[Incomplete Title] Sabres (21-12-5) & NHL 2018-19 - Game 39 (MSG-B) vs. BOS (20-14-4) at 7 PM ET on 12/29

[Doc Brown]

Never doubted them.

[JohnC]

I thought Pilut played really well in this game. I don't see him going back down. The shot/pass to Larsson was terrific. 

 

Dahlin had the one mishap play when the puck was in the air and the opposition made a better play on it to get a goal but as each game passes by he seems to gain more confidence and control the flow of the game with his passing and skating. 

 

I thought both goaltenders played well. 

 

Jack is not only our best player but our leader. He played hard in this game. 

 

A win is a win. Except for the very elite teams this league is the epitome of parity. No team can assume that they will win by cruising. They will have to earn it with effort. 

 

The standings: https://www.nhl.com/standings/2018/wildcard

Edited December 12, 2018 by JohnC

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[shrader]

59 minutes ago, GETTOTHE50 said:

erod-larrson-girgs should really be the 2nd line, or atleast the 3rd line. 

 

put pominville back up to jacks wing and then put reinhart middlestadt and sheary on the other line.

 

okposo and crap can go to the 4th. 

 

Don’t put much stock in the order they’re listed on the twitter posts. Tonight Larsson’s line was 2nd in total ice time. They rely heavily on the Eichel line and the rest get a fairly even mix. They’re definitely not getting so called fourth line minutes over the season as a whole. 

Edited December 12, 2018 by shrader

[BillsFan4]

 

Quote

“But I think the most frustrating part for me as a player, like I said, when I went in there straight Boston was that talk is cheap. Dallas Eakins is a fantastic coach that there’s another whipping boy that got dragged over the coals. He was a fantastic coach that was dealt just a pure crap hand in a team that would actually listen. You had a group of players that talked about how they wanted to make the playoffs and talked about how sick they were of losing; and then by Game 3, after losing 6-1, they’re straight out to the bar until 3 in the morning lighting up the nightlife scene in Edmonton. Like, come on - give me a break. It was to the point where it was ridiculous. The lifestyle was way more important than playing the game and making the playoffs. But like I said, talk is cheap.”

 

“Even in practice, you came from a group where you’re practicing against guys like Bergeon or Chara and you’re going at each other - game intensity. And that’s how you get better. That’s how you be a playoff contender. That’s how you be a champion. And you try to instill some of those values. We had other guys that had been on playoff teams, and they had the same frustrations. They’d come and practice hard and there’s a group of guys there that had ‘Too cool to try hard.’ They had derogatory terms for trying too hard in practice. That’s the culture, right. 

 

“So how do you break that. Well, you come in and try to disrupt. I think that over the years there have been attempts to try to disrupt, whether it was Eakins or I come in there or Pronger - whoever it was, different people come in and disrupt. 

“But I know personally it was really hard for me. You come in as an older guy, but far from being one of the better players on the team. So you can be a leader with experience, but I’m not a game-changer. I’m like a No. 4 or 5 defenseman. So your voice only goes so far with people that only respect how good your toe drag is and whether or not you’re out partying. 

 

“So your voice doesn’t carry much weight with people that don’t put value on those aspects that I was bringing from Boston, or that Dallas was trying to instill in the team. So it was not only frustrating, but it really pissed me off because it was a waste of years in your NHL career, where it’s just you never get those back. 

 

“And you see a coach like Dallas get really just I think so unfairly treated. Like I said, was he perfect? No. He’d be the first to admit that he’d rather do some things different. But taking the blame for - what are you supposed to do with a culture like that.”

 

Interesting read. Definitely recommend reading the whole article. Or at least the part after the Lucic talk. 

 

It’s an interview with Andrew Ference on the 31 thoughts show with Elliott Friedman.

IMO It really bangs home the importance of culture and what a big role it plays. He also touches on how playing in a super negative media and fan market effects the players. 

 

A lot of the stuff he said made me think he was describing the Buffalo Sabres of recent years. 

 

 

 

Or if you’d prefer to listen - 

 

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by 26CornerBlitz

[K-9]

10 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

Don’t put much stock in the order they’re listed on the twitter posts. Tonight Larsson’s line was 2nd in total ice time. They rely heavily on the Eichel line and the rest get a fairly even mix. They’re definitely not getting so called fourth line minutes over the season as a whole. 

Good point. Larsson’s line seems to get a ton of minutes matched up against the opposing team’s top line when Housley is able to get them out there. I’d prefer Berglund over Erod, even though he’s not as fast because he’s a bigger player that can really lean on his opponent. And he’s smart, too. That said, Erod had a decent game tonight. 

 

Gotta get more out of the Mitts line, though. And soon. I can see Housley putting Reinhart between Sheary and Okposo soon.

[JohnC]

3 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

Interesting read. Definitely recommend reading the whole article. Or at least the part after the Lucic talk. 

