GDT - Red Wings @ Sabres - January 17, 2022 - 1:00 PM (EST) - SN and MSG-B / WGR

[sabremike]

2 hours ago, Dreams Burn Down said:

Ask yourself this, if we are tanking, and the evidence is mounting in favor of this, why would we hire a coach with a proven track record, such as Boudreau?

You answered your own question, which is also why the Pegula Sabres are the biggest armpit of an organization in modern hockey history and the least successful in all of hockey history. 

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, tom webster said:

You should know, I have no belief in building a winning culture or momentum carrying over to next year. Good players develop no matter what is out before them. Next year will be the beginning of having an actual NHL roster again and nothing that happens till April will have any effect on the team’s play next year. If this team sent being compared to the last ten years, more people would be optimistic than not. I get it, everyone’s perception is colored by the reality of what has transpired since the tank. I choose not to look at it that way.

I don't subscribe to the belief that this organization has little chance to succeed. I have stated before that I'm cautiously optimistic about the near future. But I'm troubled that the psychology of persistent losing can be a negative influence on players. ROR was a good player who wanted out. Jack was one of the best players in the league who wanted out. Reinhart wanted out. Ullmark wanted out. Risto wanted out. Each of the listed players were tired of losing and lost confidence that the organization had the ability to turn things around in a reasonable period of time. 

Dahlin is arguably the most talented player on this team. And he is a young player. However, he has known nothing but team failure without a sniff of the playoffs. The same losing scenario applies to our other young players, players who are expected to be part of our long-term core. It has to factor in when their next contract comes up to be negotiated. 

Next year, it is expected that more young players will be funneled up from the lower ranks to the NHL club, and some of them will be moving up sooner, sometime this year. In the end the most determinative factor for success in a team sport is the amount of talent. But I wouldn't be dismissive about the culture issue and that success breeds confidence and success while failure breeds negativity and less success. 

[Taro T]

5 hours ago, Eleven said:

I just noticed that the Sabres don't have ads on their helmets, which is cool.

They do on the white ones.  KeyBank.

[tom webster]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I bolded the stuff I disagree with most.  

My opinion.  You get better by improving first within the year, and then year over year.   Simple.  

No matter how low the bar is set in Buffalo, they just don’t do that.  

Why?  Because the FO and coaching staff can’t ever get this team playing better within the same year.  How about getting better as the season goes on?  Like Detroit is doing.  Growth has to be measured by improvement in W-L.  The players have to get that.  In Buffalo it’s wait until next year, this year doesn’t count yet.  ***** on that, it is killing the franchise.
 

Set high expectations and go for it in manageable steps.  But go for it now.  No wonder the place is empty. 

We are playing worse now that at the start of the season, or at any point actually.  Very few players look better now than the did at the start of the  year, overall this is a wasted season once again.  That means “The TEAM” is not improving yet.   

The strategy is that next year we get rid of some the worst players and add four or five rookies and then we try to get better?  Right?  Is next year the year we can start measuring performance?  Is next year the year they finish stronger and show they belong in the league?  It’s just as likely that they stay bottom 5 with that many rookies playing and then the impatience sets in and a new coach is brought in.   That coach will likely be a low budget first timer.  
 

Wash, rinse, repeat. 

As teams become better, some believe that they have to start winning in order to build momentum and a “winning culture.” You know what also happens to these teams? As they get better, some of the younger players get older and take on larger roles, management, sensing that the team can now compete add some pieces and suddenly, everyone is talking about how the process worked and the team “learned” how to win. I’m just saying, I don’t think what happened in year 2 has any bearing on what happens in year 4. Like Flagg said, there really is no way to come up with an absolute answer to my theory. Hopefully, in two years we are all happy we’re the team is at and you’ll say they finally figured out how to develop players and I’ll say we finally showed some patience and we will both share a drink at a playoff game.

[Taro T]

5 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Since when do coaches get 2 challenges?

Last season.

They now can challenge as many times as they want but all failed challenges result in a bench minor.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Just finished watching the replay.  Total choke in the last 8 minutes.

Krebs isn’t ready for the NHL.  Just not physically strong enough and makes some pretty bad decisions with the puck.  

This team lacks a dynamic forward.  I don’t think we even touched the puck in OT.  Maybe Mitts is that guy if he gets healthy.  Maybe. 

I thought Samuelsson played a solid game, as did Dell.

 

 

[sabremike]

 

[Taro T]

5 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

When was the last time we weren't embarrassing in overtime? 

 

Would guess either in Minnesota - got to the SO.  Or in Anaheim - they actually won that one.

For the most part, OT has been a nightmare this year.

[Taro T]

4 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You missed the good half.

Watched it all (unfortunately) but on a longer tape delay than usual.

Glad you made it there this time.

