What do you need to see before you're totally bought in?

[PalmTreeMafia]

I need to see the Sabres actually clinch a playoff berth before I'm totally bought in. Until then, it's just the same core group of mentally soft chokers that couldn't pull themselves out of last December's spiral to oblivion. Is the head coach the difference? Possibly. Hopefully.

I'm not a total cloud of dark despair, however. I am very much enjoying the 4-0-1 start. Jokiharju and Olofsson are very nice additions.

[PerreaultForever]

I'm all in now. 

I don't know if we will be good enough to make the playoffs this year, but I firmly believe from what I've seen this year that there is a huge change taking place and the train is finally on the right track. Now it's simply a question of injuries, luck, goaltending streaks (ours and the opposition's) and how fast the prospects like Cozens and Asplund etc develop. 

[rickshaw]

Have to see how team reacts to adversity. Will they let a tough loss turn into a 10 game slide? Will they find ways to steal points?

great start but little things like letting Florida tie game and make it a 3 pt game are the type of games where that point could very well matter later on.

Edited October 13, 2019 by rickshaw

[dudacek]

32 minutes ago, rickshaw said:

Have to see how team reacts to adversity. Will they let a tough loss turn into a 10 game slide? Will they find ways to steal points?

great start but little things like letting Florida tie game and make it a 3 pt game are the type of games where that point could very well matter later on.

I’m interested in that stuff too, and like what I’ve seen so far. They’ve been resilient.

They probably stole a point in Columbus.

They rebounded from a tough loss in Columbus to win their next two.

They blew two late leads and still managed to win each game in extra time.

[French Collection]

I don’t feel the panic that seemed present every game of last year’s streak.

There seems to be a belief that they can win. They don’t seem to go full Alamo in the third with a lead.

I believe they will be relevant in March.

[Curt]

5 hours ago, rickshaw said:

Have to see how team reacts to adversity. Will they let a tough loss turn into a 10 game slide? Will they find ways to steal points?

great start but little things like letting Florida tie game and make it a 3 pt game are the type of games where that point could very well matter later on.

The inverse of that is the Columbus game where they came back from a 2-0 hole to tie, then again came back to tie in the 3rd and force OT, stealing a point in a game that they were getting beaten pretty thoroughly.  It happens.

[Thorner]

On 10/12/2019 at 10:21 AM, darksabre said:

I'm inclined to agree.

The one thing I think that is different though is the power play. The streak games were won on a lot of lucky bounces and Jeff Skinner. Neither of those things have really been a factor in these wins so far. I think they're earning these wins a little more than they did during the streak.

Skinner has been really good! 

[sweetlou]

I want to see more consistent play from Jack and Sam.   The two games over the weekend looked like they were just going through the motions.  Jack has elite offensive talent. That being said he tries to do too much leading to bad give aways, most often at the blue line, which lead to scoring chances, (or goals), for the opposing team. 

The line shuffling on Saturday didn't make sense to me.  At the beginning of the season Sobotka was placed on second line to help Johansson ease into center role.  With the shuffling he was placed on Mitts wing, why?  Sobotka is nothing more than a 4th line defensive situation player, he adds no offense and brings down the players he plays with.  

Sobotka, Girgs, Larsson, and Okposo should only be used in that role of 4th line grinders. Rotate them if you have to.

 To me Sheary has played very well this year and seems to be giving an effort on every shift.

With getting a couple practices in over seas maybe we will see some different line combos. Skinner and Johansson have looked good together. Reihart and Olofson have looked good together. Time to break up Reinhart and Eichel.  Lets see if Eichel can drive a line with some players who are better with defensive coverage.  Jack always looks like he is skating around in circles in the defensive zone and doesn't know who he is supposed to be watching.

Vesey, Eichel, Sheary

Skinner, Johansson, Sobotka  (hope to see Thompson here by Christmas)

Olofson, Mitts, Reinhart

Girgs, Larsson, Okposo

[SwampD]

I'm still bought in.

I love how other teams can have slumps, but when it's us, it's a reversion to who we "really" are. SM FN H.

We've played 2 games in the past week and we're still in the upper tier of our conference.

Win will win again.

We will win often.

 

[pi2000]

Better goaltending they win at least one of those games.    Major issue moving forward IMO.

[bunomatic]

I’ve never liked losing. I accept that we’re not going to win every game, Cripes I’m a Sabres fan through and through. But with all the losing we’ve done I’ll never accept it . You see teams like Vegas do it in their first couple of seasons. Then you see our GMs come in and give themselves 3 or 5 years to figure it out. It rarely goes as planned. I’m concerned. You see how they respond to adversity and its not hard to see that to a certain extent the losing is accepted. Its not good enough. The young guys have to absolutely hate losing for this to turn around. I don’t see that. I think the culture surrounding this team still needs some changing.

[North Buffalo]

Need better forwards, Call up TT, elc Cozens and trade D for Toffoli... do it now

[Pimlach]

I am still bought in but I would like to see more emotional commitment by the players to each other as a team.  More urgency, more maturity in adverse situations, more players that step up and lead by example.  They still look like a collection of lost souls.   

