GDT: Philadelphia at Buffalo, 1/9/23, 7pm, MSG, WGR.

[Pimlach]

  On 1/10/2023 at 2:27 AM, K-9 said:

Meanwhile, the Kraken continue to roll tonight. Double edged sword playing them tomorrow night. Good that we have to put this game in the rear view immediately and get a chance to get the bad taste out of our mouths, but bad because it’s against a team we have shown zero ability to compete against previously. 

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... and we get to listen to what could have been if we would have only kept Borgen.  

  On 1/10/2023 at 2:35 AM, North Buffalo said:

Sabres have trouble with physical teams like Flyers and Ottawa... need some hitting and grinding drills..  and being nasty in front of the net... yeh didnt help they came out flat... based on this performance their third/fourth line cant be the only one that can play a grind game...  Cozens and young wingers tried but way to inexperienced on how to play that game against the flyer... Tage, Tuch and Skinner flat out no show.

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It really looked like they did not want to even touch a Flyer tonight.  

[Taro T]

  On 1/10/2023 at 2:43 AM, bunomatic said:

I’m not going to stick around for the presser but it would be interesting to what meatballs has to say.

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Basically, the team was emotionally spent after 3 high emotion games (plus, unsaid, the Hamlin emotion) and just didn't have it tonight.

Expects a better showing against the Krackers tomorrow night.

[Crusader1969]

Let’s see what this team is made of tomorrow.  I would expect a big time effort. 
 

[That Aud Smell]

Bummer.

I agree with what @Taro T said immediately above.

Young teams are especially susceptible to emotional crashes.

I sent my grown kids who are home for the holidays to this game. I anguished over the game’s arc - thinking of them there, morose. Turns out, they had a roaring good time goading the oldest into chugging a beer, making up back stories for the people in their section, and snap facing their friends who were also at the game. I could stand to learn a thing or two from them.

[Doohicksie]

  On 1/10/2023 at 2:27 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

So they look like TCU tonight.

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As a Buffalo expat that lives 3 miles from the TCU campus, had to wade through gridlocked traffic at the Buffalo bar (in the middle of the campus) where I get my pizza, and came home to a plugged toilet and then watched the Sabres and Horned Frogs crap all over themselves, this was not a good evening.

[LGR4GM]

  On 1/10/2023 at 3:28 AM, Doohickie said:

As a Buffalo expat that lives 3 miles from the TCU campus, had to wade through gridlocked traffic at the Buffalo bar (in the middle of the campus) where I get my pizza, and came home to a plugged toilet and then watched the Sabres and Horned Frogs crap all over themselves, this was not a good evening.

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[Doohicksie]

  On 1/10/2023 at 3:35 AM, LGR4GM said:

 

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Meh.  I'm only a bandwagon TCU fan.  A lot of people around me would have been happy though.

[Doohicksie]

  On 1/10/2023 at 1:13 AM, Doohickie said:

  On 1/10/2023 at 1:11 AM, Captain Caveman said:

Someone forgot to tell the Orange team we're invincible in the Goatheads

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Oh we are.  The Flyers just don't know that yet but they'll find out.

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Didn't age well.

[PerreaultForever]

Well Torts' mantra is "be hard to play against" and that's what they were. Simple straight ahead hockey where they kept everything along the wall (and owned it), clogged up the middle, and just drove at the net with sheer physicality rather than skill. Totally revealed and exploited the Sabres' weaknesses. 

In a way, we were out coached. They had a solid game plan designed to stifle our style and we failed to adapt to it. I suspect this will come up again (and again) between now and the end of the season. We simply lack the grit and physicality to play this sort of dull plodding (but somewhat effective) style of hockey. 

Seattle will likely drive the net as well. Goathead magic might just have died tonight. let's hope UPL is hot. 

[Stoner]

In addition to Taro's theories for the letdown I have to wonder how many of the boyeeees were at the Bills game. Not suggesting that they overindulged in anything (beer, unhealthy food etc.), but if they sat in the elements that might have turned out to be no bueño even for young dudes.

[SABRES 0311]

Seems appropriate. Replace Glatt with Bryson.

[grinreaper]

  On 1/10/2023 at 2:49 AM, Sidc3000 said:

Interesting how? There is really no one on this team that could “make it interesting” if you’re eluding to being  physical.  

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The Sabres are built to overwhelm other teams that most likely do not have their speed and/or skill. Just as an example they have 5 guys on the team that are scoring at a rate equal or more than a point a game. If they play their game and don't get too involved in trying to beat their opponent at their game then they have the best chance to win. Games are won on goals scored not on hits administered. Don't get me wrong, physical paybacks are part of the game and it is very important to stick up for your teammates and protect your goaltender but teams built on physical strength over skill and speed use that physicality to try to change the way their opponents play. 

[grinreaper]

  On 1/10/2023 at 2:53 AM, Sidc3000 said:

Then yeah, it will be interesting to see if they can adjust their game. Unfortunately they didn’t learn much from the Ottawa game. 

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The Sabres need to play their game and not adjust it in any substantial way to match the physicality of their opponent. They are a young team still solidifying their identity. Look at the big picture and the last ten game segment and see if you are satisfied with where they are at and where they seem to be going.

[grinreaper]

  On 1/10/2023 at 2:35 AM, Gatorman0519 said:

I despise losing against Philly. Even worse getting blanked and totally dominated at home. 