 

It’s an interview with Andrew Ference on the 31 thoughts show with Elliott Friedman.

IMO It really bangs home the importance of culture and what a big role it plays. He also touches on how playing in a super negative media and fan market effects the players. 

 

A lot of the stuff he said made me think he was describing the Buffalo Sabres of recent years. 

 

 

 

Or if you’d prefer to listen - 

 

 

I'm not discounting the importance of culture when trying to change the environment in the room to transform a losing and underachieving team to a winning team. But the biggest change for the Sabres from last year to this year is the infusion of talent. If you look at our roster nearly a third of the roster has been turned over in one year. Also, in my estimationg having consistent goaltending is one of the main reasons why this team has improved so much from last year. 

[4merper4mer]

10 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Good point. Larsson’s line seems to get a ton of minutes matched up against the opposing team’s top line when Housley is able to get them out there. I’d prefer Berglund over Erod, even though he’s not as fast because he’s a bigger player that can really lean on his opponent. And he’s smart, too. That said, Erod had a decent game tonight. 

 

Gotta get more out of the Mitts line, though. And soon. I can see Housley putting Reinhart between Sheary and Okposo soon.

I think Rodrigues has been playing well for a while now.  It just seems the puck takes a bounce or he just misses finishing something.  I agree on Mittlstadt although he looked ok to me in the 3rd tonight. 

 

At presnt, Eichel is carrying the team IMO.  He is a beast.  Skinner to me seems to be a little off his game despite tonight's game winner.  Risto, Dahlin, Eichel are the guys generating chances.  

[26CornerBlitz]

From the Locker Room: Sabres-Kings

 

 

It was a grind, but the Buffalo Sabres finally broke back into the win column. Jeff Skinner's game-winning goal in overtime helped the blue and gold take care of the Los Angeles Kings by a final score of 4-3. Buffalo bucked their five-game skid and emerged victorious for the first time since their lengthy 10-game win streak.

 

Let's go inside the locker room to hear from fellow goal scorers Johan Larsson, Zemgus Girgensons and Jack Eichel, as well as head coach Phil Housley following the victory.

 

Post-Game Report: 12/11 vs. Los Angeles

 

Final Score

 

	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	SO	Final	SOG
Kings (11-19-2)	1	2	0	0	–	3	29
Sabres (18-9-4)	1	0	2	1	–	4	47

 

Game Summary

Event Summary

 

Top Notes

• Tonight’s win improved the Sabres’ record to 6-7-2 when trailing after two periods this season. Their .400 winning percentage in these games ranks second in the league and their six wins tie for the league lead.
• Jack Eichel’s goal extended his goal streak to three games (5+1), his longest goal streak since March 3 to 7, 2016.
• Jeff Skinner’s game-winner was his third overtime goal of the season and the fifth of his career. His three overtime goals tie Dylan Larkin for the league lead this season.
• Skinner now has six goals in his last three games against the Kings.
• With their goals tonight, Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larssoneach have a goal and an assist against Los Angeles this season.
• Sam Reinhart, who assisted on Eichel’s goal, extended his career-best point streak to seven games (5+5).
• Rasmus Ristolainen’s assists tonight give him 11 points (1+10) in his last 11 games.

Tonight’s Goaltenders

 

Tonight’s Stats
Team	Goaltender	Decision	SV%	GAA
Kings	Petersen	O	.915	3.90
Sabres	Ullmark	W	.897	2.92

Updated Season Stats
Team	Goaltender	Record	SV%	GAA
Kings	Petersen	4-4-1	.927	2.57
Sabres	Ullmark	6-1-3	.912	3.03

 

Post-Game Audio

Sabres head coach Phil Housley

Sabres forward Jeff Skinner

Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons

Kings head coach Willie Desjardins

Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin

Kings goaltender Calvin Petersen

 

FINAL: Kings 3 - Sabres 4 (OT)

 

Jeff Skinner scores in overtime to give Buffalo the win.

 

FINAL STATS // STAY TUNED FOR POSTGAME COVERAGE

• Game Summary
• Event Summary
• Full Play By Play
• Sabres Ice Time

 

 

[shrader]

28 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Good point. Larsson’s line seems to get a ton of minutes matched up against the opposing team’s top line when Housley is able to get them out there. I’d prefer Berglund over Erod, even though he’s not as fast because he’s a bigger player that can really lean on his opponent. And he’s smart, too. That said, Erod had a decent game tonight. 

 

Gotta get more out of the Mitts line, though. And soon. I can see Housley putting Reinhart between Sheary and Okposo soon.

 

The Eichel line gets all the praise, for obvious reasons, but this is basically a two line team right now. Eichel’s does the scoring and Larsson’s gets the shut down minutes. The other two lines are just filler. That’s the exact thing that is going to hold back the team this year unless those six can step up and contribute. That’s really going to have to be the trade target if/when they look to add. 

[26CornerBlitz]

The Captain is pretty good at this hockey thing.
 

