is getting stagnant under this one.We have enough good players to be much better then where we are and averaging 2 goals per game.

[Trettioåtta]

Man Lehner really blew that one for us. The offence provided the all the support he needed to win that game. They kept up their end of the bargain by putting one in the oppositions net, he let this team down by allowing twice as many.

 

He has to go, simple as that. Maybe we could package him with a good player so someone would want him? Something like Girgensons and Lehner for a 2nd or 3rd?

[woods-racer]

I know picking on the defence when the offence scores one isn't kosher.

But how many games is our PK going to cost us?

 

The 26th ranked PP in the league goes 2 for 4.

 

A goal every five PPs is bad. We allow a goal one every four! 74.5 ###### per cent!

We've been 29th or 30th pretty much the entire year.

 

We were 9th last year at 82.6 per cent.

How many games has this cost us and how are we going to fix it?

I've beat this drum before and I'm pretty sure you've heard it, but, Legwand.

 

It's either Legwand, a main stay on last year's pk, or a pk scheme that has failed misserably under this coaching staff.

 

Doesn't it seem that we are always out of position on pk? Every player is crazy, the coaching staff are the only sane ones.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Woods-Racer

[nfreeman]

I generally think a bad PK is a direct result of bad coaching.

[Samson's Flow]

Yesterday I was really angry at both the officiating and the lack of emotion/reaction from the coaching staff to do anything other than take it with an expressionless face. You could sense the players were very frustrated as there were more big hits and physical play last night as a direct retaliation to muckety play from the Devils. 

 

As a personal preference I can't stand the Dick Jauron style of emotionless statue coaching. I much prefer guys that can sense the emotions of their team and work to harness that energy in a positive manner. We have certainly seen emotional coaches fail and fail miserably (Rex Ryan), but i'd rather see them go down with the ship looking like they give a $hit.

 

Claude Julien can't come soon enough  :angel:

[Randall Flagg]

Jack has been incredible with the puck lately. I also read that he's finally a positive CF% rel player too. A few of the moves in Ottawa blew my mind. And that one-timer from the Samson feed about 2 minutes into the first, I couldn't believe the power he got on that with almost no form and what seemed to be a lazy swing at the puck. Just an incredible talent, and should have had about 10 more points over the past 5 games than he has.

My god, the Devils are frustrating. The officiating was even moreso. Why didn't they call the trip on Eichel? Just because we had already taken a penalty? Where is the logic? Where does the rule book say that this is how hockey is played? Why is Gionta allowed to get plowed to the ice in the crease before the puck gets there, totally taking away a scoring opportunity, where Falk goes to the box on a chintzy hold when Wood got a shot away anyway? 

 

Lehner's been good.

Zemgus and Kane and Gionta are fun too.

ROR and Reesto won't have any legs until next October, unfortunately. 

 

We lose so many goddamn hockey games.

[WildCard]

I've beat this drum before and I'm pretty sure you've heard it, but, Legwand.

 

It's either Legwand, a main stay on last year's pk, or a pk scheme that has failed misserably under this coaching staff.

 

Doesn't it seem that we are always out of position on pk? Every player is crazy, the coaching staff are the only same ones.

The PK scheme is much different. We were highly aggressive on the blue line and zone entries last year, this year we're not

[Randall Flagg]

The PK scheme is much different. We were highly aggressive on the blue line and zone entries last year, this year we're not

There are more than a few times where Gionta is out there and doesn't even bother coming out to the point man when the puck comes around.

 

Like, say a forward has it at the right half-wall. Kane is over there, Gio is in the middle of the slot averaging the horizontal distance between the point man in the middle of the ice and the other half-wall guy. The guy on the right half-wall with the puck gives it to the point man, and the play shifts left, and Kane follows it. The puck moves to the half-wall guy on the left, who's almost at the point. Like, between where Jack scored that one-timer his first game back and where the left point guy is in the default position. But instead of coming out to press him into a pass or block the lane, Gionta literally stands still, and as a result he's almost on top of Kane, who has moved with the play. And that point man has all the time and space in the world to make the shot. Gionta knows he doesn't have the wheels or the reach to get out there before something happens so he stays put.

 

It's not on Gio. Coaches need to see that and need to adjust or get someone out there who can pressure the guy. At the Oilers game I went to, they exploited this every single time, they used that space to drive every power play they had, intentionally. And scored 2 or 3 times. 

Edited February 7, 2017 by Randall Flagg

[pi2000]

There are more than a few times where Gionta is out there and doesn't even bother coming out to the point man when the puck comes around.

 

Like, say a forward has it at the right half-wall. Kane is over there, Gio is in the middle of the slot averaging the horizontal distance between the point man in the middle of the ice and the other half-wall guy. The guy on the right half-wall with the puck gives it to the point man, and the play shifts left, and Kane follows it. The puck moves to the half-wall guy on the left, who's almost at the point. Like, between where Jack scored that one-timer his first game back and where the left point guy is in the default position. But instead of coming out to press him into a pass or block the lane, Gionta literally stands still, and as a result he's almost on top of Kane, who has moved with the play. And that point man has all the time and space in the world to make the shot. Gionta knows he doesn't have the wheels or the reach to get out there before something happens so he stays put.

 

It's not on Gio. Coaches need to see that and need to adjust or get someone out there who can pressure the guy. At the Oilers game I went to, they exploited this every single time, they used that space to drive every power play they had, intentionally. And scored 2 or 3 times. 

 

...and their shot blocking in general is abysmal.   I'd love to see a season long stat of net shot blocks... like a PDO shot block statistics because it seems more than half the time our d-men shoot the puck it gets blocked, but very rarely do any of our forwards block opposing shots from the point.    Coaching?  Inexperience maybe?   Lehner asking to see the puck?   I don't know, but it seems like something they need to focus on.... and on that same topic, remember early in the season when Risto would walk the line and fire a low quick wrister through to the net?   He doesn't do that anymore, haven't seen it for months.