GDT: Sabres at Leafs 2-25-19 7PM

[Kruppstahl]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Good night, I see our issues and our strengths. This won't be a popular opinion but we're closer then most think. 

Closer to what? Being able to win 2 in a row?

I guess there is always hope.

 

 

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

This has been my view for a while. We need more consistent goaltending but otherwise I think we are 2 forwards and 1 defenseman away from being a solid contender. That defenseman might be Montour, I don't know enough about him to say, but if we can get a couple FAs up front we could be really good next year.

I still like the attitude this year though. They don't quit. That is something to build on. 

What in the hell are you watching?

 

 

[Doohicksie]

The hate is building.  This is going to be a helluva rivalry.

[dudacek]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Good night, I see our issues and our strengths. This won't be a popular opinion but we're closer then most think. 

I agree. And our strengths tonight were Eichel, Reinhart and Dahlin. They didn't give up and they wanted to make a difference, which is the most important thing that needs to happen this season. There can't be anyone left on the "Reinhart can't make things happen on his own" train.

Except for the ugly 5-10 minutes after the 3-1 goal we were the better team tonight. We were beating them to pucks, snuffing their rushes and creating chances by pressuring their defence.

Elite talent (great Tavares tip, Matthews positioning and finish on a lucky bounce) put the Leafs up against the flow of play; it wasn't anyone's fault, it's just how hockey goes. Larsson was in position on Gauthier goal, he was just overpowered by a much bigger man and Gauthier got a little lucky with the shot. Plays like these three happen several times in every game and don't even result in real scoring chances. The system didn't break down, there weren't egregious errors in positioning or effort.

Toronto won that game not because they played better than us, but because they have more talent and therefore more success in converting the bounces.

We played with a ton of desire, but lost our way when adversity bit us. If we hadn't have lost our focus for that stretch, Ennis doesn't score and maybe we complete the comeback.

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Risto played 26:11 and finished -3.  He is -25 for the season   Hoping Montour can take some significant minutes away from Risto.   

This is a problem. 

Risto allowed Ennis to get behind him and deserved a minus there. What did he do wrong on the other two goals he was on the ice for?

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

What in the hell are you watching?

 

Are you suggesting they are quitting? I don't see that at all. This team keeps skating and trying to the end, they're just offensively challenged after the top 3, but they aren't quitting like in past years.  

[SABRES 0311]

2 hours ago, Doohickie said:

The hate is building.  This is going to be a helluva rivalry.

Yeah between the Sabres and their own fans.

[Berg]

I still do not understand why they changed Hutton. Those three goals could have been missed by any goalkeeper. And when you are removed from the gate and at the same time they still make you guilty of everything, it is very demoralizing. But without a good defense action, no goalkeeper will save ...

[nucci]

7 hours ago, Nitro60 said:

Playoffs are not in the picture so play the young guys.  Try new blood on the PP.  

aren't they all fairly young?

[Pimlach]

8 hours ago, pastajoe said:

Stats don’t tell the whole story. Risto is always on against the best offensive players, and there are 4 other players with him. He can’t stop them by himself. Montour is not a better defensive defenseman, his skill is offense.

Correct on the +/- stats, they don’t tell everything but over the course of a season they do say sonething.  

Consider that the next worse defensemen are -6 (Scandy and McCabe) and you wonder a bit.  Consider that Toronto’s fourth line scored twice and you wonder a bit more ... he wasn’t facing their best, he was logging minutes wiith lackluster play against the fourth line - such as Ennis getting behind him.  If he is always out there against the other teams best why is no other defenseman even close to him in +/-?   He does not play alone.   He makes a lot of errors clearing the puck and on breakouts.  He is prone to mental errors (mistakes) and because he plays so many minutes the probability of errors happening are realized. 

Two things Risto can do to improve are: (1) play better defense, and (2) play less minutes.  With Montour moving into the top 4 Risto should see less minutes.  Not saying a Montour is a defensive defenseman, just saying if he pulls more time it could help the others. 

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, Berg said:

I still do not understand why they changed Hutton. Those three goals could have been missed by any goalkeeper. And when you are removed from the gate and at the same time they still make you guilty of everything, it is very demoralizing. But without a good defense action, no goalkeeper will save ...