 

 

 

Um okay! 

 

 

 

[eball]

44 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm not discounting the importance of culture when trying to change the environment in the room to transform a losing and underachieving team to a winning team. But the biggest change for the Sabres from last year to this year is the infusion of talent. If you look at our roster nearly a third of the roster has been turned over in one year. Also, in my estimationg having consistent goaltending is one of the main reasons why this team has improved so much from last year. 

 

I think it’s clear - both by what has happened here as well as in St. Louis - that dumping the talented-but-gloomy O’Reilly was a culture-over-talent move that has paid off in spades. 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[row_33]

Top 4 teams in the division win last night and Tampa rolls right along, somehow....

 

 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

These late ralleys are impressive and concerning.

 

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Buffalo Barbarian

[Buffalo Barbarian]

That goal by Girgensons was amazing

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

That goal by Girgensons was amazing

The one by Larsson... So-so.  Down right lucky he wasn't making a kicking motion!  Or...This could have been loss #6 in a row!

 

That was the equalizer.

[4merper4mer]

8 hours ago, eball said:

 

I think it’s clear - both by what has happened here as well as in St. Louis - that dumping the talented-but-gloomy O’Reilly was a culture-over-talent move that has paid off in spades. 

Timmy didn't exactly have his finger on the pulse of what makes a locker room tick.  I'm done making fun of Lehner once I found out his instability was clinical, but his tenure is still on Murray.  I'm glad Bogo seems to do better based on atmosphere and that KO is healthy, but Drunken Donut was clearly a mistake and a waste for the Sabres.  Kane was a mixed bag and ultimately not worth the trouble.  Murray was basically Dan Snyder with an even worse personality.

 

Maybe without all of this crap Dahlin ends up elsewhere so it is hard to play the what if game, but with even an average NHL GM the Sabres post tank climb goes much more smoothly and rapidly.  Murray was the absolute worst and if Pegula had retained him we'd still have a disaster.

[Pete]

3 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

That goal by Girgensons was amazing

Twas.  I was surprised the announcers didn't gush all about that one

Girgensons played like a man possessed.  He was excellent last night

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, eball said:

 

I think it’s clear - both by what has happened here as well as in St. Louis - that dumping the talented-but-gloomy O’Reilly was a culture-over-talent move that has paid off in spades. 

I disagree. To make ROR the primary reason for this team's prior struggles and now emergence is an over-simplification. The trade-off worked out for us and to an extent it was addition by subtraction. But adding Dahlin, Skinner, Sheary, Mittelstadt.Tage, a healthy Bogo and Hutton are the main reasons this is a better team. I agree that this is a better mix without the former center. This team is also significantly faster and quicker than it was with ROR. 

 

What Botterill has done exceptionally well compared to the blustering former GM is that he had a roster building plan that was coherent and had a rational to it. Murray focused on o collecting talent while Botterill more intelligently tried to fit talent together. 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[BillsFan4]

10 hours ago, JohnC said:

I'm not discounting the importance of culture when trying to change the environment in the room to transform a losing and underachieving team to a winning team. But the biggest change for the Sabres from last year to this year is the infusion of talent. If you look at our roster nearly a third of the roster has been turned over in one year. Also, in my estimationg having consistent goaltending is one of the main reasons why this team has improved so much from last year. 

 

100% agree on the consistent goaltending part. That has been a major difference. Especially having a guy like Hutton vs Lerner. They are polar opposites. Hutton can be counted on to make the big saves when the team needs it most.

 

Plus his personality is night and day different. Lehner was super emotional. He would have Wild mood swings (on and off the ice). I remember Claude Giroux saying that Lehner was his favorite goaltender to play against because it was so easy to get in his head and get him worked up. 

 

Hutton is the opposite. He is a calming influence on the ice, and a great veteran mentor on and off the ice. 

 

They also definitely have some real, competent middle/bottom 6 depth for the first time in years, which definitely helps. Plus it caused some actual competition for those roster spots, which is also important IMO. 

 

And i obviously agree that adding Skinner has helped, especially since he’s on fire since being moved with Eichel. They have undeniable chemistry together. 

 

 

 

 

 

But, honestly, I don’t know that replacing Ryan O’Reilly (who has been fantastic for STL (12g 29pts), and much better than any C on the Sabres not named Eichel) and Evander Kane (playing great in SJ) with Jeff Skinner and Berglund/Sobotka/Sheary is that huge an upgrade in talent. ROR has more points than Berglund, Sobotka and Sheary combined. 

 

They had way more talent than a 31st place team last year, I know that..... 

 

I would argue that we upgraded our bottom 6 depth, upgraded over Kane on LW and made a massive downgrade at 2C (for this season, anyway) by replacing O’Reilly with bottom 6 depth and futures.  

