GDT / Anaheim Ducks @ Buffalo Sabres Monday Feb 19th 12:30pm ESPN+ MSG & WGR Radio

[North Buffalo]

Just now, Sabres73 said:

Dahlin and Joki +2 for the game. E Johnson -3, R Johnson -4.

RJ out on the ice way too long on shifts

[TageMVP]

[HumanSlinky39]

"One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Story of The 2023-24 Buffalo Sabres"

 

Fire Granato.

[inkman]

54 minutes ago, Believer said:

Dahlin tossed his stick in the air on the last penalty call… Still a post adolescent… Years away from Captain caliber… 

We only have a few grown men on the team… None of them showed up today … The rest are post adolescents and young men… Adams needs to fix this in the off season… Bring in a few hard-nosed warriors who know how to win.

 

Been saying that for a couple months.

The fact that Dahlin is now the face of the franchise makes me immeasurably sad. 

[TageMVP]

13 minutes ago, Sabres73 said:

Dahlin and Joki +2 for the game. E Johnson -3, R Johnson -4.

Thanks for reading the box score bub I needed that 

[inkman]

6 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

"One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Story of The 2023-24 Buffalo Sabres"

 

Fire Granato.

I’m all for firing Granato, mostly because why not.  But this is on the players.  They don’t have players that play with courage and desire.  They have guys who want to dangle and score goals from 30 feet.  I’d gut the team at this point.  Stick with Cozens, Peterka, Quinn and Benson.  Trade, buy out,  get rid of every other single player.  I hate them all.  Even Kulich and Rosen who apparently can’t take a couple flights and play for their country without it screwing up their lives. 

[inkman]

17 minutes ago, Sabres73 said:

Dahlin and Joki +2 for the game. E Johnson -3, R Johnson -4.

Don’t care.  Not one player in the league is worried even a little when those two are on the ice.  I need Doughty, Weber or Pronger.  Not two guys who don’t even shave.  

[Believer]

9 minutes ago, inkman said:

The fact that Dahlin is now the face of the franchise makes me immeasurably sad. 

Couldn’t agree more.

[Night Train]

11 minutes ago, inkman said:

The fact that Dahlin is now the face of the franchise makes me immeasurably sad. 

UPL is the face.

Going from whipping boy to team MVP.  Speaks volumes. 

[...]

1 hour ago, Believer said:

Dahlin tossed his stick in the air on the last penalty call… Still a post adolescent… Years away from Captain caliber… 

We only have a few grown men on the team… None of them showed up today … The rest are post adolescents and young men… Adams needs to fix this in the off season… Bring in a few hard-nosed warriors who know how to win.

The challenge is that Adams let this go for too long. Dahlin's on-ice fits are symptomatic. Any veteran, say like an Eric Johnson, are going to come in here and try to grapple with the culture, but the culture has such deep roots that Adams would have to ship off over half the team and replace them with right-minded vets if he expects that tactic to work. And half of the remaining roster would have to buy-in to the move completely and immediately, or, once again, there will quickly develop factions in the locker room.

[inkman]

Just now, Night Train said:

UPL is the face.

Going from whipping boy to team MVP.  Speaks volumes. 

I’d love to agree.  Maybe next season that will be the case but NHL all-star and current $11 million dollar man resides atop the totem pole now.  It can’t change fast enough.  

[Stoner]

22 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

"One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Story of The 2023-24 Buffalo Sabres"

 

Fire Granato.

Credit to @johnwawrow for asking one tough question. Granato said the team wasn't dealing with pressure well. John asked wasn't that what last year was for? To learn that skill? "It's a process!" Don started to get a little snippy. Not used to being questioned. 

Hoppe had his hard hitter... Comment on how Krebs' line was the best line on the ice in the first. Lyskowski... Is Tage trending up?

Mike's been tamed but did come up a direct question about Skinner.

John also had the temerity to say it's about wins after Granato claimed the Sabres have made many strides in areas that needed improvement.

The coach said, "Obviously" it's about the wins.

It's not obvious to a lot of us that winning is what Sabres hockey is about.

Edited February 19 by PASabreFan

[Pimlach]

26 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

"One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Story of The 2023-24 Buffalo Sabres"

 

Fire Granato.

I don’t say fire Granato because they will put in Appert as interim and screw up Rochester, or worse, Ellis.  
 

Wait for the season to end and look for a coach.  Offer Brind’Amour a ton.  If not, talk to and interview Berube, Gallant, and all of the top candidates.  
 

DG did his best work already.  Time for the next step.  

Edited February 19 by Pimlach

[HumanSlinky39]

5 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I don’t say fire Granato because they will put in Appert as interim and screw up Rochester, or worse, Ellis.  
 

Wait for the season to end and look for a coach.  Offer Brind’Amour a ton.  If not, talk to and interview Berube, Gallant, and all of the top candidates.  
 

DG did his best work already.  Time for the next step.  

