Buffalo Sabres and NHL: 2019/20: Sabres season officially over. Draft lottery June 26th

[bbb]

3 hours ago, K-9 said:

Perhaps they've been reading their press clippings and just thought they could coast after going up 2-0?

 

I turned it on with this score and wanted to watch them coast, myself.............At that point, the goal was scored and called back.  Only to be scored again, and they got dominated.  I heard the 18 minutes I missed were good, though!  

[Big C]

Can't win em all. Not a great 2/3 but let's see how they respond.

[JohnC]

I only saw the first two periods. What was evident is that the Ducks are a physically stronger team. They had plenty of net presence and were difficult to move. We just didn't have the strength throughout the lineup to match them. The only way to counter that imbalance in muscle is to use your speed and get out of your zone as fast as possible. From what I watched I was impressed with Anaheim. 

 

More and more I am coming to the conclusion that this teams Risto on the roster because he adds size and toughness to our defensive corps. 

[PromoTheRobot]

5 hours ago, bbb said:

 

I turned it on with this score and wanted to watch them coast, myself.............At that point, the goal was scored and called back.  Only to be scored again, and they got dominated.  I heard the 18 minutes I missed were good, though!  

 

It looked like the Sabres were going to skate the Ducks off the ice. Then someone flipped a switch. The Ducks started to pressure the Sabres, moving the forecheck further up ice and the Sabres couldn't adjust, especially when Buffalo was on the power play. They cut off their passing lanes and forced more turnovers.

[K-9]

7 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I only saw the first two periods. What was evident is that the Ducks are a physically stronger team. They had plenty of net presence and were difficult to move. We just didn't have the strength throughout the lineup to match them. The only way to counter that imbalance in muscle is to use your speed and get out of your zone as fast as possible. From what I watched I was impressed with Anaheim. 

 

More and more I am coming to the conclusion that this teams Risto on the roster because he adds size and toughness to our defensive corps. 

Yep, the Ducks, like Columbus, imposed their strength once they found their legs late in the first. Before that, we were skating circles around them, but they wore us down physically and that led to all those bad passes and giveaways. Ullmark was hung out to dry much of the evening. 
 

Speaking of giveaways, Risto made several mind numbingly stupid plays last night. But I’m actually more concerned with Dahlin at this point. He hasn’t had a good, clean defensive game all season and he sucked again defensively last night. 
 

Another big team tonight. While I don’t think the Kings are as good, they are similar to the Ducks in the size department. I suspect they will borrow a page from Anaheim and seek to muscle us off the puck and jump on our D to force mistakes down low. Looking forward to seeing their response. 

[plenzmd1]

48 minutes ago, K-9 said:

 

But I’m actually more concerned with Dahlin at this point. He hasn’t had a good, clean defensive game all season and he sucked again defensively last night. 
 

 

He looks like he has lost some confidence, and that has to be worrisome. Mistakes I can live with, and attribute to youth etc. Loss of confidence though is a whole nother thing..lets hope he pays himself out of it

[JohnC]

56 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Yep, the Ducks, like Columbus, imposed their strength once they found their legs late in the first. Before that, we were skating circles around them, but they wore us down physically and that led to all those bad passes and giveaways. Ullmark was hung out to dry much of the evening. 
 

Speaking of giveaways, Risto made several mind numbingly stupid plays last night. But I’m actually more concerned with Dahlin at this point. He hasn’t had a good, clean defensive game all season and he sucked again defensively last night. 
 

Another big team tonight. While I don’t think the Kings are as good, they are similar to the Ducks in the size department. I suspect they will borrow a page from Anaheim and seek to muscle us off the puck and jump on our D to force mistakes down low. Looking forward to seeing their response. 

If there is a flow to the game Dahlin stands out because his instincts and skating are at an elite level. However, when it is a grind out game and he is defending man on man around the net he struggles. He's simply not strong enough at this point. Eventually, he will physically mature and have a more rounded game. In general, this same criticism applies to the team. When there is a flow to the game this team thrives. When it slows down and they are stuck in their zone the defense (including forwards) gets out muscled and bogged down. That physical inferiority was evident in this game. (The Okposo line is the best line that can deal with the bigger and tougher constructed teams.)

