GDT - Sabres @ Canucks - Sunday, March 20, 2022 - 10:00 PM - MSG-B and WGR

[SDS]

8 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

... that's hilarious. Who were the stars of the game? I couldn't find it on the interwebs.

I think the other two were Dahlin and Miller. 

[French Collection]

8 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Remember the past couple years when all we heard was how Dahlin wasn’t even in the same league with the Quinn Hughes of the NHL. 

Wasn’t even close tonight, Hughes couldn’t hold Dahlin’s jockstrap all game.

I watched the Sportsnet feed tonight. Crazy stat: Cody Eakin on all the different teams he has played for is now 22-1-1 against the Canucks.

Anderson was great.

I think Vinny forgot to turn his brain on tonight, a lot of bad decisions. Cozens was flying.

I like Samuelsson and Bryson as a pair.

Id they are serious about a partner for Power I think Myers would check all the boxes. That is if Vancouver decides to move him this summer.

Two OT wins in a row I have got to buy a lottery ticket tomorrow.😀

Good analysis.

I like your comment on Hughes. It wasn’t that long ago when people were lamenting that everyone had these “multiple” Norris winners like Heiskanen, Hughes and Makar. Their offensive numbers are still ahead of Dahlin’s but he will get his points too.

I am biased but his defensive game is better than those guys and his physical play has brought another element to making him a dominant Dman. These guys are all capable of winning one or more but I’ll keep Dahlin. He can create as much as them but he now looks a tough guy in the eye like Clint Eastwood does. 

[LGR4GM]

7 minutes ago, French Collection said:

Good analysis.

I like your comment on Hughes. It wasn’t that long ago when people were lamenting that everyone had these “multiple” Norris winners like Heiskanen, Hughes and Makar. Their offensive numbers are still ahead of Dahlin’s but he will get his points too.

I am biased but his defensive game is better than those guys and his physical play has brought another element to making him a dominant Dman. These guys are all capable of winning one or more but I’ll keep Dahlin. He can create as much as them but he now looks a tough guy in the eye like Clint Eastwood does. 

Heiskanen has only ever outscored Dahlin once and that was the Krueger year. Sorry to nitpick. 

[Flashsabre]

People will say Fox, Heiskanen, Hughes but to me Makar and Dahlin are the two dmen that will be the standard bearers for young dmen in the league.

Dahlin is starting to control the whole game when he is on the ice. More points will come as better talent is added. 

[LGR4GM]

15 minutes ago, French Collection said:

Good analysis.

I like your comment on Hughes. It wasn’t that long ago when people were lamenting that everyone had these “multiple” Norris winners like Heiskanen, Hughes and Makar. Their offensive numbers are still ahead of Dahlin’s but he will get his points too.

I am biased but his defensive game is better than those guys and his physical play has brought another element to making him a dominant Dman. These guys are all capable of winning one or more but I’ll keep Dahlin. He can create as much as them but he now looks a tough guy in the eye like Clint Eastwood does. 

I think you are highlighting a problem with anyone winning lots of Norris trophies. You have Heiskanen, Hughes, Makar, Fox, Hedman all out there playing hockey at high levels as well. Add in other defenders we haven't mentioned that can slide into that conversation. Hopefully Dahlin can win a Norris but there are a lot of really good defenders in the league and I think right now Fox and Makar are a step above basically all of them. 

[French Collection]

6 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Heiskanen has only ever outscored Dahlin once and that was the Krueger year. Sorry to nitpick. 

Right on, I did not look at all of their numbers. Heiskanen was touted as a future Norris guy after their deep playoff run, not necessarily because of his numbers.

[LGR4GM]

Just now, French Collection said:

Right on, I did not look at all of their numbers. Heiskanen was touted as a future Norris guy after their deep playoff run, not necessarily because of his numbers.

I think he is still viewed as being in that Norris level tier of player. 

[French Collection]

Roman Josi would like to have a chat with people touting the young guns.

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, French Collection said:

Roman Josi would like to have a chat with people touting the young guns.

I forgot Josi... 

[jsb]

27 minutes ago, French Collection said:

Good analysis.

I like your comment on Hughes. It wasn’t that long ago when people were lamenting that everyone had these “multiple” Norris winners like Heiskanen, Hughes and Makar. Their offensive numbers are still ahead of Dahlin’s but he will get his points too.

I am biased but his defensive game is better than those guys and his physical play has brought another element to making him a dominant Dman. These guys are all capable of winning one or more but I’ll keep Dahlin. He can create as much as them but he now looks a tough guy in the eye like Clint Eastwood does. 

