GDT: Oct 4 Sabres v Devils in Prague 1pm EST New Season... LETS Go!!!

[Goldseatsaud]

14 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Until his mortgage payment bill comes in the mail and realizes he's still unemployed.

He lives cheap! Lol

[jad1]

19 minutes ago, Goldseatsaud said:

So it’s not coaching?

Not yet.  Ruff hasn't had the time to beat the participation-trophy and orange-slice mentality out of this team.  He might not be able to do it.  He wasn't able to do it with the post-Drury/Briere teams.

Accountability isn't going to come from the bottom six guys playing 9 minutes a night.  Kev sitting on all that cap space and prospects instead of putting better (mentally tougher) players in the top six and four is going to damn this season.

[jad1]

5 minutes ago, 7+6=13 said:

Peterka is on pace to being a point per game player.

Dahlin is on pace to be -82 this season. 😉

[HumanSlinky39]

53 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

saw none of the game... what did i miss?

[GASabresIUFAN]

5 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

My concern coming in to this game was the level of competition they've faced so far... AHL level squads and a german league team... with a long layoff before game one. 

Didn't see the game but not surprised they came out flat.

They didn't come out flat.  They controlled the puck for the first 7 minutes of the game and then quickly reverted to a team that lacked drive or passion.  Same team different year.

The PP was as awful as last year.  No one except Benson and Kubel drove to the net.  Our best scoring chances came from the 4th line and as we knew they lack finish.  The 3rd line was invisible and the top 2 line finally showed up in the 3rd period after the initial decent start.  Rinse, wash, repeat.   

If I were Lindy, I'd re-think the D pairings tomorrow.  Power/Dahlin, Samuelsson/Joki and Clifton/Byram.  I'd also put Benson and JJP on the top line with Thompson and tell Thompson if he doesn't crash the net, he'll be demoted to the 3rd line.  

The 2nd line is Cozens, Tuch and Quinn.  On the 3rd line, send one of the guys to the bench in favor of Kulich and on the 4th line sub in Krebs for Kubel (who apparently got hurt).

The sad part is that they spent so much time playing the top guys in pre-season to build chemistry and there was none.

[Gatorman0519]

Well the early season "we are going to suck this year" crowd has been right 100% of the time for 13 years straight now. 🤣😂🤪 

[Archie Lee]

1 hour ago, Goldseatsaud said:

1 hour ago, Goldseatsaud said:

1 hour ago, Goldseatsaud said:

So it’s not coaching?

I’m not drawing any conclusions from game one. But, the two most over-hyped changes from the off-season were the benefits of swapping one coach for another who was recently fired for similar reasons, and replacing four bottom six players (who all went to contenders) for four bottom six players that actual playoff teams found to be replaceable. Oh, and those were the only changes of the off-season. 

Edited Friday at 11:17 PM by Archie Lee

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Thorner said:

Well, it has officially started, but I take your meaning 

For 2 teams it has started, but the roster cut down date isn't until Monday and the NA portion of the RS begins on Tuesday.  So, in a way, no, no it hasn't happened. 

And today was just a really truly bad dream that will just go away (like the last 13 years) ...  (OK, so that IS pretty much a bridge too far, but you get the point.  😉 )

[Two or less]

11 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The PP was as awful as last year.  No one except Benson and Kubel drove to the net.  Our best scoring chances came from the 4th line and as we knew they lack finish.  The 3rd line was invisible and the top 2 line finally showed up in the 3rd period after the initial decent start.  Rinse, wash, repeat.  

 

Sabres won 58% of the faceoffs in this game, a change from a year ago. However, they only went 1-5 on faceoffs on the PP. The one PP they won the faceoff, they ended up with 5 SOG.

Not winning those key faceoffs is going to drive Lindy crazy.

Edited Friday at 10:55 PM by Two or less

[jad1]

 

5 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

Well the early season "we are going to suck this year" crowd has been right 100% of the time for 13 years straight now. 🤣😂🤪 

[Believer]

This is a highly misleading stat, imo.

Think the game was decided in the 1st Period when the Sabres came out flat and were outshot (as I recall hearing) something like 18 to 5 and were down 2-0. 

How do you come out flat for the first game of a pivotal season of high expectations after several days rest, encouragement from Adams, maybe Pegula and instructions from Ruff?

Seriously confounding.

Someone posted earlier Dahlin, Tuch, Samuelson, Cozens and the other veteran leaders need to show up tomorrow morning from the drop of the puck.

It will be a character test. Win or lose, show up and play hard.

No excuses. 

 

[Thorner]

4 minutes ago, Taro T said:

For 2 teams it has started, but the roster cut down date isn't until Monday and the NA portion of the RS begins on Tuesday.  So, in a way, no, no it hasn't happened. 

And today was just a really truly bad dream that will just go away (like the last 13 years) ...  (OK, so that IS pretty much a bridge too far, but you get the point.  😉 )

Right but I just mean if you look it up, October 4 is said to be the first official day of regular season 

[DarthEbriate]

I say lift off and nuke the entire team from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. But if that fails, or if they start 0-3, at least spread out the new guys so Zucker, Malenstyn, Lafferty, and Aube-Kubel (if healthy) can at least impact the young culture on a line-by-line basis. 

[Indabuff]

I see they picked up where they left off last year.   Maybe they should just stay in Prague.

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I think I lost the sports pack with the latest greatest “big deal savings” that the Mrs negotiated.  

You can add it easily enough.  It's just $5 a month or some such.

[#freejame]

50 minutes ago, Believer said:

This is a highly misleading stat, imo.

Think the game was decided in the 1st Period when the Sabres came out flat and were outshot (as I recall hearing) something like 18 to 5 and were down 2-0. 