 

So what is the solution? When the opposition starts abusing us and gets penalized we need to capitalize on the PP and make them pay. Until to this game we have done it. I'm hoping that in tonight's game the Sabres will respond by skating and quickly moving the puck. If being outmuscled is the strategy to beating us more teams will be following that strategy.  

 

 

[K-9]

35 minutes ago, JohnC said:

If there is a flow to the game Dahlin stands out because his instincts and skating are at an elite level. However, when it is a grind out game and he is defending man on man around the net he struggles. He's simply not strong enough at this point. Eventually, he will physically mature and have a more rounded game. In general, this same criticism applies to the team. When there is a flow to the game this team thrives. When it slows down and they are stuck in their zone the defense (including forwards) gets out muscled and bogged down. That physical inferiority was evident in this game. (The Okposo line is the best line that can deal with the bigger and tougher constructed teams.)

 

So what is the solution? When the opposition starts abusing us and gets penalized we need to capitalize on the PP and make them pay. Until to this game we have done it. I'm hoping that in tonight's game the Sabres will respond by skating and quickly moving the puck. If being outmuscled is the strategy to beating us more teams will be following that strategy.  

 

 

Good points all, but I’m not referring to the mistakes Dahlin makes when he gets outmuscled. That’s gonna happen from time to time and we have to wait until he acquires “man strength” when he matures physically. I’m looking more at his unforced errors. He appears to be pressing too much at the moment. And I hope, as @plenzmd1 mentioned above, that his confidence hasn’t been shaken. But he looks almost timid at times, afraid to make a mistake. 
 

But unlike recent previous head coaches, I have full confidence that Kreuger knows what he’s doing.

[K-9]

Back to backs usually don’t concern me, except when the second game of the back to back is also the third game in four nights. I get that these guys are all young athletes in amazing physical condition, but still. 

[bbb]

5 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

It looked like the Sabres were going to skate the Ducks off the ice. Then someone flipped a switch. The Ducks started to pressure the Sabres, moving the forecheck further up ice and the Sabres couldn't adjust, especially when Buffalo was on the power play. They cut off their passing lanes and forced more turnovers.

 

Yeah.  I flipped the switch to turn the TV on - and that's what blew it!  

[shrader]

55 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Back to backs usually don’t concern me, except when the second game of the back to back is also the third game in four nights. I get that these guys are all young athletes in amazing physical condition, but still. 

 

I wonder how much the early start on monday might help with that.  There's at least a little extra time between the games.  But then again, there's added travel time here.  It's an odd set of circumstances that has to mess with their internal clocks.

[JohnC]

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was on WGR's The Instigator show today. This is a 21 min. segment. The biggest rumor he put out is that defensemen other than Risto are being offered on the market. My guess is that McCabe may be offered in addition to other considerations for a forward. Montour may be a couple to a few weeks before he is ready to return to the lineup so there is still plenty of time to scan the market. 

 

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/10-17-sportsnets-elliotte-friedman-instigators

[shrader]

14 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was on WGR's The Instigator show today. This is a 21 min. segment. The biggest rumor he put out is that defensemen other than Risto are being offered on the market. My guess is that McCabe may be offered in addition to other considerations for a forward. Montour may be a couple to a few weeks before he is ready to return to the lineup so there is still plenty of time to scan the market. 

 

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/10-17-sportsnets-elliotte-friedman-instigators

 

It has to be Scandella.  McCabe will have move value, but having just given him the A, you'd think he's a guy they want to keep around.  He's also getting top pair minutes right now.  It doesn't seem like they want Dahlin to fill that role just yet, so I don't think you really have a good option to fill those minutes.

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

It has to be Scandella.  McCabe will have move value, but having just given him the A, you'd think he's a guy they want to keep around.  He's also getting top pair minutes right now.  It doesn't seem like they want Dahlin to fill that role just yet, so I don't think you really have a good option to fill those minutes.

Scandella is playing well for us so far. But the problem with your Scandella conjecture is that there wouldn't be much of a return. The only way I see a Scandella trade for a forward who can help us on the second or third line is if a high end prospect such as Pilot or Borgen is included. 

