GDT:The Season Opener! Montreal at Buffalo 10/14/21 7pm MSG, WGR550

[triumph_communes]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

What did people think of Cozens? I thought he looked good.

I saw no signs of the troubling tentativeness from the preseason. He looked fast and hard on the puck.

It occurred to me that he is pretty much the poster child for the game style Donnie wants this team to play.

Wasn’t impressed. Wasn’t concerned. I was concerned in pre season. 

[bob_sauve28]

Just throwing this in here: 

Quote

In action for three games during the team’s six-game preseason, the 28-year-old Ullmark posted an 0-0-2 record and finished with an .839 save percentage with 10 goals allowed on 62 shots faced. Among the group of 27 goalies with at least 100 minutes played this preseason, that .839 ranked as the fourth-worst, beating only the Hurricanes’ Antti Raanta (.831), Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (.836), and the Devils’ Jonathan Bernier (.836). Ullmark also had the fourth-worst high-danger save percentage (.696) and saved the fourth-worst goals saved above average (-3.66).

In other words, there’s work to be done.

 

https://985thesportshub.com/2021/10/07/everybody-knows-the-bruins-will-need-more-from-linus-ullmark/

[Taro T]

16 hours ago, ubkev said:

Didn't announce Eichel, or did I miss it?

Did not announce Eichel.  As if completely cutting him out of the team's promotional materials didn't say strongly enough that he's persona non grata,this was the exclamation point.

Couple of other observations from the game:

There were 4 sections that had 25 or fewer fans in them.  Section 301 took the crown with only 15 people in it.

Official attendance was just over 8,000 but there's no way there were more than 3,000 people that paid to be in the building.  If there were 8,000 people there that's including every single concessions stand worker, the reporters, the coaching staffs, & both teams.  Considering how few people were in the stands, believe we did a reasonable job of making noise.

Was at the Hasek banner raising ceremony, had forgot that Robert & Gare carried it out onto the ice.

Not sure how the Sabres managed to introduce their players in numerical order but had both teams players listed alphabetically in the program.  Yes, they really did list the players in alphabetical order.  At least it was in alphabetical order by last name rather than 1st.

Anderson played like he always does in in our barn.  He was the 3rd star but could easily have been the 1st star.  Hopefully they don't burn him out.

After he scored, Okposo was on fire.

That 1st PP unit was awful.  Even if Mittelstadt can play tomorrow, they should be making some adjustments to it personnel-wise.  Hope Mitts isn't out long.

Did not expect to see Bryson on the PK, but he did well there.  It was Moe-ray-all he was going against who might have a historically bad PP, but the PK looked good in general.

Cozens seemed to pick his game up from where it was in the preseason.  Hinostroza seemed to be around the puck a lot.

2 bad teams (Moe-ray-all minus Price & Weber is NOT good) but a fun game to be at.

Arizona is very beatable - here's to going 2-0.

[PromoTheRobot]

20 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Arizona is very beatable - here's to going 2-0.

Every point is going to matter. #NoTank

[SwampD]

Underappreciated in the game last night (I think, I didn't go back and read the thread) was Miller's play on the Zemgus goal.

Yes he fanned on the first shot, but on the goal, I really don't think he was shooting there and that pass to Gus, for the deflection, was really nice.

 

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by SwampD
Even I din't know what I was trying to say.

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Underappreciated in the game last night (I think, I didn't go back and read the thread) was Miller's play on the Zemgus goal.

Yes he fanned on the first shot, but I really don't think he was shooting there and that pass to Gus, for the deflection, was really nice.

Miller is another one who makes mistakes, but they are almost always mistakes of commission, not omission.

His style fits the Granato profile. Kinda weird he wasn't used more when Don first took over when I come to think about it.

[Cal Naughton Jr]

49 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Just throwing this in here: 

https://985thesportshub.com/2021/10/07/everybody-knows-the-bruins-will-need-more-from-linus-ullmark/

[Stoner]

5 hours ago, inkman said:

Hard to tell where that stops and the Eichel stuff starts 

Not really.

[Doohicksie]

7 hours ago, SDS said:

9 hours ago, inkman said:

Didn’t get a chance to watch.   Was looking forward to reading this thread after that kind of game and it’s turned into another Eichel thread.  This place is almost unreadable.  

Piss off.

Inky's right, you know.  At this point, talking about Eichel in a GDT is like talking about the Tank in a GDT back in the day.  There's no reason to drag that sorry sonofabitch's name into what should be a happy place.

[Doohicksie]

7 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

@ThornyI wouldn't call support for Granato near unanimous. A good number wanted a name. Gallant and Boudreau come to mind. Most who were okay with Donny considered him a caretaker until a "real coach" came along. Few saw him as the answer.

