So, if the team can play this well against the Rangers, what do the coaches need to do to build consistency?

[steveoat87]

This team is maddening and you can't just blame it on youth.  Something with the coaching is not getting through.  They immediately need to bring someone in (another coach) to fix the power play and face-offs.  This would already be a big step in the right direction.  However, how do they get these players to maintain focus and play like they did yesterday.

[Night Train]

3 minutes ago, steveoat87 said:

This team is maddening and you can't just blame it on youth.  Something with the coaching is not getting through.  They immediately need to bring someone in (another coach) to fix the power play and face-offs.  This would already be a big step in the right direction.  However, how do they get these players to maintain focus and play like they did yesterday.

Lock the coaches out of the locker room. 

[SDS]

Slightly different question. Is last nights play sustainable? Over an 82 game season, I’m not sure it is.

[PromoTheRobot]

55 minutes ago, steveoat87 said:

This team is maddening and you can't just blame it on youth.  Something with the coaching is not getting through.  They immediately need to bring someone in (another coach) to fix the power play and face-offs.  This would already be a big step in the right direction.  However, how do they get these players to maintain focus and play like they did yesterday.

Bad games happen. Do the Bruins suck now that they lost 3 in a row including one to CBJ? Is coach Jim Montgomery suddenly not getting through to his players?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

9 minutes ago, SDS said:

Slightly different question. Is last nights play sustainable? Over an 82 game season, I’m not sure it is.

It isn't.  Not for any team.  The Rangers a much better team than the Sabres and look what happened last night.

[inkman]

9 minutes ago, SDS said:

Slightly different question. Is last nights play sustainable? Over an 82 game season, I’m not sure it is.

Correct.  It’s an 85% league (don’t remember who said that), last night they gave 110%.  It’s not sustainable.  

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

Bad games happen. Do the Bruins suck now that they lost 3 in a row including one to CBJ? Is coach Jim Montgomery suddenly not getting through to his players?

Didn’t Boston also start with the easiest schedule in the league?  

[PromoTheRobot]

2 minutes ago, inkman said:

Didn’t Boston also start with the easiest schedule in the league?  

I don't know. Did they?

[SDS]

2 minutes ago, inkman said:

Correct.  It’s an 85% league (don’t remember who said that), last night they gave 110%.  It’s not sustainable.  

Yeah, I'm not sure the give 110% every shift crowd understands what that means. You pretty much need to be on PCP, because mentally it is impossible.

[French Collection]

13 minutes ago, inkman said:

last night they gave 110%.  It’s not sustainable.  

Is that even achievable?

[French Collection]

15 minutes ago, inkman said:

Didn’t Boston also start with the easiest schedule in the league?  

Only 1 of their first 8 opponents was a playoff team last season.

[Carmel Corn]

16 minutes ago, inkman said:

Correct.  It’s an 85% league (don’t remember who said that), last night they gave 110%.  It’s not sustainable.  

Didn’t Boston also start with the easiest schedule in the league?  

I would be much happier if they had actually played at an 85% for more of the games in the 1st quarter of the season.  They could otherwise be in a playoff position such that they won't have to play at 110% for every game in the final quarter of the season (just to get in).

[Thorner]

A second good goalie 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

A second good goalie 

BOOM !!

[inkman]

9 minutes ago, Thorny said:

A second good goalie 

***** before last night, were we sure we had one? 

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, steveoat87 said:

This team is maddening and you can't just blame it on youth.  Something with the coaching is not getting through.  They immediately need to bring someone in (another coach) to fix the power play and face-offs.  This would already be a big step in the right direction.  However, how do they get these players to maintain focus and play like they did yesterday.

Youth is the biggest reason why the highs are so high and the lows are so low.   Teams with more veteran makeup tend to have the similar sine wave but with lower amplitude peaks and valleys.  Veteran teams are more consistent and steady.  

