GDT: 1/28/21 7pm ET, NY Rangers at Buffalo, MSG & WGR

[Zamboni]

7 hours ago, LTS said:

I think he has to learn how to not put the entire franchise on his shoulders and also to divest himself from his own struggles.  It's not easy, not sure if he can do it, but he needs to find a way.

I've had quite a few beers tonight but I feel confident in pointing out Hutton did not play tonight and he's not played four in a row. 😛  Perhaps you had one more beer than me?  (just having some fun).

Obviously I mean Ullmark wasn’t bad tonight. 😂

But I wouldn’t mind seeing Hutton rotate in for a game now.

[Taro T]

If Ullmark can continue to play this way, this team should be in good shape on the back end most nights.  He was excellent this game & deserved a better fate.

Thought Staal & Dahlin had their best games of the short season though neither ended up onnthe score sheet.

2 bad games out of 8 is way too many.  Can give them a pass on opening night as it was the 1st night playing a real game in an empty building for nearly all of them, but can't give them a pass for last night.  They should've known the Rags would be desperate to not lose 5 in a row.  They needed to have that same desperation to put them on a 5 game losing streak.  The small sliver of a silver lining, when was the last time this team played this poorly but still snuck out a point?  They should've lost 6-2 at best.  If this was the real Linus last night & not just a mirage, playing like they did the 6 previous games should have them well above 0.500 moving forward.

Now need to sweep the Devils to be on the 12/10 playoff pace.  It is still possible, but would've been much easier stealing an undeserved 2nd point last night.

Won't talk much about individual players, but really hope if Jokiharju can't go this weekend that somebody tells Irwin that when under pressure he should throw the puck to the boards, not through the middle.  That cost them 1 goal & if not for some excellent work by Ullmark, would've cost them the loser point as well.  Overall, he's played well these 2 games all things considered, but that's the sort of move that gets Squirts benched.

[That Aud Smell]

5 minutes ago, Taro T said:

The small sliver of a silver lining, when was the last time this team played this poorly but still snuck out a point? 

Really good post. I liked this especially because I need to feel better after watching most of that absolute clunker last night. Sheesh.

[Radar]

8 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Scheme and chemistry don't account for a lack of effort. Leadership I agree with and have commented on it before. Eichel is a crap captain. Good player, crap leader. 

The only part of this I'll question is your comment lack of effort. I've not seen lack of effort.

[Carmel Corn]

22 minutes ago, Radar said:

The only part of this I'll question is your comment lack of effort. I've not seen lack of effort.

On the one hand, I've never felt Jack was the energizer bunny vs. say Crosby or McDavid.  However, I do feel that he has another gear which I have not seen much of so far this early season.  I am wondering if it is in his head or that he is playing injured.

[GASabresIUFAN]

@Taro T

Thank you for looking at the glass half full.  

However, terrible performance from a team that in theory was looking to build on some momentum into a playoff contender was unconscionable.  Our coaches and player leaders should have had them just as motivated to get a win.  Good teams bury depleted team like the Caps and like this mediocre at best Rags team.

So far this team is exactly like last years team; NHL 500 and a team that follows good performances with terrible ones.

Maybe this group will learn from what happened last night.  

[JohnC]

9 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

@Taro T

Thank you for looking at the glass half full.  

However, terrible performance from a team that in theory was looking to build on some momentum into a playoff contender was unconscionable.  Our coaches and player leaders should have had them just as motivated to get a win.  Good teams bury depleted team like the Caps and like this mediocre at best Rags team.

So far this team is exactly like last years team; NHL 500 and a team that follows good performances with terrible ones.

Maybe this group will learn from what happened last night.  

The Rangers dominated this game. They were a desperate team, and they played like it. The Sabres squeaked out a point that they didn't deserve. As others have noted the most positive takeaway was the exceptional play of Ullmark. The score could have been 6-2 without his many sterling stops. If the score would have been predicated on domination it could have been 8-2.

What was disappointing about this game beyond the not winning is that there seemed to be no spark on the Sabre side. In comparison the Rangers had it in spades. If the team didn't have energy in the front side of the season how much energy is there going to be in the later stages of a compressed scheduled season when the injuries, bruises and fatigue will be more evident?

