GDT: Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa bay Lightning

[jsb]

I guess this pre-game nugget was true. We haven't won a game against them this year in 3 tries, even in one of their down years. They have blown a glorious opportunity to get back into the race by the losses to Colorado, Arizona and now the Lightning. Even fans with the most faith that this team will turn it around have basically been invalidated with their recent play, including me.

Edited March 5, 2017 by jsb

[Wyldnwoody44]

Ewww... ah well, she is not fat enough, needs more phat pannys,

Haha, I'll feed her some phat pannys and then get back to you.... The need to be MODO specials, especially for lehner ;)

Such a tragic cosmic joke, that so often the really great female voices are attached to REALLY large, uh, personalities (or maybe just drop the alities :unsure:). Unless they have a smokey quality like Chrissie Hynde or Alannah Myles. :)

Tis sad but true.... Not all but for many... Anywho, the Sabres goal song should now be under the bridge, by Adele.... To remind us of how little it matters now... And that the fat lady is singing now through March.

[Jsixspd]

So Lehner has yet to stop a single shot in shoot outs this year - unbelievable!   No team could win a shoot out with Lehner in the crease.  WTF didn't Bylsma put Nilsson in instead of Lehner?  

Lehner said post game that shoot outs aren't real hockey  ""I'm working on it. It's different. It's not hockey."- If I were a coach I would jump all over Lehner for saying that and rip em a new one!   Like them or not, they've been part of hockey for YEARS now, and good goalies need to be good at shoot outs. Period!  No argument - no discussion.   

This guy was a big mistake by Murray - along with Gorges, Moulson, Ennis, Bogosian, Kulikov.  Yeah, Murray has added talent - but he's also added a lot of liabilities too.  

Edited March 5, 2017 by Jsixspd

[North Buffalo]

https://youtu.be/Xbw742hhUoU

[R_Dudley]

From the look of the shot selection(and I feel like I'm being generous in describing it as planned) do they practice shootouts at all?

 

I know some coaches end a lot of practices with that. However from the number of passes in the skates or out of reach to running around in their own zone to standing still at times it is tough to tell what system is being preached.

 

Last if I am not mistaken that last penalty by Sabres last night wasn't ROR, Risto and ? Out there for the whole 2 minute kill?

"Holy gasser Batman" I don't think I have ever seen another coach have that type of innovation.

[Eleven]

From the look of the shot selection(and I feel like I'm being generous in describing it as planned) do they practice shootouts at all?

 

I know some coaches end a lot of practices with that. However from the number of passes in the skates or out of reach to running around in their own zone to standing still at times it is tough to tell what system is being preached.

 

Last if I am not mistaken that last penalty by Sabres last night wasn't ROR, Risto and ? Out there for the whole 2 minute kill?

"Holy gasser Batman" I don't think I have ever seen another coach have that type of innovation.

 

I watched the RIT gals practice before the CHA tournament on Thursday.  That's what they ended the practice with.  The Sabres had better be practicing them.  I think chz watches practices--any input?

 

PS:  RIT lost in the semis.  Now that Niagara doesn't have a program anymore, I consider them to be the local team.  So I'm unhappy.

Edited March 5, 2017 by Eleven

[Jsixspd]

Risto with 33 minutes of ice time!  That's ridiculous - Bylsma is going to burn out Risto 

And shoot outs began in the NHL in the 2005-06 season, and in the AHL in 2004-05.    Shoot outs began in NHL when Lehner was 14 years old - how can he say they 'aren't hockey' -  it's been part of the game since before the start of his hockey career, and since before his entire adult life!  

 

[Eleven]

Risto with 33 minutes of ice time!  That's ridiculous - Bylsma is going to burn out Risto 

 

And shoot outs began in the NHL in the 2005-06 season, and in the AHL in 2004-05.    Shoot outs began in NHL when Lehner was 14 years old - how can he say they 'aren't hockey' -  it's been part of the game since before the start of his hockey career, and since before his entire adult life!  

 

 

 

Shootouts aren't hockey.

 

That said, they still need to prepare for them.

