BringBackFergy Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 Ummm, please tell me @plenzmd1 was AWOL tonight. And let’s hope he stays the hell away from this team for another two months. 1
YoloinOhio Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 (edited) 1 hour 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 They will be trading Bob and Bread soon. No worries. Edited February 13, 2019 by YoloinOhio
Another Fan Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 Not really a big Sabres fan in the way I like the Bills but always nice to see them step it up. Only 2 points back of a playoff spot. Seems the Rangers always give the Sabres fits though. Look forward to Friday’s game
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 (edited) 1 hour 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 That's okay! NOT a 3-point game and stalls the Capitals at 69 points. It was a gain on the Caps. Only one team B.Jacs and Caps (even Pens/Canes) can have that spot in divison. Just keep on winning in regulation Sabres AND one team when others play Eastern Conference foes! Edited February 13, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois
K-9 Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 1 hour ago, JohnC said: 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. Barzal is an electrifying player indeed. Made losing Tavares less painful to be sure.
JohnC Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 9 hours ago, K-9 said: Barzal is an electrifying player indeed. Made losing Tavares less painful to be sure. The Lou Lamoriello and Trotz effect has transformed a reeling franchise with the loss of Tavares to a playoff secured team. Watching the Islanders you see a team where everyone is committed to defense first. This is a playoff style of play. The negative side to that suffocating defensive style of play is that from an entertaining standpoint it is joyless. This Islander brand of game is not comparable to Lou's Jersey Devil brand of hockey of trapping because with the Islanders there is more north/south play and less plugging the middle. I'm a Sabre fan and I like good hockey. But the reality of yesterday's game was that although the game was intense throughout there were few scoring chances. If I had to watch this style of hockey all the time I would be less enthusiastic about the sport. There is a lot of great offensive players in this league. In this style of play the creativity of the players is suppressed. I came away from this big win very conflicted about the game and the entertainment value. The reality is this is not the brand of hockey I would want to watch all the time. And I'm aware that playoff hockey is qualitatively different from regular season. 3
shrader Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 11 hours ago, bdutton said: Great game by everyone. Ullmark deserves to start 90% of the games imo. I just wish I could figure out why it took them so long to realize that Ullmark deserves more playing time. Along with that change, hopefully Hutton can return to his typical form if he starts getting the ice time more consistent with his career role. It give me some level of hope that this coaching staff can evolve and not stay locked into what is clearly not working. 1
GG Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 1 hour ago, JohnC said: The Lou Lamoriello and Trotz effect has transformed a reeling franchise with the loss of Tavares to a playoff secured team. Do you find any irony in this post?
K-9 Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 This may upset some around here and it’s not my intention to pee on the parade after last night’s effort, but something just continues to bring bile to my throat. That is the rhetoric, especially from team leaders like Pominville and Okposo, referencing all these “this time of year” cliches. Enough already! “This time of year” hockey starts in early October. Period. And if you can’t bring playoff intensity early in the season, there’s a better than even chance you won’t have it later on. It ALL counts, starting from opening night puck drop. You’d think veterans of many years would understand that and impart the message to younger players who think they have an entire 82 games to figure it out. God, I miss Drury and Briere! 2
JohnC Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 3 hours ago, GG said: Do you find any irony in this post? Absolutely not! You can take your Italian Lou dinosaur approach to hockey and watch robotic hockey. The problem with these rigid and soulless systems is that it kills the product and results in talented players wanting out and talented players not wanting in. If you think that Eichel would relish playing this brand of hockey you are mistaken. If he had problems with Bylsma and his structured system how do you think he would tolerate the old school Lou system? If you find this type of suffocating hockey entertaining then good for you. It's not something I would find acceptable. If it were the case I would exercise my prerogative and change the channel to watch a college game. No thank you!
SinceThe70s Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 26 minutes ago, K-9 said: This may upset some around here and it’s not my intention to pee on the parade after last night’s effort, but something just continues to bring bile to my throat. That is the rhetoric, especially from team leaders like Pominville and Okposo, referencing all these “this time of year” cliches. Enough already! “This time of year” hockey starts in early October. Period. And if you can’t bring playoff intensity early in the season, there’s a better than even chance you won’t have it later on. It ALL counts, starting from opening night puck drop. You’d think veterans of many years would understand that and impart the message to younger players who think they have an entire 82 games to figure it out. God, I miss Drury and Briere! As an Islander fan I've been lurking on this thread the past few days. First of all, congrats on the win last night, Islanders were out-played. But I gotta disagree with you that "this time of year" is just a tired cliche with no validity. Just a few weeks ago when the Islanders were in the middle of a hot streak, Trotz took the Islanders down a peg saying that the team needed to ramp up the intensity in the upcoming weeks and they couldn't make a playoff run at the intensity level they were playing at. He made his statement on January 15 after the Islanders had won 9 of 11 games. BTW, how do you guys like Okposo? He was a favorite of mine from his rookie year. Although I always wanted to see him score more, I was disappointed when he moved on.
