GDT: Rangers @ Sabres - October 12, 2023 - 7:00PM, MSG-B📺WGR📻

[HumanSlinky39]

15 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

Buffalo should have replaced their asst. coaches, especially for special teams.  Peca would look nice behind our bench vs. the Rags.

Peca is our next HC. And that's not me calling for Meatballs' head, I like Granato. But everyone knows NHL coaches are hired to be fired. Peca is the chosen one, though IMO.

[Pimlach]

2 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

The physicality stood out to me. Yards different from the past few years. Didn't look like a "finesse" team at all. I'm hoping that's scheme and not a one-off bump against a hated rival. If this team can throw 18-20 hits a game versus the 8-10 we've grown use to, it'll pay dividends. 

I like hits but I prefer shots and scoring chances.  

[PerreaultForever]

So your home opener is supposed to be where you come out with your best hockey right? Right? Isn't it? I mean you always hear "it's hard to win that first game in their home opener", but I guess not if it's the Sabres. 

I went into this hoping it would be different this year but it just wasn't.  I will be blunt.

The entire coaching staff needs to be fired. They have no defensive system, still have a lousy PK, and there's simply zero improvement in system terms. A team with this much offensive talent should simply be better at D by now but they are not. We are EASY to play against. 

Management blew it. I look at 2 teams and one of them has Mike Peca and one of them considered him not worthy. He played the right way, and lo and behold surprise surprise they played the game the right way and they won easily. Huge mistake was made here. He should be on our staff teaching these idiots how to play 2 way hockey since Granato clearly cannot. 

Benson is not ready. He should go back to junior.

Power, at this point, is nowhere near ready to get the kind of money we just signed him for. Not yet at least. He too is being rushed.

Levi is not ready. I was skeptical from day 1 about this plan but it's clearly insane. Kid has potential but imo he looks like he needs 1-2 solid AHL years of development before he's ready to assume a back up role, not even a starting role. This goaltending plan is insanity. 

I did like that we showed a little physicality and didn't back down. This was new and pleased me but that's about it.  Otherwise, same old garbage and it will be a long long year. (I'd add unless things change, but why would they? There's zero sign that anything's different.)

I'm going to give it 10 full games all the same. After that, if we're still crap you'll see a lot less of me here. I just feel like a broken record (for the kids a record is a music source that spins around and around and plays your songs. We used to buy them and spin them on what we called a turntable, which wasn't a table turning but just another disc on a motor and this made sound. We owned them and there was no algorithm dictating our lives. A broken record implied the music would be stuck and not move forward just spinning around and around and around and the same skipping noise repeating repeating repeating until you stopped it).

Why the F does it never change?

[Scottysabres]

For the most part I thought those that chimed in here during the game gave good feedback on what they were seeing. Outside of a couple of posters throwing freshly squeezed swimmers at one another, it was a good read on what we see in the team (if you 2 can clean up the floor now, before someone slips and gets hurt, that'd be great).

On to the next, let's see if they respond.

[HumanSlinky39]

Just now, Pimlach said:

I like hits but I prefer shots and scoring chances.  

Same, but not mutually exclusive. The days of our boxscore showing 6 hits are hopefully over. Teams haven't been sore after playing us for years, that needs to change.

[OverPowerYou]

Buffalo Bills are good, Just got a promotion at work, my wife is due in 2 months. Life is good. I don’t think I need the Sabres for a while. 

[sabremike]

Again: What the ***** did they spend the preseason on? Totally disorganized and less sharp than a butterknife.

[CallawaySabres]

52 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

So much for the perfect season I was expecting

the key to making the playoffs will be no long losing streaks.  Don’t let 1 loss turn into 2.   I expect much better on sat night 

Unfortunately, after seeing this team not adapt at all tonight, and trying the same thing over and over, I fully expect them to fall into four and five game losing streaks continually.

[OverPowerYou]

This is what happens when you run it back with practically the same team

[SwampD]

The Rangers are stacked. They will go deep into the playoffs.

I know that people don'y want to hear about youth and the inherent mistakes therein, but the Sabres looked young and undisciplined. They will be there at the end of the season to make the playoffs.

I'm still excited for this season.

[bunomatic]

I guess my take away and based on preseason and going back to the last few games last season many will disagree since almost everyone pumps his tires, but Levy will not save us. Maybe in year two if we don’t break him this season throwing him to the wolves. Make no mistake despite what KA has said, this looks like a development year. Maybe they make the playoffs ? But had that been UPL in net this thread would have been dominated with UPL hate. I want Levy to be the guy but unless we do a 360 and learn some sort of defensive awareness its going to be tough on the tenders.

