Sabres Lines: 12-21-2017; Girgs Gets a Shot

[WildCard]

@ByMHarrington

Looks like Reinhart remains with Eichel today. Also on the line is Girgensons. #Sabres

[Derrico]

#Showcase

[WildCard]

@BJWilsonWGR

#Sabres line this Thursday:

 

Kane-O’Reilly-Okposo

Girgensons-Eichel-Reinhart

Nolan-Larsson-Wilson

Pouliot-Josefson-Pominville

 

Scandella-Ristolainen

McCabe-Bogosian

Antipin-Falk

Gorges-Beaulieu

[dudacek]

Who were the big Girgs with Eich boosters on here?

In theory I like the line.

[WildCard]

Who were the big Girgs with Eich boosters on here?

In theory I like the line.

True and myself I believe 

[darksabre]

True and myself I believe 

Me as well. I like giving that line a chance. 

[WildCard]

Me as well. I like giving that line a chance. 

Same. I like it a lot more than Kane - Eichel - Pominville. 

[nfreeman]

No ERod?

[Taro T]

True and myself I believe

 

:angry:

No ERod?

Noticed that too.

 

Find a spot for him & those lines look good. (And the 3 & 4 lines are flipped. Pominville & Pouliot aren't on the 4th line.)

[WildCard]

No ERod?

Not sure Erod was with us in the Eichel-Grigs talk

 

:angry:

buuuutttt Taro. Taro definitely was  :lol:

[pi2000]

Terrible idea... Eichel is now saddled with one guy who has no offensive awareness but can skate well, and a guy with decent offensive awareness who cannot skate. 

 

Just dumb.    They've tried that before and it didn't work, so let's do the same thing again?   

 

IMO Botterill and Housley's idea of everybody starting with a clean slate at the beginning of the season has set this team back.    They're simply going through all the line combinations that have already been tried, there's tons of film on these guys but they decided to just start from scratch.    Ignoring their previous body of work.

 

   “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”   ...so here we are.

[WildCard]

Terrible idea... Eichel is now saddled with one guy who has no offensive awareness but can skate well, and a guy with decent offensive awareness who cannot skate. 

 

Just dumb.    They've tried that before and it didn't work, so let's do the same thing again?   

 

IMO Botterill and Housley's idea of everybody starting with a clean slate at the beginning of the season has set this team back.    They're simply going through all the line combinations that have already been tried, there's tons of film on these guys but they decided to just start from scratch.    Ignoring their previous body of work.

 

   “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”   ...so here we are.

Pretty sure it did work last season, no?

[Robviously]

 

@BJWilsonWGR

#Sabres line this Thursday:

 

Kane-O’Reilly-Okposo

Girgensons-Eichel-Reinhart

Nolan-Larsson-Wilson

Pouliot-Josefson-Pominville

 

Scandella-Ristolainen

McCabe-Bogosian

Antipin-Falk

Gorges-Beaulieu

 

If it was ERod-Eichel-Reinhart, these lines would be pretty interesting (assuming the Larsson one plays 10 minutes or less).

 

I really don't feel like ever watching Girgensons or Larsson play another game for us, honestly.  Is anyone excited by that idea?  Like if I heard "Sabres just traded Girgensons and Larsson for...", I don't even have to hear the rest of the sentence to be pretty happy.  Just make room for literally anyone new since both of these guys are the hockey equivalent of a flat tire.

Pretty sure it did work last season, no?

Reinhart is maybe the only player I can think of on the team that has made good passes to Eichel in the past.  I want Jack playing with a guy that can get him the puck so that he doesn't have to just be "guy that creates chances for Evander Kane to finish."

[3putt]

No ERod?

He has taken a lot of untimely penalties.  Could be a gentle reminder.

[CallawaySabres]

Well I guess the have we hit rock bottom question will be answered one way or another. Looking at those players, there is ZERO surprise that we are top 2 worst in the league. How did we end up with so many nobodys after this tank?

[dudacek]

Terrible idea... Eichel is now saddled with one guy who has no offensive awareness but can skate well, and a guy with decent offensive awareness who cannot skate. 

 

Just dumb.    They've tried that before and it didn't work, so let's do the same thing again?   

 

IMO Botterill and Housley's idea of everybody starting with a clean slate at the beginning of the season has set this team back.    They're simply going through all the line combinations that have already been tried, there's tons of film on these guys but they decided to just start from scratch.    Ignoring their previous body of work.

 

   “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”   ...so here we are.

Are you trolling?

 

Girgs has played what, maybe a dozen periods of hockey with Eichel ever?

Reinhart has shown more chemistry with Eichel than pretty much anyone else.

[jsb]

 

Reinhart is maybe the only player I can think of on the team that has made good passes to Eichel in the past.  I want Jack playing with a guy that can get him the puck so that he doesn't have to just be "guy that creates chances for Evander Kane to finish."

Where I disagree...... please explain to me why you would not want someone to pass to the guy who has scored over 40 goals in the past calendar year. Especially on a team that is last in the league in scoring???