 

This trip should have built esprit de corps.   I think it did for a Tampa at least.  Looking forward to the Tampa rematch to see what we do.  If we are going to ever get “good” we have to grow up and beat Tampa, Leafs, Bruins.  

[nfreeman]

I thought overall they played two pretty solid games against Tampa, a very good team and almost certainly a cup contender despite its lousy start. I thought the effort was there and the goaltending was as well, and that Tampa, which is loaded with offensive playmakers, was able to convert its chances better than the Sabres were.

IMHO, and as others have noted, the main problem is that secondary scoring has again dried up. The third and fourth lines, both of which contributed offense during the winning streak, have not been able to do so in the last couple of weeks.  Same goes for Dahlin and the rest of the D, although the group is much better defensively than it was last year. 

[LTS]

3 hours ago, bunomatic said:

I’ve never liked losing. I accept that we’re not going to win every game, Cripes I’m a Sabres fan through and through. But with all the losing we’ve done I’ll never accept it . You see teams like Vegas do it in their first couple of seasons. Then you see our GMs come in and give themselves 3 or 5 years to figure it out. It rarely goes as planned. I’m concerned. You see how they respond to adversity and its not hard to see that to a certain extent the losing is accepted. Its not good enough. The young guys have to absolutely hate losing for this to turn around. I don’t see that. I think the culture surrounding this team still needs some changing.

Vegas had the benefit of an expansion draft where they could pick and choose from known players and/or make deals with teams who were desperate to keep players. This is not even remotely the same as a normal draft.  Furthermore, it’s one time. They could have just as easily screwed up and been bad.  What happens if Vegas doesn’t get Fleury from the Pens?

not arguing the other points, but people (not just you) like to throw Vegas out there as an example... I don’t think it’s the same thing.

[bunomatic]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

Vegas had the benefit of an expansion draft where they could pick and choose from known players and/or make deals with teams who were desperate to keep players. This is not even remotely the same as a normal draft.  Furthermore, it’s one time. They could have just as easily screwed up and been bad.  What happens if Vegas doesn’t get Fleury from the Pens?

not arguing the other points, but people (not just you) like to throw Vegas out there as an example... I don’t think it’s the same thing.

No its not the same thing. But we have seen teams relatively change their teams over one or two offseasons. We did the full teardown so its different but everytime we change gms they come in and talk about a 5 year timeframe. We’re treading water here and winning never seems to get any closer. I don’t see the playoffs this year. Unless Jbots has one or two more miracle trades up his sleeve. 

[Curt]

What’s going to happen if Buffalo wins 4 or 5 out of the next 6?  It’s totally possible because they play some pretty bad teams.  Will everything be ok then?

[bunomatic]

5 minutes ago, Curt said:

What’s going to happen if Buffalo wins 4 or 5 out of the next 6?  It’s totally possible because they play some pretty bad teams.  Will everything be ok then?

No. I think like all teams you always look to get better. It looks to me like theres always room for improvement with the likes of Erod, sheary, Vessey Sobotka etc on the team. Not to mention Okposo. 6 mil for a 4th liner. 

[Claude_Verret]

On 10/6/2019 at 9:18 PM, Claude_Verret said:

After last year you believe/hope/delude yourself into nothing. Absolutely nothing. Unti it happens. 

Still this.

[LGR4GM]

I won't buy in until they realize that Ullmark in the better gt, Risto has got to go, they fix Dahlin because they ***** him up, we finally trade for another top 6 player who is actually good, and Sobotka and Vesey go the way of the Dodo. 

[LTS]

16 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I won't buy in until they realize that Ullmark in the better gt, Risto has got to go, they fix Dahlin because they ***** him up, we finally trade for another top 6 player who is actually good, and Sobotka and Vesey go the way of the Dodo. 

They messed up Dahlin? His decision making on the ice is poor and much worse than last year. How do “they” get the blame?  I mean if you want to say he should sit a game that’s fine, but I don’t think “they” are the reason he’s playing so poorly. 
 

I’m not sure who “they” are specifically. I assume you meant the organization as a whole.

[Cascade Youth]

10 minutes ago, LTS said:

They messed up Dahlin? His decision making on the ice is poor and much worse than last year. How do “they” get the blame?  I mean if you want to say he should sit a game that’s fine, but I don’t think “they” are the reason he’s playing so poorly. 
 

I’m not sure who “they” are specifically. I assume you meant the organization as a whole.

Dahlin clearly is thinking too much out there - he is questioning his instincts and playing tentatively as a result.  I put that largely on the coaches.  They’ve stripped him of his uptempo instinctual play.

[freester]

I won't buy in until they have 6 top 6 forwards.

[Doohicksie]

I was totally bought in.

 

 

Was.

[Curt]

1 hour ago, Cascade Youth said:

Dahlin clearly is thinking too much out there - he is questioning his instincts and playing tentatively as a result.  I put that largely on the coaches.  They’ve stripped him of his uptempo instinctual play.

I don’t agree with this.  I don’t think most of Dahlin’s mistakes have come from being tentative.  It’s mostly high risk plays that don’t work out or just straight up fumbling the puck.