How do you come out flat for the first game of a pivotal season of high expectations after several days rest, encouragement from Adams, maybe Pegula and instructions from Ruff?

Seriously confounding.

Someone posted earlier Dahlin, Tuch, Samuelson, Cozens and the other veteran leaders need to show up tomorrow morning from the drop of the puck.

It will be a character test. Win or lose, show up and play hard.

No excuses. 

 

Yeah, it’s meaningless. Any team down three early will be playin more offensive hockey 

[#freejame]

This will likely be poorly articulated, but I think there’s just too many players on the team who were too good for too long growing up and were never doubted. They don’t know how to play the kind of hockey you need to play when there’s a “deficiency” to their game. Listen to Benson talk about having to overcome his size year after year. We’re loaded with players with god given gifts who didn’t face doubt growing up. Now when they face adversity they wither. Maybe I’m wrong. Probably. But it’s what I’m going with. 

[Taro T]

55 minutes ago, Thorner said:

Right but I just mean if you look it up, October 4 is said to be the first official day of regular season 

Yes, that is what the NHL.com website states.  But the games on October 4 and 5 are technically outside the regular season schedule and are considered "International Games".  The "Regular Season" technically starts on Tuesday October 8 and the Sabres had to play a game by October 10th which conincidentally is the date the Sabres NA portion of their schedule commences as they host the Kings.

And, for purposes of calculating player salaries the RS runs from October 8 - April 17.  So, sure, the regular season started on the 4th.  But for most all the operating metrics the league uses, it starts October 8.  

And, just for kicks and giggles, IF the regular season DID officially start on October 4; 30 of the 32 NHL teams would be violating 16.3.b of the CBA which requires all teams to play at least 1 game by the 3rd date of the regular season.  Nobody other than Buffalo and Joisey play on the 4th, 5th, or 6th of October.

Edited Friday at 11:53 PM by Taro T

[#freejame]

Just now, Taro T said:

Yes, that is what the NHL.com website states.  But the games on October 4 and 5 are technically outside the regular season schedule and are considered "International Games".  The "Regular Season" technically starts on Tuesday October 8 and the Sabres had to play a game by October 10th which conincidentally is the date the Sabres NA portion of their schedule when they host the Kings.

And, for purposes of calculating player salaries the RS runs from October 8 - April 17.  So, sure, the regular season started on the 4th.  But for most all the operating metrics the league uses, it starts October 8.  

And, just for kicks and giggles, IF the regular season DID officially start on October 4; 30 of the 32 NHL teams would be violating 16.3.b of the CBA which requires all teams to play at least 1 game by the 3rd date of the regular season.  Nobody other than Buffalo and Joisey play on the 4th, 5th, or 6th of October.

[#freejame]

Im truly impressed with your offhand knowledge of the CBA, @Taro T, and I mean that genuinely. It’s also very nerdy*. You should be able to acknowledge that. 
 

Source: nerd civil war reenactor 

[pastajoe]

2 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Until his mortgage payment bill comes in the mail and realizes he's still unemployed.

The Sabres still have to pay him $1.9 million this year and next, since they signed him to an extension last year. I’d take that kind of unemployment. Plus he’s now doing segments on the NHL Network on Sirius.

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Goldseatsaud said:

So it’s not coaching?

Honestly idk. It's one game but it's a disappointment to see that. If it doesn't change, and change fast, then it probably isn't coaching. 

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

F..Krebs play Kulich.  At least he’ll try.

I thought Lindy was teaching them to go to the net.  Sadly only Benson listens.  

Benson was the only one consistently doing it last year. So they do not appear to be listening, no. 

This is where you can get into a Tortorella type thing. The need to subtract and the need to end bad habits and tendencies. I was concerned about this possibility when I saw the basic line structure with the exception of the bottom new unit was like last year. How do you get guys who have played a certain way together to play differently? You maybe can't just tell them, you really need to throw it in a blender and start over. Break everything up. idk, we shall see if Ruff can get something out of them or not. A slow start will take us out of the running quickly though. 

Edited yesterday at 12:30 AM by PerreaultForever

[FrenchConnection44]

It’s not the end of the world but it is also a BS start for a team that was somehow working hard and ready to go. 
 

If I’ve heard the bs line, “It’s early, they still are adjusting, yada yada yada” line once I’ve heard it 10,000 times. Even uttered it myself. How well has that worked the first 1/5 of the season the last 13 years? Have heard it about the Sabres and any number of other sports franchises for which I root. 90% of the time it has no basis in reality other than the reality of wishful thinking. 

Not giving up hope by any means. But it’s a lousy start for a team. No excuses. The Devils didn’t offer any. 

Hopefully the players realize these are real games and come out storming Next game. And we are that 10% who come along and develop into a solid playoff team. Still … wake up! 

[PerreaultForever]

10 minutes ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

It’s not the end of the world but it is also a BS start for a team that was somehow working hard and ready to go. 
 

If I’ve heard the bs line, “It’s early, they still are adjusting, yada yada yada” line once I’ve heard it 10,000 times. Even uttered it myself. How well has that worked the first 1/5 of the season the last 13 years? Have heard it about the Sabres and any number of other sports franchises for which I root. 90% of the time it has no basis in reality other than the reality of wishful thinking. 

Not giving up hope by any means. But it’s a lousy start for a team. No excuses. The Devils didn’t offer any. 

Hopefully the players realize these are real games and come out storming Next game. And we are that 10% who come along and develop into a solid playoff team. Still … wake up! 

Can't say they were "still adjusting" because they played exactly the same as last year's team. It's not like it was a new style and a few players struggled with timing or positional assignments in a new system. It was the same.