GDT: 2/27/21, 1pm Philadelphia @ Buffalo, MSG & ESPN+

[Doohicksie]

5 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

The writing was on the wall early on to be honest. Eichel alone is a 80 to 100 point a season, 40 goal player, in an organization that has good management/coaching. The Sabres are not that team.

In the end, we have a real opportunity to cleanse the entire culture. The players are obviously emotionally detached from winning here. The coaching staff is clueless. The General Management team is completely inept, sure, covid is a contributing factor, but hardly large, other teams are making moves after all.

I mean, you have Staal on the interview, right now, openly admitting confidence is shot. What more is there to say? The confidence issue is "culture", and that is the core of the problem. Remove the components that are the issue of that, management, coaching staff and those players inflicted by it, hire an experienced, successful President of Hockey Operations (Lou type) and this all changes. But a majority of the current organization will have to be jettisoned imho.

I think the entire coaching staff needs to go now.  And when the trade deadline comes, if they're still dead in the water, trade every last one of the players.  We need a totally clean break.

[Andrew Amerk]

12 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

You have a point.  We're supposed to be able to submit videos for consideration for them to use.  We should start posting on Bills Mafia pages to send in BOOOO videos.

If we can raise a half million dollars for Lamar Jackson's charity, we can probably get several hundred BOOO videos.  That might catch their attention.

Maybe that dude that held the “protest” outside of the arena was onto something.

Social media was all over it, but only like 6 people showed up, and the Sabres came out and gave them hot chocolate like “thanks for trying!”

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Andrew Amerk said:

I liked the Ralph hire at the time.

To be a Sabres fan is to be an eternal optimist.  It *will* get better, right?  But early on RFK just seemed to spew double speak, platitudes and mindless jargon.  He talks all day and never says anything.  It has always driven me nuts but I was hoping the players got something out of it.

I'm pretty sure at this point he does the same with the team when he's coaching.  I was hoping that wasn't the case but it seems clear to me.  They don't play his system well because the system is a lie:  There is no system.

[Kruppstahl]

5 hours ago, Carmel Corn said:

The playoffs seem so far, far away.....

 

 

5 hours ago, eman said:

Watching some of the Nashville/Columbus first period now. Huge difference in effort, speed, passing, hitting etc. Both clubs playing hard. Like night and day between that game and this one. It also shows how far away this Sabre club is from achieving anything. 

 

 

5 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

RK postgame:

Blames the busy schedule for preventing the players from matching Flyers energy (Sabres had played eight games, Flyers had played four in the same time period).  Says this, along with lack of practices, has caused a lack of sharpness and confidence.

Points out that defensive zone puck management was bad.  It seemed to be a tendency today to over-complicate and over-pass on offense too.

"There's no easy magic here.  It's grind, it's character, it's grit and bite that we need to find."

 

I listened to the entire post game show just now.

I'm beginning to think that Ralph is largely full of *****.

I have never really supported his coaching, but I now actually he's just full of *****.

 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Kruppstahl

[Andrew Amerk]

5 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

To be a Sabres fan is to be an eternal optimist.  It *will* get better, right?  But early on RFK just seemed to spew double speak, platitudes and mindless jargon.  He talks all day and never says anything.  It has always driven me nuts but I was hoping the players got something out of it.

I'm pretty sure at this point he does the same with the team when he's coaching.  I was hoping that wasn't the case but it seems clear to me.  They don't play his system well because the system is a lie:  There is no system.

To be fair “to be faaaairrrrrrrr” the players were “running through the walls” for him in the very beginning. Players said they loved him. He’s why Hall came here. 

Butttttt it seems he grew very stale, very fast. Just move on NOW. The Sabres took a flyer on him, rolled the dice on him, it was a noble gamble. It didn’t work. 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Andrew Amerk

[Carmel Corn]

6 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

To be a Sabres fan is to be an eternal optimist.  It *will* get better, right?  But early on RFK just seemed to spew double speak, platitudes and mindless jargon.  He talks all day and never says anything.  It has always driven me nuts but I was hoping the players got something out of it.

I'm pretty sure at this point he does the same with the team when he's coaching.  I was hoping that wasn't the case but it seems clear to me.  They don't play his system well because the system is a lie:  There is no system.

Ralph is better suited for politics, not professional sports.  In sports, if you don't win...you're out of a job.  In politics, you can have a LONG, LONG career if you're good at "spew double speak, platitudes and mindless jargon, etc."!  In politics, Ralph would not have to worry about accountability.  I say he missed his calling.

Edited February 28, 2021 by Carmel Corn

[Andrew Amerk]

5 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

Ralph is better suited for politics, not professional sports.  In sports, if you don't win...you're out of a job.  In politics, you can have a LONG, LONG career if you're good at "spew double speak, platitudes and mindless jargon, etc."!  In politics, Ralph would not have to worry about accountability.  I say he missed his calling.

Have you read his book?

[Carmel Corn]

14 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

Have you read his book?

Can't say I have....I'll do that right after I attend former GM Tim Murray's stand-up comedy routine.

[Andrew Amerk]

3 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

Can't say I have....I'll do that right after I attend former GM Tim Murray's stand-up comedy routine.