Dahlin seems to reach another level every week that goes by. My theory on the guy is that some kids are physically mature before they catch up mentally. Think of an 18 year old kid, with the expectations of a city and league of being the #1 pick. You're in a new country. You're on a crappy team with a lousy attitude with no veteran leadership or mentor to help you along. Your coach gets fired, you end up with a guy that wants to change the way you play. Your confidence goes down because you no longer are playing to your strengths but are starting to think too much which slows you down. He gets fired and the new guy says just go play. You start regaining your confidence and then you get to go to the all star game. 

Where you end up playing with top end players and V. Hedman takes a liking to you and tells you how good you are. You realize these guys who are the best in the business but you can play with these guys and they're really not that much if any better than you are. You come back to your team, Tuch gives the team a spark of bravado and since then your confidence renewed, your coach giving you the green light to play your game and voila, a star is born. There is no looking back for this guy, his performance on the ice since the all star game is almost breathtaking to behold. 

There is so much more than his stick handling, his vision, passing, defensive play and how he's becoming much more physical. That play yesterday when he went to the net and knocked Schenn on his butt (who's a big strong man) and went almost unnoticed because the play was called back for Miller's goal. He doesn't make that play 2 months ago or previously. He's just starting folks, there's more to come IMO.

Edited March 21, 2022 by jsb

[Doohicksie]

42 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

... that's hilarious. Who were the stars of the game? I couldn't find it on the interwebs.

Go to NHL.com, find the Gamecenter for the game and they post it in there.  On the desktop webpage it's in the right column, down a ways.

It's picked by local media so of course they have two stars.  I mean, who were they gonna pick?  Mitts?  They can't even spell Mittelstadt.

[Doohicksie]

I watched The Hockey Guy's recap of the game.  He's usually fairly impartial, but he lives in western Canada and is a Canucks fan so his recap was from the perspective of the Canucks:  What they didn't do, rather than what the Sabres did do.  I think for playoff and bubble teams and their fans, they expect to roll over non-playoff teams.  They're focused on this season and don't really get why bottom feeders even try this time of year.  In the case of Buffalo, they're building so this time of year is valuable to see where they stack up.  On SiriusXM NHL channel this morning they wrote it off based on the pressure the Canucks are feeling versus the Sabres playing loose because they have nothing to lose.

I hope when the Sabres are relevant again, they don't choke under pressure.  Seeing interviews with the likes of Tuch, Krebs, and Tage, I kind of think the won't but let's see.

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

I watched The Hockey Guy's recap of the game.  He's usually fairly impartial, but he lives in western Canada and is a Canucks fan so his recap was from the perspective of the Canucks:  What they didn't do, rather than what the Sabres did do.  I think for playoff and bubble teams and their fans, they expect to roll over non-playoff teams.  They're focused on this season and don't really get why bottom feeders even try this time of year.  In the case of Buffalo, they're building so this time of year is valuable to see where they stack up.  On SiriusXM NHL channel this morning they wrote it off based on the pressure the Canucks are feeling versus the Sabres playing loose because they have nothing to lose.

I hope when the Sabres are relevant again, they don't choke under pressure.  Seeing interviews with the likes of Tuch, Krebs, and Tage, I kind of think the won't but let's see.

now ik where pa and freeman are getting this idea from

[Mustache of God]

I am loving this new gear Dahlin is showing. I really hope he keeps getting better and really hones in on finding his scoring touch. He seems to always create 2-3 opportunities each game where he has a clean shot, but he's never had the "finish" on his shots. He currently shoots at 6.7%, if he can increase that he's going to be lethal.

And then we have Power coming in...

Is this hope I feel?

[Pimlach]

4 hours ago, gilbert11 said:

So, why is it that those players that are good at faceoffs don’t teach teammates how to better at it?  Job security?

They will be working face offs all off season.  We have a guy in Rochester that can teach them.  

[French Collection]

6 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

I am loving this new gear Dahlin is showing. I really hope he keeps getting better and really hones in on finding his scoring touch. He seems to always create 2-3 opportunities each game where he has a clean shot, but he's never had the "finish" on his shots. He currently shoots at 6.7%, if he can increase that he's going to be lethal.

And then we have Power coming in...

Is this hope I feel?

I have actually lowered my dosage of hopium, I am seeing real growth.

[jsb]

2 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

Is this hope I feel?

Hopium is a hell of a drug!!

