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

[Rasmus_]

4 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

 

 

Hopefully you're looking for rates on Uhaul rentals.  You're done in Buffalo.  Furthermore, eunich GMKA, and eunich HCDG.  We're run by imbeciles.  All they spout is "trust the process".

Edited February 20 by Rasmus_

[Stoner]

And then one day... It's like a miracle... It will disappear.

[KC Scouts]

4 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

 

 

It's just the sheer lunacy of that phrase....Does he have crystal ball?

Since Donnie is "all knowing" Can he give us some investment tips?🤣

[SABRES 0311]

19 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

If you remove the lense of "haven't made the playoffs in 12 years"... they're actually not far off from where they should be.      They had a strong second half last season, over-achieved IMHO.    A young over-confident group heading into 2023-24, mix in some key injuries and shaky goaltending early on, and the result really isn't that surprising.    This humbling experience should give them renewed motivation heading into 2024-25.

Mr. Granato this is not the post game press conference. 😂 
 

j/k

[Thorner]

20 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

Isn’t that the idea?  Throw out some babies and get some grown ass men? 

Or, just pay everyone professional, long term cash to play a professional game, all in the name of providing an entertainment product, and let them…..learn *how* to be professionals *AFTER* the fact, haha.

The Sabres have lost the plot, and some fans are reading an entirely different book along with them. Taking 5 years to *learn to play* isn’t absurd, it’s nearly insane lol. It’s a ridiculous, Sabres-invented concept.

The “5 year plan” was about taking a slow approach SPECIFICALLY so that we’d be perennial cup contenders by year 5.  

*the entire point of that strategy is to purposely take a longer path, because “just making the playoffs” isn’t enough*
 

the strategy was NEVER to take 5 years just to do something almost all teams, historically, do much quicker, year over year. It was never about taking 5 years to make the playoffs. that sort of plan is DOA

”trust the process, patience, young team…and if you do so, you’ll be rewarded with playoffs in 2024 or 2025” is *already* a failed strategy.
 

That’s what some miss: the expectation of playoffs, bare minimum, was *inclusive, already* of us having all these caveats people point to. Youth, process, etc.

The plan failed. It failed both relative to other teams, and even more importantly: intrinsically. Its literal strengths collapsed upon themselves. 

It now needs to be re-written. 

Edited February 20 by Thorny

[SwampD]

UPL was ass today. His sucking was the difference in this game.

[Believer]

4 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Vatrano

MacTavish

Benson 

Thanks for the info… Another humiliation… No wonder the Sabres didn’t include it in the recap.

[Alaska John]

4 hours ago, Thorny said:

Or, just pay everyone professional, long term cash to play a professional game, all in the name of providing an entertainment product, and let them…..learn *how* to be professionals *AFTER* the fact, haha.

The Sabres have lost the plot, and some fans are reading an entirely different book along with them. Taking 5 years to *learn to play* isn’t absurd, it’s nearly insane lol. It’s a ridiculous, Sabres-invented concept.

The “5 year plan” was about taking a slow approach SPECIFICALLY so that we’d be perennial cup contenders by year 5.  

*the entire point of that strategy is to purposely take a longer path, because “just making the playoffs” isn’t enough*
 

the strategy was NEVER to take 5 years just to do something almost all teams, historically, do much quicker, year over year. It was never about taking 5 years to make the playoffs. that sort of plan is DOA

”trust the process, patience, young team…and if you do so, you’ll be rewarded with playoffs in 2024 or 2025” is *already* a failed strategy.
 

That’s what some miss: the expectation of playoffs, bare minimum, was *inclusive, already* of us having all these caveats people point to. Youth, process, etc.

The plan failed. It failed both relative to other teams, and even more importantly: intrinsically. Its literal strengths collapsed upon themselves. 

It now needs to be re-written. 

What was Detroit's plan?  Seems like they were good, then got bad, then got good again, all in the time Buffalo has continued to miss the playoffs.

[bunomatic]

This team is a reflection of Don Granado. They fit his personality to a T. KA doesn’t get a pass. The makeup of this team is on KA as are the contracts he hands out. Terry Pegula doesn’t get a pass. He signs off on all decisions. Apparently the man is a moron. That shite flows downhill. They want to build a team that competes for the cup on a yearly basis but they can’t win more than two in a row or even make the playoffs. What is going on? 

