GDT - Penguins @ Sabres - March 23, 2022 - 7:30 PM (EDT) - TNT and WGR

[Pimlach]

39 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I'll continue to chafe against this idea that one Sabres team can be compared directly to the next. We don't know how Rakru would do with this iteration. *ducks

The kids call it a Spank Bank.

What was he supposed to do when John was his best player? #keepyournarrativesstraight

Come on man, you can't be defending Ralph.   We know that Dahlin would be destroyed under RK and we know we would not attack, or pass well, or play with confidence.  

[Randall Flagg]

49 minutes ago, dudacek said:

None of those guys plays the classic give-and-go game. They are all shoot-first. They all want the puck and are on a mission to go get it. They all want to beat people one on one all the time.

I mean, it's not like they don't pass, but it's rarely the primary option.

It's so bizarre, one of the most unconventional effective offensive lines I have ever seen.

Then they Pull that crazy tic tac toe goal out of nowhere from maybe a month ago. I'm forgetting the game unfortunately. It's buried in there somewhere!

[thewookie1]

Just so you know PA

Krueger wouldn't of done well with this roster either. Tage would of never been moved to center, Skinner would still be in the dog house, and Dahlin would look like a bust due to his confidence being almost non-existent. 

Krueger's system works in tournaments for two reasons:

1. Tournaments are usually at most 2 or 3 weeks and thus opponents can't make whole scale adjustments to counter it since they may only play them once.

2. Tournament teams tend to be the Top Talent of a country/group. Krueger's defensive strategy is meant to handle a team of multiple high end scorers but a dearth of defensive stalwarts. For a Sabres team lacking Top end talent, the defensive structure eliminated Skinner's purpose and kept all the middling players from getting anywhere since their skill didn't leave enough left over to play offense. Imagine if you would, all players have 100 skill points like that of a video game. Everyone has different affinities and thus the cost varies player to player in rather their offense or defense is more effective. Krueger's system demanded 50 skill minimum in defense no matter what. Skinner has 1 for 1 on Offense and 1.9 pts per 1 skill in defense let's say. So to reach the minimum of 50 defense, Skinner uses 95/100 skill points to reach 50 defense and a mere 5 remains for offensive play. Eichel being a star player has a far more efficient point to skill ratio; but additionally, Krueger made exemptions for Eichel because he was our best player and Krueger liked him.

[Stoner]

45 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

me

 

No, it didn't. Even Erieites know about the kummelick, as you went on to amply demonstrate.

41 minutes ago, The Ghost of Doohickie said:

I love @PASabreFan, but sometimes his words are not goodly and I can't follow along.

And YOU definitely know what I'm talkin' bout.

[Stoner]

 

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

Did I ever mention I closely followed Mike into the Sabres Store before a game (or maybe it was just through the atrium). I was close enough to notice a not-insignificant amount of cat/pet? hair on his nicely-aged sweater. I can ensure you that image is quickly brought to bear when necessary.

Cats, for sure. 4 of them, one of which is blind and on insulin.

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

And closing out my thoughts on spank banks, after watching Krebs do his thing in the lockerroom before the game, I had to wonder: exactly how much grade A kummelwick is he pulling down in the Buffalo metro area?

You didn't have to, but you did (but you did, but you did).

[spndnchz]

1 hour ago, North Buffalo said:

Another thing I notice the Sabres are much better at lately is stick on puck... even Crosby struggled last night and had a number of give aways... Sabres have been so bad at it the last couple of years, last night it was really noticeable... take away time and space and stick on puck is what Granato preaches and the Sabres have gotten so much better at it.

If you’re in the Arena you can here it. Pass, snap, pass, snap.

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

 The second Tage goal was a marvelous example.  Skinner driving along the boards, faking a pass to Tuch as he enters the zone, diving down below the goal line, carrying the puck.... no, willing the puck... along the boards and somehow kind of keeping control and as soon as the second D jumps in to double team him, he coughs it up (calling it a pass would be charitable, although he was credited with an assist) to Tuch with speed who carries behind the net, drawing the low forward to him since the two D are still on Skinner in the corner and then Tuch passes it right through the covering forward to a wide open Tage.  The whole thing was caused by Skinner being Skinner.

Passing the Wings by the end of the season would be success in my mind.  It's possible; they're playing awful these days.

Agree with your larger point but I think what really happened with the bold was Tuch lost the puck on a wrap-around attempt.

Of course Thompson was right there to clean-up. Grade A example of the method to their madness.

[nfreeman]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

None of those guys plays the classic give-and-go game. They are all shoot-first. They all want the puck and are on a mission to go get it. They all want to beat people one on one all the time.

I mean, it's not like they don't pass, but it's rarely the primary option.

It's so bizarre, one of the most unconventional effective offensive lines I have ever seen.

There were a number of shifts last night where TT’s line utterly dominated the Pens.  

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 hour ago, woods-racer said:

Is this grade A kummelwick?

 

👀😍

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, woods-racer said:

Is this grade A kummelwick?

1 hour ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

14 minutes ago, The Ghost of Doohickie said:

👀😍

That's ... that's a cartoon, y'all.

 

[eman]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Come on man, you can't be defending Ralph.   We know that Dahlin would be destroyed under RK and we know we would not attack, or pass well, or play with confidence.  

Agreed. I am glad to remain willfully ignorant of what Ralph would, could or should do with this group of players. Very happy we'll never know!

 

[FogBat]

13 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

That said, I agree with you. Tuch sometimes tries to do too much and gets in trouble

You, along with most of the regulars on here, are blessed with the ability to watch more hockey than I am able to. That said, I get the general impression that the team has improved considerably since getting rid of the previous coach AND the guy Craig Rivet unloaded on after the VGK game. (Names not mentioned for good reason).