[Pimlach]

29 minutes ago, jsb said:

Dahlin seems to reach another level every week that goes by. My theory on the guy is that some kids are physically mature before they catch up mentally. Think of an 18 year old kid, with the expectations of a city and league of being the #1 pick. You're in a new country. You're on a crappy team with a lousy attitude with no veteran leadership or mentor to help you along. Your coach gets fired, you end up with a guy that wants to change the way you play. Your confidence goes down because you no longer are playing to your strengths but are starting to think too much which slows you down. He gets fired and the new guy says just go play. You start regaining your confidence and then you get to go to the all star game. 

Where you end up playing with top end players and V. Hedman takes a liking to you and tells you how good you are. You realize these guys who are the best in the business but you can play with these guys and they're really not that much if any better than you are. You come back to your team, Tuch gives the team a spark of bravado and since then your confidence renewed, your coach giving you the green light to play your game and voila, a star is born. There is no looking back for this guy, his performance on the ice since the all star game is almost breathtaking to behold. 

There is so much more than his stick handling, his vision, passing, defensive play and how he's becoming much more physical. That play yesterday when he went to the net and knocked Schenn on his butt (who's a big strong man) and went almost unnoticed because the play was called back for Miller's goal. He doesn't make that play 2 months ago or previously. He's just starting folks, there's more to come IMO.

Good post.   But let’s not forget that after Joker got hurt Dahlin had a bad slump.  He was getting roasted here at SS, but much of it was unfair. It’s hard to play 24 minutes of good hockey when paired with Butcher and some of the others.  Once they paired him with Psysk he started playing better.  He actually started pushing back and playing better BEFORE the All Star break.    I have been advocating for him to have a solid partner/mentor.  Whatever interaction he had with Hedberg was very helpful.  
 

They cannot let Power languish.  He needs to be paired with a good defenseman that compliments his game.  
 

[Doohicksie]

35 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

now ik where pa and freeman are getting this idea from

I never connected the dots, but yeah you could be right.  I suppose it's a popular conception that "playing out the string" and "playing for playoff position" are entirely different.  I suspect that building the culture properly is a big part of whether a team can perform under that pressure or not.  My subjective perception is that Granato is the first coach since Lindy that really gets that, and understands you have to actively cultivate that aspect of a team's psyche. 

DDB may have had an inkling but didn't have to build it as such in Pittsburgh; it was already there.  Nolan may have understood it but was too weak with Xs and Os to build the structure as well as the psyche.  Housley didn't seem to get it; I think he may have been one of those guys that was so exceptional as a player he had trouble relating to the average player; and Ralph was just friggin clueless. 

All those coaches understood the importance of winning and had strengths and weaknesses.  Granato might not be as strong in Xs and Os and in-game situations as some coaches, but he understands the psychology of building a team and that's what we need right now.  I think he's also improved on the Xs/Os/in-game aspect of his own coaching abilities over the last year.

I hope the personality he's forming with this team is what is needed to persevere when the team finally makes the playoffs.

[matter2003]

I don't want to sound like I am getting too excited because this team still sucks in the standings, but I am starting to really like this team a lot.  Lots of good young players who will only get better, tons of prospects coming up, the future is really really bright.

[Doohicksie]

29 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

They cannot let Power languish.  He needs to be paired with a good defenseman that compliments his game.  

I know this take will get universally panned by this forum, but I think that defenseman might be Jacob Bryson.  From what I hear, Power's skill set and physical attributes will complement Bryson's.  Bryson is a speedy guy that can cover a lot of ground.  He plays a tough game but he's not big enough to really mix it up, say, in front of the net.  He may not be the most experienced Dman; he himself is just coming into his own.  But he's shown that he's resilient, can complement "better" Dmen like Dahlin, and is pretty good at knowing when to jump up on the rush versus protecting against the counterattack (and has the speed to transition between the two).  Bryson came in under Granato's system so can introduce the system to Power.  I think Bryson's Achilles heal is his size, and Power more than makes up for that.  And if Bryson is "put in charge" of bringing Power along, it will stimulate him to further grow his own game.

But what do I know?  Not much.

[Doohicksie]

13 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

I don't want to sound like I am getting too excited because this team still sucks in the standings, but I am starting to really like this team a lot.  Lots of good young players who will only get better, tons of prospects coming up, the future is really really bright.

It feels like 1972 all over again.  (They first made the playoffs in 1973 and made it to the finals in 1975.)

[Sabres Fan in NS]

3 minutes ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

It feels like 1972 all over again.  (They first made the playoffs in 1973 and made it to the finals in 1975.)

👀

[Randall Flagg]

One more bedtime story, tell me what the spring of 2004 was like!

Seriously, similar vibes to this?

[LGR4GM]

Just now, Randall Flagg said:

One more bedtime story, tell me what the spring of 2004 was like!

Seriously, similar vibes to this?

Pretty sure in the spring of 2004 there was a lockout.