GDT: 1/26/21 7pm ET NY Rangers at Buffalo, MSG & WGR

[inkman]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Anyone else had enough of Colin Miller's defensive prowess?

 

8 minutes ago, jsb said:

You’ll notice anybody playing with the worst defensive defensemen in team history (RDahlin) seems to play bad then they get moved and they look great

I hate to say it, no really, but this may hold some water.  Montour and Dahlin had me wanting to see 62 in an Amerks sweater.  Now Miller looks equally as bad being paired with “the never was”.  Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

Just now, inkman said:

 

I hate to say it, no really, but this may hold some water.  Montour and Dahlin had me wanting to see 62 in an Amerks sweater.  Now Miller looks equally as bad being paired with “the never was”.  Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe.  

Miller is equally as bad.  I've said this before and I'll say it again, Dahlin needs his own McCabe to shepherd him as he grows into the job.

[jsb]

4 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Miller is equally as bad.  I've said this before and I'll say it again, Dahlin needs his own McCabe to shepherd him as he grows into the job.

No he’s not, if anybody makes any kind of mistake and it’s up to Dahlin to save them, count it as a goal for the opposition

[dudacek]

Miller’s been a heavy risk/reward player his entire career. His struggles tonight weren’t about Dahlin.

Dahlin’s -2 tonight was much more on the guys he was playing with (the Eichel line) than anything he did.

[Kelly the Dog]

You guys as a whole know 10x more about the hockey than me, but... i watch every game. Skinner is such a puck hog that it benefits him and the team to not be on a line with a bunch of other skill players. He should have 5-7 goals this season. That line is often close to our best line. Cozens and Vic with Staal seems like a very nice line and great for Cozens future. Sure, Skinner isn’t going to score 40 goals but he gets his PP 2 time, Ralph seems to put him on a shift with Jack once or twice a game, and he gets to do his thing and hog the puck, often keeping control in the offensive end. 
 

This may not be so crazy  

 

[thewookie1]

You can't really blame Dahlin on either GA; the first was a broken play where he was in a no win situation. (Pursue and hope your partner gets the trailer or stand in front of the net and allow the guy to either do a wrap around or pick a good pass)

 

The 2nd was a long point shot

 

Montour, what happened to him?

[repster]

Two more regulation points Thursday please.

Thank-you for tonight.

[dudacek]

10 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said:

You guys as a whole know 10x more about the hockey than me, but... i watch every game. Skinner is such a puck hog that it benefits him and the team to not be on a line with a bunch of other skill players. He should have 5-7 goals this season. That line is often close to our best line. Cozens and Vic with Staal seems like a very nice line and great for Cozens future. Sure, Skinner isn’t going to score 40 goals but he gets his PP 2 time, Ralph seems to put him on a shift with Jack once or twice a game, and he gets to do his thing and hog the puck, often keeping control in the offensive end. 
 

This may not be so crazy  

 

This is certainly the way Krueger sees it and so far it has been supported by analytics.

But as long as Skinner isn’t scoring the argument isn’t going to get a lot of support, especially with the top two lines not producing either at even strength.

Me, I’m just going to judge on wins and losses.

[dudacek]

10 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

 

Montour, what happened to him?

Did I miss something? Wasn’t he out there to close things out on the PK?

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I'll also mention that Lazar is working his way into the hearts of Sabres fans. 

See, that's the thing though. He shouldn't be. We're so used to lack of effort uninspired and unmotivated hockey that a journeyman working his ass off stands out a little too much.

They ALL should be working like him, including the big 3 on that top line. If the entire team bought into a work ethic and played as hard as Lazar every night we'd be in first place and probably undefeated. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Just now, PerreaultForever said:

See, that's the thing though. He shouldn't be. We're so used to lack of effort uninspired and unmotivated hockey that a journeyman working his ass off stands out a little too much.

They ALL should be working like him, including the big 3 on that top line. If the entire team bought into a work ethic and played as hard as Lazar every night we'd be in first place and probably undefeated. 

I agree. If all the guys gave the same effort each night that Risto, McCabe and Lazar are giving we wouldn't be just a 500 team.  

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Did I miss something? Wasn’t he out there to close things out on the PK?

I was meaning with his defensive play seems to have just vanished

[Broken Ankles]

48 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I agree. If all the guys gave the same effort each night that Risto, McCabe and Lazar are giving we wouldn't be just a 500 team.  

Coach Parseghian:
I wish God would put your heart in some of my players bodies

 

zarzy-zarzy!

[triumph_communes]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

See, that's the thing though. He shouldn't be. We're so used to lack of effort uninspired and unmotivated hockey that a journeyman working his ass off stands out a little too much.

