GDT-Sabres @ Kings 10/31/21-4:00pm est

[JohnC]

9 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The Sabres beat the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are the heaviest team in the league. The Sabres lost this game because they didn't skate and don't have the talent to overcome that. The physical nature of the game was because Buffalo didn't skate otherwise we would have seen Buffalo play a more physical game like they did against several teams they beat earlier in the year. 

The Sabres are not talented enough. 

Who is saying otherwise? This isn't a revelation that you are making. It is stating the obvious for a rebuilding team. 

[PerreaultForever]

11 hours ago, Sabel79 said:

There are many ways to be tough. Dylan Cozens does not need to be fighting. Ever.  Come to think of it, nobody does, really, but that's a wider conversation.

Giving dude a smile and thanking him for the power play might have benefitted the team more in that situation...

Talk to Dylan Cozens about it and I guarantee you he would disagree with you. 

It's still hockey. It always will be hockey, and if you let yourself get pushed around teams will intimidate you and dominate you. It's not rocket science, it's more like school yard rules. 

Dylan Cozens is fine. 

[pi2000]

I was in attendance and they looked like the same old Sabres for 90% of the game.   

Had a couple shifts where they looked determined to make something happen, but for the most part they appeared to simply go through the motions.   

My wife...  "They're good this year?!   Are the Kings good?  Because they look better blah blah blah....."    SMH

[JohnC]

14 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

That 3 lackluster performances in a row and tonight that lacked the discipline that they have had all season.  Their game lacked the joy of earlier games.  

If there is a positive takeaway from this game it is the quality of goalie play. I can't think of one game in which I can say our goalies underperformed. Considering what most of us expected (including me) that is a pleasant surprise. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by JohnC

[Stoner]

I thought it was funny how, on Dahlin's ill-fated pinch that led to an odd man rush for the Kings, Rasmus recovered enough to push the other Rasmus in the back to help propel him down the ice. Can't say I've seen that move too many times.

[Claude Balls]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

I was in attendance and they looked like the same old Sabres for 90% of the game.   

Had a couple shifts where they looked determined to make something happen, but for the most part they appeared to simply go through the motions.   

My wife...  "They're good this year?!   Are the Kings good?  Because they look better blah blah blah....."    SMH

I haven't watched much yet, but I saw the third period against the Ducks. They looked just like they did with RK. 3-0 lead and they sit back and get dominated. 1 SOG in the 3rd is unacceptable. Then they blew it again against the Kings. The first few games they seemed to keep their foot on the gas for 60 mins. Last few games....same old garbage.

[Sabel79]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Talk to Dylan Cozens about it and I guarantee you he would disagree with you. 

It's still hockey. It always will be hockey, and if you let yourself get pushed around teams will intimidate you and dominate you. It's not rocket science, it's more like school yard rules. 

Dylan Cozens is fine. 

Dylan Cozens is 20 years old, and as such is likely an idiot of unimaginable proportions, as is literally every 20 year old.  That’s why we have coaches.  Help kids learn to be not so dumb.  
 

I’m aware of what hockey is, and if you’ve been watching much of it for the past 25 years you’ll have noticed that fighting is down rather a lot.  To hear extinction levels.  I guess everyone’s just a wuss now….  Soon we’ll be putting everyone’s name on the cup every year so nobody feels bad and stop keeping score, probably.  
 

 

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, Claude Balls said:

I haven't watched much yet, but I saw the third period against the Ducks. They looked just like they did with RK. 3-0 lead and they sit back and get dominated. 1 SOG in the 3rd is unacceptable. Then they blew it again against the Kings. The first few games they seemed to keep their foot on the gas for 60 mins. Last few games....same old garbage.

I’d say the main difference between Granato and Krueger’s 3rd period collapses are based on the team itself.

Krueger wanted them to play defense and thus the team would inevitably fall into a turtle formation. Under Granato It looks different; it isn’t as much intentional as it is a product of wear. When we play more physical teams, we seem to run out of gas in the 3rd and have to little of energy to push the opponent’s players back with our forecheck. But we don’t stop forechecking; only it loses its overall effectiveness. 
 

Essentially Krueger would hold out in the fort and get besieged until they lost where as Granato sallies forth until exhaustion this effectively forcing the team into the fort.