[PerreaultForever]

32 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

This team is a reflection of Don Granado. They fit his personality to a T. KA doesn’t get a pass. The makeup of this team is on KA as are the contracts he hands out. Terry Pegula doesn’t get a pass. He signs off on all decisions. Apparently the man is a moron. That shite flows downhill. They want to build a team that competes for the cup on a yearly basis but they can’t win more than two in a row or even make the playoffs. What is going on? 

Are you really asking though? cause I think you already know. 

Pegula hockey is not winning hockey. 

40 minutes ago, Alaska John said:

What was Detroit's plan?  Seems like they were good, then got bad, then got good again, all in the time Buffalo has continued to miss the playoffs.

Funny thing is, go back to the off season threads where half this board were mocking the Yzerplan and some were even claiming he'd lost it entirely. 

[SabreFinn]

The roster is built wrong with no-one leading the team forward, and they trust the wrong veterans. Johnson and Girgensons was really bad this game and in lots of other games over the season(gw-goal 100% on UPL this time). And I have big doubts that the young players care about Okposo anymore, they want this ***** to end, make a reset, a good summer practice and get some Revenge (hopefully with stronger leaders)

And then there will still be Skinner.... Maybe Kruger was right after all keeping him on the fourth line.

[phil_soisson]

11 hours ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

Season for either team can hardly get screwed up more. They need a new coach. Maybe a new one in Rochester as the apparent great NHL talent is hardly setting things on fire. I’d go to March 1 or so, maybe a week later. That’s it. 
 

Fans need an assurance Adams will act. They need to be wooing a veteran coach to come in. I’d even hire a new coach now before all of them are off the market. And let him sit upstairs in an advisory role. Let him evaluate the team from a distance.

Sabres FO also need to up their developmental game as a whole. Set offseason standards for the players that if not met will cost them playing time. They need to know they better come into camp stronger and in phenomenal shape and ready to compete. And might as well let the players know now that things will be different next year. 

And after he fires Granato, Adams needs to meet with the team. Express his belief in their talent but his disgust with their play and work ethic going back to last off season, through an uninspiring training camp into the season. Let them know that next season starts with work ethic now. And the next coach will not tolerate this kind of inconsistent play and weak effort. 
 

And tell them to quit whining about the fans. They have put trash on the ice that isn’t worth the price of admission most of the time. And that the fans make a lot less than they do. And that while the players haven’t been here for the past 13 seasons, the fans have and the players need to understand that. That if they right the ship the fans will see them as heroes. 

Sorry, I think Adams needs to be gone too. If he wants to manage the Harbor Center, he can stick around. It's the only way to get the stank off of this team, and even that may not be enough. 

Edited February 20 by phil_soisson

[phil_soisson]

8 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Still the youngest team in the league, have some patience.   They're learning right now, trust the process.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Please! The baby was thrown out with the bath water 13 years ago.

[Doohicksie]

14 hours ago, Rasmus_ said:

Losing to John Gibson should be a broken stick on the ice. That guy is horrible.

They scored enough against him to win but yikes the Sabres allowed some awful goals on not that many shots.

[Doohicksie]

10 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

Sooo, I take it we lost? I genuinely did not think this would be a loss. Yay, expectations lowered.....

Oopie allowed 4 goals on 15 shots, including a coupla dribblers he should have saved cleanly, but even if he didn't his D should have.  Instead they ended up in the goal.

[eman]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Are you really asking though? cause I think you already know. 

Pegula hockey is not winning hockey. 

Funny thing is, go back to the off season threads where half this board were mocking the Yzerplan and some were even claiming he'd lost it entirely. 

Truth! Also the fact that many on this board didn't want Patrick Kane here feeling he wouldn't help. He has fit right in nicely with Detroit! Imagine adding another scoring forward to the Sabres lineup? What's this season's biggest weakness?: scoring goals.

[Pimlach]

14 minutes ago, eman said:

Truth! Also the fact that many on this board didn't want Patrick Kane here feeling he wouldn't help. He has fit right in nicely with Detroit! Imagine adding another scoring forward to the Sabres lineup? What's this season's biggest weakness?: scoring goals.

Kane was never coming here.  They talked once. 

