GDT: Buffalo @ Pittsburgh, 10-3-2019, 7pm EDT

[Sabres Fan in NS]

11 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

You know who was almost completely missing today, despite usually being a staple in these games?

Sidney Crosby.

You know who Jack played against more than any other forward?

Sidney Crosby.

Not to take anything away from Jack, but Sid was a 'game time' decision and was not 100% last night.

[Doohicksie]

15 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Just from watching the game, Skinner didn't look dangerous. That wasn't all Sobotka of course, but he clearly, to me, didn't help. Johansson looks pretty good to me, so it leaves me thinking we might need a third offensive contributer on that line to get Skinner going, which is the reason he's on the second line at all, right? If he can't score there, no reason he shouldn't be back on the top line. 

I think Skins is an unconventional goal scorer, someone you have to get used to playing with.  He almost made something out of nothing a few times, but I think those moments go unnoticed until he actually delivers the puck on net, which doesn't always happen.  I think JEFF WILL BE FINE.

18 minutes ago, Thorny said:

So if that line continues to look offensively mediocre, I'd try moving a Vesey or Sheary there for Sobotka before moving Skinner back to line one and taking Olofsson's chance away. 

Agree with this though.

[Randall Flagg]

Gonna call line 2 Jobotker.

Also Skinner looked exactly how he did in the seven games before moving to Jack's line last year. Not, like, bad, but he's gonna be sniping goals with Jack before too long.

[Taro T]

Just now, Thorny said:

I agree that there are options to try first, and it's LIKELY they'll yield better results than Sobotka there. 

But I'd certainly disrupt line 3 to get 2 going because of the Skinner factor. Him "on" is going to score more than Sheary "on".

Absolutely.  But a big part of being "on" is also not getting hemmed in your own end.  If Vesey-Mittelstadt-Sheary are turning the ice up to the offensive end but Thompson taking Sheary's role has them getting their brains bashed in, is it worth it?

[Thorner]

Just now, Doohickie said:

I think Skins is an unconventional goal scorer, someone you have to get used to playing with.  He almost made something out of nothing a few times, but I think those moments go unnoticed until he actually delivers the puck on net, which doesn't always happen.  I think JEFF WILL BE FINE.

Honestly, I cannot find agreement here anywhere right now so yes, ok, I'm good with Sobotka staying there. Keep him there if we are winning. Everyone's good with it, I am too. Peer pressure! ?

[Doohicksie]

17 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

You know who was almost completely missing today, despite usually being a staple in these games?

Sidney Crosby.

You know who Jack played against more than any other forward?

Sidney Crosby.

Yep.  I noticed that.  He never looked dangerous tonight.

[Randall Flagg]

Ooooh, here's something else I noticed. Skinner in Olofsson's spot on the power play was...not great.

[Randall Flagg]

And I know Swamp's going to disagree with me, but though I enjoy the chippiness in Risto's game, he can't take a penalty like that with two minutes left in the game. Just skate away. Or at least don't let your stick whack the guy in the face, be physical without that part.

[Doohicksie]

1 minute ago, Randall Flagg said:

Ooooh, here's something else I noticed. Skinner in Olofsson's spot on the power play was...not great.

I'm not going to read too much into what worked and what didn't.  Jack will come around, Jeff will come around, Sheary isn't going to score 164 goals.  Overall though, the team looked good.  It's good to build on success rather than try to correct deficiencies for a change.

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, Randall Flagg said:

Gonna call line 2 Jobotker.

Also Skinner looked exactly how he did in the seven games before moving to Jack's line last year. Not, like, bad, but he's gonna be sniping goals with Jack before too long.

He was inches from sniping 1 off the pass from Johansson in the 1st.  And, if Sobotka realizes how the play is flowing when he hung back for a D (Miller?)  joining the rush early in the 3rd he pulls a Pominville and cleans up what his center and Skinner created as Murray was sprawled stopping Skinner's snipe.  Sobotka figured it out, but WAY too late.

[Thorner]

1 minute ago, Taro T said:

Absolutely.  But a big part of being "on" is also not getting hemmed in your own end.  If Vesey-Mittelstadt-Sheary are turning the ice up to the offensive end but Thompson taking Sheary's role has them getting their brains bashed in, is it worth it?

I don't know? Yes - if it gets Skinner scoring?

This isn't meant in a negative way at all, totally candid - it's utterly exhausting receiving so much push-back to an argument centered around simply not wanting arguably the worst offensive forward in the league on your second line with your 40 goal scorer. Did NOT seeing that being such a contested point. 

