Blue and Gold Scrimmage 1/9/21 7pm Streaming

[SABRES 0311]

I like Tage.  I think he’s improved.  I think he is a third liner that can bring some offense to a defensive minded line.  I do not think his game allows him to keep up with Jack and Hall.  They play a more complex, creative game.  Tage would be better off playing a simpler style.

Olof, like Tage, has a good shot.  Olof has better hands than Tage and experience with Jack.  He’s more offensively talented than Tage.

Skinner can best serve the team on a scoring line as opposed to an offensive threat on a defensive minded line.  

[I-90 W]

Olof to Staal was smooth. 

[dudacek]

Hutton gave up on that one.

If play in this game has any significance this top six might be together for a while.

[Taro T]

Just now, I-90 W said:

Olof to Staal was smooth. 

It was.  But Hutton not caring steals a bit of the impressiveness of it.

[dudacek]

Bad Flashback from Tage there.

[I-90 W]

Wow Jack looks ready for sure.

[dudacek]

And Ullmark showing a shortside canyon there.

Cant do that with Jack.

[SABRES 0311]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

Bad Flashback from Tage there.

Yep, 100%.
 

Jack snipes one.  Surprise surprise 

 

[DarthEbriate]

Olofsson is not a defenseman.... 🍺  And Eichel's shot is good.

[SABRES 0311]

Is it just me or was Skinner not as noticeable as we thought he’d be?

Edited January 10, 2021 by SABRES 0311

[I-90 W]

Jack and Taylor seem to be getting along very well, lots of chatting and laughing etc

[Taro T]

Apparently there was still a little more time on the curfew clock.  

Hey guys, you want to do a shootout?  Don't know, will the refs stick around?  Screw it.  The coaches can ref, we don't need no refs. 😉

[Weave]

2 minutes ago, SABRES 0311 said:

Is it just me or was Skinner not as noticeable as we thought he’d be?

Skinner looked disinterested at times.

[Brawndo]

Cozens best play was getting around Risto in the first period.
 

Hopefully the WHL doesn’t begin any team activities until the end of February and he can get some games in Rochester before they have to make a decision on Him. 

[Thorner]

9 hours ago, Brawndo said:

 

 

They don't even want a *look* at Cozens at C?

1 hour ago, SABRES 0311 said:

This year I think it means more.  No preseason leaves scrimmage play the best chance to see how lines work together.  

That's true, but it's still tough to glean much of anything from a scrimmage when you are playing... yourself. And regardless of there being no preseason, he was right that the vets aren't going to give it close to their all. 

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Quinn has shown more offence in this game than he did in the World Juniors.

Exhibit A. Regardless of system and deployment, a kid like Quinn showing more against seasoned NHLers than literal kids says something about the intensity level overall. 

- - - 

All that said, Thompson continues to impress, by pretty much ALL accounts. 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Thorny

[Thorner]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

People arent going to like this, but VO looking like a much better fit with Staal and Reinhart than Skinner did in the last game.

As long as he's in the top 6 (Olofsson, that is)

[Thorner]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

His 1st time out after a very deflating defeat 4 nights ago.  You aren't mistaken, but it's disappointing he doesn't get another opportunity to shine prior to Thursday. 

My expectation for him was he'd look like Quinn has so far tonight and Jack would look like him.

I mean, Quinn looked great, right? We saw them both at the WJC, we know Cozens is on another level right now. Doesn't this kind of prove the scrimmage can't tell us much? 

I still think Cozens is ready. 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Thorny

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, Thorny said:

They don't even want a *look* at Cozens at C?

That's true, but it's still tough to glean much of anything from a scrimmage when you are playing... yourself. And regardless of there being no preseason, he was right that the vets aren't going to give it close to their all. 

Exhibit A. Regardless of system and deployment, a kid like Quinn showing more against seasoned NHLers than literal kids says something about the intensity level overall. 

- - - 

All that said, Thompson continues to impress, by pretty much ALL accounts. 

To the bolded, he has.

Such a darn shame last season that he'd either never been taught how to take a check or had darn near the largest brain fart ever because the coaches were high on him & it would've been nice to see if they were right.

[Thorner]

47 minutes ago, SABRES 0311 said:

How’s this sound?

Hall Eichel Olifsson

Skinner Staal Reinhart

Reider Eakin Thompson 

KO Lazar Quinn/Mitts

So Cozens out, Quinn in, regardless of everything we have seen up to this point, because of one single solitary scrimmage against ourselves. 

