Depth Scoring (again)

[Weave]

5 hours ago, StuckinFL said:

I'd like to see Nylander up for a stretch. He looked great in the preseason and I think he might generate some life into the 2nd or 3rd line. 

 

58 minutes ago, Sabre1974 said:

I agree, CJ Smith has also earned an opportunity. Nylander done fine in the games he played at the end of last season.

Rearranging deck chairs.  Noone is improving scoring with Mittlestadt and Sobotka centering them.  The need to get another NHL center in the lineup or nothing changes except the numbers on the jerseys.

[Gatorman0519]

This is probably the “real” team we are seeing now.  Without a second line center the playoffs are a pipe dream in all likelihood.  We don’t even have a number two center in the system.  JBot blundered trading o Reilly.  

[inkman]

17 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

This is probably the “real” team we are seeing now.  Without a second line center the playoffs are a pipe dream in all likelihood.  We don’t even have a number two center in the system.  JBot blundered trading o Reilly.  

This team is light years better than last season.  

[North Buffalo]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

This team is light years better than last season.  

Yes it is D is much improved, 1st and 4th lines are improving, middle 2 lines have some pieces.  TT and Mitts are improving just not as fast as Id hoped.  Sheary is a decent piece.  Hoping Bots can find a decent 2nd line center and next year either guys in Rochester step up and or draft pics can fill other three holes.  Once that happens... but till then its gonna be an up and down rest of the season.  

[Sabres Fan in NS]

A quick check of the score sheet last night and it was not secondary scoring that failed them it was the first line and first pairing D.

[Scottysabres]

3 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

A quick check of the score sheet last night and it was not secondary scoring that failed them it was the first line and first pairing D.

But........Ehlers!!!

I can't help it, the kid has speed ?

2 hours ago, inkman said:

This team is light years better than last season.  

I agree with this.

No panic moves by Botterill i hope. Call up a couple of the kids, move? Some a couple of the dead weight players.

[GASabresIUFAN]

https://buffalonews.com/2018/12/29/buffalo-sabres-nhl-jason-botterill/

 

Even Harrington can figure it out.

Quote

This season is almost half over. A lot of these guys are who they are. It's time to try somebody else, either from the farm or from the outside.

 

Edited December 30, 2018 by GASabresIUFAN

[dudacek]

I actually thought Sobotka, Okposo and Sheary were pretty solid last night. The fact remains, they’ve combined for one goal in the past 4,362 games and it was in to an empty net.

I appreciate the philosophy behind Housley’s message of sticking with it and the results will eventually come. But his third and fourth best wingers and his two most talented kids have completely lost their confidence and he is not going to bring it back by sending them out with each other, Sobotka and the bones of 29. We HAVE to find a way to get some scoring from Thompson Mittelstadt Okposo and Sheary. No one else on the roster can score.

I am loathe to break up one of the best lines in the league, but we’ve scored 11 in our last six. Maybe Casey can get a boost playing between Jeff and Sam. I can’t think of a better way of jumpstarting a winger than playing him with Eichel. Put him between Sheary and Okposo and bounce a couple in off their ***** to jumpstart their confidence. 

Or see what Larsson and Rodrigues can do as your middle six centres. Put Sobotka with Girgensons and Larsson and play them as a shutdown line. Try Mittlestadt Thompson and Nylander or Smith or Olofsson as a kid line fourth line. Put two of those guys with Jack.

We have to get our secondary guys scoring again.

Edited December 30, 2018 by dudacek

[Weave]

Some of this is fallout from Berglund leaving the team.  Ellie doesn't sniff the ice with Berglund on the roster.  The best shutdown line we've had in almost a decade takes all of the hard minutes so Mitts and TT can be even further sheltered if Berglund is still on the roster. 

We've been forced to use a couple of less able or less developed players in roles they shouldn't have because Berglund skipped out for whatever reason. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

44 minutes ago, Weave said:

Some of this is fallout from Berglund leaving the team.  Ellie doesn't sniff the ice with Berglund on the roster.  The best shutdown line we've had in almost a decade takes all of the hard minutes so Mitts and TT can be even further sheltered if Berglund is still on the roster. 

We've been forced to use a couple of less able or less developed players in roles they shouldn't have because Berglund skipped out for whatever reason. 

@dudacek  I'm willing to try anything at this point to find some offense at this point. Generally I believe in putting similar talented players together.  However we need to do more.  The goal of taking Berglund as part of the ROR trade was to shelter Mitts.  Putting Mitts with the stars doesn't exactly shelter Casey.  Now that Berglund is gone, Jbot is obligated to find a replacement, and soon.