[Pimlach]

40 minutes ago, tom webster said:

As teams become better, some believe that they have to start winning in order to build momentum and a “winning culture.” You know what also happens to these teams? As they get better, some of the younger players get older and take on larger roles, management, sensing that the team can now compete add some pieces and suddenly, everyone is talking about how the process worked and the team “learned” how to win. I’m just saying, I don’t think what happened in year 2 has any bearing on what happens in year 4. Like Flagg said, there really is no way to come up with an absolute answer to my theory. Hopefully, in two years we are all happy we’re the team is at and you’ll say they finally figured out how to develop players and I’ll say we finally showed some patience and we will both share a drink at a playoff game.

Sounds good. But put me in the patience is good category first, that is what is needed to develop players, which is second.  TRYING to win is the disconnect I have with this team.  The never seem to get that.  

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

 

The difference this time around is that I am not hoping they lose, I guess I just don't really care if they do or not.

I just don’t get this.  I just want to start winning.  

[Gatorman0519]

We need an elite game changing center. I don’t see one on our roster or in the minors. Maybe we land one this draft. Cozens, Mitts, Krebs..  have potential, but they are not superstars. I’m not sure any one of them is more than maybe a decent #2 or #3. 

[SwampD]

8 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

When was the last time we weren't embarrassing in overtime? 

 

OT is all about talent. Which we don’t have. We may survive until a shootout, then win there, but I don’t think we will win a single game in OT this year.

[thewookie1]

6 minutes ago, SwampD said:

OT is all about talent. Which we don’t have. We may survive until a shootout, then win there, but I don’t think we will win a single game in OT this year.

Literally our best hypothetical OT Center is Mitts who has been injured almost the entire season.

[Radar]

9 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

We need an elite game changing center. I don’t see one on our roster or in the minors. Maybe we land one this draft. Cozens, Mitts, Krebs..  have potential, but they are not superstars. I’m not sure any one of them is more than maybe a decent #2 or #3. 

Nice to have an "elite" game changing center for sure but you can win with two to three very good ones.

[JohnC]

12 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Just finished watching the replay.  Total choke in the last 8 minutes.

Krebs isn’t ready for the NHL.  Just not physically strong enough and makes some pretty bad decisions with the puck.  

This team lacks a dynamic forward.  I don’t think we even touched the puck in OT.  Maybe Mitts is that guy if he gets healthy.  Maybe. 

I thought Samuelsson played a solid game, as did Dell.

 

 

I, like you, was impressed with Samuelsson. Although he is a big player he isn't a banger. The two characteristics that stick out is his intelligence reflected in his positioning (rarely caught out of position) and his efficiency (quickly and smartly moves the puck out of his zone). If Risto played with the intelligence that the young Samuelsson already possesses he would have been an all-star. 

I also agree with you that Krebs needs to get stronger. However, for a young player such as him that can be remedied in the offseason. As far as his poor decision making that is due to his inexperience. Just keep playing him and he will learn on the job. If there is a year where mistakes can be absorbed without meaningfully hurting the team, this is the year for it. 

[Stoner]

I think one of my fondest memories of Rick will be the time we spent together yesterday. On a snowy January day, he was in very good form, although his voice started to croak up toward the end. He's still trying to muster up the magic. I called the game along with him, in my best Jeanneret voice, and at least half a dozen times I anticipated the turn of phrase. "he rolls that one in"... "rattled around the boards"... "kicked it into the corner"

I walked away from the TV at one point and just listened like so many radio games of the past. I picked up on the ice level sound and it reminded me of when the Sabres were on 97 Rock in the late 80s and if the atmosphere was right, it boomed into my bedroom. The extraneous sound was too much and it covered up Rick at times, especially the goal horn. I wrote a letter to Pete Weber, who I think was station engineer as well as talk show host. He wrote back that he'd look into the audio issues so "your soul can leave the logjam of the airwaves."

It's funny what you remember.

We won't be back this way too many more times. I am in serious denial about Rick.

[Dreams Burn Down]

16 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I think one of my fondest memories of Rick will be the time we spent together yesterday. On a snowy January day, he was in very good form, although his voice started to croak up toward the end. He's still trying to muster up the magic. I called the game along with him, in my best Jeanneret voice, and at least half a dozen times I anticipated the turn of phrase. "he rolls that one in"... "rattled around the boards"... "kicked it into the corner"

I walked away from the TV at one point and just listened like so many radio games of the past. I picked up on the ice level sound and it reminded me of when the Sabres were on 97 Rock in the late 80s and if the atmosphere was right, it boomed into my bedroom. The extraneous sound was too much and it covered up Rick at times, especially the goal horn. I wrote a letter to Pete Weber, who I think was station engineer as well as talk show host. He wrote back that he'd look into the audio issues so "your soul can leave the logjam of the airwaves."

It's funny what you remember.

We won't be back this way too many more times. I am in serious denial about Rick.

Thank you for this.  RJ is still a delight to listen to.  I was at work with audio only yesterday and it really gave me a chance to focus in on the rhythm and cadence of his call.  I will dearly miss him.  I'm hoping beyond hope that he changes his mind and comes back for ten or so games next season.

[Thorner]

18 hours ago, Taro T said:

Would guess either in Minnesota - got to the SO.  Or in Anaheim - they actually won that one.

For the most part, OT has been a nightmare this year.

Oh I thought he was measuring in *seasons*... lol