I think the book is only in German. So, I hope you can read platitudes in German. 

[pi2000]

Philly is the class of the East, a top 3 team in the league.   

Did anybody really expect a close game with Hutton and no Eichel?   

This coulda and prolly shoulda been closer to a 6-2 game, and I expect that's what we'll see tomorrow. 

 

[inkman]

I am choosing optimism in the darkest of hours 

[Doohicksie]

16 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

I think the book is only in German. So, I hope you can read platitudes in German. 

German and translated into French.  I don't believe it's been released in English. 

I just found it on Amazon and the translation of the German title to English is:  Team life: through defeat to success. 

 

 

 

 

So of course we must be in the defeat phase.

[Andrew Amerk]

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

German and translated into French.  I don't believe it's been released in English. 

I just found it on Amazon and the translation of the German title to English is:  Team life: through defeat to success. 

 

 

 

 

So of course we must be in the defeat phase.

This is disappointing. I thought we were in the MIST WUN phase. 

[pi2000]

[Carmel Corn]

21 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

For some reason, this image reminds me of Captain America facing Thanos army by himself....

[Sabel79]

I forgot this game was happening and then saw the score, so I have nothing to say about the game.  Upon reading RK's post-game comments, I've seen enough.  Time for a hockey coach of some description to take charge of this team.  

I'll even take Torts or some other troglodyte at this point (as well as that is guaranteed not to end, if only for the entertainment value gained before the inevitable train wreck). 

I think we'd all sign up for a different kind of train wreck at this point.  

[Andrew Amerk]

3 minutes ago, Sabel79 said:

I forgot this game was happening and then saw the score, so I have nothing to say about the game.  Upon reading RK's post-game comments, I've seen enough.  Time for a hockey coach of some description to take charge of this team.  

I'll even take Torts or some other troglodyte at this point (as well as that is guaranteed not to end, if only for the entertainment value gained before the inevitable train wreck). 

I think we'd all sign up for a different kind of train wreck at this point.  

I’m all for a team train wreck led by Gallant or Boudreau at this point. Can’t be any worse than now 

[DarthEbriate]

9 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

I’m all for a team train wreck led by Gallant or Boudreau at this point. Can’t be any worse than now 

Any coach, even a retread, that would get these players to look like a real hockey team that plays at NHL speed regardless of who is on the ice, and has some shred of battle consistently from game to game (not even shift to shift)... and maybe even gets average play out of the likes of Hall, Eichel, Eakin, and Montour and Joker would make this team amazingly better. And... respectable. Goaltending could still sink them. But at least they could look like an NHL team that plays for each other and has each other’s back. 

[Andrew Amerk]

3 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Any coach, even a retread, that would get these players to look like a real hockey team that plays at NHL speed regardless of who is on the ice, and has some shred of battle consistently from game to game (not even shift to shift)... and maybe even gets average play out of the likes of Hall, Eichel, Eakin, and Montour and Joker would make this team amazingly better. And... respectable. Goaltending could still sink them. But at least they could look like an NHL team that plays for each other and has each other’s back. 

The current team, if I’m understanding correctly, is coached to play defense first. 

Well, that’s fine if you have a decent goalie. Hutton isn’t. It’s time to flip the switch and play offense. Time for a new coach. 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Andrew Amerk

[pi2000]

3 stud: Mittlestadt, Rieder, Eakin

3 duds: Reinhart, Bryson, Hall

[Andrew Amerk]

3 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

3 stud: Mittlestadt, Rieder, Eakin

3 duds: Reinhart, Bryson, Hall

The score was 3-0. The Sabres had zero studs. 

[DarthEbriate]

3 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

The current team, if I’m understanding correctly, is coached to play defense first. 

Well, that’s fine if you have a decent goalie. Hutton isn’t. It’s time to flip the switch and play offense. Time for a new coach. 

And if you’re going to go defense/suppression as your primary mode then you need to become a counter-transition team. The isles are good at this. The Hasek-Sabres were the poster child for this. And that means you need to look like you have a clue what you’re doing when you get a 2-on-1. And you need to get the puck and explode up ice because that is your primary form of offense. Ullmark makes a save... full attack!

[Andrew Amerk]

1 minute ago, DarthEbriate said:

And if you’re going to go defense/suppression as your primary mode then you need to become a counter-transition team. The isles are good at this. The Hasek-Sabres were the poster child for this. And that means you need to look like you have a clue what you’re doing when you get a 2-on-1. And you need to get the puck and explode up ice because that is your primary form of offense. Ullmark makes a save... full attack!

This isn’t going to happen under the current coach. 

[DarthEbriate]

Just now, Andrew Amerk said:

This isn’t going to happen under the current coach. 

Exactly. The best coaches adapt to what they have available. The best players make the best coaches look better. But the best coach can take a bunch of players and get a team out of them. 

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Philly is the class of the East, a top 3 team in the league.   

Did anybody really expect a close game with Hutton and no Eichel?   

This coulda and prolly shoulda been closer to a 6-2 game, and I expect that's what we'll see tomorrow. 

 

Really? They didn't look special. If the Sabres didn't play like they were drugged...