Edited November 1, 2021 by thewookie1

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, Sabel79 said:

Dylan Cozens is 20 years old, and as such is likely an idiot of unimaginable proportions, as is literally every 20 year old.  That’s why we have coaches.  Help kids learn to be not so dumb.  
 

I’m aware of what hockey is, and if you’ve been watching much of it for the past 25 years you’ll have noticed that fighting is down rather a lot.  To hear extinction levels.  I guess everyone’s just a wuss now….  Soon we’ll be putting everyone’s name on the cup every year so nobody feels bad and stop keeping score, probably.  
 

 

Not sure what his age or how smart he is has to with anything. Care to explain that? It's a stereotype to think only dumb players fight. A false one. 

As for fighting being down from 25 years ago, of course it is, but it's far from gone. 

https://www.hockeyfights.com/fightlog

I think I counted 15 in the last week (including Cozens one). That seems up from last year but definitely not gone regardless. 

Look at how every cup winner added muscle, beefed up, and fought at least one opponent in their cup runs. You think the Rangers added Reeves for his good looks and off ice flair? Come on man, it's hockey. 

Dylan got in a fight, he lost a fight, but he stood up okay, he will be just fine and he will fight again. Or would you like to swap his roster spot for Casey Nelson? 

[Sabel79]

Narrowing things down to this specific instance: Cozens needs to know that nothing good can come from him fighting, he’s better served on the ice instead of the box, with two fully functional hands.  Fighting isn’t the only measure of toughness, and its days are numbered in any event.  
 

I suppose we’ll have to agree to disagree.  
 

[Taro T]

10 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I think they are tired. And other teams are starting to game plan for them. Maybe Donnie needs to tone down practice some to keep them fresh.

That said, they still generated chances to score in the third. Hopefully Mitts is back soon. Not panic mode yet.

They might be tired.  If they are, then Granato's strategy appears to be unsustainable.  They can't be gassed 3 weeks into a 26 week slog.

Hoping it's more a case of other teams finally starting to view them as NHLers.  Which leaves this a long season, but still allows for hope when there is more talent throughout the lineup.  (A fair amount of which will arrive simply by these kids being a year or 2-3 older.)

But, if that's the case, hope the Pegulas budgeted for 8,000 strong crowds for the foreseeable future (once the border reopens; 4-5,000 until then).

At least the next team up is the Snarks.  They tend to cure a lot of Sabres ills.

[SDS]

2 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Not sure what his age or how smart he is has to with anything. Care to explain that? It's a stereotype to think only dumb players fight. A false one. 

As for fighting being down from 25 years ago, of course it is, but it's far from gone. 

https://www.hockeyfights.com/fightlog

I think I counted 15 in the last week (including Cozens one). That seems up from last year but definitely not gone regardless. 

Look at how every cup winner added muscle, beefed up, and fought at least one opponent in their cup runs. You think the Rangers added Reeves for his good looks and off ice flair? Come on man, it's hockey. 

Dylan got in a fight, he lost a fight, but he stood up okay, he will be just fine and he will fight again. Or would you like to swap his roster spot for Casey Nelson? 

It’s down to about 1 out of every 6 games. Please stop pretending this is a thing anymore.  Teams, coaches and players have moved on. Soon it will be one in seven games and soon after that it will be one in eight games.

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, SDS said:

It’s down to about 1 out of every 6 games. Please stop pretending this is a thing anymore.  Teams, coaches and players have moved on. Soon it will be one in seven games and soon after that it will be one in eight games.

But it is a thing. Proof is right there in that fight log. Nobody's debating there's less of it than in the old days but sometimes you still have to step up. 

I am dead sure this isn't the case, but if the Sabres as an organization admonished Cozens for having that fight, if Granato told him not to fight in the future (as some seem to want) then this team is clueless and I'm out the door cause we will never win in the playoffs if we ever get there with an approach like that. 

I am 100% sure that's not their view however, that's just the view of a small number of the fanbase who don't have a clue. 

[SDS]

46 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

But it is a thing. Proof is right there in that fight log. Nobody's debating there's less of it than in the old days but sometimes you still have to step up. 

I am dead sure this isn't the case, but if the Sabres as an organization admonished Cozens for having that fight, if Granato told him not to fight in the future (as some seem to want) then this team is clueless and I'm out the door cause we will never win in the playoffs if we ever get there with an approach like that. 