They ALL should be working like him, including the big 3 on that top line. If the entire team bought into a work ethic and played as hard as Lazar every night we'd be in first place and probably undefeated. 

This is where Eichel and Reinhart have been ruined. Girgensons started his career like Lazar is playing now, but he’s a shell of that player working through the losses. Eichel and Eeinhart just get fussy when they’re losing and don’t know how to channel that into better play, yet. 
 

Now with a real bottom 6 out scoring the top 6 in half the minutes, the pressure is on. Need to be patient this transformation won’t happen in a week. 
 

But we can already see the results and the underlying stats. Krueger last year didn’t have a bottom 6 other than the GLO black hole line (who didn’t score).   This year Kevyn got him HIS guys (Eakin Rieder Sheahan) and look what’s happened. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by triumph_communes

[PerreaultForever]

47 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:

This is where Eichel and Reinhart have been ruined. Girgensons started his career like Lazar is playing now, but he’s a shell of that player working through the losses. Eichel and Eeinhart just get fussy when they’re losing and don’t know how to channel that into better play, yet. 

We've always lacked good leadership. The threads about culture pop up every year. 

I said in the long term fix thread that Eichel is a great player but he's a crap captain and I stand by it. Smashing your stick on the bench out of frustration (which he usually does several times a year) is not how you rally the troops and get everybody going. And Reinhart? I think he's a vulcan. Skilled but one of the flattest and most unemotional players I've ever seen. We can be up by 5 or down by 5 and he looks (and to some extent plays) exactly the same. But we're stuck with it. Can't exactly strip Eichel of the C and who would you give it to? Cozens isn't ready YET. 

I know this isn't a popular view, but I still believe our big mistake was not naming a captain and holding it for Jack rather than giving it to ROR. If we had, I think he'd still be here and he'd be leading us as he does St. Louis. No going back though. Is what it is. 

[Weave]

What the hell just happened?  Pi on the pipe again?

Edited January 27, 2021 by Weave

[That Aud Smell]

@deluca67.500 is in sight. Get it!

[PromoTheRobot]

6 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

See, that's the thing though. He shouldn't be. We're so used to lack of effort uninspired and unmotivated hockey that a journeyman working his ass off stands out a little too much.

They ALL should be working like him, including the big 3 on that top line. If the entire team bought into a work ethic and played as hard as Lazar every night we'd be in first place and probably undefeated. 

Like Taylor Hall seems to be? He looks more like the driver on the top line than Eichel. Maybe Jack is still a little injured and needs to get his legs but he doesn't look like the Eichel of yore quite yet.

[nucci]

7 hours ago, dudacek said:

This is certainly the way Krueger sees it and so far it has been supported by analytics.

But as long as Skinner isn’t scoring the argument isn’t going to get a lot of support, especially with the top two lines not producing either at even strength.

Me, I’m just going to judge on wins and losses.

which is all that matters

[bob_sauve28]

19 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Like Taylor Hall seems to be? He looks more like the driver on the top line than Eichel. Maybe Jack is still a little injured and needs to get his legs but he doesn't look like the Eichel of yore quite yet.

I'd break up Hall and Jack. I liked it when they were on separate lines so we had speed out there rolling every other shift. There is talent to go around to split them up. 

[inkman]

I was looking forward to reading the late comments in this thread.  That was a mistake.  

[inkman]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

Miller’s been a heavy risk/reward player his entire career. His struggles tonight weren’t about Dahlin.

Dahlin’s -2 tonight was much more on the guys he was playing with (the Eichel line) than anything he did.

 

8 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

You can't really blame Dahlin on either GA; the first was a broken play where he was in a no win situation. (Pursue and hope your partner gets the trailer or stand in front of the net and allow the guy to either do a wrap around or pick a good pass)

 

The 2nd was a long point shot

 

Montour, what happened to him?

I didn’t comment at all about Dahlin’s play tonight.  He was about the same as ever. My comment is about the guys he plays with.  They all get worse with him.  Shouldn’t he be carrying his pairing or are we still going with the too young motif.  

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Waste of time?  I've been saying it for years, this team will not take the next step until Larsson and Girgensons are gone.   Larsson is not an NHL player, Zemgus works hard, but there are ton of guys like him that work with a bit more offensive ability...  And we're seeing it first hand with guys like Rieder and Sheahan.   I loved those signings, and Eakin.    They're playing good hockey up and down the lineup, any line can score, haven't felt that way in a long time.

Waste of time?  I've been saying it for years, this team will not take the next step until Larsson and Girgensons are gone.   Larsson is not an NHL player, Zemgus works hard, but there are ton of guys like him that work with a bit more offensive ability...  And we're seeing it first hand with guys like Rieder and Sheahan.   I loved those signings, and Eakin.    They're playing good hockey up and down the lineup, any line can score, haven't felt that way in a long time.

