GDT: 1/25/2022 Sabres at Senators, 6 pm CT (that's 7 ET for you Buffalonians) MSG, WGR

[woods-racer]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

My only complaint with DG is that he doesn’t seem to be a good tactician, especially in game. Perhaps that’s by design given the developmental nature of this season and his mantra about letting players growing thru their repeated mistakes, but it’s a concern for me moving forward. 

He has repeated stated that this season will be about learning and growing. Skinner out late in the game with a 1 goal lead is a horrible move if your only goal is to win the game. Donny has done that more than once.   It's gone a long way in growth and trust in the locker room. Have to believe everyone in that locker room knows that Skinner is the least defensive player in the league, but if Skinner gave his all and did what was asked.... It's all a coach can ask..

Play hard, make mistakes, learn and grow from rookie to vet.  The vets need to buy in as much as the rookies if not more.

Edited January 25, 2022 by woods-racer

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

My only complaint with DG is that he doesn’t seem to be a good tactician, especially in game. Perhaps that’s by design given the developmental nature of this season and his mantra about letting players growing thru their repeated mistakes, but it’s a concern for me moving forward. 

I understand your point. But all you can ask for as a coach is for a player to play within his abilities and experience level. With the roster he has to work with, that includes a lot of young players, overloading your players with detailed instructions in the end hinders a player's development more than it promotes it. A case in point is that Dahlin seemed to be thinking too much under Krueger while he seemed to be liberated and played freer and better under Granato. As Granato stated in a recent interview over-coaching can be more damaging than less coaching. That contrast is evident in the way Krueger coached in comparison to Granato. And the respective results demonstrate that point. 

I'm confident that Granato will adjust in how he coaches next year in comparison to this year. He seems amenable to adjusting to different circumstances. 

I agree with you that Granto's forte is not as a tactician. I'm sure he would even admit to that. His coaching philosophy relies more on player psychology and motivation.  

[Spoonman]

7 hours ago, Weave said:

We have a full fleet of centers now, right?

Mitts, Tage, Cozens, Krebs, Jankowski

Will be interesting to see if Mitts has game stamina, and how well he meshes with all the new blood.

 

Edit- Eakin.  Forgot Eakin

Can we just get rid of carrot top?

[Spoonman]

4 hours ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

Everyone wants to dump Bjork and Hayden and yeah they're not part of the core or anything but think of some of the slugs we've had at the bottom of the roster in the past.  They're fine as 13th/14th forwards.  And Bjork may prove to be a bit more than that.

Practice lines from yesterday with Tuch subbed for Janko.

Both have value. I like Hayden for grittier games. Some muscle (though Cozens & Dahlin have shown some chutzpah).

[Weave]

19 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said:

It's going to be real interesting to see where this center group is in two years, especially with how they're currently tracking.

Remember that leading into 05-06 from 03-04 was a roster with Drury, Briere, Roy, and an injured Connolly that would add only Gaustad.  Only Drury was a known quantity at that point in 03-04 and Briere was merely breaking out.

Now we have Thompson, Cozens, and Mitts breaking out, with Krebs potentially about to explode.

My recollection was that Briere was mostly playing wing at first, as was Connolly.  Maybe my memory is not correct.  I mentioned the similarity in depth without an elite player a little while back.  A counter was made that Briere was elite.  I never saw him that way, but I may not be in the majority with that view.

Regardless, the situation may turn out to be similar in terms of numbers of 2C level centers on the team.

[K-9]

20 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

He has repeated stated that this season will be about learning and growing. Skinner out late in the game with a 1 goal lead is a horrible move if your only goal is to win the game. Donny has done that more than once.   It's gone a long way in growth and trust in the locker room. Have to believe everyone in that locker room knows that Skinner is the least defensive player in the league, but if Skinner gave his all and did what was asked.... It's all a coach can ask..

Play hard, make mistakes, learn and grow from rookie to vet.  The vets need to buy in as much as the rookies if not more.