This isn't recency bias, this is immediacy bias lol 

[Thorner]

13 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Cozens best play was getting around Risto in the first period.
 

Hopefully the WHL doesn’t begin any team activities until the end of February and he can get some games in Rochester before they have to make a decision on Him. 

It's going to be very tough to find scoring in the bottom 6 if Cozens isn't in there/ready to go, I'm afraid. 

So that's where we are, he's headed to Rochester now? Cause of today? May very well be right but I think we should let it play out a bit. 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Thorny

[bunomatic]

Not sure what you can take away from that scrimmage. Little to no intensity. Duffer said it was very competitive a few times. Not sure I agree with that. More like shinny . 

[Taro T]

25 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Not sure what you can take away from that scrimmage. Little to no intensity. Duffer said it was very competitive a few times. Not sure I agree with that. More like shinny . 

The only things to safely take away are: the goalies are we who we thought they'd be; Eichel & Hall will be special; Staal isn't spent yet; and the D pairings might work.  Anything else is narrative IMHO.

[triumph_communes]

I like Thompson on the top line. I think he creates chaos with his long reach for Hall/Eichel to feast on. And he has a killer shot if he’s ever fed.  Better option than Oloffson

Staal/Reinhart looked much much better with Oloffson on their wing, even if Oloffson was mostly forgettable. That duo has chemistry

I thought Mittelstadt looked much improved and if he keeps it up, playing LW with Staal/Reinhart would be interesting if they’ll take him off center.  I’m less concerned about replacing Staal in a year now

Skinner looks liability level bad. I won’t be surprised if he’s benched after the first couple of games. Ugly situation for the GM

Cozens did nothing to show he deserves a tryout. I bet the kid is exhausted, but he was being manhandled out there.  Quinn had a great pass

Ruotsolainen simply isn’t good enough for NHL

I think Eakin/Rieder/Sheehan are going to be better than many are expecting.  Okposo is a lock at 3RW and that will be fine, I see more offense out of him than last year with Larry/Girgs. Lazar makes the team over Ruotsolainen. 
 

Hutton did nothing to show any confidence in him is going to be restored. Trading for a backup is going to be necessary for this team to take a step forward, I hope the GM doesn’t sit trying to make the best deal too long. Girgensons on IR I think gives him the cap space to make this move now. 

[SABRES 0311]

1 hour ago, bunomatic said:

Not sure what you can take away from that scrimmage. Little to no intensity. Duffer said it was very competitive a few times. Not sure I agree with that. More like shinny . 

There were some moments of intensity but nothing amazing.  I think Jack/Hall and Staal/Sam will give us two entertaining scoring lines.

[SABRES 0311]

1 minute ago, triumph_communes said:

I like Thompson on the top line. I think he creates chaos with his long reach for Hall/Eichel to feast on. And he has a killer shot if he’s ever fed.  Better option than Oloffson

Staal/Reinhart looked much much better with Oloffson on their wing, even if Oloffson was mostly forgettable. That duo has chemistry

I thought Mittelstadt looked much improved and if he keeps it up, playing LW with Staal/Reinhart would be interesting if they’ll take him off center.  I’m less concerned about replacing Staal in a year now

Skinner looks liability level bad. I won’t be surprised if he’s benched after the first couple of games. Ugly situation for the GM

Cozens did nothing to show he deserves a tryout. I bet the kid is exhausted, but he was being manhandled out there.  Quinn had a great pass

Ruotsolainen simply isn’t good enough for NHL

I think Eakin/Rieder/Sheehan are going to be better than many are expecting.  Okposo is a lock at 3RW and that will be fine, I see more offense out of him than last year with Larry/Girgs. Lazar makes the team over Ruotsolainen. 
 

Hutton did nothing to show any confidence in him is going to be restored. Trading for a backup is going to be necessary for this team to take a step forward, I hope the GM doesn’t sit trying to make the best deal too long. Girgensons on IR I think gives him the cap space to make this move now. 

I just don’t see Tage on the first line but then again I’m not the coach so we’ll see.  I just think Jack and Hall play a more complex, creative, fast style than Tage can keep up with.  He had two good scrimmages though.  I wouldn’t mind seeing the top two be:

Hall Eichel Olofsson

Skinner Staal Reinhart