[shrader]

43 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Scandella is playing well for us so far. But the problem with your Scandella conjecture is that there wouldn't be much of a return. The only way I see a Scandella trade for a forward who can help us on the second or third line is if a high end prospect such as Pilot or Borgen is included. 

 

There's only one piece that is going to get that return and it's Ristolainen.  Even then, I'm not so sure you get it with a one-for-one deal anyway.  So I don't think the possibility of additional pieces in any deal was ever out of the picture.

[K-9]

This team is totally exhausted; skating in mud, no legs. It's a miracle we are up 3-0 and it will be a bigger miracle if they can hold on. LA with a 5 on 3 to start the third doesn't help. 

 

This team needs a break from hockey. The NHL schedule makers did us no favors with the schedule. If I'm Kreuger, they have the day off tomorrow. No practice, no meetings. Just get the hell away from hockey. 

[K-9]

 

Gritty effort from a spent team. Carter Hutton with back to back goose eggs. Get some rest. 

[BillsFan4]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

This team is totally exhausted; skating in mud, no legs. It's a miracle we are up 3-0 and it will be a bigger miracle if they can hold on. LA with a 5 on 3 to start the third doesn't help. 

 

This team needs a break from hockey. The NHL schedule makers did us no favors with the schedule. If I'm Kreuger, they have the day off tomorrow. No practice, no meetings. Just get the hell away from hockey. 

 

Pits because of the global series games in November. Because they’re traveling to Sweden, the NHL gave them 5 days off before those 2 Sweden games, and 4 days off after. So our schedule is condensed to make up for those days off. 

 

Glad they got the win! They definitely looked exhausted by the end of the game. But they got 2 points after a rough loss. I’ll take it. 

[EmotionallyUnstable]

These west coast games are killers. Past my bed time! 

[eball]

That was the strangest game last night.  Got our asses kicked much of the game and still skated away with a 3-0 shutout.  Kudos to Hutts for another great game, and welcome to the party, Mitts!  I'll say one thing:  Sheary > Rodrigues.

 

Particularly in the 2nd, I can't believe how many wide open shots the Kings had that just missed the net entirely.  That was terrible (and lucky for us).

 

I wanted to see how they'd rebound from a tough game and even though LA controlled much of the play they jumped to an early lead and were able to hang on.  That builds mental toughness.

[plenzmd1]

57 minutes ago, eball said:

That was the strangest game last night.  Got our asses kicked much of the game and still skated away with a 3-0 shutout.  Kudos to Hutts for another great game, and welcome to the party, Mitts!  I'll say one thing:  Sheary > Rodrigues.

 

Particularly in the 2nd, I can't believe how many wide open shots the Kings had that just missed the net entirely.  That was terrible (and lucky for us).

 

I wanted to see how they'd rebound from a tough game and even though LA controlled much of the play they jumped to an early lead and were able to hang on.  That builds mental toughness.

i did not watch..got up at my usually old man hour of 4 am intending to, but score popped up on my phone so I justed watch the highlights!

 

But this form Chad confirms what you saw!

 

 

[plenzmd1]

this was a good thread about "score effects" when it comes to advanced analytics. Basic theory being of course a team is going to get more shots when down 3 etc. But thought this tweet was relevant when we think of " the streak" last year and the underlying numbers from last night

 

 

[JohnC]

I didn't watch the game. This link is WGR's Paul Hamilton write up of the game. His major point is that Mitts and his line played well, and that Sobotka made important contributions at critical times. Hutton was the star of the game for being the difference when the stats indicated that we were the lesser team. Overall, our goaltending has been superb. 

 

From his writeup the most encouraging thing about this game is that Mitts and his line were big factors. If this line can get going it will balance out the lines. Another encouraging takeaway is that this team is so much more mentally tough than the previous fragile teams. They played with heavy legs and fought through it.  Resiliency may not show up in stats but it is critical in a long and fatiguing season.

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-get-back-win-column-after-just-one-loss

[Greybeard]

1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said:

i did not watch..got up at my usually old man hour of 4 am intending to, but score popped up on my phone so I justed watch the highlights!

 

But this form Chad confirms what you saw!