The consolation is that the Sabres garnered a point. In a loaded division the Sabres don't have much of margin of error to earn a playoff spot. Again, this game was disappointing. 

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Tell you what.   RK should put them back on the ice and make them skate goal line to goal line until they can't stand up anymore, aka pull a Herb Brooks.

 

After this passionless game I understand your run them to the ground sentiment. But in this type of season with a compressed schedule with the less recovery time you are more likely to get more sluggish performances and an increase of injuries. Especially in this altered season you have to be smart and more scientific about how you approach handling your team. RK has a different and more potent way of handling poor play: He apportions playing time and sits players who are not meeting his expectation. 

[tom webster]

34 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

@Taro T

Thank you for looking at the glass half full.  

However, terrible performance from a team that in theory was looking to build on some momentum into a playoff contender was unconscionable.  Our coaches and player leaders should have had them just as motivated to get a win.  Good teams bury depleted team like the Caps and like this mediocre at best Rags team.

So far this team is exactly like last years team; NHL 500 and a team that follows good performances with terrible ones.

Maybe this group will learn from what happened last night.  

They had one bad game and all of a sudden they follow good performances with bad performances. The “depleted” Capitals just beat the Islanders twice, including coming back from 3-0 down. Most think the Islanders are one of top three teams in division, some think they are the best. How can they lose to the “depleted” Capitals? Because believe it or not, the other team has their own talents and motivation. The Rangers spent two days getting reemed for their effort on Tuesday. They came out and punched the Sabres in the mouth. Unfortunately, last night, the Sabres didn’t have an answer. 
One of Raku’s mantras is keeping the team from getting too high when they win, too low when they lose. It should bring for a more balanced season but this isn’t football. You can’t read too much into one game. While I understand the frustration and the feeling it’s been this ten year drought but the fact of the matter it’s the beginning of the second year of this regime and like it or not it’s still a process and while I am confident this team is top four in this division, it’s still a ways from a finished product. On top of that, Jack is obviously hurting. Like someone else said, he lacks that extra gear this year. 

[LGR4GM]

58 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

@Taro T

Thank you for looking at the glass half full.  

However, terrible performance from a team that in theory was looking to build on some momentum into a playoff contender was unconscionable.  Our coaches and player leaders should have had them just as motivated to get a win.  Good teams bury depleted team like the Caps and like this mediocre at best Rags team.

So far this team is exactly like last years team; NHL 500 and a team that follows good performances with terrible ones.

Maybe this group will learn from what happened last night.  

This team clearly has no leaders. 

[Scottysabres]

2 minutes ago, tom webster said:

They had one bad game and all of a sudden they follow good performances with bad performances. The “depleted” Capitals just beat the Islanders twice, including coming back from 3-0 down. Most think the Islanders are one of top three teams in division, some think they are the best. How can they lose to the “depleted” Capitals? Because believe it or not, the other team has their own talents and motivation. The Rangers spent two days getting reemed for their effort on Tuesday. They came out and punched the Sabres in the mouth. Unfortunately, last night, the Sabres didn’t have an answer. 
One of Raku’s mantras is keeping the team from getting too high when they win, too low when they lose. It should bring for a more balanced season but this isn’t football. You can’t read too much into one game. While I understand the frustration and the feeling it’s been this ten year drought but the fact of the matter it’s the beginning of the second year of this regime and like it or not it’s still a process and while I am confident this team is top four in this division, it’s still a ways from a finished product. On top of that, Jack is obviously hurting. Like someone else said, he lacks that extra gear this year. 

Appreciate the input as always Tom. With that being said, Eichel being off shouldn't impact the entirety of the line up as we witnessed last night. Not to really not pick here, because for those first 5 games they played well enough to win in 4 of them, but if we're being candid, last night was a complete team breakdown in nearly every facet of the game. Like yourself, I expect the team to improve as the season progresses, however, I don't attribute that to coaching strategies in so much as knocking some rust off from the long break and feeling out the play of the roster additions.

