GDT Florida @ Buffalo 1pm MSG

[Pimlach]

28 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

I am pretty sure this coach has taken them as far as he can. The Sabres have been figured out and there do not seem to be any adjustments. There will be some coaches fired at the end of the year so there should be some decent options.

What makes you sure of that?   We all sit here and say that they need goaltending, better bottom 3 defenders, better bottom 6 forwards, more grit, and more experience.  If all of that is true then how are you sure Granato cannot take them further?  

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

Hate to lose?

Yes.  Hate to lose. Players that hate to lose do the most they can to not lose.  

[Weave]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

What makes you sure of that?   We all sit here and say that they need goaltending, better bottom 3 defenders, better bottom 6 forwards, more grit, and more experience.  If all of that is true then how are you sure Granato cannot take them further?  

Well, he either can’t, or won’t, change the gameplan to match what the opponent is throwing at us.

 

[PerreaultForever]

This is the kind of game where my long standing fear comes to the forefront. That is although we are building a fast skilled team that can score goals and in time win many games if and when we do make the playoffs we will be bounced in the first round regardless of where we ended up in the regular season. 

Tuch and Cozens can play this sort of hockey. Maybe they even thrive in it. Okposo and Girgs, a few others can handle it, but most of the team is out of their element and just gets stymied. 

Thompson is particularly concerning since for such a big man he plays so incredibly soft when the checking is tight. He needs to learn to drive THROUGH players and not just try to use his reach to move around them. If he played more like Tuch he'd be unstoppable. 

Seriously question Granato's line matching for a home game. Strength against strength is one idea but on numerous occasions Quinn and Peterka ended up against their crash line and they just got tossed like rag dolls. Stupid coaching in terms of game management. We just have very few players who can play in this style of hockey. 

My happy moment (although brief) was watching Reinhart back down from Tuch, showing as usual why I'm glad he's gone and why he will never win in the playoffs either. 

This should be a reality check in many ways. Hopefully KA sees it too and improves things for next year. 

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Well, he either can’t, or won’t, change the gameplan to match what the opponent is throwing at us.

 

This is true and something I do not get.  He even says they need to play their game and be fearless.  Let them adjust to us.  The problem is we are not that good yet and we have boys versus men on some shifts.  

I am not saying that DG is a perfect tactical coach on game day.  He isn't.  I am saying it is on the team to come out in the 3rd period and play.  There needs to be more internal leadership.   If they need pep talks on game number 42 of the season then they will be out of the playoff running by game 52.   

Edited January 16, 2023 by Pimlach

[Quint]

I'm seeing shooting into the crest is one as opposed to the first half picking corners but now maybe the shot % is coming down to their real level. Another thing it seems some of the better teams may have figured Thompson out. They're not playing him loose and are finding he's not physical. I think "The Condor" needs to gain a few pounds to reach his full potential. He's freaky but too lanky and is sometimes easily thrown off his skates. 

[Buffalonill]

 

 

[Huckleberry]

Didn't see the game, missed it the fact it was an early one.   But last 5 games I watched only philly was a stinker, the rest of them we could have walked away with wins.

[Believer]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

We need more players that hate to lose, not better pep talks.  

Agree about the players (and would include the Owner, GM and coaches)… but game coaching is not just pep talks… It’s roster choices, it’s game planning, it’s situational decisions, it’s line match ups, it’s line changes, it’s team focus, et al… We can just agree to disagree.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Believer

[Thorner]

Silver linings, let’s see.. 

We remain one of the healthiest teams in the league this season. It’s been refreshing tbh, those comments re: examining their injury treatment process seem to perhaps be more than lip-service. 

[triumph_communes]

This team ain’t making no playoffs

[Crusader1969]

7 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

Not a holiday here in Canada but luckily I picked up a stomach bug last night (wink wink) and had to call in sick   You can’t be too careful these days!!

big game! Go Sabres!

Editors note.  I should have gone to work 

[Mango]

This team was fast and skated hard the first few months of the season. They were so much fun to watch. Win or loseS 
 

The team the last few weeks looks slow and even lazy at points. Super frustrating. You don’t have be talented to keep skating hard. 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Crusader1969 said:

Editors note.  I should have gone to work 

Well, if you weren't sick last night, you likely are now.  😉

The most disappointing thing is they had a bunch of kids in the building and didn't really land the hook.