 

 

[inkman]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Some of this is fallout from Berglund leaving the team.  Ellie doesn't sniff the ice with Berglund on the roster.  The best shutdown line we've had in almost a decade takes all of the hard minutes so Mitts and TT can be even further sheltered if Berglund is still on the roster. 

We've been forced to use a couple of less able or less developed players in roles they shouldn't have because Berglund skipped out for whatever reason. 

Which is why if I'm JBot, I get a 2nd like C on the cheap. Someone on an expiring contract in a bad situation. I'm sure our knowledgeable posters can come up with a few. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 minutes ago, inkman said:

Which is why if I'm JBot, I get a 2nd like C on the cheap. Someone on an expiring contract in a bad situation. I'm sure our knowledgeable posters can come up with a few. 

Staal, Johansson, maybe Coyle etc....

[Sabres Fan in NS]

3 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

But........Ehlers!!!

I can't help it, the kid has speed ?

I agree with this.

No panic moves by Botterill i hope. Call up a couple of the kids, move? Some a couple of the dead weight players.

OK?

EHLERS!!

?

And I don't think anyone is panicing, especially JBOT.  I think he is right where he wants to be and has the team where he wants it, maybe even ahead of where he thought they would be at this point.

Edited December 30, 2018 by New Scotland (NS)
the 'e' and the 'r' are too close together on my keyboard

[Sabres Fan in NS]

+++++

 

[Gatorman0519]

5 hours ago, inkman said:

This team is light years better than last season.  

The past month they look not much different.  

[bg17]

5 minutes ago, inkman said:

I didn't stroke myself like many fans did during the win streak. Knowing full well it wasn't a true representation of the team. Somehow fans figured the Sabres would continue to win at a 80% clip. The best teams don't even do that. Their stats reflect exactly what they are. Right in the middle of the pack. 

Kudos to you. Those people that get excited about sports/entertainment are so full of themselves. 

[bg17]

4 minutes ago, inkman said:

Missing my point. Get excited. I enjoyed the win streak as much as anyone. Just stay grounded. Can one appreciate a teams short term success but understand that it isn't sustainable?  

Can one appreciate a once-in-a-few-years winning streak without being accused of stroking themselves? 

[inkman]

6 minutes ago, bg17 said:

Can one appreciate a once-in-a-few-years winning streak without being accused of stroking themselves? 

Yes. 

[Weave]

38 minutes ago, bg17 said:

Can one appreciate a once-in-a-few-years winning streak without being accused of stroking themselves? 

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[Thorner]

8 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

This is probably the “real” team we are seeing now.  Without a second line center the playoffs are a pipe dream in all likelihood.  We don’t even have a number two center in the system.  JBot blundered trading o Reilly.  

What, Mittelstadt doesn't count? 

5 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

A quick check of the score sheet last night and it was not secondary scoring that failed them it was the first line and first pairing D.

Jack had a quiet night on the scoresheet, but 2 of the 3 points on the first goal were from Reinhart and Skinner. 

[Taro T]

17 minutes ago, Thorny said:

What, Mittelstadt doesn't count? 

Jack had a quiet night on the scoresheet, but 2 of the 3 points on the first goal were from Reinhart and Skinner. 

And, on the 1st goal, his getting tackled left Scandella alone in front to bury the rebound.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

What, Mittelstadt doesn't count? 

Jack had a quiet night on the scoresheet, but 2 of the 3 points on the first goal were from Reinhart and Skinner. 

And there you have it.  Just proves that I need to hire a fact checker.

[sweetlou]

So Ryan Reaves 8 goals, and William Carrier 8 goals, as fourth liners on Vegas have more goals for the season then everybody on the Sabres except Jack, Skinner, Pommer, and Reinhart.

[LGR4GM]

How many 30 goal scorers do they have? 

Buffalo lacks depth scoring. It's why we need to draft and develop our talent. Something botterill is finally doing and gmtm never did. 

[LGR4GM]

On 12/30/2018 at 5:07 PM, Thorny said:

What, Mittelstadt doesn't count? 

Ik right? People seriously don't get mittelstadt. Its the worst thing around here. A kid that was playing in high school 2 years ago and is only 20 is learning. He was never getting 50pts. He should get 34 but we'll see. The fact he's had okposo as a winger hasn't helped. 

Mitts is a 2c prospect still. Sean Couturier had 27 points in his first pro year. Ror had 26. Mitts is on pace for 22. Give him a year.