It is easy to blame the coaching when a team is not ready or not playing well but a winning team will tend to have a lot of players that don't need constant coach "pep talks" because the leadership comes from within.  An NHL player has to prepare himself and be accountable to the team, that is part of being a professional.  That is why having veteran leadership is so valuable.  

That said, the coaching on this team is still something to improve upon.  Whoever runs that Power Play is not getting nearly enough from the abundant talent on the roster.  

[Getpucksdeep]

31 minutes ago, inkman said:

Correct.  It’s an 85% league (don’t remember who said that), last night they gave 110%.  It’s not sustainable.  

Didn’t Boston also start with the easiest schedule in the league?  

I think it was *hole stamkos. Don't disagree with it.  

[MattPie]

28 minutes ago, SDS said:

Yeah, I'm not sure the give 110% every shift crowd understands what that means. You pretty much need to be on PCP, because mentally it is impossible.

I suspect that the 2nd round of the playoffs, which often isn't as competitive as the first, is the let-down of going 110% in the first round.

[pi2000]

Unpopular opinion...  last night was more to do with the Rangers laying an egg, than Buffalo playing exceptionally well.

Don't get me wrong, Buffalo played well... that was definitely their "A" game.

However, if the Rangers brought their "A" game, the score wouldn't have been close. 

[steveoat87]

37 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Youth is the biggest reason why the highs are so high and the lows are so low.   Teams with more veteran makeup tend to have the similar sine wave but with lower amplitude peaks and valleys.  Veteran teams are more consistent and steady.  

It is easy to blame the coaching when a team is not ready or not playing well but a winning team will tend to have a lot of players that don't need constant coach "pep talks" because the leadership comes from within.  An NHL player has to prepare himself and be accountable to the team, that is part of being a professional.  That is why having veteran leadership is so valuable.  

That said, the coaching on this team is still something to improve upon.  Whoever runs that Power Play is not getting nearly enough from the abundant talent on the roster.  

Yes, youth is a factor, but look at the Baltimore Orioles.  It took 2 seasons for them to gel (one of the youngest teams in the league), but in the third season, they were one of the best.  Not sure I am seeing this on the Sabres.

[mjd1001]

44 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Youth is the biggest reason why the highs are so high and the lows are so low.   Teams with more veteran makeup tend to have the similar sine wave but with lower amplitude peaks and valleys.  Veteran teams are more consistent and steady.  

Vets at the correct age (fowards under 30 but with a lot of experiene and D-men between the age of 26-32).  That is perhaps a big thing that is overlooked in terms of how successful a team is.

Yes, you need talent. But a lot of people can't figure out why Seattle was pretty good from the start, so was Vegas.  Why are the Kings doing so well now (and there are other examples).  A lot of it has to do with teams, espically on the back end, that have 'decent enough' pure talent but have a lot of expereince.

Edited November 28, 2023 by mjd1001

[K-9]

A clue.

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 hours ago, pi2000 said:

However, if the Rangers brought their "A" game, the score wouldn't have been close. 

I'm not sure that's true.  I think we have enough talent to play with anybody if we give the effort we saw last night.

Edited November 28, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, SDS said:

Yeah, I'm not sure the give 110% every shift crowd understands what that means. You pretty much need to be on PCP, because mentally it is impossible.

 

[DarthEbriate]

11-7? And play two guys barely 6 minutes? Nay...

Go 10-8!

Full consistency!

[Pimlach]

48 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Unpopular opinion...  last night was more to do with the Rangers laying an egg, than Buffalo playing exceptionally well.

Don't get me wrong, Buffalo played well... that was definitely their "A" game.

However, if the Rangers brought their "A" game, the score wouldn't have been close. 

In the second period when the Rangers started taking the body and skating better, they did take control of the play for a while, but were thwarted by UPL.  The Sabres put the dagger in with Tuch goal in the last minute of the period.  
 

What was nice was that we dominated the 3rd period too.