I’m down with that and I think DG has done a great job sticking to the plan and seeing the larger picture. I’m just hoping when that phase ends that he shows us his tactical skill for the game. There’s much more to coaching than teaching, after all. 

[Radar]

8 minutes ago, K-9 said:

I’m down with that and I think DG has done a great job sticking to the plan and seeing the larger picture. I’m just hoping when that phase ends that he shows us his tactical skill for the game. There’s much more to coaching than teaching, after all. 

Let's not forget DG has coaching experience. Yes he's into player development but that doesn't mean he can't game coach as well. We need to keep in mind the team he's coaching.

[IKnowPhysics]

15 minutes ago, Weave said:

My recollection was that Briere was mostly playing wing at first, as was Connolly.  Maybe my memory is not correct.  I mentioned the similarity in depth without an elite player a little while back.  A counter was made that Briere was elite.  I never saw him that way, but I may not be in the majority with that view.

Regardless, the situation may turn out to be similar in terms of numbers of 2C level centers on the team.

Briere played C in Phoenix.  Pretty sure he started at C in Buffalo.  It's also unfair of me to say Briere broke out on the Sabres, as he put down a 60 point season two years earlier.  I think he developed and elevated his game several notches at a couple of different times in Buffalo, starting with the 03-04 campaign.

I think Connolly likekely played C too, as the only rostered centers in 01-02 were Barnes/Connolly/Gratton/Brown (besides ten games of Bob Corkum).

This shelter-the-young-centers-on-wing might be a development within the last 15 years.

[Eleven]

WTF is this central time nonsense?

[woods-racer]

15 minutes ago, Eleven said:

WTF is this central time nonsense?

Get off your dupa and start the GDT and you can put any time zone in there you want.

Edited January 25, 2022 by woods-racer

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

8 hours ago, Weave said:

I’m not fond of that 3rd line.  VO is just off and has Asplund been effective lately?

It will be interesting how the Sens match lines tonight.  VO-Cozens-Asplund could generate some good chances against Ottawa's 3rd line of Paul-Gambrell-Watson.

[IKnowPhysics]

Heh.

 

Dupa.

[Brawndo]

 

[Norcal]

 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

My recollection was that Briere was mostly playing wing at first, as was Connolly.  Maybe my memory is not correct.  I mentioned the similarity in depth without an elite player a little while back.  A counter was made that Briere was elite.  I never saw him that way, but I may not be in the majority with that view.

Regardless, the situation may turn out to be similar in terms of numbers of 2C level centers on the team.

Agreed that Briere wasn't "truly" elite.  But w/ 3 lines worth of borderline 1st/2nd lines and playing with a completely new enforcement of obstruction calls he sure did get "elite" results.

Am probably in the minority here, but believe that besides Miller those 2 post-lockout teams only had 2 elite players & neither started the year as elite & both got derailed by injuries before they were universally viewed as elite - Tallinder & Connolly.  Their playoff games elevated off the charts prior to each breaking & ending up good but not great upon return.

[Norcal]

Lets GO Boys!!!!!!!   

Bjork, looking at you tonight. This is ur chance don't blow it. 

[Marvin]

Current radio over the web: WCMF Rochester.

[Doohicksie]

Anthem singer:  D+

[Believer]

Start fast… Stay fast… Shoot the puck…

[PromoTheRobot]

Isn't Matt Murray the goalie everyone here wanted the Sabres to pick up?

Edited January 26, 2022 by PromoTheRobot

[Doohicksie]

Dahlin immediately physical.  I like it.

[erickompositör72]

Asplund going into the corner trying to avoid contact at all costs

[Doohicksie]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

Isn't Matt Murray the goalie everyone here reached the Sabres to pick up?

We've got one already.  He's called A-A-Ron Dell.

[Brawndo]

Did Mittlestadt hurt himself on that breakaway attempt? 

[Doohicksie]

Wow, Casey doesn't have his game legs yet!

Just now, Brawndo said:

Did Mittlestadt hurt himself on that breakaway attempt? 

That would be tragic.