[Believer]

7 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Why the F does it never change?

Agree with much of what you wrote… but it’s one game… Season opener… Full house… Big expectations… Early jits… 

Gotta remember we have two handfuls of 21-22-23 year olds playing serious minutes… They will develop together into a formidable team for many years to come, my bet.

Not ready to make any serious player moves… Sure not ready to give up on Granato or his staff.

Lets see where we are after a month.

[SABRES 0311]

[SwampD]

7 minutes ago, SABRES 0311 said:

No. We just lost tonight.

[rickshaw]

I agree on Krebs. He looks different. He made some really nice plays but he’s playing with two weak offensive players. Benson I really liked, greenway was good.

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Sorry I missed it.  

[CallawaySabres]

I honestly wonder if that building will ever be loud again. I don’t even remember what it once was like. 

[thewookie1]

Was at the game, great opening with Cupcake and good feelings. Then the game started and things began to unravel. What seemed to originally break the team was the terrible call by the ref to penalize Greenway after he came to Joki’s relief after a blatant board. Frankly it should have been reviewed as a major as it was a full on dirty hit. While the Rangers controlled much of the 1st, the dagger of the period was the miscall by the refs on Benson in which they scored a deflection on. From there we had to deal with a 1-3-1 and get bored to tears.

The second was much like the first but we did have some chances but yet again the refs seemed content to let the Rangers do what they wanted to our players like Benson. Bounces didn’t go our way whatsoever besides Peterka’s goal. 
 

The 3rd reminded me of the 90’s Devils or most Torts coached teams with players sprawling out like bearskin rugs to block shots and we just could not find a way to get it past them. Kreider’s 2nd goal was a combo of Dahlin having been on the ice almost 2 minutes and a puck hitting Benson just right to go to Kreider. That seemed to end it

 

Top line wasn’t crisp at all, everyone’s timing was off by a half second and Tage’s targeting computer was broken. 
 

Cozens line was a hot mess and I’m starting to think Olofsson curses his line mates. Cozens couldn’t puck handle out of a paper bag half the time and Olofsson was his usual perimeter player. JJ played well though.

Mitts and his duo were arguably the best line and seemed to generate some offense. Benson probably needs to go back to the WHL to bulk up but his IQ and talent is definitely ready. (Give him 20lbs and 2 inches and he’d be perfect already) Greenway playing with grit and determination is a fun and different type of hockey than usual. I like it

Krebs and Girgensons brought energy and Okposo was an old guy. They weren’t bad but also weren’t good.

The defensive players were individually ok besides Jokiharju and Power’s sporadic mishaps.

Levi let in a bad rebound goal but can be excused on the rest for the most part. 

The team physicality was certainly more robust with a number of hits but I want a bit more than even that. However that was a step in the right direction. 
 

Sorely disappointed but was more aggravated by the idiot Rangers fan behind me being an ass than anything else. 
 

It’s one game, an arguably bad matchup for our style and I’ll expect better from them Saturday and next time we see the Rangers.

Edited October 13, 2023 by thewookie1

[SABRES 0311]

11 minutes ago, SwampD said:

No. We just lost tonight.

Yeah, I was kidding.

[Zamboni]

The whining and knee jerk is in mid season form. Funny. Very entertaining. 👍🏼
 

I think I’ll avoid this thread now. 

[Randall Flagg]

4 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

The whining and knee jerk is in mid season form. Funny. Very entertaining. 👍🏼
 

I think I’ll avoid this thread now. 

It sure is, you guys picked up right where you left off.

[Quint]

I don't remember the last time I thought the Sabres' defense played great. The mid 2000s?

[GASabresIUFAN]

The Sabres lost, and the Braves lost to the friggin's Phillies.  At least the Morrissey concert was good.   I'm going to miss the Bills on Sunday also.  Going to Depeche Mode.  I think these concerts are helping lessen my sports anxiety.

[Stoner]

How was the beef on weck?

[SABRES 0311]

I felt like the Sabres were gassed out after the 10 minute mark of each period. They played a little physical which was nice to see and kudos to Greenway for leading that charge.

I like Mitts and Benson together. I think this is a better fit than Mitts and VO. 

Our top line had some moments but Tuch in particular was ineffective. 

Krebs had some spark and Peterka has definitely gained some confidence.

I hate to say it but KO retiring after this year and Girgs seeking a new team may not be the worst thing.