 

 

    The Kings put on the worse display of shooting accuracy I have ever seen.   I have never seen anything like that.   If they managed to get a shot on net, Hutton was there.  To say they dominated play in the second and third period is a gross understatement.   It was a game of extremes but the one thing that really counted the Sabres had the advantage, goals scored.

[JohnC]

Requesting some assistance. I used to be able to bring up the video on NHL.com. It was a good resource for highlights and game recaps. Although I can bring up the site I can not get the videos on the site to work. Any advice?

[ChevyVanMiller]

Considering that the Sabres were playing the very rare back-to-back consecutive road games with travel, a shutout win was impressive. Their legs were dead past the first period, but Hutton was stout.

[Seasons1992]

What a good time to be a Buffalo sports fan!

[shrader]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

Requesting some assistance. I used to be able to bring up the video on NHL.com. It was a good resource for highlights and game recaps. Although I can bring up the site I can not get the videos on the site to work. Any advice?

 

I've had trouble with the site recently too.  I can access things on my phone, but anything I've tried on the laptop has not worked.

[JohnC]

15 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

I've had trouble with the site recently too.  I can access things on my phone, but anything I've tried on the laptop has not worked.

I found a solution to my problem. The video doesn't work with Microsoft Edge but it does with Google Chrome. Try another program to see if this compatibility issue is resolved. 

[plenzmd1]

41 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I found a solution to my problem. The video doesn't work with Microsoft Edge but it does with Google Chrome. Try another program to see if this compatibility issue is resolved. 

Nothing works with Microsoft, including PCs

[bbb]

9 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

i did not watch..got up at my usually old man hour of 4 am intending to, but score popped up on my phone so I justed watch the highlights!

 

But this form Chad confirms what you saw!

 

 

 

Wait, as a nightowl, I need to know more about why you would get up at 4AM to watch a hockey game from the night before? 

[plenzmd1]

19 minutes ago, bbb said:

 

Wait, as a nightowl, I need to know more about why you would get up at 4AM to watch a hockey game from the night before? 

As i age, i find it harder and harder to sleep past 4AM..so i record most of the night football games and other games like this Sabre game and watch maybe the first half or first period, go to bed, and watch the rest when i wake up at this ungodly hour.I am usually pretty diligent about not looking at my phone, so its like live to me, but this morning i did!

 

Sucks to get old!!!!

[Cripple Creek]

1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said:

 

Sucks to get old!!!!

Did @Augie tell you that?

[Augie]

4 minutes ago, Cripple Creek said:

Did @Augie tell you that?

 

No, I didn’t have to tell him. We just met once. 

[BillsFan4]

12 hours ago, JohnC said:

Requesting some assistance. I used to be able to bring up the video on NHL.com. It was a good resource for highlights and game recaps. Although I can bring up the site I can not get the videos on the site to work. Any advice?

It happens to me from time to time using safari browser. 

 

I just switch to Firefox or google chrome and the videos work.

NHL.com is a piss poor run site. 

 

7 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

Nothing works with Microsoft, including PCs

Try Firefox browser 

[Sundancer]

Firefox is still around? Cool beans. Netscape Navigator users?

[plenzmd1]

8 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

Try Firefox browser 

i mean NOTHING works on any Microsoft product..including PCs

1 hour ago, Sundancer said:

Firefox is still around? Cool beans. Netscape Navigator users?

For those concerned with security and Privacy, Mozilla is 1000X better than Chrome..and its not even close

[plenzmd1]

Nice to know we have this in the system

 

[bbb]

 

7 hours ago, Sundancer said:

Firefox is still around? Cool beans. Netscape Navigator users?

 

I used Netscape for my email up until a few years ago.  I thought Outlook would be this huge improvement.  Turns out I liked the one that hadn't been updated in like a decade better.............For almost all software, every time they'd change things, I'd get annoyed, but then after a little bit think Yeah, this is better................That changed about 5 years ago for me.  I get annoyed and then it still stays worse than what they had before.  It's change for change's sake. 

[K-9]

Two words for Eichel: puck battle. Asserting absolutely NO dominance on the ice. I'm sorry, but when you're the bell cow, you have to show up to play on EVERY SHIFT. He's still the same "some shifts on, some shifts off" player he's been since he's come into the league.