 

Mittelstadt, who many thought could replace ROR this season, hasn’t been able to come close yet. I think he will be a good player in the long term, but a lot of nights he is a total non-factor. Same goes for Tage Thompson. Tage had that few game stretch when he started to score. But before and after that, he hasn’t really contributed much of anything. Both Tage and Casey have been totally invisible lately, too. Again, I think they’ll be fine long term. But both just don’t seem 100% ready for the NHL yet. 

 

Sheary was good the first 10 games or so, but hasn’t been very good lately. His last point came back on November 23rd, and his last goal came way back on Nov. 8th. 

 

Our 4th line is definitely improved this season. 

 

Obviously adding Dahlin has been huge. That has helped the defense corps for sure. McCabe and Bogo both healthy (well, not McCabe atm) and playing well has too. But Scandella, who was very good last year and playing like crap this year, has hurt. 

 

 

We are basically a 1 line team though (on many nights). If Eichel’s line isn’t “on”, the Sabres are probably going to have a tough time winning right now.

Where as in previous seasons, we did have 2 top 6 centers that were capable of carrying a line and producing, but we had less bottom 6 depth. 

 

So, I would say that overall the talent on the team is upgraded, but not a crazy amount over last season. 

 

 

 

 

I think there are a lot of little things that have all added up, as far as the improvements to this team go. 

 

But I truly think that that one of the biggest differences is the culture - just the overall attitude of the players in the locker room and on the ice, as well as their decision to buy-in, get everyone on the same page, play the way their coach is asking them to and give more of a consistent effort every game. I think that has probably been equally important with the other changes.

 

I mean, just look what happens when the Sabres get away from playing the right way (like the 2nd period last night). They are not a very good team when that happens...

 

 

All the Sabres players talked about how they met over the summer and had some real heart to heart meetings. They said they all decided to finally start holding each other accountable to playing the way they were supposed to play (following the game plan). 

 

Like Andrew Ference said, there’s not much a coach can do with a group of players that won’t listen to him. 

 

They are finally willing to listen to their coach and follow his game plan. That was a huge issue in years past (talked about by many players and media members). They simply wouldn’t follow a game plan or stick to a system. They’d all just kind of do their own thing for much of a game, especially if they got behind. They were not very coachable, either (at least according to numerous beat writers like Hamilton, Vogl, Harrington etc). They had a large group of players that refused to take coaching. 

 

Team chemistry is also much better. The locker room is not a toxically negative place anymore. Even after a loss, the post game interviews aren’t doom and gloom now. They are showing some confidence. They aren’t hanging their heads when they get down in a game. They aren’t giving up or going totally off script when that happens. 

 

Buffalo had had talent last year, but they just weren’t a team, and they were so fragile. 

 

 

Just look around the NHL. Look at teams like the St. Louis Blues. They have WAY more talent than their 3rd last record shows. But their culture sucks right now. They are also a totally fragile group. Same goes for LA. 

 

Or look at Las Vegas. They did not have the talent that Stanley Cup finals teams usually have. They were a collection of cast offs - lots of #4 defenseman and #5/6 forward types.  

But they came together as a group after that LV shooting, and they just played a relentless style of hockey that carried them to the finals and helped many guys on that team have career years. 

 

 

 

There are are plenty of examples like that throughout the NHL. Either teams with plenty of talent struggling, or teams with less talent playing really well (Montreal, for ex.). 

 

Anyway... just my opinion but I truly believe that culture is huge. 

 

Btw, sorry about the essay... lol 

 

edit - also,  check out the post game interviews from last night. Every player attributed their success to deciding to get back to playing the right way -

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/locker-room-sabres-kings-0

Edited December 12, 2018 by BillsFan4

[K-9]

10 hours ago, shrader said:

 

The Eichel line gets all the praise, for obvious reasons, but this is basically a two line team right now. Eichel’s does the scoring and Larsson’s gets the shut down minutes. The other two lines are just filler. That’s the exact thing that is going to hold back the team this year unless those six can step up and contribute. That’s really going to have to be the trade target if/when they look to add. 

Agree entirely. Unless we start getting consistent production from our “middle six” then making the playoffs will be a challenge, let alone doing well once we get there. 

 

Really missing McCabe, too. That Beaulieu/Tennyson pair is hard to watch. 

 

So, who gets waived when the D are healthy again? JBots can’t send Pilut back down. I mean, can he?

[JohnC]

10 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

100% agree on the consistent goaltending part. That has been a major difference. Especially having a guy like Hutton vs Lerner. They are polar opposites. Hutton can be counted on to make the big saves when the team needs it most.

 

Plus his personality is night and day different. Lehner was super emotional. He would have Wild mood swings (on and off the ice). I remember Claude Giroux saying that Lehner was his favorite goaltender to play against because it was so easy to get in his head and get him worked up. 

 

Hutton is the opposite. He is a calming influence on the ice, and a great veteran mentor on and off the ice. 

 

They also definitely have some real, competent middle/bottom 6 depth for the first time in years, which definitely helps. Plus it caused some actual competition for those roster spots, which is also important IMO. 