[eman]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

Kane was never coming here.  They talked once. 

Oh I agree, why would he want to? But to say (as many did on this board) that he wouldn't have helped this club is just folly. He knows how to put the puck in the net and that turns out to be this season's biggest weakness in Sabreland. He is helping out the Wings big time!

[CallawaySabres]

12 points out of 8th and there are only 4 teams in the entire NHL that probably end with a worse record. These guys are actually going to be picking in the top of the draft again. I don't think it should even be fair to have this many high end picks on your team....and still not improve. 

[zow2]

10 hours ago, SwampD said:

UPL was ass today. His sucking was the difference in this game.

He wasn't in top form that's for sure but I won't blame him.  It feels like he's taken the L for several 2-1, 3-2 type games where he's played well and wasn't rewarded.  Didn't he lose a 1-0 game too?   The Sabres should have had 6 goals yesterday at least.  Yes, they are all kicking themselves for "gifting" Anaheim their 4 goals but no NHL team is going to play a perfect turnover free game. That shouldn't be the expectation.  And UPL has bailed the club out on the bad turnovers for the most part.

[SabresVet]

11 hours ago, Thorny said:

Or, just pay everyone professional, long term cash to play a professional game, all in the name of providing an entertainment product, and let them…..learn *how* to be professionals *AFTER* the fact, haha.

The Sabres have lost the plot, and some fans are reading an entirely different book along with them. Taking 5 years to *learn to play* isn’t absurd, it’s nearly insane lol. It’s a ridiculous, Sabres-invented concept.

The “5 year plan” was about taking a slow approach SPECIFICALLY so that we’d be perennial cup contenders by year 5.  

*the entire point of that strategy is to purposely take a longer path, because “just making the playoffs” isn’t enough*
 

the strategy was NEVER to take 5 years just to do something almost all teams, historically, do much quicker, year over year. It was never about taking 5 years to make the playoffs. that sort of plan is DOA

”trust the process, patience, young team…and if you do so, you’ll be rewarded with playoffs in 2024 or 2025” is *already* a failed strategy.
 

That’s what some miss: the expectation of playoffs, bare minimum, was *inclusive, already* of us having all these caveats people point to. Youth, process, etc.

The plan failed. It failed both relative to other teams, and even more importantly: intrinsically. Its literal strengths collapsed upon themselves. 

It now needs to be re-written. 

Making the playoffs would have/should have been a part of the development of these younger players.  Even if only to go up against a 1 or 2 seed in the first round and exit after a 5 or 6 game series.  

Agree completely that they're hiding behind the "Development" narrative.  It's so ambiguous enough to say because you can't quantify "Development" progress and  the only real way is where they are in the standings.  A 78-point pace season is not development after a 91 point campaign the previous year...particularly when (as someone upthread noted) that Peterka and UPL are the only ones who've taken a step forward this year.  And Quinn probably would have minus the injuries.  

It ain't development when just about all the other players have taken a step back.  

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

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.

I watched the postgame interview as well.  

Donnie is simply part psychologist and part hockey coach.   No matter the question, he never talks about hockey tactics or X's and O's, never specific matchups, etc.  

He really is better as a coach of a player, more so than a team.   He can help a player, but he struggles to get players to be consistent in a team format.  

Every Granato interview is a discussion on sports psychology with no real answers to anything.    

[SwampD]

10 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I watched the postgame interview as well.  

Donnie is simply part psychologist and part hockey coach.   No matter the question, he never talks about hockey tactics or X's and O's, never specific matchups, etc.  

He really is better as a coach of a player, more so than a team.   He can help a player, but he struggles to get players to be consistent in a team format.  

Every Granato interview is a discussion on sports psychology with no real answers to anything.    

They all are. Granato interviews are no different than every coach's interview. I think they are all a waste of time.

Edited February 20 by SwampD

[Pimlach]

14 minutes ago, SwampD said:

They all are. Granato interviews are no different than every coach's interview. I think they are all a waste of time.

Maybe so.  But then there is Torts.

We lost because we sucked.

We won because we had balls.   

😅

[SwampD]

9 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Maybe so.  But then there is Torts.

We lost because we sucked.

We won because we had balls.   

😅

Yep, and not much Xs and Os in those.