GDT / Buffalo Sabres @ Toronto Leafs Weds 7pm TNT & WGR Radio

[Crusader1969]

20 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I don't get the Cozens coasting line.... in OT you want to actively conserve energy on defense unless there's an opportunity. If you go crazy with your skating all you'll do is put yourself in a far worse situation of a 3v2.

Skinner's issue is he takes that approach 95% of the time regardless of circumstances. 

This is it 

Skinner follows Marner behind the net, no attempt to check him, just follows.   Marner turns and skinner keeps going leaving Marner all alone to make the pass to Matthews 

It's infuriating!

last game it was Tuch watching Cozens being checked by 2 Jets, this time it's lazy Skinner.   These are vets that the young players are learning from.  KA needs to bring in some strong vets next year to lead the way on and off the ice 

 

[SwampD]

29 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I don't get the Cozens coasting line.... in OT you want to actively conserve energy on defense unless there's an opportunity. If you go crazy with your skating all you'll do is put yourself in a far worse situation of a 3v2.

Skinner's issue is he takes that approach 95% of the time regardless of circumstances. 

In no world do you let an opposing player skate to the slot uncontested at even strength. You don’t conserve energy.

[PerreaultForever]

7 minutes ago, rickshaw said:

Wool, look at the ot goal. Cozens is gliding back to the slot as AM snipes it. That is what coasting is.

This was likely the worst OT I've seen this year by any team. Never seen so many turnovers and giveaways, like nobody cared on either side, in a format that is pretty much possession based. It was just horrible hockey and Cozens play was just one of many that preceded it (by both teams). 

[PromoTheRobot]

Just finished the game. What a heartbreaker. Sabres played an amazing defensive game. Frustrated the Leafs all night. Very mature game by Buffalo. 

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

They tend to be anti-Buffalo to begin with; just like any other national broadcast has been. The Bills, even being a constant playoff team endless catches flak on national TV because its Buffalo so that's nothing new really.

Liam McHugh is a UB Graduate and champions WNY quite a bit 

[SwampD]

13 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

This was likely the worst OT I've seen this year by any team. Never seen so many turnovers and giveaways, like nobody cared on either side, in a format that is pretty much possession based. It was just horrible hockey and Cozens play was just one of many that preceded it (by both teams). 

The entire game wasn’t much better.

[Second Line Center]

Tage 8 goals since Jan 1.  4 of them in 2 games. 
 

We don’t have a top line.

 

This is stunning.  And the coach needs to figure it the freak out bc we can’t go into off season suddenly needing a whole new top line.  
 

Which imo could easily be JJ-Cozens-Quinn.  
 

Cozens is at least responding to coach that wants him to play D.  I don’t think he’s a bad 2 way forward.  The opposite actually.  
 

Tage looks broken.  

 

Robinson played 16 freaking minutes tonight.  He was actually decent.  Which is to say - now go get good versions of that guy bc we clearly freaking need it.  
 

Also - I think Power is starting to get it.  Not a perfect game tonight but considering the competition I thought he was solid.  
 

Looking forward to a new top 4 on D.  5 and 6 should be Clifton and Joki.  

[SwampD]

Maybe a topic for its own thread,…

Is it me, or does this team have zero on-ice chemistry?

There isn’t a single player on a single line that looks like they have any idea of what another player on that line is going to do. Everyone is just reacting and seems surprised. Nobody anticipates anything that actually happens.

It’s a ***** mess.

[Pimlach]

I missed the game. I read the thread. Glad I missed this one.  
 

It sounds like we wasted another good game by UPL 

 

We need more NHL FORWARDS.  Not less. 

Edited March 7 by Pimlach

[Getpucksdeep]

9 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Maybe a topic for its own thread,…

Is it me, or does this team have zero on-ice chemistry?

There isn’t a single player on a single line that looks like they have any idea of what another player on that line is going to do. Everyone is just reacting and seems surprised. Nobody anticipates anything that actually happens.

It’s a ***** mess.

I feel ya. When Quinn was in the lineup it felt very different.  And arguably Mitts & Greenway earlier.  But Skinner Tuch Tage = no. Girgs / Okposo = never have possession or just north south.  Krebs + ? = no.  Benson is always 3rd wheel.  