Eh, fair point. I've been thinking for a long time now that a new coach could conceivably get these guys on track and compete for the postseason. I think it's all too far gone at this point. Another year wasted after so much progress last.

I agree 100% the next coach NEEDS to be an experienced coach who will whoop these guys into shape and hold them accountable. Brind'Amour would be a grand slam, Berube or Gallant 3-run home runs. Need a "name" that has won and knows wtf he is doing. No more on the job training.

Edited February 19 by HumanSlinky39

[Believer]

Okposo… Nice guy… Good family man… Lousy leader… Worse Captain… Played 10 mins today… 

Trade him, Adams… The sooner the better… Don’t care if Pegula loves the guy and KO wants to stay here… Draw a line on the ice for the good of the team… Move him with a prospect… 

Get a warrior with a winning attitude in return.
 

[Carmel Corn]

2 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I don’t say fire Granato because they will out Appert as interim and screw up Rochester, or worse, Ellis.  
 

Wait for the season to end and look for a coach.  Offer Brind’Amour a ton.  If not, talk to and interview Berube, Gallant, and all of the top candidates.  
 

DG did his best work already.  Time for the next step.  

I'd prefer a firing NOW personally.  The players need to get the message before the season is over, that the rest of this season is their audition to prove they are worth bringing back.  I don't care if Appert or Bozo the clown is the interim, but don't waste the last quarter of the season helping the players get ready for golf season.

[HumanSlinky39]

55 games in and still haven't won 3 in a row. Even lowly San Jose has managed to do that this season. The only teams that haven't? CBJ and Chicago. the 29th and 32nd ranked teams in the league.

[Believer]

13 minutes ago, ... said:

Adams would have to ship off over half the team and replace them with right-minded vets if he expects that tactic to work.

You know the only correct course of action… You said it yourself… Wholesale change… I agree.

[PickaPecaPickles]

My 2 cents. The Sabres struggle with young teams that play hard every shift because they have too many players who don’t. 

[HumanSlinky39]

I'm watching the Oilers game on now...it's like they're playing a different sport.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Unbelievable. and yet at the same time, of course, it's the Sabres. 

Ducks are bad. Like really really bad, and yet they found a way to lose to them. I just shake my head in dismay.

Johnson and Johnson were horrific. So many errors, missed plays and giveaways. They were a disaster. Nobody is going to want EJ at the deadline if they watched that. Maybe that's what he wants. Just horrible. 

On the Thompson almost goal or Gibson big save (depending on how you want to look at it) this play exemplifies one of the many things wrong with this team. Nice play, close to a goal, but there's Thompson watching and admiring his shot and pointing at it like he expects it to be in when he should be hacking and whacking at it to make sure it goes in. That puck was still loose and there was no D there. If that's a Marchand or a Tkachuk, or a plethora of others they are on that puck and hacking for it and making sure it goes in. They might get a goalie interference review and they'd get some pushing and shoving after maybe but it'd be in and in almost every instance it would count. But not Tage, oh no, skate by and point. Complain and whine maybe. What a stupid team.

Benson goal. That's how you do it. The plan is an active D so give it to the D, shoot the puck, get in front and tip it. Goal. Lots of goals get scored that way. Simple basic hockey 101 but so few of them do it. Usually we pass to the outside and shoot from there to end the rush.

Our best players were Peterka, Benson and Greenway. Why is it the best players on this team are most often the ones who have been here for the shortest time? (that's rhetorical, we already know the answer).

Lastly, Granato cannot manage a hockey game on ice as it goes. Some of the line match ups he chose were absurd and cost us goals against. That should never happen on home ice. He is a horrible coach in terms of game management. 

Once again, I f'n hate this team. 

I agree with everything.   I am still made at this team, don’t hate them, but I’m ready to replace a lot of them.  

I too ponder how having home ice and the final change is not a factor for Granato.  It’s just not.  

Even me in my living room could see the Johnson’s were struggling, yet he kept sending them out against Vatrano-Terry-McTavish.  That line scored on them 3 times in the 2nd, they played almost 12 minutes by the end of that period,  way too much.  

It’s that time of year, just like last year.  He does not have enough defense with Power and Muel out of the rotation.   Who do you trust?  
 

[Pimlach]

8 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

I'd prefer a firing NOW personally.  The players need to get the message before the season is over, that the rest of this season is their audition to prove they are worth bringing back.  I don't care if Appert or Bozo the clown is the interim, but don't waste the last quarter of the season helping the players get ready for golf season.

But that is what will happen with Appert or Ellis.  They will quit on those two immediately, and it will creep into some better players.  

[steveoat87]

Its official.  This team stinks.  On to the Knicks and Yankees for me.

[Marvin]

One thing this team does not have enough of are NHL middle-agers with talent who can teach the younger players how to not get down when things go wrong.  Two years ago, they had those guys without much talent.  This year, there are too few of those guys with more team talent.  This requires not getting to enamoured with the draft picks.

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

Feels like time in a flat circle

Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.