Also do you know who is the co-leader on the team in Assists and had double the amount of anyone else on the PowerPlay????? Yes that no passing, only shoots Evander Kane. 

Yes lets break up the no chemistry Kane-Eichel line who have more points that the next 4 guys combined, so what do we achieve?? An artificial point production from others who haven't done squat?? In the immortal words of Senator Clay Davis..... SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIT

Edited December 21, 2017 by JSBeersson

[Robviously]

Where I disagree...... please explain to me why you would not want someone to pass to the guy who has scored over 40 goals in the past calendar year. Especially on a team that is last in the league in scoring???

Also do you know who is the co-leader on the team in Assists and had double the amount of anyone else on the PowerPlay????? Yes that no passing, only shoots Evander Kane. 

Yes lets break up the no chemistry Kane-Eichel line who have more points that the next 4 guys combined, so what do we achieve?? An artificial point production from others who haven't done squat?? In the immortal words of Senator Clay Davis..... SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIT

First of all, congrats on all the punctuation.

 

Second, I do want Eichel passing to Kane.  I think Eichel will create a lot of opportunities for anyone we put him with.  I also want him playing with guys that will create opportunities for him.  Basically the only guy we have with a good track record of that is Reinhart.  We're 30+ games into the season and it's tough to remember too many times anyone set up Jack to finish a play.

 

Third, Kane isn't a playmaker.  He's a finisher.  There's a reason his career stats are pretty low in terms of assists.  In most years he has more goals than assists.  His passing isn't great if you actually watch the games.  He has a lot this year compared to the rest of the team since he plays with Eichel and is a key part of an awful power play, but he's not a set-up guy at all.

[WildCard]

I don't and never have wanted Eichel and Kane together, ever. They can drive their own separate lines

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I don't and never have wanted Eichel and Kane together, ever. They can drive their own separate lines

 

I can understand this, but I don't agree.

 

I think you want your best set up guy playing with your best finisher.  Down through the ages this is how it worked.  The French Connection is a very good example, but those Sabre teams also had a 50 goal scorer on the 'checking line'.  Hull and Oats.  Gretzky and ... bad example.  Bossy and Trottier.  Mario and ... another bad example.  Lafleur and whoever centred him (Lamaire?) ...

[Taro T]

I can understand this, but I don't agree.

 

I think you want your best set up guy playing with your best finisher.  Down through the ages this is how it worked.  The French Connection is a very good example, but those Sabre teams also had a 50 goal scorer on the 'checking line'.  Hull and Oats.  Gretzky and ... bad example.  Bossy and Trottier.  Mario and ... another bad example.  Lafleur and whoever centred him (Lamaire?) ...

Gretzky & KURRI.

 

Lemieux & Brown initially then JAGR.

 

Lafleur was always paired w/ Shutt (on LW) & originally Pete Mahovlich & then Lemaire. Larouche took over on the Donut Line (a lot on the outsides but with a hole in the middle!) after Lemaire retired.

[TrueBlueGED]

I don't and never have wanted Eichel and Kane together, ever. They can drive their own separate lines

Right. I think the team is best off when that's the case. At least while nobody else is scoring, anyway. I think Kane's value to the team is higher if he's putting in 20-25 goals on his own line than if he's putting in 25-30 with Eichel. I get the logic of "why break up the only line that's scoring" which I expect to be the rebuttal. My response would be the idea is to produce two lines that may individually produce less than the Kane-Eichel combo, but together, would produce more. Trying to create match up problems for the other team and whatnot

 

Besides, it's not like trying something else is going to ruin the team's electric offense :lol:

[erickompositör72]

I have this bad feeling that Phil is just in panic mode, and that in this panic, he can't even correctly assess which lines are working and which are not.

 

It seems like line combinations are changed even after we win a game, or at least have an extremely competitive game. It seems like things start working, but it doesn't sink in to Phil that it's working. Is there any truth to this, or am I mis-remembering?

[Thorner]

I can understand this, but I don't agree.

 

I think you want your best set up guy playing with your best finisher.  Down through the ages this is how it worked.  The French Connection is a very good example, but those Sabre teams also had a 50 goal scorer on the 'checking line'.  Hull and Oats.  Gretzky and ... bad example.  Bossy and Trottier.  Mario and ... another bad example.  Lafleur and whoever centred him (Lamaire?) ...

Oh I like their music!

 

---

 

I think this serves as both an opportunity, and a showcase, for Sam R. I don't think Botterill has made any decisions just yet, but I would guess he's keeping a very close eye on his performance the next few games.

 

Or maybe they just realized letting him languish on the fourth line wasn't helping anyone.

[Stoner]

Making your own lines seems like the lowest form of fandom. We all know there's not nearly enough talent up front. What's the point of this exercise?  Let's see, we have cheap tuna fish, velveeta cheese, whole grain ziti, green olives and some Fritos in the cupboard. Let's plan some meals!