[thewookie1]

How I see it is that the 1st line is broken and just can’t seem to find the sauce from last season. Part of it is obviously Tage’s injuries and confidence problems this season. The other major factor was the team’s attempt to play better in the 200ft game which anyone with eyes can see Thompson and Tuch have been grinding through to varying success while Skinner rarely gives it the time of day. Unless playing a specific team like Montreal or Carolina. When Thompson, Tuch and Skinner were told to play with reckless abandon, it worked in part because Skinner thrives on pure chaos even if it’s a double edged sword. When they decided to scale back from recklessness to opportunity driven; that line crashed like the 1929 stock exchange. In my opinion this is why they look so out of sync nowadays and coupled with Tage having little confidence you have a recipe for disaster. Tuch could either be injured and/or suffering from the same slowness Dahlin had under Krueger which was hesitation through overthinking. But he’s not just thinking about the other team and strategies; he also has to figure out what Mr. Chaos is planning. We saw tonight Tuch throw a puck to Skinner who turned off for a change; how often does Skinner not overrun his shift time and play well over his line shift into another’s shift? How often does Skinner make crazy spin passes or behind the back drop passes? In an offensive first system you are looking for them from a reward over risk system whereas our more defensive system switches it to a risk reward system. Thompson and Tuch have to both play offense while trying to predict Skinner’s chaos in order to try and prevent rushes against us. However both have failed for the most part at guessing Skinner as have most players on either side, it’s how he scores goals. 
 

It’s part of the reason I want him dealt, possibly for Couture, but just in general to allow some semblance of consistency in strategy to return. Skinner is a great fastball pitcher who has no other pitch at his disposal. He’ll blow balls by batters but anyone with the skill to catch up will clean his clock regularly. Additionally he can’t be used in other situations like most pitchers.

[spndnchz]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

This was likely the worst OT I've seen this year by any team. Never seen so many turnovers and giveaways, like nobody cared on either side, in a format that is pretty much possession based. It was just horrible hockey and Cozens play was just one of many that preceded it (by both teams). 

Can’t disagree with this

[SABRES 0311]

4 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

This is it 

Skinner follows Marner behind the net, no attempt to check him, just follows.   Marner turns and skinner keeps going leaving Marner all alone to make the pass to Matthews 

It's infuriating!

last game it was Tuch watching Cozens being checked by 2 Jets, this time it's lazy Skinner.   These are vets that the young players are learning from.  KA needs to bring in some strong vets next year to lead the way on and off the ice 

 

Skinner needs to go when possible. For a decent offer I would not be sad about Tuch leaving.

[Demoted]

Bye Dan Granato!

[Night Train]

48 minutes ago, Demoted said:

Bye Dan Granato!

And take your brother Don with you. 

That game was so boring. 

[PromoTheRobot]

7 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I missed the game. I read the thread. GladI missed this one.  
 

It sounds like we wasted another good game by UPL 

 

We need more NHL FORWARDS.  Not less. 

It was a defensive duel. Not sure why everyone was so down on this game. Probably because we didn't score 9 goals. I thought the Sabres played a confident game stuffing the Leafs attack. Their only kryptonite was the play from behind the net. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

8 hours ago, SwampD said:

Maybe a topic for its own thread,…

Is it me, or does this team have zero on-ice chemistry?

There isn’t a single player on a single line that looks like they have any idea of what another player on that line is going to do. Everyone is just reacting and seems surprised. Nobody anticipates anything that actually happens.

It’s a ***** mess.

I was thinking the same thing yesterday.  Nobody seems to know where their linemates are actually going or doing. Ok, maybe the 4th line but absolutely not on any scoring lines. Their looks to me zero chemistry

[JohnC]

56 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

It was a defensive duel. Not sure why everyone was so down on this game. Probably because we didn't score 9 goals. I thought the Sabres played a confident game stuffing the Leafs attack. Their only kryptonite was the play from behind the net. 

It's remarkable to me that the majority of people can watch this game with a takeaway that this game was a disaster. I saw this game the same way you did. This was one of the Sabres strongest games from a defensive and effort standpoint. Toronto is one of the most prolific scoring teams in the league. They got one goal in regulation. In overtime, there is a lot of open ice, so there is going to be a lot of back and forth. We had our chances and couldn't convert. And it should be noted that Mitts, one of our most productive offensive players did not play because he was traded. 

The Sabres ended up getting a point in an OT loss. If this team would have gotten a few more OT loss points this season, this team would now be in a better position. On how this team needs to play to be successful, I came away being encouraged. I recognize that this is a minority view. And the more I watch UPL play, the more he solidifies his position as the #1 goalie. That in itself is a positive step and is encouraging. 

[sabrefanday1]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

It's remarkable to me that the majority of people can watch this game with a takeaway that this game was a disaster. I saw this game the same way you did. This was one of the Sabres strongest games from a defensive and effort standpoint. Toronto is one of the most prolific scoring teams in the league. They got one goal in regulation. In overtime, there is a lot of open ice, so there is going to be a lot of back and forth. We had our chances and couldn't convert. And it should be noted that Mitts, one of our most productive offensive players did not play because he was traded. 