snafu Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 46 minutes ago, JohnC said: Absolutely not! You can take your Italian Lou dinosaur approach to hockey and watch robotic hockey. The problem with these rigid and soulless systems is that it kills the product and results in talented players wanting out and talented players not wanting in. If you think that Eichel would relish playing this brand of hockey you are mistaken. If he had problems with Bylsma and his structured system how do you think he would tolerate the old school Lou system? If you find this type of suffocating hockey entertaining then good for you. It's not something I would find acceptable. If it were the case I would exercise my prerogative and change the channel to watch a college game. No thank you! I love Lou Lamoriello hockey. Teams win when he's around. They don't win style points, but they win a helluva lot more games than they lose.
JohnC Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 10 minutes ago, snafu said: I love Lou Lamoriello hockey. Teams win when he's around. They don't win style points, but they win a helluva lot more games than they lose. You and I have different tastes. I hate his brand of hockey. Sports are supposed to be entertaining. This suffocating style of play is unwatchable, at least for me. Jeff Skinner does not sign a deal with a Lou influenced team. I can guarantee you that. Few talented free agents would be interested in playing for an organization promoting such an antiquated brand of hockey. I'm very confident in saying that Tavares is relieved that he doesn't have to play for a team run by this old school tight fisted boss. If you like watching this style of play then that's your choice. If the Sabres were winning with greater frequency playing that wretched way I would tune out. I'm not saying this to be dramatic. From an entertainment standpoint it is unappealing. I would not pay a penny for a ticket to watch such a grinding style of play that shackles the talents of the players. I have little interest in garbage hockey. If you want to kill this sport then make Italian Lou the commissioner. Some people are enthralled with the stone age. I'm not one of them. 2
snafu Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 2 minutes ago, JohnC said: You and I have different tastes. I hate his brand of hockey. Sports are supposed to be entertaining. This suffocating style of play is unwatchable, at least for me. Jeff Skinner does not sign a deal with a Lou influenced team. I can guarantee you that. Few talented free agents would be interested in playing for an organization promoting such an antiquated brand of hockey. I'm very confident in saying that Tavares is relieved that he doesn't have to play for a team run by this old school tight fisted boss. If you like watching this style of play then that's your choice. If the Sabres were winning with greater frequency playing that wretched way I would tune out. I'm not saying this to be dramatic. From an entertainment standpoint it is unappealing. I would not pay a penny for a ticket to watch such a grinding style of play that shackles the talents of the players. I have little interest in garbage hockey. If you want to kill this sport then make Italian Lou the commissioner. Some people are enthralled with the stone age. I'm not one of them. You'd rather lose in an entertaining way? Besides, the NHL has done a pretty good job of neutralizing the Neutral Zone Trap that Lou employed in NJ. So his "style" isn't what you make it out to be these days. To each his own.
JohnC Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 1 minute ago, snafu said: You'd rather lose in an entertaining way? Besides, the NHL has done a pretty good job of neutralizing the Neutral Zone Trap that Lou employed in NJ. So his "style" isn't what you make it out to be these days. To each his own. The Sabres are not a losing team. They are an emerging team that is getting better. They are not there yet but their near term future is bright. (My opinion.) If I had to watch that grinding style of play that was exhibited yesterday on a full time basis I would tune out. I'm not criticizing your preference for a particular style of play. That's your choice. But for me I have little interest in watching the current Islander/Lou style of play. As I said in a prior post Skinner would not sign with a team that played that tight style of play. And neither would a lot of talented free agents want to play in such a rigid system. I'm not sure Jack would want to spend his career playing such a controlled system. Sports for me is an entertainment. When it isn't I change the channel.
eball Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 Gotta say I'm on the @JohnC side of things regarding his discussion with @snafu. I need to be entertained, and there's no reason why that can't coincide with winning. 1
snafu Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 To me, winning IS entertainment. They could devise a system whereby the entire team crawls around the ice on hands and knees. If it turns out to be a winning system, I couldn't care less how it looks. If the team wins AND looks good in the process, that's just gravy. I bet that you and @JohnC would watch a boring-played ten game winning streak, and a boring-played deep playoff run. Like I said in my previous post: to each his own.
