GDT - Edmonton @ Sabres - March 4, 2019 - 7:00 PM EST - MSG-B; SN (a lot) & others

[Gatorman0519]

McCabe out for the season 

Edited March 4, 2019 by Gatorman0519

[Brawndo]

Ullmark in net 

[inkman]

14 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

McCabe out for the season 

He can return for the playoffs.  Oh, wait...

[That Aud Smell]

53 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Is this the start of a Mad-Lib?

And is the missing word a 4 letter one that's often used as a shorthand for flatulence? :p

Haha. Nah - I've quite embraced the use of old as a noun.

[Cityo'Rasmii]

A quick recovery, Jake!

[North Buffalo]

35 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

McCabe out for the season 

He broke his wrist Ill bet.

Edited March 4, 2019 by North Buffalo

[Taro T]

54 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Should we actually be rooting for a game-time decision where Sobotka plays?

Well, if this is the alternative ...

[New Guy]

Buffalo 41, Oilers 38. Andre Reed with a hat trick. 

[Pimlach]

What does Nelson have to do to get on the ice?  Dam Phil stop with the Scandella and Hunwick stuff. 

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

Nelson sitting over Hunwick and Scandella. It should shock me, but nothing does anymore with this team. 

I get the r/l thing, but I am legitimately surprised we haven’t seen Nelson yet. It’s been what two weeks since he was cleared to play? And he was playing regularly before he got hurt.

[steveoath]

I dunno. Someone will win. Someone won't. Goals. Etc.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

So, the Baby Giraffe (aka Thompson) will be usedin a shut down role?  Great player usage there, Housley. <_<

With nothing of that lineup making any sense atol, this is what you keyed on?

[Taro T]

12 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

With nothing of that lineup making any sense atol, this is what you keyed on?

Yep.  The rest of it falls into the "it's so crazy, it just might work" range.  (It won't, but that's beside the point.). But Thompson has shown he can't play in a shutdown role and that line will be playing a fair amount against the league's 2nd best player.  The phrase "set up for failure" comes to mind. 

[SDS]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

So, the Baby Giraffe (aka Thompson) will be usedin a shut down role?  Great player usage there, Housley. <_<

What would be wrong with sending him to the 4th line with the instruction to work on his defensive game?

[Pimlach]

17 minutes ago, SDS said:

What would be wrong with sending him to the 4th line with the instruction to work on his defensive game?

Nothing wrong with it but have you seen his defensive game?    From a defensive perspective you are weakening the line that draws the toughest assignments on home ice.

Since we get final change Tage will likely be on the ice against McDavid quite a bit. 

So if your serious about winning you do not this.  If you value developing his game over the final outcome then ok. 

I would swap Tage and Okposso if I were Phil.  If Phil is really concerned about developing players then Nelson should be out there in place of Hunwick. 

[woods-racer]

3 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Obliged to attend tonight for something sorta work-related. It's a Monday night. I will likely try to find an excuse to leave early. Or maybe just pull an Irish goodbye.

Every Irishmen I know walks around kissing all the girls goodbye then leaves.

You do that at hockey games?

I like your style.

[nfreeman]

I don't think Ullmark played well enough vs the Leafs to get another start.

Is Hutton injured?

[LGR4GM]

[Taro T]

26 minutes ago, SDS said:

What would be wrong with sending him to the 4th line with the instruction to work on his defensive game?

How about he 1st demonstrate an ability to not be a defensive liability on the 3rd line?

He's been on the 4th line unsuccessfully in the past.  Now he's going to be assigned to play defensively responsibly against the 2nd best player in the league and we are supposed to expect different results?  Why?

This literally is telling him that, yes, you need work on your defensive game because it isn't good enough and we're going to let you get exposed badly if you don't miraculously improve significantly overnight.

[SDS]

9 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Nothing wrong with it but have you seen his defensive game?    From a defensive perspective you are weakening the line that draws the toughest assignments on home ice.

Since we get final change Tage will likely be on the ice against McDavid quite a bit. 

So if your serious about winning you do not this.  If you value developing his game over the final outcome then ok. 

I would swap Tage and Okposso if I were Phil.  If Phil is really concerned about developing players then Nelson should be out there in place of Hunwick. 

I will continue to assert that fans have been unwilling to accept the realities of the current situation and plan that is being implemented. There has been no indication that win now and at all costs has been the motto this season. Especially now, since it would be a miracle to make the playoffs this season.