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Whenever Philly gets you down just refer to the link below:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Ken+Hitchcock+Flyers+fired+after+Sabres+game&form=MSNSB1&refig=124519954bbb41de9a2781a92e67dbf2&mkt=en-us&sp=5&qs=UT&pq=nick+buoniconti&sk=LS1AS2MT1&sc=10-15&cvid=124519954bbb41de9a2781a92e67dbf2

 

 

[grinreaper]

  On 1/10/2023 at 2:48 AM, Refuting said:

That went over your head. Not surprised lol 

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I doubt that you are capable of posting anything that is over my head. Since it appears that you've finally decided to settle on a screen name you seem to have cut down on your troll type posts. You do often contradict yourself and post conflicting opinions. That tends to happen when your base principles have not yet been formed. Good luck on your efforts to become a good poster. 

[Refuting]

  On 1/10/2023 at 5:28 AM, grinreaper said:

I doubt that you are capable of posting anything that is over my head. Since it appears that you've finally decided to settle on a screen name you seem to have cut down on your troll type posts. You do often contradict yourself and post conflicting opinions. That tends to happen when your base principles have not yet been formed. Good luck on your efforts to become a good poster. 

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Right over his head lol 

[PromoTheRobot]

Just got to the hotel because I got a flat after the game. (Another long sad miserable story that goes with that. I won't get into it.)

I give the Flyers credit for attacking the Sabres. It looked like they must have seen something in our game film and the found a way to block our break outs while pressuring us in our own end. Aside from the Sabres looking tentative, we were so out of sync, players were "surprised" when they got the puck a few times. (I saw Bryson's body language in the 3rd when Tuch was forced to abort a neutral zone entry and dropped a pass back to 78. A split second of WTF. Maybe he was heading for the bench when that happened.) 

[Andrew Amerk]

  On 1/10/2023 at 4:11 AM, PASabreFan said:

In addition to Taro's theories for the letdown I have to wonder how many of the boyeeees were at the Bills game. Not suggesting that they overindulged in anything (beer, unhealthy food etc.), but if they sat in the elements that might have turned out to be no bueño even for young dudes.

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I saw quite a few young dudes at the game yesterday that were shirtless. I hope they are all okay today. It was probably the 70th worst elements I’ve been at for a Bills game. 

  On 1/10/2023 at 4:55 AM, grinreaper said:

The Sabres are built to overwhelm other teams that most likely do not have their speed and/or skill. Just as an example they have 5 guys on the team that are scoring at a rate equal or more than a point a game. If they play their game and don't get too involved in trying to beat their opponent at their game then they have the best chance to win. Games are won on goals scored not on hits administered. Don't get me wrong, physical paybacks are part of the game and it is very important to stick up for your teammates and protect your goaltender but teams built on physical strength over skill and speed use that physicality to try to change the way their opponents play. 

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You mean, like, the Broad Street Bullies?

[PerreaultForever]

  On 1/10/2023 at 5:09 AM, grinreaper said:

The Sabres need to play their game and not adjust it in any substantial way to match the physicality of their opponent. They are a young team still solidifying their identity. Look at the big picture and the last ten game segment and see if you are satisfied with where they are at and where they seem to be going.

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Except, in this case, they didn't let them play their game. So you do need to adjust. 

[grinreaper]

  On 1/10/2023 at 6:04 AM, Andrew Amerk said:

I saw quite a few young dudes at the game yesterday that were shirtless. I hope they are all okay today. It was probably the 70th worst elements I’ve been at for a Bills game. 

You mean, like, the Broad Street Bullies?

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They used their physicality and the unofficial rules of the day to intimidate their opponents. It worked with some but others such as #11, #14, #7 made those wannabe Hanson Brothers think twice when skill trumped their nonsense. They did have a phenomenal goalie though. 

[grinreaper]

  On 1/10/2023 at 6:19 AM, PerreaultForever said:

Except, in this case, they didn't let them play their game. So you do need to adjust. 

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They didn't let them play their game or the Sabres weren't prepared to pay the price to do so? It seemed to me that the Sabres entered that game thinking they were going to roll over the Flyers and then weren't too worried when they fell behind because they were confident they could catch back up. In the latter half of the game they did put some pressure on the Flyers and probably should have scored a few goals except the goalie was really on his game. Confidence is good but cockiness will bite you in the ass sometimes. 

[SABRES 0311]

  On 1/10/2023 at 5:28 AM, grinreaper said:

I doubt that you are capable of posting anything that is over my head. Since it appears that you've finally decided to settle on a screen name you seem to have cut down on your troll type posts. You do often contradict yourself and post conflicting opinions. That tends to happen when your base principles have not yet been formed. Good luck on your efforts to become a good poster. 

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Won’t happen.

[PerreaultForever]

  On 1/10/2023 at 6:49 AM, grinreaper said:

They didn't let them play their game or the Sabres weren't prepared to pay the price to do so?

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Well the two are kind of interconnected. The Sabres have tendencies and weaknesses and the Flyers took advantage of that. 

[Refuting]

  On 1/10/2023 at 6:49 AM, SABRES 0311 said:

Won’t happen.

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You're so easily bothered lol 

[Sidc3000]

  On 1/10/2023 at 5:09 AM, grinreaper said:

The Sabres need to play their game and not adjust it in any substantial way to match the physicality of their opponent. They are a young team still solidifying their identity. Look at the big picture and the last ten game segment and see if you are satisfied with where they are at and where they seem to be going.

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So when their game isn’t working (like last night) you want them to continue to do what isn’t working? That is sort of what happened last night and look at the results.
 

When something isn’t working, you have to try something else. Some teams are starting to figure out how to stop the Sabres and last night Philly put on a very good clinic for other teams.