I know I can be a broken record on this Tom, and I'm merely going off what some call the eye test, as opposed to analytics, but puck possession is a very real issue with this team. They do not fight for possession with any consistent success and there is definitive timid play both in the O as well as D play and it definitely is being utilized by other teams strategies, the words been out about the Sabres, the panic easily under pressure, they make many forced as well as unforced errors. A team learning to grow together? Sure, I'll bite. But at what point do we see consistent progress on growth with some of the players having been together their entire NHL careers? At what point do the puck possession numbers reflect this, not scoring chances, but actually controlling and dictating the course of games?

I'm not a glass is half empty fan, these are questions I have as I watch the team is all. The eye test.

[JoeSchmoe]

1 hour ago, Carmel Corn said:

On the one hand, I've never felt Jack was the energizer bunny vs. say Crosby or McDavid.  However, I do feel that he has another gear which I have not seen much of so far this early season.  I am wondering if it is in his head or that he is playing injured.

I said it before in another post about McDavid, but Crosby is probably even a better comparison.

Guaranteed prime Crosby would skate double the miles in a game compared to what Eichel does. Also, the time spent skating at greater than 80% effort would be at LEAST 5:1, and that is likely an understatement. 

Unfortunately, Eichel does not seem to care. He doesn't even look all that excited when he scores.

[dudacek]

Well at least we now have a real frame of reference for what this team looks like when it's playing bad. What a stinker.

Thank Linus for the point, reset, come back Saturday to prove it was a blip, not a trend.

Edited January 29, 2021 by dudacek

[tom webster]

21 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

Appreciate the input as always Tom. With that being said, Eichel being off shouldn't impact the entirety of the line up as we witnessed last night. Not to really not pick here, because for those first 5 games they played well enough to win in 4 of them, but if we're being candid, last night was a complete team breakdown in nearly every facet of the game. Like yourself, I expect the team to improve as the season progresses, however, I don't attribute that to coaching strategies in so much as knocking some rust off from the long break and feeling out the play of the roster additions.

I know I can be a broken record on this Tom, and I'm merely going off what some call the eye test, as opposed to analytics, but puck possession is a very real issue with this team. They do not fight for possession with any consistent success and there is definitive timid play both in the O as well as D play and it definitely is being utilized by other teams strategies, the words been out about the Sabres, the panic easily under pressure, they make many forced as well as unforced errors. A team learning to grow together? Sure, I'll bite. But at what point do we see consistent progress on growth with some of the players having been together their entire NHL careers? At what point do the puck possession numbers reflect this, not scoring chances, but actually controlling and dictating the course of games?

I'm not a glass is half empty fan, these are questions I have as I watch the team is all. The eye test.

I’m no analytics expert, but until yesterday the numbers, including “puck possession “ were very good. As someone else pointed out, numbers are meaningless with such a small sample size.

Yesterday they were terrible and lost in overtime. I submit that if you just became a fan last year you would be very encouraged by that. The last 8-10 years has worn on us as a fan base and through those jaded eyes the team has no margin for error. They have a problem with the Eakins line that may not be resolved this year but I wholeheartedly believe that this team is finally on the right trajectory but time will tell.

[JohnC]

Paul Hamilton talked about the Ranger game on WGR. This is a 16 min. segment. His observations correspond to the posted  observations. He noted that the play of Hall has declined. He made an interesting observation that teams are starting to keep Eichel from carrying the puck in on the PP and forcing Hall to handle the puck because he has a tendency to give the puck up.  

Howard And Jeremy | RADIO.COM

[Curt]

49 minutes ago, tom webster said:

They had one bad game and all of a sudden they follow good performances with bad performances. The “depleted” Capitals just beat the Islanders twice, including coming back from 3-0 down. Most think the Islanders are one of top three teams in division, some think they are the best. How can they lose to the “depleted” Capitals? Because believe it or not, the other team has their own talents and motivation. The Rangers spent two days getting reemed for their effort on Tuesday. They came out and punched the Sabres in the mouth. Unfortunately, last night, the Sabres didn’t have an answer. 
One of Raku’s mantras is keeping the team from getting too high when they win, too low when they lose. It should bring for a more balanced season but this isn’t football. You can’t read too much into one game. While I understand the frustration and the feeling it’s been this ten year drought but the fact of the matter it’s the beginning of the second year of this regime and like it or not it’s still a process and while I am confident this team is top four in this division, it’s still a ways from a finished product. On top of that, Jack is obviously hurting. Like someone else said, he lacks that extra gear this year. 