[darksabre]

I watched the RIT gals practice before the CHA tournament on Thursday. That's what they ended the practice with. The Sabres had better be practicing them. I think chz watches practices--any input?

 

PS: RIT lost in the semis. Now that Niagara doesn't have a program anymore, I consider them to be the local team. So I'm unhappy.

Real down year for the RIT women.

[Radar]

Shootouts aren't hockey.

 

That said, they still need to prepare for them.

Preparation doesn't make our goal keeper capable on one on ones. He isn't weak on these he's apparently incapable against them. As it stands now we will lose one point for every game that goes to the shootout. I actually don't think Lehner is too bad other than one on one but unfortunately he's non existent on them.

[sodbuster]

Check out @HI_SMG's Tweet: https://twitter.com/HI_SMG/status/838219478827732993?s=09

[Jsixspd]

Preparation doesn't make our goal keeper capable on one on ones. He isn't weak on these he's apparently incapable against them. As it stands now we will lose one point for every game that goes to the shootout. I actually don't think Lehner is too bad other than one on one but unfortunately he's non existent on them.

Breakaways are harder to track - I haven't found stats for them -   but the one on one breakaways I've seen Lehner defend against don't leave me with warm fuzzies either.  

 

As much as Lehner wants to claim shootouts are not hockey (despite them becoming part of hockey when he was a freshman in high school, battling acne),  the breakaways ARE part of hockey, and he doesn't strike me as effective in those circumstances.  

[dudacek]

Pretty solid game by the Sabres there against a team that typically owns them.

 

We don't talk about shots for and against any more. Call me old fashioned, but I hate the fact we get outshot pretty much every game.

Nice to see that under control the last two games.

(Of course now the Pens are going school us 47-23) tonight.

 

ROR looked rejuvenated, Kane and Foligno looked good too.

And whatever line Gionta is on continues to be our most consistent.

 

And what's up with PK lately? Got it done again tonight. Still 29th, but I think we've climbed from about 73 percent to nearly 76 over the past couple weeks. Pretty tough to do this late in the season.

Anyone notice anything we are doing differently?

Edited March 5, 2017 by dudacek

[rickshaw]

Lehner is fine, for now, but if this team starts to turn the corner he has to go.

I hate the shootout but sadly the NHL loves 'em.

 

But the bottom line is wins and he is under .500

[darksabre]

Lehner is Tyrod.

[Jsixspd]

Lehner is Tyrod.

Gonna have people that love him, gonna have people that say he should go.  Typical of Buffalo players and Buffalo fans. 

 

One difference - Tyrod was a definite UPgrade at QB over the players before him (Manuel, Fitzpatrick, ad nauseum).   I have yet to feel that, despite all the money spent, that Lehner is an upgrade over the goalies of the past few years.  

Edited March 5, 2017 by Jsixspd

[Thorner]

It sucks that that game couldn't have ended in a tie cuz it was pretty good.

Yup, at this point, if teams can't find a way to figure things out 3 v 3, I'd prefer a tie. You don't NEED a winner, in a regular season contest.

 

Shootouts aren't fun anymore.

[dudacek]

Shootouts aren't fun anymore.

 

...Mrs. Lehner?

[Drunkard]

Yup, at this point, if teams can't find a way to figure things out 3 v 3, I'd prefer a tie. You don't NEED a winner, in a regular season contest.

 

Shootouts aren't fun anymore.

 

They're fine when we aren't pathetic at them. We should sign Ryan Miller and make him our default shootout goalie next season. Maybe he could tutor Lehner on how to stop falling for every deke the shooter makes as well. At this point he couldn't do any worse if he faced the net while trying to stop shots or just flopped around randomly like a fish out of water. Hell maybe he could learn to breakdance and spin around on his ass or on his head. Maybe he could just attempt an extreme version of a poke check where he skates directly toward center ice with his crazy madman eyes and just tries to swipe the puck. Maybe he should take off his helmet and make death threats to the shooters families. Any one of these random methods has got to stop at least one attempt out of 8 or 10 or whatever he's batting 0 for at this point.

Edited March 7, 2017 by Drunkard