GDT: Buffalo at Toronto, 7pm 9/20/19, MSG WGR

[Radar]

53 minutes ago, ... said:

This gives me some hope.  It doesn't sound like he likes Mitts very much.  It sounds like he has a higher opinion of Tage.  And he clearly seems to favor Borgen.

I think you're hearing what you want to. I didn't hear what you did at all.

[...]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I read that as he didn’t like Mitt’s game in CBus very much.

Which a) isn’t the same as not liking the player and b) exactly how he should have felt.

That's very generous of you!

Just now, Radar said:

I think you're hearing what you want to. I didn't hear what you did at all.

Has it ever occurred to any of you that perhaps YOU are refusing to see what's right in front of your face?  Pretty common theme throughout history for people great and small.

[dudacek]

Why would I refuse to acknowledge seeing unicorns, when there is one staring me in the face? ??

[Radar]

3 minutes ago, ... said:

That's very generous of you!

Has it ever occurred to any of you that perhaps YOU are refusing to see what's right in front of your face?  Pretty common theme throughout history for people great and small.

I'm talking about hearing what I heard and it's not what you did. Not refusing to see anything. 

[...]

4 minutes ago, Radar said:

I'm talking about hearing what I heard and it's not what you did. Not refusing to see anything. 

Semantics.

[steveoath]

[LGR4GM]

55 minutes ago, ... said:

People don't communicate solely through words. How many times have people like  yourself or liger said something to the effect of coaches and/or players will say the right words.  The words mean s%^t.  Compare his body language and tone of voice (the way he says the meaningless words) between when he's speaking about Mitts vs. when he's speaking about Borgen.  Very obvious distinction.

His body language is exactly the same. His tone is slightly different. He clearly wants or expects more from Casey

[Mustache of God]

1 hour ago, erickompositör72 said:

I think Krueger is a pretty positive guy.

With that said, it's usually not a good thing if the coach needs to have a talk with you.

To me, this sounds like the coach is coaching his player? It'd be alarming if he wasn't doing this.

[Kruppstahl]

Seeing as this is Toronto and all, I might actually try to watch some of this tonight.

 

 

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, darksabre said:

I don't think that's true at all. A big part of the Ralph Krueger approach seems to be getting to know his players one on one.

I assume everyone is going to be talking to him quite a bit. 

Especially important in an organization where a coach was fired recently for not getting to know the players well enough.

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Again, two of 26 posters said they expected the Sabres to make the playoffs.

You didn’t post “people are going to be shocked when this team struggles to hit 70 points.” But if that’s what you meant, fair comment. I think 80-90 points when I read mediocre.

 

What I mean is that, for the umpteenth year in a row, if this team does what it usually does, and appears to be capable of, it's going to be 10-15 points worse than what a majority of posters expect and have already outlined they expect. And I see a playoff level team expectations from four of the first six posts in that thread, even if some have us juuuuuuuuuuuust outside, an 88 point team is bounces away from being a playoff team

And I think this is the year people start coming for the throats of Jack & Sam if it happens

[dudacek]

10 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

What I mean is that, for the umpteenth year in a row, if this team does what it usually does, and appears to be capable of, it's going to be 10-15 points worse than what a majority of posters expect and have already outlined they expect. And I see a playoff level team expectations from four of the first six posts in that thread, even if some have us juuuuuuuuuuuust outside, an 88 point team is bounces away from being a playoff team

And I think this is the year people start coming for the throats of Jack & Sam if it happens

I agree. Human nature.

I see the team as marginally better on paper than last year. I think Botterill has also created an expectation of an internal boost from coaching and development.

I do expect between 80 and 90 points and will be disappointed if we come in 10 to 15 points under that.

But it won’t be the throats of the good players or the coach I’ll be coming for.