Good post.

Every team throws a clunker once in a while.  What we can’t do, and what has happened in years past, is turn one bad game into a lengthy stretch of poor play.  They need to come back with an answer in their next game.

And yes, Eichel’s sub par (for him) play could possibly be traced back to his training camp injury.  He missed a few days of practice in training camp, about 3 weeks ago, for an upper body injury.  That’s all we know.  Could it be something that’s bothering him still?

[GASabresIUFAN]

This isn’t the first clunker after a victory.  How quickly we forget Philly game two. Maybe they didn’t play this bad, but they weren’t good.  In fact, I’d argue this is the trend for the season so far.  In each two game series we played one good game and one bad.  

If this team wants to be a playoff team they are going to have to string together some 2-0 series wins.  If they don’t, then all of KA good moves were for not.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

This is why I never made it as a big-time heavy-duty psychic.

Missed it by ... that much.

[JohnC]

Attached is the standings after yesterday's game. Link taken from NHL.com. 

NHL Hockey Standings | NHL.com

[French Collection]

This game was definitely as bad as they have played this season.

Thank you for the point Linus.

I also think that there is something wrong with Jack. He seems to not have that burst of speed and the enthusiasm others mention.

Dahlin is taking baby steps in the right direction while we want him to leap. I think he breaks out soon.

I like Cozens with Staal from a mentorship angle and would like to see Staal ramp it up on the ice and also show some signs of leadership.

I want to see a bounce back game and a sweep of the Devils. This would cause some to put away their pitchforks and dream of better days.

A big thing with me is effort and I respect them win or lose if it is there. They need to bring it every night to ride the ups and downs of shifts, periods, games and this season.

[fiftyone]

We're 3-1-2 in our last six games, capturing 8 of a possible 12 points. 6 of our 8 games this year have been against teams that are a combined 10-2-4.

Last night's game was bad, but the sentiment in this thread doesn't seem to reflect reality for the season as a whole. 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

@Taro T

Thank you for looking at the glass half full.  

However, terrible performance from a team that in theory was looking to build on some momentum into a playoff contender was unconscionable.  Our coaches and player leaders should have had them just as motivated to get a win.  Good teams bury depleted team like the Caps and like this mediocre at best Rags team.

So far this team is exactly like last years team; NHL 500 and a team that follows good performances with terrible ones.

Maybe this group will learn from what happened last night.  

The thing that was most troubling last night, IMHO, was that even though the Sabres had been badly outplayed for 40 minutes & were down a goal heading into the 3rd, that when the team started to take it to the Rags in the 3rd culminating w/ Reinhart's PP goal the Rags were poised to throw in the towel; the Panarin line refused to let that happen and dominated that next shift against the Eakin line and the Sabres could never get back to that early 3rd period short lived dominance.

When a bad team is ready to throw in the towel, don't let them off the hook.

My expectation (hope?) is that this poor game will be something they can learn & grow from.  The other hope (expectation?) is that Ullmark's early season moments of lost focus were due to the distractions of his father & his family and that the Linus we saw last night was the culmination of his growth into a true legit NHL #1 goalie.  If that is the case, they still need Hutton to be better than he started, but it isn't needed as desperately as we feared.  Can't wait to watch Linus in his next start to see who he likely really is.

[jsb]

My thoughts on the game: 

• If this is the Ullmark we're going to get this year, we have a #1 GK, no doubt he gets that point for us
• Worst game I've seen Jack play in quite awhile, having said that when a player of his ilk has that bad a game they respond next game
• I've said this before but competing is not this team's #1 issue, cohesion is, way too many turnovers and bad passes
• Teams sure are taking some liberties with some dirty hits on this team, do we need an enforcer to clean things up??
• There were 3 times in this game I thought holy crappola Dahlin looks really fast, I don't think I've ever thought that before, keep it up young man
• Hall is playing ok but he's not dominating play like I thought he would. 
• Okposo isn't playing necessarily bad but he could use a breather, expect a young guy to take his place this weekend
• Olofsson's all around game is better this year, he looks faster and is seeing the ice better 
• HCRK you've had 8 games so far, figure out your lines and stick with it so this team can find some chemistry
• Irwin has played better than I would have expected when we signed him, nice pickup for the backend, same for Sheahan

