12-4-2024: Practice and media availability canceled

[msw2112]

On 12/4/2024 at 9:51 AM, gomper said:

Fits into the cowardly state on all levels. Pathetic. 

I don't see it that way.  Lindy is a veteran coach and he has a struggling team.  Rather than going through the ordinary routine (which does not seem to be working), he's trying a different approach.  Will it work?  Who knows, but at least Lindy recognizes there's a problem and is trying to do something about it.

Maybe he's showing the players video and breaking it down to show them where they need to improve, tearing them new ones as he does.  Maybe they're under so much pressure to break the losing streak that they're wound too tightly and they're going to go bowling and have a pizza party to take their minds off of things so they can play looser.  I don't know.  What I do know is that the regular routine was not working, so trying something different is a good idea.

I don't see anything cowardly about it.  While he might be protecting his young players from public scrutiny, Lindy Ruff is not afraid of the media.  He's not dodging the media because he's scared.  He's simply trying to find some new and different buttons to push to get his team out of a rut.

Edited December 5 by msw2112

[mjd1001]

15 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Yes exactly. Kulich is playing like a rookie and makes some good plays but also makes some mistakes. As you'd expect for his age and experience. Quinn, is also playing like a young rookie and that's no acceptable for a player of his age and experience. 

I posted this elsewhere in much more detail, but in response and affirmation of what you said, look at the replay of the first goal allowed.  Kulich played in the defensive end like a veteran (or at least how you would think a coach would want you to).  It was Quinn that messed up.

If you follow the puck around the 2 D-men (Clifton and I forgot who else) did what they should. They covered the front of the net and when the puck went to the boards, Clifton went to the boards to engage.  Malenstyn or Mcleod (one of the new guys with an "M") had the high slot covered shading toward the goalies left. The Sabres didn't have the puck, but they were in position.

As soon as the puck goes to the boards and Clifton gets near it, Quinn shoots out of the ice and leaves the D-zone.  Not only was the puck not out of the zone yet, Clifton got his stick on it but certainly didn't have full control, and the biggest issue is, Quinn was the ONLY one covering the area where McKinnon was.  Once Quinn left the defensive zone, there was NO coverage on McKinnon and the puck was on that side of the ice.  What happened? The puck went to McKinnon, he carried it for a second or two pretty much uncontested, took the shot and beat UPL for the first Colorado goal.

Maybe you are attempting to be aggressive and make the game 5-0....but even if you are playing aggressive, how are you the ONLY one near Nate McKinnon in your own zone, and you leave him in that zone, take yourself out of the play, when the puck is contested on the boards and McKinnon is only about 5-6 feet away from it? 

Kulich was on the ice and played his position (rather well to my eyes). Quinn did not.  One of the most dangerous players in the LEAGUE is on the ice and you are the closest one to him. To leave him to try to get a scoring chance for yourself, that is lacking situational awareness at the minimum, bordering on just being selfish.

Quinn for sure was channeling his inner "Cozens" on that one.  

Quinn had I think was his lowest ice time of the year.  I hope its because Lindy saw that play and stapled him to the bench for most of the rest of the game.

Edited December 5 by mjd1001

[inkman]

On 12/4/2024 at 11:43 AM, Carmel Corn said:

Cowards, panicked ones at that!

 

On 12/4/2024 at 11:51 AM, gomper said:

Fits into the cowardly state on all levels. Pathetic. 

 

On 12/4/2024 at 12:08 PM, Bangarang said:

 

Why not rip them a new one and have a hard practice? This team wanted accountability right?

 

On 12/4/2024 at 12:31 PM, Carmel Corn said:

Yes I do!  The local media is too soft like the team.

I’m still struggling to understand the correlation between talking to the media and playing better.  Yall don’t want accountability, you want punishment. Which is fine and dandy but there are only so many seats in the press box. You can’t bench $30 million dollars worth of players in today’s NHL.  Should those players have gotten paid that much?  Hindsight is 20/20.  You don’t bench guys making $7-11 mill.  You trade them. 
 

Having old fat guys berate millionaires about their athletic performance is a choice. Not one that makes sense or accomplishes anything other than making fuddy duddy’s feel better about themselves. 

[ska-T Palmtown]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

As soon as the puck goes to the boards and Clifton gets near it, Quinn shoots out of the ice and leaves the D-zone.  Not only was the puck not out of the zone yet, Clifton got his stick on it but certainly didn't have full control, and the biggest issue is, Quinn was the ONLY one covering the area where McKinnon was.  Once Quinn left the defensive zone, there was NO coverage on McKinnon and the puck was on that side of the ice.  What happened? The puck went to McKinnon, he carried it for a second or two pretty much uncontested, took the shot and beat UPL for the first Colorado goal.

Not defending the play, just adding in that this IS a strategy employed by a lot of teams. Did Quinn execute it properly? Possibly not. Sending your weakside (non-puck supporting) winger on a fly pattern can be a very useful tool to get the opposing D to give up your d-zone blueline more easily. There is a chance (not saying this is true), that someone else in the D-zone missed a rotation that was supposed to happen. In my opinion it is more likely that Quinn did not recognize how the Avs were set up which probably should have triggered "abort" in his mind. I will say - if the Sabres get the puck and make a good pass, Quinn has a good chance there.

I know way more is made of it in football because there are hard resets after every play - but good NHL teams (I jest, they all do) run preferred defensive and offensive schemes that often require near-constant real-time adjustments to continuously counter your opponent's adjustments. Maybe the Avs had noticed that the Sabres like to do the back-door fly-pattern and MacK banked on the Avs keeping the puck and slid to the space he knew would be open if/when Quinn took off.

I am honestly not that mad when we get "Gretzkied" by a MacKinnon or McDavid type, you just tip your hat to super savvy veteran moves. What really grinds my gears is when we let the other team's equivalent of Girgs do it to us 😞