They are attempting to develop their young players whether fans like it or not. 

[Pimlach]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

I will continue to assert that fans have been unwilling to accept the realities of the current situation and plan that is being implemented. There has been no indication that win now and at all costs has been the motto this season. Especially now, since it would be a miracle to make the playoffs this season.

They are attempting to develop their young players whether fans like it or not. 

I sure hope you are wrong because if you are not then JBOTS and Phil need to leave right now.

I am tired of seeing other teams re-tool without a major tear down.  Montreal, Islanders, Carolina, the list goes on.  Every year a team surprises and makes a run. 

Winning is not something you turn on when you are "ready to win".   Winning needs to be stressed right now.  For the players and the fan base.  Losing is getting to be accepted here, just ask ROR. 

If winning was secondary to development then both Tage and Mitts should have spent time in Rochester. 

 

[LGR4GM]

17 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I sure hope you are wrong because if you are not then JBOTS and Phil need to leave right now.

I am tired of seeing other teams re-tool without a major tear down.  Montreal, Islanders, Carolina, the list goes on.  Every year a team surprises and makes a run. 

Winning is not something you turn on when you are "ready to win".   Winning needs to be stressed right now.  For the players and the fan base.  Losing is getting to be accepted here, just ask ROR. 

If winning was secondary to development then both Tage and Mitts should have spent time in Rochester. 

 

Carolina has been rebuilding for close to a decade. They literally haven't even qualified for the playoffs since 2009. Montreal hasn't won a playoff series since 2014. The Islanders have won 1 playoff series since 1992 and didn't even qualify for the playoffs in 16 of those seasons. Idk what list you are claiming but the teams you listed with the exception of maybe Montreal, did not suddenly retool and become good in 1 season. 

Yup every year a team surprises and makes the playoffs. That is a natural occurrence with having over half the league make the playoffs. That doesn't mean the team was good or that they had managed to re-tool and have more than fleeting success. 

[CallawaySabres]

The shame of it all is that if they had just stayed within shouting distance of 8th, the last 17 games on the schedule is probably the easiest stretch the whole year. There are only about 3-4 games on there where they probably get smoked

[Ogre]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

What does Nelson have to do to get on the ice?  Dam Phil stop with the Scandella and Hunwick stuff. 

Be a better hockey player.....dude is an AHLer....

[Pimlach]

41 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Carolina has been rebuilding for close to a decade. They literally haven't even qualified for the playoffs since 2009. Montreal hasn't won a playoff series since 2014. The Islanders have won 1 playoff series since 1992 and didn't even qualify for the playoffs in 16 of those seasons. Idk what list you are claiming but the teams you listed with the exception of maybe Montreal, did not suddenly retool and become good in 1 season. 

Yup every year a team surprises and makes the playoffs. That is a natural occurrence with having over half the league make the playoffs. That doesn't mean the team was good or that they had managed to re-tool and have more than fleeting success. 

I’m claiming that Carolina just passed us without the benefit of 2 second overall picks or the first overall. Montreal passed us and never sunk to the depths we have.  The Islanders, while equally woeful or worse, have now passed us.  

I get that this is a rebuild for the “long haul”.  I get why they made one only move this season (Montour).  I get it all.   I just do not want to hear that winning is secondary to player development.  I don’t want to hear that the front office is ok with being 9 points away from making the playoffs when we were in the top 3 in the division at Thanksgiving.  It’s not ok just because it’s someone plan to be good next year.  It’s another disappointment to fan base that deserves more and it’s another factor that might keep good players from signing here.  

I’m claiming that I don’t accept the fact we are allegedly on JBots “timetable” and all will be good next year.  I’ve seen too many next years that never come.   I’ve seen the first Cup final team loose to Philly but be declared the young team of the future, only to see the Islanders take that spot. I’ve seen the 79-80 Sabres  get to the conference finals, Gil with 40 goals and 100 points and Martin with 45 goals, thinking Bowman will get them over the hump. Next year Martin gets hurt and traded, Gil misses games and that team drops and fades away. Then there was Hasek and the  “No Goal”  playoff for one more shot at immortality.  Then Briere/Drury and a team that got dismantled for no good reason.  

I’m claiming that great organizations don’t hold back.  

Edited March 4, 2019 by Pimlach