Because sometimes you change out the goalie to shake up the team.  Because you know it's not Carter Hutton's fault but the team is flat and you want to get him out of a bad situation.  Because you don't want to "lose" Hutton to shell shock (the way the Canadiens lost Patrick Roy).

 

[Berg]

34 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Because sometimes you change out the goalie to shake up the team.  Because you know it's not Carter Hutton's fault but the team is flat and you want to get him out of a bad situation.  Because you don't want to "lose" Hutton to shell shock (the way the Canadiens lost Patrick Roy).

 

Thank you

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Berg said:

Thank you

You may note that Roy was a two-time Cup winner at that point in his career and would go on to win two more for the Colorado Avalanche.  So he wasn't just "some goalie."  He was already recognized as one of the game's best.  Having a game like that doesn't mean you'll never play again, but when the coach left him in for all those goals he told the Canadiens he'd never play for them again.  He was traded shortly after.

That's the period when I was living in Detroit; I remember watching that game live, and relished the thought of the Red Wings chasing Roy.  Roy's hatred of the Wings (and vice versa) became a key ingredient in the rivalry between the Wings and Avs in the late '90s.

 

But coming back to the game last night, there is an unwritten rule that if a goalie is having an awful night like that (whether it's his fault or that of the team in front of him), you don't leave him in there to get shelled.

Edited February 26, 2019 by Doohickie

[Doohicksie]

One last thought about the Leafs game:  It wasn't so much the Leafs that beat us; it was puck luck.  The team stats were respectably even; Buffalo and one more SOG than Toronto.  But the Sabres had the loud DOINK by Jack hitting the post, and slam dunk opportunities by Pominville and Dahlin that Andersen somehow kept out.  With better puck luck all three of those find the back of the net. 

Yes, I know, coulda-woulda-shoulda, and the Sabres need to find ways to win games like this, but they played Toronto pretty even.  When Jack scored his goal at the beginning of the third, I felt confident they'd get the tying goal.  Eh.  Guess not.

Edited February 26, 2019 by Doohickie

[Kruppstahl]

7 hours ago, Berg said:

I still do not understand why they changed Hutton. Those three goals could have been missed by any goalkeeper. And when you are removed from the gate and at the same time they still make you guilty of everything, it is very demoralizing. But without a good defense action, no goalkeeper will save ...

It wasn't a "let's improve the goaltending by changing goalies" type of move.

It was a "let's wake up the skaters" type of move.

Very conventional, old school hockey from a very conventional, old school sort of coach. 

 

 

[LTS]

9 hours ago, Berg said:

I still do not understand why they changed Hutton. Those three goals could have been missed by any goalkeeper. And when you are removed from the gate and at the same time they still make you guilty of everything, it is very demoralizing. But without a good defense action, no goalkeeper will save ...

At the end of the game Housley walks by Hutton and says something to him and Hutton nodded in agreement.  He was pulled because the team needed a kick in the arse.  He's not going to be happy about it because he'll still want to believe he could make those saves and should to help the team.  Realistically, I am sure he knows that he had no chance on them.

Being a goalie is a tough job. I don't know how anyone does it.

[Sabel79]

4 minutes ago, LTS said:

 

Being a goalie is a tough job. I don't know how anyone does it.

You have to be a special kind of masochist.  I did it for years in soccer (I know, not apples to apples and nowhere near the level we’re talking about), finally hung up the gloves this past winter.  Even when you’re hung out to dry and left with no chance, it burns when a goal goes in. All you can think about is what you could have done differently, and the hatred of that sinking feeling is what keeps you going, more than the thrill of pulling off a save you shouldn’t have been able to.  

I’m sure the mindset is similar for these guys.  

[LGR4GM]

14 hours ago, Kruppstahl said:

Closer to what? Being able to win 2 in a row?

I guess there is always hope.

Yes, in the simplest terms but closer to where the team needs to be. They have some issues for sure and I am not discounting that but... there are longer stretches of consistency in their game now then earlier. I am sure this will be hammered upon but I have actually seen some growth in this team. 

[sweetlou]

On 2/25/2019 at 9:33 PM, Brawndo said:

They do not have a 2020 3rd Round Pick, so that unfortunately will not work 

Actually relooked it up and it would cost a second rounder. Which I would still do for Kapanen.