 

And i obviously agree that adding Skinner has helped, especially since he’s on fire since being moved with Eichel. They have undeniable chemistry together. 

 

 

 

 

 

But, honestly, I don’t know that replacing Ryan O’Reilly (who has been fantastic for STL (12g 29pts), and much better than any C on the Sabres not named Eichel) and Evander Kane (playing great in SJ) with Jeff Skinner and Berglund/Sobotka/Sheary is that huge an upgrade in talent. ROR has more points than Berglund, Sobotka and Sheary combined. 

 

They had way more talent than a 31st place team last year, I know that..... 

 

I would argue that we upgraded our bottom 6 depth, upgraded over Kane on LW and made a massive downgrade at 2C (for this season, anyway) by replacing O’Reilly with bottom 6 depth and futures.  

 

Mittelstadt, who many thought could replace ROR this season, hasn’t been able to come close yet. I think he will be a good player in the long term, but a lot of nights he is a total non-factor. Same goes for Tage Thompson. Tage had that few game stretch when he started to score. But before and after that, he hasn’t really contributed much of anything. Both Tage and Casey have been totally invisible lately, too. Again, I think they’ll be fine long term. But both just don’t seem 100% ready for the NHL yet. 

 

Sheary was good the first 10 games or so, but hasn’t been very good lately. His last point came back on November 23rd, and his last goal came way back on Nov. 8th. 

 

Our 4th line is definitely improved this season. 

 

Obviously adding Dahlin has been huge. That has helped the defense corps for sure. McCabe and Bogo both healthy (well, not McCabe atm) and playing well has too. But Scandella, who was very good last year and playing like crap this year, has hurt. 

 

 

We are basically a 1 line team though (on many nights). If Eichel’s line isn’t “on”, the Sabres are probably going to have a tough time winning right now.

Where as in previous seasons, we did have 2 top 6 centers that were capable of carrying a line and producing, but we had less bottom 6 depth. 

 

So, I would say that overall the talent on the team is upgraded, but not a crazy amount over last season. 

 

 

 

 

I think there are a lot of little things that have all added up, as far as the improvements to this team go. 

 

But I truly think that that one of the biggest differences is the culture - just the overall attitude of the players in the locker room and on the ice, as well as their decision to buy-in, get everyone on the same page, play the way their coach is asking them to and give more of a consistent effort every game. I think that has probably been equally important with the other changes.

 

I mean, just look what happens when the Sabres get away from playing the right way (like the 2nd period last night). They are not a very good team when that happens...

 

 

All the Sabres players talked about how they met over the summer and had some real heart to heart meetings. They said they all decided to finally start holding each other accountable to playing the way they were supposed to play (following the game plan). 

 

Like Andrew Ference said, there’s not much a coach can do with a group of players that won’t listen to him. 

 

They are finally willing to listen to their coach and follow his game plan. That was a huge issue in years past (talked about by many players and media members). They simply wouldn’t follow a game plan or stick to a system. They’d all just kind of do their own thing for much of a game, especially if they got behind. They were not very coachable, either (at least according to numerous beat writers like Hamilton, Vogl, Harrington etc). They had a large group of players that refused to take coaching. 

 

Team chemistry is also much better. The locker room is not a toxically negative place anymore. Even after a loss, the post game interviews aren’t doom and gloom now. They are showing some confidence. They aren’t hanging their heads when they get down in a game. They aren’t giving up or going totally off script when that happens. 

 

Buffalo had had talent last year, but they just weren’t a team, and they were so fragile. 

 

 

Just look around the NHL. Look at teams like the St. Louis Blues. They have WAY more talent than their 3rd last record shows. But their culture sucks right now. They are also a totally fragile group. Same goes for LA. 

 

Or look at Las Vegas. They did not have the talent that Stanley Cup finals teams usually have. They were a collection of cast offs - lots of #4 defenseman and #5/6 forward types.  

But they came together as a group after that LV shooting, and they just played a relentless style of hockey that carried them to the finals and helped many guys on that team have career years. 

 

 

 

There are are plenty of examples like that throughout the NHL. Either teams with plenty of talent struggling, or teams with less talent playing really well (Montreal, for ex.). 

 

Anyway... just my opinion but I truly believe that culture is huge. 

 

Btw, sorry about the essay... lol 

Good post but I won't respond to every point.

 

The biggest difference this year from last year is the caliber of goaltending. That is the underpinning of our success this year and the failure of the prior years. Allowing bad goals is spirit crushing. And constantly doing it when you have a roster that finds it challenging to score certainly can have a depressing affect. If you go back at look at our ten game winning streak most of them were close games. The difference between being 5-5 and 10-0 was the exceptional goaltending of our two tenders. 

