K-9 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 4 minutes ago, JohnC said: Do you believe that the GM is going to replace Housley after this season? No, unfortunately. Especially if they manage to make it competitive the rest of the way. Then again, if the train goes off the rails entirely, I could see it. A last place finish followed by a 4th worst place finish, which is where they'd be without the streak shouldn't merit another year, imo. But you know that already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 33 minutes ago, JohnC said: Do you believe that the GM is going to replace Housley after this season? I honestly do if they continue to earn points at a less than 500 clip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted February 12, 2019 Author Share Posted February 12, 2019 (edited) To some of your points K9: - I think it makes it somewhat relevant to the discussion to look at Sobotka’s NHL career and usage by other coaches to see if there’s a big difference in the way he’s used now. Sobotka is being relied upon in a similar, but lesser, defensive role as he has his entire career, and in fact was relied on more heavily just last year (and every other year he was a Blue) on a St. Louis team much deeper than this current Sabres team. - I wasn’t just talking about his ice time earlier in his career. In fact, his first few years in Boston he saw a similar amount of ice time to what he’s seeing this year (10-12 mins). His ice time skyrocketed when he was moved to St. Louis in year 4, and that continued up until last season. He actually saw the most ice time of his career last year (average of 17 mins. a night). - my point on yost’s list being populated by better players receiving much more ice time was that Buffalo doesn’t have that 4th, 5th and even 6th best player to give more ice time to like other teams do. After their top 3 forwards, Buffalo has a cluster of about 6 players that get pretty similar ice time. It doesn’t seem fair to compare true 2nd line players on other teams to Sobotka, whomis not getting the same ice time a 2nd line player gets. Other teams have more clearly defined 2nd lines that get a lot more ice time. Buffalo doesn’t even really have a 2nd line. Their 2nd and 3rd lines are pretty much interchangeable. I personally think it would would be a more fair comparison to look at players who recieve the same amount of ice time Sobotka does, as opposed to the 4th most used forward. In general though, I guess the way I look at it is, who else do they really have to rely on in that role? Who else would you put in that heavy defensive role? Larsson already shares the role with Sobotka, and has similar ice time (he plays about 15 seconds less per game iirc). Who else is there? Girgensons maybe? I don’t think Asplund (down in Rochester) is ready to fill that role yet. Not sure about Malone either. And I don’t know that i’d want to see him force someone like ERod or Smith into a heavy defensive role. I’d rather see them allowed to focus more on developing their offensive game and let them try to provide some secondary scoring. The guy that played that role last year was traded, and now it’s replacement by committee. Just to be clear, I’m not saying I fully agree with Sobotka’s usage. I Totally agree with you about Sobotka in 3v3 and agree on some of thr other things you said, too. And generally, I will be glad once there is no need to play him at all.... lol Edited February 12, 2019 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 1 minute ago, plenzmd1 said: I honestly do if they continue to earn points at a less than 500 clip I don't know what the GM's points expectation is but my sense is that he desires stability and continuity in an organization that has a history of turbulence and churning through staffs. In making a determination the GM is going to focus on the issues of whether the younger players are getting better and are the players collectively playing hard? I would say yes to both of these issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 BTW, i am taking one for the team and drinking only Screamers for this here game...seem to win when I go beer slumming. Pray for me!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 Just now, plenzmd1 said: BTW, i am taking one for the team and drinking only Screamers for this here game...seem to win when I go beer slumming. Pray for me!!!! I'm not going to waste my prayers on you because you are irredeemable. I will apply them to less hopeless and more worthy causes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 5 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: To some of your points K9: - I think it makes it somewhat relevant to the discussion to look at Sobotka’s NHL career and usage by other coaches to see if there’s a big difference in the way he’s used now. Sobotka is being relied upon in a similar, but lesser, defensive role as he has his entire career, and in fact was relied on more heavily just last year (and every other year he was a Blue) on a St. Louis team much deeper than this current Sabres team. - I wasn’t just talking about his ice time earlier in his career. In fact, his first few years in Boston he saw a similar amount of ice time to what he’s seeing this year (10-12 mins). His ice time skyrocketed when he was moved to St. Louis in year 4, and that continued up until last season. He actually saw the most ice time of his career last year (average of 17 mins. a night). - my point on yost’s list being populated by better players receiving much more ice time was that Buffalo doesn’t have that 4th, 5th and even 6th best player to give more ice time to like other teams do. After their top 3 forwards, Buffalo has a cluster of about 6 players that get pretty similar ice time. It doesn’t seem fair to compare true 2nd line players on other teams to Sobotka, whomis not getting the same ice time a 2nd line player gets. Other teams have more clearly defined 2nd lines that get a lot more ice time. Buffalo doesn’t even really have a 2nd line. Their 2nd and 3rd lines are pretty much interchangeable. I personally think it would would be a more fair comparison to look at players who recieve the same amount of ice time Sobotka does, as opposed to the 4th most used forward. In general though, I guess the way I look at it is, who else do they really have to rely on in that role? Who else would you put in that heavy defensive role? Larsson already shares the role with Sobotka, and has similar ice time (he plays about 15 seconds less per game iirc). Who else is there? Girgensons maybe? I don’t think Asplund (down in Rochester) is ready to fill that role yet. Not sure about Malone either. And I don’t know that i’d want to see him force someone like ERod or Smith into a heavy defensive role. I’d rather see them allowed to focus more on developing their offensive game and let them try to provide some secondary scoring. The guy that played that role last year was traded, and now it’s replacement by committee. Just to be clear, I’m not saying I fully agree with Sobotka’s usage. I Totally agree with you about Sobotka in 3v3 and agree on some of thr other things you said, too. And generally, I will be glad once there is no need to play him at all.... lol Regarding Sobotka's usage in St. Louis, I wonder if he ever got top four ice time among forwards. Per the bold text, he should only be playing in his closely defined role on the PK and as a defensive forward when needed. If Housley needs him to take an