[inkman]

32 minutes ago, jsb said:

My thoughts on the game: 

• If this is the Ullmark we're going to get this year, we have a #1 GK, no doubt he gets that point for us
• Worst game I've seen Jack play in quite awhile, having said that when a player of his ilk has that bad a game they respond next game
• I've said this before but competing is not this team's #1 issue, cohesion is, way too many turnovers and bad passes
• Teams sure are taking some liberties with some dirty hits on this team, do we need an enforcer to clean things up??
• There were 3 times in this game I thought holy crappola Dahlin looks really fast, I don't think I've ever thought that before, keep it up young man
• Hall is playing ok but he's not dominating play like I thought he would. 
• Okposo isn't playing necessarily bad but he could use a breather, expect a young guy to take his place this weekend
• Olofsson's all around game is better this year, he looks faster and is seeing the ice better 
• HCRK you've had 8 games so far, figure out your lines and stick with it so this team can find some chemistry
• Irwin has played better than I would have expected when we signed him, nice pickup for the backend, same for Sheahan

I couldn’t agree more about cohesion.  Not sure if it was something the Rags were doing but man did the puck handling and passing look brutal.  Every pass was in their skates, minus Reino to Jack, seemingly every bounce went to a Ranger.  I still think these guys are wound too tight.  
 

Dahlin should have planted that butthole in the bench on his hip check. Then, when said butthole went looking for Rasmus, Dahlin should have introduced his stick to his face.  You don’t have to fight to get guys a little leery of coming after you.  Get dirty.  Spear him in the nads, cross-check him in the face, butt end him in the chin.  Let these buttholes know to stay the ***** away or they are going to get hurt.  Enforcers didn’t work when they were a thing and they certainly won’t work in today’s NHL.  Get Will Borgen in the lineup.  You got scumbags?  We got one too, he can play and he’s meaner than your scumbag. 
 

Hall is just off.  I can’t remember a play on the ice where he looked dangerous. I think he’s squeezing it harder than everyone. Every time he gets the puck in a high danger area, he turns into Sobotka.  
 

I’ve read many a peep criticizing Kyle for his lack of speed.  The two plays where he looked bad last night he somehow got the puck when he was standing still. Not sure how or why but you can’t exactly tell a guy he’s slow when he’s deliberately not moving. He’s been steady, much more so than most of the bottom 6.  
 

No one answered why the Eakin line started over Jack’s line.  I can’t help but wonder if that is contributing to the deflation of our team’s psyche.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 minutes ago, inkman said:

I couldn’t agree more about cohesion.  Not sure if it was something the Rags were doing but man did the puck handling and passing look brutal.  Every pass was in their skates, minus Reino to Jack, seemingly every bounce went to a Ranger.  I still think these guys are wound too tight.  
 

Dahlin should have planted that butthole in the bench on his hip check. Then, when said butthole went looking for Rasmus, Dahlin should have introduced his stick to his face.  You don’t have to fight to get guys a little leery of coming after you.  Get dirty.  Spear him in the nads, cross-check him in the face, butt end him in the chin.  Let these buttholes know to stay the ***** away or they are going to get hurt.  Enforcers didn’t work when they were a thing and they certainly won’t work in today’s NHL.  Get Will Borgen in the lineup.  You got scumbags?  We got one too, he can play and he’s meaner than your scumbag. 
 

Hall is just off.  I can’t remember a play on the ice where he looked dangerous. I think he’s squeezing it harder than everyone. Every time he gets the puck in a high danger area, he turns into Sobotka.  
 

I’ve read many a peep criticizing Kyle for his lack of speed.  The two plays where he looked bad last night he somehow got the puck when he was standing still. Not sure how or why but you can’t exactly tell a guy he’s slow when he’s deliberately not moving. He’s been steady, much more so than most of the bottom 6.  
 

No one answered why the Eakin line started over Jack’s line.  I can’t help but wonder if that is contributing to the deflation of our team’s psyche.  

The Eakin Line is RK's checking/shutdown line and he wanted to counteract the Panarin line.  Didn't work.