 

Let's look at the back line. We were one of the worst units in the league. We had a coach in Housley who espoused a system where the backers move up with the forwards. They were incapable of implementing that system. It wasn't that the backers were insubordinate so much as they lacked the talent to do what the coach wanted them to do. What happened on the back line this year? It added talent in the incandescent Dahlin, healthy Bogo, the impressive Pilut to the mix with Risto and McCabe. You now have a solid unit. If you look at their traits of being fast, good skating and passing ability you now have accumulated players who can play the system that the coach wants to install. 

 

There is no doubt that Mittelstadt and Tage are struggling. But that shouldn't be a surprise. My feeling is that it would be better to allow them to play and hopefully their development will be accelerated in the NHL rather than in the AHL. That's part of Botterill's plan. The long term development of the young players at the expense of their short term struggles. 

 

 

[ChevyVanMiller]

30 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

100% agree on the consistent goaltending part. That has been a major difference. Especially having a guy like Hutton vs Lerner. They are polar opposites. Hutton can be counted on to make the big saves when the team needs it most.

 

Plus his personality is night and day different. Lehner was super emotional. He would have Wild mood swings (on and off the ice). I remember Claude Giroux saying that Lehner was his favorite goaltender to play against because it was so easy to get in his head and get him worked up. 

 

Hutton is the opposite. He is a calming influence on the ice, and a great veteran mentor on and off the ice. 

 

They also definitely have some real, competent middle/bottom 6 depth for the first time in years, which definitely helps. Plus it caused some actual competition for those roster spots, which is also important IMO. 

 

And i obviously agree that adding Skinner has helped, especially since he’s on fire since being moved with Eichel. They have undeniable chemistry together. 

 

 

 

 

 

But, honestly, I don’t know that replacing Ryan O’Reilly (who has been fantastic for STL (12g 29pts), and much better than any C on the Sabres not named Eichel) and Evander Kane (playing great in SJ) with Jeff Skinner and Berglund/Sobotka/Sheary is that huge an upgrade in talent. ROR has more points than Berglund, Sobotka and Sheary combined. 

 

They had way more talent than a 31st place team last year, I know that..... 

 

I would argue that we upgraded our bottom 6 depth, upgraded over Kane on LW and made a massive downgrade at 2C (for this season, anyway) by replacing O’Reilly with bottom 6 depth and futures.  

 

Mittelstadt, who many thought could replace ROR this season, hasn’t been able to come close yet. I think he will be a good player in the long term, but a lot of nights he is a total non-factor. Same goes for Tage Thompson. Tage had that few game stretch when he started to score. But before and after that, he hasn’t really contributed much of anything. Both Tage and Casey have been totally invisible lately, too. Again, I think they’ll be fine long term. But both just don’t seem 100% ready for the NHL yet. 

 

Sheary was good the first 10 games or so, but hasn’t been very good lately. His last point came back on November 23rd, and his last goal came way back on Nov. 8th. 

 

Our 4th line is definitely improved this season. 

 

Obviously adding Dahlin has been huge. That has helped the defense corps for sure. McCabe and Bogo both healthy (well, not McCabe atm) and playing well has too. But Scandella, who was very good last year and playing like crap this year, has hurt. 

 

 

We are basically a 1 line team though (on many nights). If Eichel’s line isn’t “on”, the Sabres are probably going to have a tough time winning right now.

Where as in previous seasons, we did have 2 top 6 centers that were capable of carrying a line and producing, but we had less bottom 6 depth. 

 

So, I would say that overall the talent on the team is upgraded, but not a crazy amount over last season. 

 

 

 

 

I think there are a lot of little things that have all added up, as far as the improvements to this team go. 

 

But I truly think that that one of the biggest differences is the culture - just the overall attitude of the players in the locker room and on the ice, as well as their decision to buy-in, get everyone on the same page, play the way their coach is asking them to and give more of a consistent effort every game. I think that has probably been equally important with the other changes.

 

I mean, just look what happens when the Sabres get away from playing the right way (like the 2nd period last night). They are not a very good team when that happens...

 

 

All the Sabres players talked about how they met over the summer and had some real heart to heart meetings. They said they all decided to finally start holding each other accountable to playing the way they were supposed to play (following the game plan). 

 

Like Andrew Ference said, there’s not much a coach can do with a group of players that won’t listen to him. 

 

They are finally willing to listen to their coach and follow his game plan. That was a huge issue in years past (talked about by many players and media members). They simply wouldn’t follow a game plan or stick to a system. They’d all just kind of do their own thing for much of a game, especially if they got behind. They were not very coachable, either (at least according to numerous beat writers like Hamilton, Vogl, Harrington etc). They had a large group of players that refused to take coaching. 

 

Team chemistry is also much better. The locker room is not a toxically negative place anymore. Even after a loss, the post game interviews aren’t doom and gloom now. They are showing some confidence. They aren’t hanging their heads when they get down in a game. They aren’t giving up or going totally off script when that happens. 

 

Buffalo had had talent last year, but they just weren’t a team, and they were so fragile. 