occasional draw in the D zone, fine. But as inexperienced and as untalented as those other 6 forwards on our team might be, they should ALL see more ice time than Sobotka given his atrocious 5x5 metrics. I get the impression Housley totally disregards those analytics for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 10 minutes ago, JohnC said: I don't know what the GM's points expectation is but my sense is that he desires stability and continuity in an organization that has a history of turbulence and churning through staffs. In making a determination the GM is going to focus on the issues of whether the younger players are getting better and are the players collectively playing hard? I would say yes to both of these issues. After Lindy's long tenure (the opposite of "turbulence and churning through staffs, btw), should we have retained Rolston or Nolan for longer than they were given? Even though the expressed strategy was to tear it all down and tank? Should we have retained Bylsma as well? Turnover and churning through coaches isn't desirable by any organization. But that doesn't mean you suffer through a poor hiring decision when it becomes apparent they don't have what it takes, either. If JBotts does end up firing Housley afer this season, it's because he will have seen enough after two years to suggest he isn't the one. IMO, NOTHING Housley has done suggests he's anything more than an assistant coach in this league. We will disagree on that forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 1 minute ago, K-9 said: After Lindy's long tenure (the opposite of "turbulence and churning through staffs, btw), should we have retained Rolston or Nolan for longer than they were given? Even though the expressed strategy was to tear it all down and tank? Should we have retained Bylsma as well? Turnover and churning through coaches isn't desirable by any organization. But that doesn't mean you suffer through a poor hiring decision when it becomes apparent they don't have what it takes, either. If JBotts does end up firing Housley afer this season, it's because he will have seen enough after two years to suggest he isn't the one. IMO, NOTHING Housley has done suggests he's anything more than an assistant coach in this league. We will disagree on that forever. If the GM retains Housley why do you think he would do so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 Just now, JohnC said: If the GM retains Housley why do you think he would do so? Because he still perceives him to be the right coach for this team. If the GM fires Housley, why do you think he would do so? Silly questions, actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 3 minutes ago, K-9 said: Because he still perceives him to be the right coach for this team. If the GM fires Housley, why do you think he would do so? Silly questions, actually. We can go around this carousel and not come to a conclusion. Let's just let the season play out and then see where it goes. We clearly disagree on this issue and the imperative for a coaching change. My priority is increasing the talent level more than addressing the coaching issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 21 minutes ago, JohnC said: We can go around this carousel and not come to a conclusion. Let's just let the season play out and then see where it goes. We clearly disagree on this issue and the imperative for a coaching change. My priority is increasing the talent level more than addressing the coaching issue. Good idea, as I’ve already come to my conclusion and you need more time. Fair enough. My priority is also increasing the talent level. At both the player and coaching levels. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Sabres playing a good, albeit, boring, game tonight. I will give credit where credit is due. Missed the 2nd goal due to a freaking monsoon cutting out signal!!! This period I think is important for their collective psyche going forward I think.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 20 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said: Sabres playing a good, albeit, boring, game tonight. I will give credit where credit is due. Missed the 2nd goal due to a freaking monsoon cutting out signal!!! This period I think is important for their collective psyche going forward I think.. You missed a helluva play by Eichel on our second goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Brown Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Larson just cost Okposo a goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Great win, man where has that team been for 30 games ( cough, cough Housley). But really nice game by the fellas. Freaking no gain on Columbus tonight 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 16 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said: Great win, man where has that team been for 30 games ( cough, cough Housley). But really nice game by the fellas. Freaking no gain on Columbus tonight Yeah, one of their better ones of the season. We got caught running around quite a bit in the third, but unlike previous games, it didn't hurt us late. We got some great saves by Ullmark and some good puck luck as well. I look for Housley to keep Mitts and Bogo in the press box now that he's found the mojo. Will he start Hutton on Friday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 My first star would go to Ullmark for his timely fantastic saves. My next star goes to Jack. His pass to Pommer was exquisite. My third star would be shared by Larrson and his line. He stole a goal from Okposo. This line battles and battles. This was a tight checking playoff type game that didn't allow for much room for the offense. The defenders from both teams tightly checked their men when the opposition had the puck and didn't allow much space to maneuver. This was a grinding type of game that most casual fans wouldn't enjoy because of the limited scoring chances. But I consider this one of the Sabres best game of the season because they played hard from the beginning to the end. I'm not sure how much playing time Huntwick got but I thought he was very steady and efficient. He smartly plays within his limits. You have to give the Islanders credit for their consistent hard play. From an entertainment standpoint you are not getting much bang for your dollar. This is a reflection of the Lou Lamorella (sic) school of hockey. Barzal is really good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted February 13, 2019 Author Share Posted February 13, 2019 Great team win by buffalo tonight. I thought they all did a good job simplifying their games and eliminating some of the plays that often lead to those big mistakes. Fhere were some some nervous moments in the 3rd, but overall it was a pretty strong game by Buffalo. Ullmark was fantastic. 22 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said: Great win, man where has that team been for 30 games ( cough, cough Housley). But really nice game by the fellas. Freaking no gain on Columbus tonight Buffalo jit’s canf catch a break right now... Carolina is up 3-1 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd. They were down 1-0 almost the entire game, too. Damn it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdutton Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Great game by everyone. Ullmark deserves to start 90% of the games imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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