GDT Sabres at Canucks 1-25-18 10 PM MSG GR

[Randall Flagg]

They're doing a much better job tying guys up in front of Lehner & Chad the last few.

[Tondas]

They're doing a much better job tying guys up in front of Lehner & Chad the last few.

 

And they have been much better at getting the puck out of the zone.

[North Buffalo]

And passing, did anyone mention passing... It has been better last 3 games... though still has a ways to go...

[Tondas]

Antipin and Falk in, and Bool-you and Gorges out, make the Sabres a better team.

[DarthEbriate]

I'll start by saying... the Canucks, like the Oilers, didn't show up tonight.

 

That said, Woohooo! I like to watch a win. The Sabres played a cohesive defensive effort. Reinhart is super-savvy and always in the right spot, but if he can only stay on his skates he'll add 10-15 points a year. Too bad Eichel didn't have the chances... but the 4th line got plenty of time. Yup yup yup, when we left Buffalo we were but the learners, now we are the masters.

 

The key to all of this is: play each game like the last 3 combined. Full consistency. Good effort. The goals will take care of themselves.

 

Peace out from Vancouver, all!

[That Aud Smell]

Awesome road swing.

 

Potential to be franchise-altering, if they don't look back from here.

 

The BJ's did it. They started 0-11 during our tank year, but went on a meaningless March run and have been a very good team since.

Please let it be so.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Just about to go into a client meeting and quickly checked the score from last night.

 

All I have to say is what in the hell is going on here.

 

NS out for a bit.

[Ho-Chi-Sock]

What did Phil put in the road trip water bottles?

 

This team is actually enjoyable.

 

More Northwest road trips please!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLeRqJo4RlM

Edited January 26, 2018 by Ho-Chi-Sock

[Huckleberry]

Wtf is going on. On my way home from night shift

 

I don't know, haven't been able to watch any.

 

Guess Boqvist will be fine to :p

[Gramps]

Just like an ill-advised business trip I once had, "No matter what happens from here, nobody can take these 4 days away from us."

 

Better than "What happens on the West Coast stays on the West Coast".

[Robviously]

Antipin and Falk in, and Bool-you and Gorges out, make the Sabres a better team.

So how much should we read into the fact that the Sabres best stretch of the season has had nothing to do with Kane or Bogosian?

 

And, similarly, how much should we read into Eichel and O'Reilly going out of their way not to fist bump after the 2nd period?

 

Encouraged by the recent efforts but still a lot of work for Botterill to do to rebuild this team.

[matter2003]

Wtf is going on. On my way home from night shift

They decided they wanted to actually work hard for most of the game the last 3 nights and do what the coaches have been asking them to do for the past 3 seasons.  The result the last 3 games?  Outscoring the opponents 11-1.

 

It really pisses me off that this is what they have been capable of all year and just haven't felt like putting in the effort to achieve it while an expansion team that didn't even exists 9 months ago and has players nobody wanted is leading the Western Conference...

[Jacque Richard]

Looks like a faster team lately. Somebody delivered a message to them besides the coach and GM.

[jsb]

Only caught the first 2 periods but what a turnaround from this team

Antipin with a coming out party the last 2 games of this trip, by far the best he's looked since joining the team

Reinhart with 2 HITS this last game, he only was credited with 1 but I know he had 2. First 2 of the season I think. The first one, I thought no way that was Sam, so I followed him around the ice to verify his number. I was like Holy Sheeeeeeeet, he did it, than he had a 2nd one where he did his helmet dance afterward. These past few games especially the last 3, he has really turned it around.

Jack has become the $10M man. Even without him scoring he was nothing short of outstanding again yesterday.

 

With the exception of 1 yesterday the power play is BACK. Even when they don't score they are looking dangerous.

Not sure if this streak will continue after the break but they are playing like a real NHL team

Baptiste making the most of his turn on the team. Whatever they are doing in Rochester appears to be paying off because most of the guys coming up are looking pretty good.

Even Nelson is starting to look better on the back end.

[LTS]

What happened here guys?

 

I think PA summarized it well.  However, it appeared that Risto was the only one to celebrate the goal.  He then went back and gave Lehner a fist bump.

 

So how much should we read into the fact that the Sabres best stretch of the season has had nothing to do with Kane or Bogosian?

 

And, similarly, how much should we read into Eichel and O'Reilly going out of their way not to fist bump after the 2nd period?

 

Encouraged by the recent efforts but still a lot of work for Botterill to do to rebuild this team.

 

I wouldn't think too much on Kane and Bogosian.  Kane had some chances and overall that line has had pressure.  It might be that the Sabres found a way to spread scoring out to 4 lines just enough that teams can't focus on just two of them.  Bogosian might help against better teams where Antipin is serviceable.  That said, I like Antipin and his game a lot.  I am also pretty high on Falk.  He's not a top pair but he's pretty good at making it rough for opposing players and he's not a mess defensively like Beaulieu.

 

I do think the Eichel/ROR relationship is one of those broken things in the locker room.  I do think ROR will be moved off this team either at the trade deadline or in the off-season.  It's unfortunate because I think O'Reilly is a really good player.  I think what we have to hope is that moving O'Reilly nets a similarly effective piece for the Sabres that improves the locker room and the team.

[That Aud Smell]

So how much should we read into the fact that the Sabres best stretch of the season has had nothing to do with Kane or Bogosian?

 

And, similarly, how much should we read into Eichel and O'Reilly going out of their way not to fist bump after the 2nd period?

 

I am intrigued by the fact that Kane's not been a part of this turnaround. Of course, that only tends to confirm my bias that the guy's not going to be a (key) part of a successful team.