 

 

Just look around the NHL. Look at teams like the St. Louis Blues. They have WAY more talent than their 3rd last record shows. But their culture sucks right now. They are also a totally fragile group. Same goes for LA. 

 

Or look at Las Vegas. They did not have the talent that Stanley Cup finals teams usually have. They were a collection of cast offs - lots of #4 defenseman and #5/6 forward types.  

But they came together as a group after that LV shooting, and they just played a relentless style of hockey that carried them to the finals and helped many guys on that team have career years. 

 

 

 

There are are plenty of examples like that throughout the NHL. Either teams with plenty of talent struggling, or teams with less talent playing really well (Montreal, for ex.). 

 

Anyway... just my opinion but I truly believe that culture is huge. 

 

Btw, sorry about the essay... lol 

 

edit - also,  check out the post game interviews from last night. Every player attributed their success to deciding to get back to playing the right way -

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/locker-room-sabres-kings-0

Wonderful post, but what in the name of H-E double hockey sticks is going on with your font? 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[eball]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

I disagree. To make ROR the primary reason for this team's prior struggles and now emergence is an over-simplification. The trade-off worked out for us and to an extent it was addition by subtraction. But adding Dahlin, Skinner, Sheary, Mittelstadt.Tage, a healthy Bogo and Hutton are the main reasons this is a better team. I agree that this is a better mix without the former center. This team is also significantly faster and quicker than it was with ROR. 

 

What Botterill has done exceptionally well compared to the blustering former GM is that he had a roster building plan that was coherent and had a rational to it. Murray focused on o collecting talent while Botterill more intelligently tried to fit talent together. 

 

You are misinterpreting my comment as though you believe I am suggesting the O'Reilly deal was the primary factor in the Sabres' turnaround.  I am not.  It is merely a very visible example of culture-over-talent as playing a significant role in the makeup of a team.

[Jauronimo]

11 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

I think Rodrigues has been playing well for a while now.  It just seems the puck takes a bounce or he just misses finishing something.  I agree on Mittlstadt although he looked ok to me in the 3rd tonight. 

 

At presnt, Eichel is carrying the team IMO.  He is a beast.  Skinner to me seems to be a little off his game despite tonight's game winner.  Risto, Dahlin, Eichel are the guys generating chances.  

Those three are also generating a number of chances for the opponent. 

 

Eichel turning the puck over 3 steps over the offensive blue line is inexcusable.  I counted at least 4 times where he gifted the Kings a clean break out and a nice chance on the counter attack. 

 

Risto turned the puck over with a garbage pass from point to point on what should have been the first goal for the Kings.

 

A minute later Eichel turns the puck over entering the zone, Dahlin tries to declare a fair catch and its 1-0 Kings. 

 

Dahlin should be paired with a true stay at home Defenseman like Bogo.  I like his offense but he turns the puck over in bad spots.

[BringBackFergy]

39 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Those three are also generating a number of chances for the opponent. 

 

Eichel turning the puck over 3 steps over the offensive blue line is inexcusable.  I counted at least 4 times where he gifted the Kings a clean break out and a nice chance on the counter attack. 

 

Risto turned the puck over with a garbage pass from point to point on what should have been the first goal for the Kings.

 

A minute later Eichel turns the puck over entering the zone, Dahlin tries to declare a fair catch and its 1-0 Kings. 

 

Dahlin should be paired with a true stay at home Defenseman like Bogo.  I like his offense but he turns the puck over in bad spots.

I love Jack, but I have been seeing this more and more. He's trying so damn hard to make a pretty play when a simple pass to the wing is needed. 

[BillsFan4]

1 hour ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

Wonderful post, but what in the name of H-E double hockey sticks is going on with your font? 

Lol, I have no clue. That happens to my posts a lot and I don’t really know why. 

 

I did go back and edit some parts before I posted it (moved a couple paragraphs with cut&paste). Maybe that’s why? 

[Jauronimo]

8 minutes ago, BringBackFergy said:

I love Jack, but I have been seeing this more and more. He's trying so damn hard to make a pretty play when a simple pass to the wing is needed. 

Hes a great talent for sure and I love that hes scoring but he can't keep doing that *****.

 

Last night at least 2 or 3 times he tried to stick handle into the zone, got stripped, Kings turn the other way. 

 

Another time he had a clean entry but made a lazy pass to Reinhart on the right wing which was picked off by the back checking winger.  More zip and its a dangerous attack.

 

Mind bogglingly he skated a puck out from the offensive corner to the point and then got pushed off the puck at the blue line.  Fast break going the other way.

[BringBackFergy]

1 minute ago, Jauronimo said:

Hes a great talent for sure and I love that hes scoring but he can't keep doing that *****.

 

Last night at least 2 or 3 times he tried to stick handle into the zone, got stripped, Kings turn the other way. 

 

Another time he had a clean entry but made a lazy pass to Reinhart on the right wing which was picked off by the back checking winger.  More zip and its a dangerous attack.