JohnC Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 13 minutes ago, snafu said: To me, winning IS entertainment. They could devise a system whereby the entire team crawls around the ice on hands and knees. If it turns out to be a winning system, I couldn't care less how it looks. If the team wins AND looks good in the process, that's just gravy. I bet that you and @JohnC would watch a boring-played ten game winning streak, and a boring-played deep playoff run. Like I said in my previous post: to each his own. Maybe you could care less about a dreary style of play but hockey fans in other markets would not bother to watch that grinding style of play on a consistent basis. And I'm sure the people involved in selecting National and Canadian Hockey Nigh games would not select those suffocating teams to be showcased on their channels because few people would watch. If the style of play that we watched yesterday was replicated by all the hockey teams the NHL would be extinguished due to a lack of interest. You may be a purist. That's fine. For me, sports is about entertainment. If that type of game we witnessed happened with a great frequency I would not choose to watch. And I'm sure a lot of people would have the same sentiment. Again, I'm not saying you are wrong. All I'm saying is your preference is not my preference.
snafu Posted February 14, 2019 Posted February 14, 2019 2 hours ago, JohnC said: Maybe you could care less about a dreary style of play but hockey fans in other markets would not bother to watch that grinding style of play on a consistent basis. And I'm sure the people involved in selecting National and Canadian Hockey Nigh games would not select those suffocating teams to be showcased on their channels because few people would watch. If the style of play that we watched yesterday was replicated by all the hockey teams the NHL would be extinguished due to a lack of interest. You may be a purist. That's fine. For me, sports is about entertainment. If that type of game we witnessed happened with a great frequency I would not choose to watch. And I'm sure a lot of people would have the same sentiment. Again, I'm not saying you are wrong. All I'm saying is your preference is not my preference. I don’t care about other markets and their fans. And as I stated, the NHL has pretty much legislated the trap out of the game — and what the rules changes didn’t accomplish, offensive strategy did. As to whether the US and Canadien tv brass would choose to televise, I don’t care. Furthermore, teams with winning records can’t be ignored in the playoffs. I’m not going to guess whether offensive minded players would want to sign or go. I honestly don’t know and your guess is as good or as bad as mine. Sports IS about entertainment. And winning is entertainment if it’s my team winning. By the way, using last night’s game as an example is a poor choice, as I thought the Islanders played a much more dynamic game than the Sabres from mid-second period to the end. I sat and watched all of it. Did you? If our Buffalo Bills win a lot of games predominately with defense and a running game, wouldn’t you watch? I’m sure you did last season when Tyrod was the uninspired QB and they made it to the playoffs. So the Sabres can win with panache or they can win with a boring style, I could not care less.
K-9 Posted February 14, 2019 Posted February 14, 2019 6 hours ago, SinceThe70s said: As an Islander fan I've been lurking on this thread the past few days. First of all, congrats on the win last night, Islanders were out-played. But I gotta disagree with you that "this time of year" is just a tired cliche with no validity. Just a few weeks ago when the Islanders were in the middle of a hot streak, Trotz took the Islanders down a peg saying that the team needed to ramp up the intensity in the upcoming weeks and they couldn't make a playoff run at the intensity level they were playing at. He made his statement on January 15 after the Islanders had won 9 of 11 games. BTW, how do you guys like Okposo? He was a favorite of mine from his rookie year. Although I always wanted to see him score more, I was disappointed when he moved on. I'm not saying "this time of year" has no validity. Quite the contrary; but it has validity starting in October! EVERY game matters and you have to bank points all season, not just when there are two months left in the season and games get "tighter" just because the playoffs are much closer now. The playoffs should seem just as close and be considered just as important and every game just as crucial starting from the first game of the year. To the extent that some veteran players hype "this time of year" as somehow more critical to the goal of playing "playoff hockey" every night is short sighted. These veterans need to create the sense of urgency from the first puck drop of the year. Heck, it should start from the first practice in training camp. Regarding Okposo, love his heart, but he's a shadow of his former self as an offensive force. He's a very effective checking line winger, heavy on the puck, and a beast in the corners. He's not giving the value his contract number suggests he should, but you gotta root for a guy like that given his effort every night and what he's had to come back from, concussion wise. On another note, what would it take to pry Barzal away from the Isles? He's a fantastic player. BTW, we are happy as hell for Lehner. Great comeback story as well.
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