Sabres Practice Report 1/28/2019

[LGR4GM]

They are back and practicing at Harbor Center. Erod getting time with Mitts and Sheary. 

 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Since PH has basically given up on having Samson centre his own line ... those lines are not terrible.

[darksabre]

Sam centering a line is never going to happen.

I still wish we could get a few games with him on his own line.

I accept, though, that Phil is probably never going to try that again.

[WildCard]

At least the 2nd line wingers are finally right

[WildCard]

 

[LGR4GM]

Maybe they will learn to shoot more and drop pass less? Also they should run the pp from behind the net and not the point. 

[WildCard]

 

Just now, LGR4GM said:

Maybe they will learn to shoot more and drop pass less? Also they should run the pp from behind the net and not the point. 

I like the drop pass to enter the zone. The thing I hate about our PP compared to say, someone like Calgary's, is that Calgary will use passes to the slot or down low in front to switch up the look; or like you said, behind the net

[LGR4GM]

The drop pass does not work the way the Sabres attempt it and they do it so regularly it doesn't catch a team off guard. Nothing like hitting center ice and just dropping the puck back to the blueline while 4 Sabres stand outside the zone waiting. 

IMPO the drop should be used for 1 of 2 reasons. 1 because you come up through center and are blocked or being forced into pressure, drop it to change that up. 2 because you have a player coming behind you with speed who is going to burst into the zone. Just doing it to do it is silly. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Harrington is such a drama queen.

[inkman]

57 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

Since PH has basically given up on having Samson centre his own line ... those lines are not terrible.

PH will always be Paul Hamilton in my book, unfortunately. 

23 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The drop pass does not work the way the Sabres attempt it and they do it so regularly it doesn't catch a team off guard. Nothing like hitting center ice and just dropping the puck back to the blueline while 4 Sabres stand outside the zone waiting. 

IMPO the drop should be used for 1 of 2 reasons. 1 because you come up through center and are blocked or being forced into pressure, drop it to change that up. 2 because you have a player coming behind you with speed who is going to burst into the zone. Just doing it to do it is silly. 

Especially when they dropping 30 feet so everyone within a 10 mile radius knows exactly what's going to happen

[jame]

21 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The drop pass does not work the way the Sabres attempt it and they do it so regularly it doesn't catch a team off guard. Nothing like hitting center ice and just dropping the puck back to the blueline while 4 Sabres stand outside the zone waiting. 

IMPO the drop should be used for 1 of 2 reasons. 1 because you come up through center and are blocked or being forced into pressure, drop it to change that up. 2 because you have a player coming behind you with speed who is going to burst into the zone. Just doing it to do it is silly. 

The drop pass is used because we have two elite zone entry players. It's utilized to put the opponent in static positions, while allowing our elite talent to attack with speed.

It's not a tactic used to attack what the opponent is doing (being "blocked" as you say, or being pressured... it's used entirely because it puts the puck and decision making with the puck entirely in Eichel/Dahlin's hands rather than allowing the opponent to force/dictate the play

[LGR4GM]

7 minutes ago, jame said:

The drop pass is used because we have two elite zone entry players. It's utilized to put the opponent in static positions, while allowing our elite talent to attack with speed.

It's not a tactic used to attack what the opponent is doing (being "blocked" as you say, or being pressured... it's used entirely because it puts the puck and decision making with the puck entirely in Eichel/Dahlin's hands rather than allowing the opponent to force/dictate the play

Why drop it then? It leaves all our players static as well. They could take it behind the net or a pass in our zone and go. This does not explain why we continue to use 1 or sometimes 2 drop passes before moving up ice. 

[jame]

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Why drop it then? It leaves all our players static as well. They could take it behind the net or a pass in our zone and go. This does not explain why we continue to use 1 or sometimes 2 drop passes before moving up ice. 

It allows the receiver of the drop pass to read and create his line before handling the puck, it's far more effective

Edited January 28, 2019 by jame

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, jame said:

It allows the receiver of the drop pass to read and create his line before handling the puck, it's far more effective

Hasn't been in the last 2 months. 