 

Mind bogglingly he skated a puck out from the offensive corner to the point and then got pushed off the puck at the blue line.  Fast break going the other way.

Agreed.

[K-9]

I’m as frustrated with Eichel at times as much as anyone else, but I’ve learned to just accept his bad with his good. 

 

For all his turnovers entering the offensive zone, he’s also been among league leaders in offensive zone entries since his rookie year. He’s also ranked near the top in defensive zone exits. It stands to reason since he’s a puck possession player. It also stands to reason he’s going to be dispossessed of it, too. 

 

I wonder if the switch to a shorter stick this year is something he’s still adjusting to as well. Ironically, he made the switch to facilitate better stick handling in tighter spaces and he seems to struggle a bit more. 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

2 hours ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

 

....Amerks lead the AHL North and are tied for 2nd overall in points....long time coming..

NORTH DIVISION

TEAM	DIV	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	ROW	GF	GA	DIFF	HOME	AWAY	S/O	L10	STRK
Rochester Americans	North Division	24	16	6	2	34	13	83	71	12	9-4-0-0	7-2-2-0	1-0	6-3-1-0	3-0-0-0
Cleveland Monsters	North Division	25	13	9	3	29	10	80	84	-4	5-5-2-0	8-4-1-0	1-0	5-3-2-0	1-0-0-0
Syracuse Crunch	North Division	21	13	6	2	28	13	81	57	24

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

 

 

[shrader]

3 hours ago, K-9 said:

Agree entirely. Unless we start getting consistent production from our “middle six” then making the playoffs will be a challenge, let alone doing well once we get there. 

 

Really missing McCabe, too. That Beaulieu/Tennyson pair is hard to watch. 

 

So, who gets waived when the D are healthy again? JBots can’t send Pilut back down. I mean, can he?

 

That's such a loaded question.  I feel like these kind of decisions tend to take care of themselves during a season.  We'll be very lucky to have the full group healthy at any given point.  The whole Hunwick thing is the one wild card in the whole process though.  I assumed he'd be the season long LTIR guy, but now that he's off on his rehab stint, who knows how that changes the depth chart.

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, eball said:

 

You are misinterpreting my comment as though you believe I am suggesting the O'Reilly deal was the primary factor in the Sabres' turnaround.  I am not.  It is merely a very visible example of culture-over-talent as playing a significant role in the makeup of a team.

I understand exactly what you are saying. I simply have a different take or another way of addressing this issue is point of emphasis. In my estimation it is the infusion of talent that has resulted in a change of culture. Success breeds success and winning more breeds a more positive attitude than regularly losing that is dispiriting. 

 

Is there a better mix in the room now than it was last year? The mix is better mostly because there is much more talent in the room. There is no doubt that constant losing results in tension and conflicts within the room. When players are interviewed after a loss at the end of the season as they were in the beginning of the season what is there differently to say to the media interviewer? You don't think that isn't an added source of stress? You don't think that finger pointing becomes an inevitable result from constant losing? 

 

I'm not saying you are wrong with your focus. But for me the most important difference between last year and this year is that there is more talent on the roster underpinned by consistent good goaltending.  

[bbb]

6 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Timmy didn't exactly have his finger on the pulse of what makes a locker room tick.  I'm done making fun of Lehner once I found out his instability was clinical, but his tenure is still on Murray.  I'm glad Bogo seems to do better based on atmosphere and that KO is healthy, but Drunken Donut was clearly a mistake and a waste for the Sabres.  Kane was a mixed bag and ultimately not worth the trouble.  Murray was basically Dan Snyder with an even worse personality.

 

Maybe without all of this crap Dahlin ends up elsewhere so it is hard to play the what if game, but with even an average NHL GM the Sabres post tank climb goes much more smoothly and rapidly.  Murray was the absolute worst and if Pegula had retained him we'd still have a disaster.

 

Can you at least still call him Neck Tattoo?...............Although Drunken Donut is a first for me, and I like it! 

 

[eball]

49 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I understand exactly what you are saying. I simply have a different take or another way of addressing this issue is point of emphasis. In my estimation it is the infusion of talent that has resulted in a change of culture. Success breeds success and winning more breeds a more positive attitude than regularly losing that is dispiriting. 

 

Is there a better mix in the room now than it was last year? The mix is better mostly because there is much more talent in the room. There is no doubt that constant losing results in tension and conflicts within the room. When players are interviewed after a loss at the end of the season as they were in the beginning of the season what is there differently to say to the media interviewer? You don't think that isn't an added source of stress? You don't think that finger pointing becomes an inevitable result from constant losing? 

 

I'm not saying you are wrong with your focus. But for me the most important difference between last year and this year is that there is more talent on the roster underpinned by consistent good goaltending.  

 

Well, duh!  Of course talent matters.  But what did the Sabres acquire for Drunkin' Donut?  Not all that much talent.  They could have kept him and much of the talent you mention would still have been brought in.