[#freejame]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

What I mean is that, for the umpteenth year in a row, if this team does what it usually does, and appears to be capable of, it's going to be 10-15 points worse than what a majority of posters expect and have already outlined they expect. And I see a playoff level team expectations from four of the first six posts in that thread, even if some have us juuuuuuuuuuuust outside, an 88 point team is bounces away from being a playoff team

And I think this is the year people start coming for the throats of Jack & Sam if it happens

There’s already a sizable portion of posters against each for varying reasons.   

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

I agree. Human nature.

I see the team as marginally better on paper than last year. I think Botterill has also created an expectation of an internal boost from coaching and development.

I do expect between 80 and 90 points and will be disappointed if we come in 10 to 15 points under that.

But it won’t be the throats of the good players or the coach I’ll be coming for.

I don't think they'd be wrong that Jack and Sam aren't what we'd perhaps hoped, but what Jack and Sam are can be some of the best players on a good team if the management has been good. 

But I shouldn't get so far ahead of myself here, I can wait a few weeks to see what they're looking like. My offseason optimism for this team just stemmed from the potential for an array of possible moves that never happened (made more frustrating by the joke of an offer sheet MTL gave a player I wanted badly - it actually happened, and I would have gone so much bigger on it than they did) so as we sit near the season with what we have, I can't help but feel Callaway-level gloom

[bob_sauve28]

8 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Tage is going to look like poo with those two has his linemates. Sobotka is where offense goes to die and Eli lacks the skill to make an impact. 

I’m interested to see him again in front of net on PP 

[Taro T]

4 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

"Slightly above. 500 and flirting with the playoffs, get in by a miracle at the last second."
"Expectation: Playoffs."
"Expectation: Roster as is: 88.  Roster with another 2nd liner & Gardiner: 96."
"Due to key player injuries, we barely miss or barely make the playoffs " (with key injuries, mind you)
These were in four of the first six posts that explicitly listed expectations. If it plays out that we're playing most of the reasons we played 55 games last year as a ~64 point team, well, I stand by what I just said. Fans here and elsewhere will generally assume the team is going to be pretty good any given year. 

I'm just sensitive to this angle because, quite literally, every other notification I've received on this site over the last three years is people taking issue with me criticizing some aspect or another of the team. (Though it hasn't been as bad recently. It peaked last summer when I would spend two days putting something together and only receive comments about my attitude once it was posted)

But I should be better and just say "man, I'm not happy with the idea that the team is most likely using Scandella in its top six as plan A." 

And I know we have injuries. But even before them, people were skeptical about Joki and Pilut beating Scandy out, and he has the handedness edge over Bogosian. The idea he slipped into top six because of injuries doesn't hold for me, it's been talked about seriously all summer 

And Gardiner is NOT coming here so 96 is out the window.

And 88 is NOT close to the playoffs.  That's 8-10 points short of what's necessary.  (More likely 10 than 8 in the East, so likely closer to 80 points than the playoffs.). Which means they'd have to find 5 wins that they'd've lost in regulation to get in.  That isn't just barely missing.  That's effectively out of the playoffs by March & officially out just after St. Patty's day.  But it is WAAAY better than they've been; so I guess that's "wildly optimistic."

[Brawndo]

Sobotka and McCabe wearing As tonight 

[darksabre]

7 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Sobotka and McCabe wearing As tonight 

[pi2000]

TT gotta bury that

[Brawndo]

Bryson has some wheels 

[Randall Flagg]

If there's one play that is emblematic of Mitts' NHL game, that's it ?

[dudacek]

Just now, Randall Flagg said:

If there's one play that is emblematic of Mitts' NHL game, that's it ?

But nice hands to spring the initial rush, picking it out of the air at least ?

[Randall Flagg]

The Sobotka line with a strong start

Just now, dudacek said:

But nice hands to spring the initial rush, picking it out of the air at least ?

Yeah, and he didnt really have any options there, I'm just picking on the kid

[dudacek]

Just now, Randall Flagg said:

The Sobotka line with a strong start

Surprising jump to their game.

Pace much better than the Jackets game, but I guess that’s typical against the Leafs.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Just now, dudacek said:

Surprising jump to their game.

Unemployment will do that.