I am 100% sure that's not their view however, that's just the view of a small number of the fanbase who don't have a clue. 

[MattPie]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

But it is a thing. Proof is right there in that fight log. Nobody's debating there's less of it than in the old days but sometimes you still have to step up. 

I am dead sure this isn't the case, but if the Sabres as an organization admonished Cozens for having that fight, if Granato told him not to fight in the future (as some seem to want) then this team is clueless and I'm out the door cause we will never win in the playoffs if we ever get there with an approach like that. 

I am 100% sure that's not their view however, that's just the view of a small number of the fanbase who don't have a clue. 

I believe the stock announcer phrase is, "The Kings will take that trade-off all day; their wing for the Sabres current #1 Center". You don't fight the pest if you're on the first line, you draw a penalty and smile at him as he skates over to the box for 2.

[bunomatic]

4 minutes ago, MattPie said:

I believe the stock announcer phrase is, "The Kings will take that trade-off all day; their wing for the Sabres current #1 Center". You don't fight the pest if you're on the first line, you draw a penalty and smile at him as he skates over to the box for 2.

I think the pest should have gotten the extra two on that one. Perhaps Dylan put too much faith in the official getting the call right ?

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, SDS said:

There is absolutely nothing less tiresome than people with nothing to say dragging out old memes like they're meaningful punctuation points. Weak and just too easy and ultimately meaningless. 

I mean if you just have to at least have some class and use the good version of the Office

 

 

1 hour ago, MattPie said:

I believe the stock announcer phrase is, "The Kings will take that trade-off all day; their wing for the Sabres current #1 Center". You don't fight the pest if you're on the first line, you draw a penalty and smile at him as he skates over to the box for 2.

Since when is Cozens the top line???

[MattPie]

8 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Since when is Cozens the top line???

Someone said it further up, but sure, he's probably #2 behind Thompson for scoring centers. That's still not a trade off you take. Murray or even Girgensons can deal with the pest if needed, but the point stands: having Cozens off the ice hurts the Sabres and helps the Kings.

[Pimlach]

14 hours ago, Sabel79 said:

Narrowing things down to this specific instance: Cozens needs to know that nothing good can come from him fighting, he’s better served on the ice instead of the box, with two fully functional hands.  Fighting isn’t the only measure of toughness, and its days are numbered in any event.  
 

I suppose we’ll have to agree to disagree.  
 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, MattPie said:

Someone said it further up, but sure, he's probably #2 behind Thompson for scoring centers. That's still not a trade off you take. Murray or even Girgensons can deal with the pest if needed, but the point stands: having Cozens off the ice hurts the Sabres and helps the Kings.

Well see "scoring center" is a bit of a wish fulfillment at this point don't you think? One assist in his last 5 games, he has 5 goals in his entire NHL career. Five minutes in the box really not going to hurt us too much. 

Cozens isn't a finesse player. He doesn't need a bodyguard. If he develops (big IF) I see him more as a Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry type (although at this point no signs he will be that good) definitely NOT a soft fast big point scorer type. 

Beef him up, let him play his game. Use his strengths and let him be himself, and that, as I'm sure he'd tell you himself, will involve the occasional fight. 

[MattPie]

29 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well see "scoring center" is a bit of a wish fulfillment at this point don't you think? One assist in his last 5 games, he has 5 goals in his entire NHL career. Five minutes in the box really not going to hurt us too much. 

Cozens isn't a finesse player. He doesn't need a bodyguard. If he develops (big IF) I see him more as a Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry type (although at this point no signs he will be that good) definitely NOT a soft fast big point scorer type. 

Beef him up, let him play his game. Use his strengths and let him be himself, and that, as I'm sure he'd tell you himself, will involve the occasional fight. 

Very true, Cozens will be a disappointment if his byline is "can fight, doesn't put up many points". That's a JAG that is a waste of a high draft pick.

[PerreaultForever]

9 hours ago, MattPie said:

Very true, Cozens will be a disappointment if his byline is "can fight, doesn't put up many points". That's a JAG that is a waste of a high draft pick.

I don't think that'll be the case, but I do think he'd benefit from a stint in Rochester right now.