Have to readjust the PP.  Need to get shots from people other than just Thompson.

On to Chicago.  Hope they give Comrie the start.  He needs a W and some confidence.

[GASabresIUFAN]

I'm been thinking about today's game and honestly I'm very disappointed with the effort.  This was a huge game for the team.  They came off a solid win, were at home against a divisional foe just behind them in the standings.  They should have skated them out of the arena.  Instead they rolled over a died.  Pitiful.

They do need to fix the PP.  They need to move the puck faster and try more East-West passing to get the PK out of position.  More screens and more shooting would help as well.

Edited January 17, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Marvin]

IMHO, the density of the current schedule is starting to get to them.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

13 minutes ago, Marvin said:

IMHO, the density of the current schedule is starting to get to them.

I wouldn't think so.  They are all young and healthy and in top shape.

Now you and me and @inkman and @Eleven and @Weave and @PASabreFan and @LabattBlue etc, etc, etc ... you get the idea ... 

We would all have a lot of issues with the density of the current Sabre schedule.  *Shot with an i* ... I can't even keep pace with my boring schedule.

[Taro T]

29 minutes ago, Marvin said:

IMHO, the density of the current schedule is starting to get to them.

It's possible.

Hope you're wrong because they've got 2 more weeks of 4 games/ week & after the AS break they have pretty much 3.5/week until April.

[SabresBillsFan]

Was unable to watch the game but what I have noticed with this Sabres team is their total team defense as far as giving up high quality chances is pathetic. Way too many high quality chances and guys not picking up open players. Plus this team needs to get stronger. They get pushed around too easily. Cozens, Power, Quinn, all need to start really hitting the weights. 

[Stoner]

6 hours ago, Pimlach said:

What makes you sure of that?   We all sit here and say that they need goaltending, better bottom 3 defenders, better bottom 6 forwards, more grit, and more experience.  If all of that is true then how are you sure Granato cannot take them further?  

Yes.  Hate to lose. Players that hate to lose do the most they can to not lose.  

I was incredulous because you can't ask the players to hate to lose when the organization doesn't hate losing.

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

I was incredulous because you can't ask the players to hate to lose when the organization doesn't hate losing.

Good point, and some players don’t need to be asked.  

[JohnC]

12 hours ago, Taro T said:

Well, if you weren't sick last night, you likely are now.  😉

The most disappointing thing is they had a bunch of kids in the building and didn't really land the hook.

Have to readjust the PP.  Need to get shots from people other than just Thompson.

On to Chicago.  Hope they give Comrie the start.  He needs a W and some confidence.

As you noted what was most disappointing about this uneventful game was that you got the sense that the crowd, made up of youngsters, wanted to burst with enthusiasm. However, there were few opportunities to do so. As a Sabre fan this was a tough game to watch, let alone being a paying $$$ customer in the subdued building. 

As the season advances, teams adjust to what you do. This was a good example where Florida was not going to allow the Sabres to freely skate the puck in or have space to work with once they got the puck . The solution is to shoot the puck in and chase it. The Sabres were stymied in this game and had no answer on how to counter the other team's tight style of play. As the season advances and games become more meaningful from a playoff standpoint, this is a type of game that they will regularly face. 

[SwampD]

17 hours ago, Eleven said:

Through two:

1.  The Sabres are playing as physical as anybody.  If we can bury, for now, the myth that the Sabres can't/won't/don't play a physical game, I for one would appreciate it.

2.  For the second game in three, they are being "goalied."  Expect more of this as more teams get used to the fact that the Sabres have a scoring machine in the form of Thompson and play their starters rather than backups.

3.  The defense actually looks ok.

4.  But they're losing.  

How did their game fare while doing it?

Florida is pretty good, They looked like they were playing playoff hockey. It looked like there could have been a hooking, slashing, holding call on every play. In addition to starting goalies, I think the Sabres should also start getting used to that, as well. “Their” game tends to wilt in those type of games.

[SwampD]

I would also like to put to bed the myth that they are only losing because of the goalie.

[Eleven]

35 minutes ago, SwampD said:

I would also like to put to bed the myth that they are only losing because of the goalie.

I don't think anyone's been repeating that since UPL was called up.

[SwampD]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

I don't think anyone's been repeating that since UPL was called up.

But,… you kinda did, no?