The Sabres ended up getting a point in an OT loss. If this team would have gotten a few more OT loss points this season, this team would now be in a better position. On how this team needs to play to be successful, I came away being encouraged. I recognize that this is a minority view. And the more I watch UPL play, the more he solidifies his position as the #1 goalie. That in itself is a positive step and is encouraging. 

Totally agree with this post...tired of negatvity here. we were due to lose to the Leafs sooner or later so this is actually good result 

 

 

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

It's remarkable to me that the majority of people can watch this game with a takeaway that this game was a disaster. I saw this game the same way you did. This was one of the Sabres strongest games from a defensive and effort standpoint. Toronto is one of the most prolific scoring teams in the league. They got one goal in regulation. In overtime, there is a lot of open ice, so there is going to be a lot of back and forth. We had our chances and couldn't convert. And it should be noted that Mitts, one of our most productive offensive players did not play because he was traded. 

The Sabres ended up getting a point in an OT loss. If this team would have gotten a few more OT loss points this season, this team would now be in a better position. On how this team needs to play to be successful, I came away being encouraged. I recognize that this is a minority view. And the more I watch UPL play, the more he solidifies his position as the #1 goalie. That in itself is a positive step and is encouraging. 

The Sabres had zero shots on goal for the first fifteen minutes of the game.

Encouraging indeed.

[sabremike]

18 minutes ago, SwampD said:

The Sabres had zero shots on goal for the first fifteen minutes of the game.

Encouraging indeed.

Apparently there's a bug going through the Toronto locker room and a bunch of guys are sick. They were clearly not giving their best effort and if they played like that against almost any other team they lose handidly.

[Demoted]

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

It's remarkable to me that the majority of people can watch this game with a takeaway that this game was a disaster. I saw this game the same way you did. This was one of the Sabres strongest games from a defensive and effort standpoint. Toronto is one of the most prolific scoring teams in the league. They got one goal in regulation. In overtime, there is a lot of open ice, so there is going to be a lot of back and forth. We had our chances and couldn't convert. And it should be noted that Mitts, one of our most productive offensive players did not play because he was traded. 

The Sabres ended up getting a point in an OT loss. If this team would have gotten a few more OT loss points this season, this team would now be in a better position. On how this team needs to play to be successful, I came away being encouraged. I recognize that this is a minority view. And the more I watch UPL play, the more he solidifies his position as the #1 goalie. That in itself is a positive step and is encouraging. 

If the Sabres, if the Sabres, IF, IF, IF.... always just a bunch of 'ifs and buts" when it comes to the Sabres. 

 

How is it encouraging that you need to make up scenarios to pretend like they "could" be in a better position "if" they did this or that... they aren't doing it and haven't been doing it.

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, SwampD said:

The Sabres had zero shots on goal for the first fifteen minutes of the game.

Encouraging indeed.

Did you fall asleep after the first fifteen minutes? Toronto got the first nine shots to start the game. After that, the Sabres got the next 12 shots. The Sabres ended up with 25 shots on net for the game (10-9-3-3) while the Leafs got 27 shots for the game (6-9-10-2). May I kindly offer you a recommendation: When watching the game keep your eyes open for the whole game. 🤡

[WhenWillItEnd66]

3 hours ago, sabrefanday1 said:

Totally agree with this post...tired of negatvity here. we were due to lose to the Leafs sooner or later so this is actually good result 

 

 

Having no shots for the first 15 minutes of the game and 2 total shots in the 3rd period AGAINST THE LEAFS is not a good game. That is a joke. 

[SwampD]

12 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Did you fall asleep after the first fifteen minutes? Toronto got the first nine shots to start the game. After that, the Sabres got the next 12 shots. The Sabres ended up with 25 shots on net for the game (10-9-3-3) while the Leafs got 27 shots for the game (6-9-10-2). May I kindly offer you a recommendation: When watching the game keep your eyes open for the whole game. 🤡

Are you calling me a clown? Classy.

I did watch the whole game. And actually, the Leafs only got the first 6 shots on goal, not 9.

I know how to watch hockey, and if the outcome of the game was determined by SOG,... well, we would have lost that, too.

None of that has anything to do with the fact that no shots in the first 15 minutes of a game is not encouraging at any level, especially against a sick Leafs team. Nobody changes the goalposts like you.

Time for a break. I'm tired of people pissing on my leg and telling me it's raining.