Also if it allows the reviever to read and create you admit it is being done to circumvent pressure. Player A starts getting pressured, drops to B and B can not read and create. Otherwise B can read an create from behind the net and take it all the way. 

[Weave]

Like the rest of the powerplay,our drop pass plays are developing too slowly.  No reason it needs to result in 3 playes waiting with dead feet at the blueline.

[jame]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Maybe they will learn to shoot more and drop pass less? Also they should run the pp from behind the net and not the point. 

You don't run a PP from behind the net.

We run a 1-3-1 PP, it's run from the halfwall.

54 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Hasn't been in the last 2 months. 

Also if it allows the reviever to read and create you admit it is being done to circumvent pressure. Player A starts getting pressured, drops to B and B can not read and create. Otherwise B can read an create from behind the net and take it all the way. 

No. 

[Samson's Flow]

12 minutes ago, jame said:

You don't run a PP from behind the net.

We run a 1-3-1 PP, it's run from the halfwall.

No. 

With the talent we have the powerplay should be better. Trying something different might create different results.

 

Also, this is another post where your tone leaves something to be desired.

[jame]

3 minutes ago, Samson's Flow said:

With the talent we have the powerplay should be better. Trying something different might create different results.

 

Also, this is another post where your tone leaves something to be desired.

I simply corrected an incorrect statement. 

Edited January 28, 2019 by jame

[North Buffalo]

36 minutes ago, Samson's Flow said:

With the talent we have the powerplay should be better. Trying something different might create different results.

 

Also, this is another post where your tone leaves something to be desired.

 

Sabres should have more than one set... and movement... PP seems stagnant.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 hour ago, jame said:

I simply corrected an incorrect statement. 

You corrected a statement that was only incorrect in your opinion, but you missed @Samson's Flow point about the way you sounded doing it.

IMO, you have sounded better of late, but not quite there yet.

Edited January 28, 2019 by New Scotland (NS)
then again, what do I know?

[jame]

1 hour ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

You corrected a statement that was only incorrect in your opinion, but you missed @Samson's Flow point about the way you sounded doing it.

IMO, you have sounded better of late, but not quite there yet.

No team runs their PP from behind the net. That's a fact. Unless you have some non-colloquial definition of "runs", then it's a factually incorrect statement.

The Sabres run a 1-3-1 PP from the halfwall. That's a fact.

What you hear... is on you. 

 

[French Collection]

I don't like Okposo on PP1. He is not very creative, is not a net front presence and his shot is not elite. He is one of the few who will shoot a lot, but he telegraphs it and often gives the goalie a pretty easy save.

I would also like Dahlin out there to have his creativity and another left handed shot. It's just me but I find 4 RH shots on a unit reduces options.

[erickompositör72]

My feeling is that zone entries have not been much of a problem (at least for PP1)- am I incorrect in stating that?

I don't think our PP problems have anything to do with the drop pass. They are mostly because- as @WildCard alluded to- we never change up the look when we have possession. We're too static. Every NHL team has the book on our power play. They know which passing lanes to cover and which one-timers to watch out for. 

[dudacek]

The biggest problem on the PP is everything runs through Jack and everyone knows it. We’ve missed ROR a ton on the other side. Dahlin, unfortunately, wasn’t able to convert when given the opportunity to pick up the slack; his shot isn’t there yet.

I’d like to see Sam and Risto taking charge more often so guys can’t cheat to Jack so much.

Okposo is guilty of the flaws @French Collection Points out, but he doesn’t get enough credit on here for the fact he might have the best record of PP production on the roster, and not just as an Islander.

[jame]

The #1 change that needs to be made on the PP is for Jack to become a significantly quicker and more decisive decision maker with the puck when operating on the halfwall. 

The value of the 1-3-1 is that it creates movement easily, and provides multiple options to the half wall. 

But Jack continues to slow things down... that needs to change.