 

As to the second item: What a fart in a bottle that is. Jeremy White should be ashamed for giving that legs. As one of the replies noted, ROR was sucking air from an on-ice incident -- he was just struggling past.

 

EDIT: He deleted his quote-retweet with the "eyes" emoji of the clip showing the purported fist-bump-snub. I think that there are portions of every fan base who won't be satisfied until every major sport is basically a WWE story line.

I do think the Eichel/ROR relationship is one of those broken things in the locker room.  I do think ROR will be moved off this team either at the trade deadline or in the off-season.  It's unfortunate because I think O'Reilly is a really good player.  I think what we have to hope is that moving O'Reilly nets a similarly effective piece for the Sabres that improves the locker room and the team.

 

Based on what?

 

The fact that they go hat shopping together?

 

The fact that they are seen eating at the same restaurants around town several times a month?

Edited January 26, 2018 by That Aud Smell

[Robviously]

I am intrigued by the fact that Kane's not been a part of this turnaround. Of course, that only tends to confirm my bias that the guy's not going to be a (key) part of a successful team.

 

As to the second item: What a fart in a bottle that is. Jeremy White should be ashamed for giving that legs. As one of the replies noted, ROR was sucking air from an on-ice incident -- he was just struggling past.

 

EDIT: He deleted his quote-retweet with the "eyes" emoji of the clip showing the purported fist-bump-snub. I think that there are portions of every fan base who won't be satisfied until every major sport is basically a WWE story line.

 

Based on what?

 

The fact that they go hat shopping together?

 

The fact that they are seen eating at the same restaurants around town several times a month?

Wasn't the Instagram story a clip of Eichel trash-talking O'Reilly in some way?  I'm not looking for a WWE thing but the non-acknowledgement in the clip last night was pretty conspicuous.  Like even if ROR was sucking wind, Eichel would have patted him on the shoulder or done some sort of acknowledgement right?

 

Definitely not excited if those two aren't getting along.  We don't have another #2 center on the team and the center prospects we do have are still years away (Mittelstadt, Asplund, Pu, Davidsson).

[LGR4GM]

Wasn't the Instagram story a clip of Eichel trash-talking O'Reilly in some way?  I'm not looking for a WWE thing but the non-acknowledgement in the clip last night was pretty conspicuous.  Like even if ROR was sucking wind, Eichel would have patted him on the shoulder or done some sort of acknowledgement right?

 

Definitely not excited if those two aren't getting along.  We don't have another #2 center on the team and the center prospects we do have are still years away (Mittelstadt, Asplund, Pu, Davidsson).

2 of them might be only a year away but I am nitpicking. It is a valid question. If we trade ROR we have a hole. 

[That Aud Smell]

Wasn't the Instagram story a clip of Eichel trash-talking O'Reilly in some way?  I'm not looking for a WWE thing but the non-acknowledgement in the clip last night was pretty conspicuous.  Like even if ROR was sucking wind, Eichel would have patted him on the shoulder or done some sort of acknowledgement right?

 

Definitely not excited if those two aren't getting along.  We don't have another #2 center on the team and the center prospects we do have are still years away (Mittelstadt, Asplund, Pu, Davidsson).

 

Ah, fair. I had forgotten that. What I'd read is that Eichel was more "clowning" on ROR. But, yeah -- the middle school vibe there is bad -- all the cool kids are together, you're not there, the coolest kid is poking fun at you, and it's on Instagram.

 

In any case, Eichel and Reinhart *barely* exchanged atta boys in that same clip.

 

And White took down his RT of the clip.

Edited January 26, 2018 by That Aud Smell

[darksabre]

This three game stretch has left me with more questions than answers about what, exactly, is going on with this team.

What was Housley's game plan? Let them cook until they couldn't take it anymore? Earn their trust so that going hard on them was more productive? Or was he just too patient? 

What is going on with this players? How fractured are they? Who is/isn't a problem? Has Eichel actually taken over the leadership role finally? 

[Stoner]

So how much should we read into the fact that the Sabres best stretch of the season has had nothing to do with Kane or Bogosian?

 

And, similarly, how much should we read into Eichel and O'Reilly going out of their way not to fist bump after the 2nd period?

 

Encouraged by the recent efforts but still a lot of work for Botterill to do to rebuild this team.

They are friends but instituted a no fisting policy a while back.

 

I wonder how much "we're all buddies" is important to a championship culture. Surely great teams have been full of guys who hate each other's guts.

[LGR4GM]

They are friends but instituted a no fisting policy a while back.

 

I wonder how much "we're all buddies" is important to a championship culture. Surely great teams have been full of guys who hate each other's guts.

It isn't about liking each other, it is about playing for each other. 

[Sabel79]

They are friends but instituted a no fisting policy a while back.

 

I wonder how much "we're all buddies" is important to a championship culture. Surely great teams have been full of guys who hate each other's guts.

Michael Jordan employed a dude to break into Dennis Rodman's house, abduct him, and bring him to practice (slight exaggerations, but still).

[That Aud Smell]

They are friends but instituted a no fisting policy a while back.

 

I wonder how much "we're all buddies" is important to a championship culture. Surely great teams have been full of guys who hate each other's guts.

 

First: Ew.

 

Second: I think not at all. In point of fact, "we're all buddies" can often cut against that level of success.

[Stoner]

I didn't hear Jeremy's bit, so I'm flying blind. It sounds pretty tone-deaf and joyless. I'm a rabble rouser too, but you have to pick your spots. It should have been a 100% positive Sabres show this morning.

 

Jeremy mentioned that he had dinner with the Schopps (or maybe Mike said they had dinner with the Whites). You can hear Jeremy becoming Mike. I've had it with, "Let's propose a bet. What odds would you give for..." One Schopp is enough.