Waste of time?  I've been saying it for years, this team will not take the next step until Larsson and Girgensons are gone.   Larsson is not an NHL player, Zemgus works hard, but there are ton of guys like him that work with a bit more offensive ability...  And we're seeing it first hand with guys like Rieder and Sheahan.   I loved those signings, and Eakin.    They're playing good hockey up and down the lineup, any line can score, haven't felt that way in a long time.

Waste of time?  I've been saying it for years, this team will not take the next step until Larsson and Girgensons are gone.   Larsson is not an NHL player, Zemgus works hard, but there are ton of guys like him that work with a bit more offensive ability...  And we're seeing it first hand with guys like Rieder and Sheahan.   I loved those signings, and Eakin.    They're playing good hockey up and down the lineup, any line can score, haven't felt that way in a long time.

Waste of time?  I've been saying it for years, this team will not take the next step until Larsson and Girgensons are gone.   Larsson is not an NHL player, Zemgus works hard, but there are ton of guys like him that work with a bit more offensive ability...  And we're seeing it first hand with guys like Rieder and Sheahan.   I loved those signings, and Eakin.    They're playing good hockey up and down the lineup, any line can score, haven't felt that way in a long time.

Waste of time?  I've been saying it for years, this team will not take the next step until Larsson and Girgensons are gone.   Larsson is not an NHL player, Zemgus works hard, but there are ton of guys like him that work with a bit more offensive ability...  And we're seeing it first hand with guys like Rieder and Sheahan.   I loved those signings, and Eakin.    They're playing good hockey up and down the lineup, any line can score, haven't felt that way in a long time.

Waste of time?  I've been saying it for years, this team will not take the next step until Larsson and Girgensons are gone.   Larsson is not an NHL player, Zemgus works hard, but there are ton of guys like him that work with a bit more offensive ability...  And we're seeing it first hand with guys like Rieder and Sheahan.   I loved those signings, and Eakin.    They're playing good hockey up and down the lineup, any line can score, haven't felt that way in a long time.

Waste of time?  I've been saying it for years, this team will not take the next step until Larsson and Girgensons are gone.   Larsson is not an NHL player, Zemgus works hard, but there are ton of guys like him that work with a bit more offensive ability...  And we're seeing it first hand with guys like Rieder and Sheahan.   I loved those signings, and Eakin.    They're playing good hockey up and down the lineup, any line can score, haven't felt that way in a long time.

Deja vu over and over again.

[JohnC]

11 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I said a few weeks ago that it would take Staal some time to get used to the system and his new teammates.  I think that is happening.  Still another game with zero 5 on 5 production from our top 2 lines.  Either the goals will start to come to get back to norms or this is going to be a long season.  Has there ever been a team that scored more goals on the PP then they did 5 on 5 for a full season?  Buffalo has 11 goals 5 on 5 (the 2nd least of any team with 7 games or more) and 9 goals with the man advantage.   We have 5 pp goals in the last 2 games with only 1 EV goal.

The players playing on the first line who are not converting are the same players on the first PP unit who are converting. A goal is a goal and counts the same whether it is an ES goal or not. What is encouraging is that although the first and to a lesser extent the second line haven't been prolific scoring goals they have created many chances that have resulted in near misses. As @Taro T has cogently stated there is too much fire power, primarily on the first line, for their ES drought to continue.

The player that I am ardently rooting for to break the ice is Skinner. If he can return to some semblance of his old form then this team will be in a better position. To his credit Skinner has continued to play hard although the cloud of frustration is hovering over him. 

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, dudacek said:

This is certainly the way Krueger sees it and so far it has been supported by analytics.

But as long as Skinner isn’t scoring the argument isn’t going to get a lot of support, especially with the top two lines not producing either at even strength.

Me, I’m just going to judge on wins and losses.

@Kelly the Dog accurately described Skinner's lone ranger style of play that Krueger is not enamored with. He wants to construct balanced lines where the players' roles complement one another. His unity philosophy is not too difficult to understand. I just wish he would be more flexible trying to accommodate the individualistic style of Skinner who has demonstrated that he can be a prolific goal scorer. If Skinner is not going to be assigned a higher line role I wish he could be intermittently assigned to the higher lines during the games just to afford him more scoring opportunities. 

In watching the games I have to give Skinner credit because he continues to play hard despite his mounting frustration and his secondary role. Overall, I'm satisfied how this team has been playing. But I find it troubling that an asset is being squandered because of the attachment to the system. Yielding a little sometimes is better than being unyielding.