GDT - Bruins @ Sabres - December 29, 2018 - 7:00 PM - MSG-B; NESN

[Weave]

51 minutes ago, FuhrUrsinne said:

Sorry, but I'm just not seeing it. I didn't see it in the preseason, and I haven't seen it all season except for a very few random games here and there. Him and Tage don't belong in the NHL at this point in their development. Possibly ever...but it's way too soon to give up on them, of course.

Send Mittelstadt and Thompson down to Rochester immediately. Let them earn their way back to the NHL. Call up Nylander and Olofsson and see what they can do. 

I completely agree that Casey is in over his head right now, but he most definitely has shown flashes that he’ll become a serviceable center in the NHL.  Most of those flashes were early in the season. The games have tightened up though and he’s no longer showing that potential.  Sam never showed those flashes.  At all.

I’d love for Nylander or Olofsson to be a fix, but unless they can provide competent 2C performance they will languish as well.  As we saw post 2007, the team goes as center performance goes.  Unless our wings are Patrick Kane or Alex Ovechkin, they’ll need better center play than the rostercan provide.

This was the concern that Blue, myself, and a couple others voiced after the ROR trade.

[Eleven]

2 hours ago, FuhrUrsinne said:

Sorry, but I'm just not seeing it. I didn't see it in the preseason, and I haven't seen it all season except for a very few random games here and there. Him and Tage don't belong in the NHL at this point in their development. Possibly ever...but it's way too soon to give up on them, of course.

Send Mittelstadt and Thompson down to Rochester immediately. Let them earn their way back to the NHL. Call up Nylander and Olofsson and see what they can do. 

Mittelstadt needs to develop up here.  He'll carve up the AHL and start to think it's easy to play professional hockey.  What he doesn't need is to be the 2C.  Either try him at wing like they did with Reinhart, or drop him down a line, and give Reinhart, who now has adjusted to the NHL, another shot at center.

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

You just described a last-place team in the league.

Yep.  Which is why Housley needs to make some changes.

Edited December 30, 2018 by Eleven

[nfreeman]

I hate to say it, but that was the kind of loss that a loser team that isn’t going to make the playoffs loses.  

I thought the call on Risto was the right call, and that it was an idiotic play on his part.

They are 4-10 in their last 14 games.  It’s time to make some changes in the middle 6.  I’d vote for Smith and O’Regan to be called up, but it almost doesn’t matter who it is.  They need to do something.  

[dudacek]

Not sure the wisdom of having Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Dahlin defending a rush with a minute left in OT (or Skinner defending a rush ever), but hey all the armchair coaches wanted it because Jeff can score on the PP.

[Radar]

Other than Jack and Skinner and  the goaltending improvement this team is pretty much as last season. Still a ways to go even to be regular playoff team. I am not too disappointed as this was the type of improvement I expected. Yes, that ten game winning streak had us wondering if we were way ahead in our rebuild but we're seeing a team still in the middle of build. This team is watchable the past few years they weren't..

[North Buffalo]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

I hate to say it, but that was the kind of loss that a loser team that isn’t going to make the playoffs loses.  

I thought the call on Risto was the right call, and that it was an idiotic play on his part.

They are 4-10 in their last 14 games.  It’s time to make some changes in the middle 6.  I’d vote for Smith and O’Regan to be called up, but it almost doesn’t matter who it is.  They need to do something.  

Risto call was right but does not happen if that trip interference call was made at the other end plus Pasternak had his leg out on purpose and has been drawing a lot of those calls lately... he was lucky Risto was trying to hold up to avoid him Risto should have gone straight at him and would have chested him into the boards, doubt Pasternak would have gotten up. 

[Thorner]

16 hours ago, TrueBlueGED said:

And probably pretty representative of what the team is. I may be remembering incorrectly, but I think the prediction thread had most people expecting in the 80-point range. 

Makes sense.

I am/was kinda hoping through that they were trending more towards even the 7-6-2 pace of their first 15 games before the streak, which is an 87 point pace. Seemed an achievement to be proud of, and also a realistic one. But I suppose even a .500 points percentage would represent sizable improvement over last season.

The thing is, after the streak, playing at even a .500 points percentage would have/should get us in the playoffs. If they play at a below .500 points percentage and miss for the 75% of the season after the streak, and reach the pre-season "goal" purely based on a one-off streak, can the season still be framed as a success? They'll have played disappointingly for the bulk of the season.

Edited December 30, 2018 by Thorny

[Weave]

30 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Makes sense.

I am/was kinda hoping through that they were trending more towards even the 7-6-2 pace of their first 15 games before the streak, which is an 87 point pace. Seemed an achievement to be proud of, and also a realistic one. But I suppose even a .500 points percentage would represent sizable improvement over last season.

The thing is, after the streak, playing at even a .500 points percentage would have/should get us in the playoffs. If they play at a below .500 points percentage and miss for the 75% of the season after the streak, and reach the pre-season "goal" purely based on a one-off streak, can the season still be framed as a success? They'll have played disappointingly for the bulk of the season.

No, it can’t be framed a success in that circumstance.

 

I don’t think we’ll end up having that discussion, fortunately.

[Pimlach]

7 hours ago, dudacek said:

Not sure the wisdom of having Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Dahlin defending a rush with a minute left in OT (or Skinner defending a rush ever), but hey all the armchair coaches wanted it because Jeff can score on the PP.

I'll bet you were happy when Skinner scored in OT, right?