I'm just going to to leave it now. I'm over it. Play him there, don't. Just win. 

[Taro T]

5 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Honestly, I cannot find agreement here anywhere right now so yes, ok, I'm good with Sobotka staying there. Keep him there if we are winning. Everyone's good with it, I am too. Peer pressure! ?

No, don't go wobbly now, George.  There was 1 spot that could obviously been improved.  It's on Krueger to see that.

[SwampD]

10 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Well, ya. I mean if you think they were good I can see why you wouldn't want to change the line. To me Skinner seemed a non-threat, he wasn't quickly pouncing on rebounds, because they weren't generating rebounds, and that's Skinner's jam. They gave up more than they took tonight, as well. 

Eichel played against the Crosby line mostly, and the Sobotka line actually did well against the Malkin line and poor against the rest. 

Can we at least give them more than one game to find a groove? I mean, c’mon.

 

Just now, Randall Flagg said:

And I know Swamp's going to disagree with me, but though I enjoy the chippiness in Risto's game, he can't take a penalty like that with two minutes left in the game. Just skate away. Or at least don't let your stick whack the guy in the face, be physical without that part.

Yep. I disagree. ***** Hornkfist. And with an empty net, it’s almost a benefit to be able to heave Hail Marys.

Up 1, maybe not!but up 2?

[Randall Flagg]

Just now, SwampD said:

Can we at least give them more than one game to find a groove? I mean, c’mon.

 

Yep. I disagree. ***** Hornkfist. And with an empty net, it’s almost a benefit to be able to heave Hail Marys.

While true, a Geno/Sid PP is just not something that's worth that trade-off. 

[Thorner]

2 minutes ago, Taro T said:

No, don't go wobbly now, George.  There was 1 spot that could obviously been improved.  It's on Krueger to see that.

Tapping out. I'm no John Cena. 

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I don't know? Yes - if it gets Skinner scoring?

This isn't meant in a negative way at all, totally candid - it's utterly exhausting receiving so much push-back to an argument centered around simply not wanting arguably the worst offensive forward in the league on your second line with your 40 goal scorer. Did NOT seeing that being such a contested point. 

I'm just going to to leave it now. I'm over it. Play him there, don't. Just win. 

Whoa, whoa, whoa.  NEVER agree that Skinner should be playing with Sobotka.  The debate (at least from here) is that Johansson and Skinner could be good enough with a reasonable winger to allow the net of having Eichel with Olofsson and Reinhart greater than that of Eichel with Skinner and Olofsson in line 2.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Well that was fun.

Off to my make shift bed.

See you all on the other side if dawn.

NS standing down from active duty.

[SwampD]

I forgot to mention McCabe. If he can remember that he doesn’t have to actually kill people with his hits, he merely has to maime them, he is going to great. He’s finally got old enough to not make those brain farts passes of his youth. Stay healthy Jake. We need you.

Edited October 4, 2019 by SwampD

[Two or less]

1 minute ago, SwampD said:

I forgot to mention McCabe. If he can remember that he doesn’t have to actually kill people with his hits, he merely has to maime them, he is going to great. He’s finally got old enough to not make those brain farts passes of his youth. Stay healthy Jake. We need you.

I thought McCabe was our best dmen tonight.

[SwampD]

5 minutes ago, Reino23 said:

I thought McCabe was our best dmen tonight.

Without a doubt.

[pi2000]

To me the most encouraging thing about tonight's game was to see just about everyone up and down the lineup get prime scoring chances.... Girgensons, Okposo, Dahlin, Sheary, Skinner, etc, etc, etc....   It wasn't just the Eichel line doing all the heavy lifting offensively.      Hope to see it continue.   

And the defense was challenging PIT players in the neutral zone instead of just conceding the blue line on every rush... gaps were much tighter all over the ice than I've been used to seeing from Sabres hockey the past few years.     

[Ducky]

I took the Sabres at 2.3 to 1 odds...

cha-ching!

[Randall Flagg]

Mostly just trying to get this to 1000 for PA at this point. 

Okposo's hair is cut pretty short.

[Doohicksie]

30 minutes ago, SwampD said:

He’s finally got old enough to not make those brain farts passes of his youth.

I have a theory that RFK's system creates more open passing lanes than XHCPH's.  You don't have to thread the needle with every pass if you know that your teammate is moving, and where he's moving to.  Instead of passing to a player, in RFK's system you pass to the open area where you know the player is moving to.  I think it's that simple.

[Ducky]

Is Bogo hurt again???