And realistically, he might be able to get us *to* the playoffs, but not *through* the playoffs, all the way to a Cup win.  We'll see.  I think it would be a pretty good story arc if he got us knocking on the door but decided to retire, only to be replaced by Matt Ellis, the Matt Ellis of coaching replacements, and the Sabres in it all 😄

[Doohicksie]

6 hours ago, Pimlach said:

The player that surprised me the most was Haag.  Blocking shots like it was a playoff game.  TEAM.

Yep.  Hägg (yes, the umlaut is part of his name.... I didn't realize he's Swedish until I checked the spelling) is not bad.  I think he's a less Ristoer Risto.  Or maybe as someone else mentioned a Mike Weber type.  Leave it all out there, play with what you've got.  I don't expect him to score as many points as Risto but he'll probably contribute a few.

[Doohicksie]

6 hours ago, Zamboni said:

When more teams have footage of the way the Sabres are playing and the way DG coaches, I think a lot of teams are going to eat our lunch. I certainly hope that’s not the case.

And then Donny Meatballs will switch up the menu.  I think he's probably already considered what  you're saying and is thinking about how to react to inevitable countermeasures.  Realistically we saw that to an extent last season.  He's said stuff along the lines of you have to win with the team you've got (which sounds a lot like Lindy), so I think he's already thinking of different approaches (perhaps tweaks to change him the team's tendencies in terms of zone exits/entries, etc.)

[Doohicksie]

6 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

The issue with Jack is, when he is your captain, he is your highest paid player,  your most 'talented' player, the the player the fans buy the most jerseys of......you don't have him adjust to the style of the coach or the rest of the team..instead you let him play how he wants to play.

Except for the captain part, Skinner is arguably now that guy.  He still plays like Skinner, sure, but you can see a concerted effort on his part to play the system too.  I think the Granato dressing room is a meritocracy from the standpoint of "What have you done for me lately?"  Players who do not do what they are asked to do are sidelined.  The biggest surprise (and to many here including me, disappointment) is Eakin.  Disappointed that he's on the roster and and playing, but surprised that he's playing.... within Granato's system which makes him look pretty good.

If Granato did nothing else, he's fixed the physical conditioning of the team.  Sure other teams with more talent will be able to outplay the Sabres for stretches, but if the Sabres have better conditioning, they will be able to play the full 60 minutes at a high pace and that will probably contribute at least a few wins this season.

[Pimlach]

27 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Yep.  Hägg (yes, the umlaut is part of his name.... I didn't realize he's Swedish until I checked the spelling) is not bad.  I think he's a less Ristoer Risto.  Or maybe as someone else mentioned a Mike Weber type.  Leave it all out there, play with what you've got.  I don't expect him to score as many points as Risto but he'll probably contribute a few.

I would agree that Hägg is more like Weber, and I think we need a guy like that.  

[inkman]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Not really.

Piss off?  That seems to be ok to say to anyone now. 

[JoeSchmoe]

6 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

Wasn’t impressed. Wasn’t concerned. I was concerned in pre season. 

Weren't impressed?! That first Okposo goal doesn't happen with Cozens ability to gain the zone and back off the defenders.

[Norcal]

From Kyle with Love

 

[triumph_communes]

1 hour ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Weren't impressed?! That first Okposo goal doesn't happen with Cozens ability to gain the zone and back off the defenders.

Oh god he skated into the zone around the perimeter. Plan the parade 

[JoeSchmoe]

45 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:

Oh god he skated into the zone around the perimeter. Plan the parade 

And backed the D right back into their net. Normally the attacking player should be angled into the boards at the half wall, ending the play.

[dudacek]

3 hours ago, Norcal said:

From Kyle with Love

 

I’ll say it again: I want to believe.

[thewookie1]

If there's one thing I like about Hagg is that he still plays like a Flyer, dirty. The Sabres need some of that.

[Stoner]

3 hours ago, Norcal said:

From Kyle with Love

 

Remember that time Jack wrote us a love letter?

[Norcal]

7 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Remember that time Jack wrote us a love letter?

No

[Weave]

8 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Remember that time Jack wrote us a love letter?

That was more like a drunken proclamation.

[PromoTheRobot]

21 hours ago, Zamboni said:

When more teams have footage of the way the Sabres are playing and the way DG coaches, I think a lot of teams are going to eat our lunch. I certainly hope that’s not the case.

The thing is any team that figures the Sabres out will have to skate for 60+ minutes to do whatever it is they plan to do. Because the Sabres are not taking their foot of the gas, if what Kyle Okposo is telling us is true.