JohnC Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said: https://buffalonews.com/2019/12/04/buffalo-sabres-jack-eichel-jeff-skinner-analytics/ Sabres' underlying numbers on offense look ominous Buffalo has been a perimeter team for years. I remember stories about Housley literally begging the team to get to the net. Now Krueger is trying to do the same thing, and I do think he’s getting some results at times. It just hasn’t been consistent. I’m hoping as the season continues we see improvement instead of them falling off a cliff, but I’m not holding my breath.... I still have faith in Krueger though. I think he’s a good coach and deserves some time to implement his plan/vision. We have seen in spurts what his vision for this team looks like and it excites me. I love the way he wants the team to play. They just need to do it more consistently. As for this season, ultimately it comes down to the players and if they’re willing to take the coaching, change their games and pay the price to go to the dirty areas of the ice. I’m not so sure that some of them are. If things go south again this season, I don’t want a coaching change. I want a new mix of players. The team as it is constituted is mostly a perimeter team. That's a reality that is visibly evident. It's like in baseball some teams are built for speed and others are built for home runs. As much as many people want to unfairly portray Housley (my contested view) as a clueless coach he stressed the importance of the play around the net, just like Krueger. If the dirty work is not adequately being done with the change of staffs then it isn't unreasonable to conclude that the team doesn't currently have the players to do it. There are only two players who consistently score around the net, the so called dirty area: Reinhart and Skinner. Reinhart crowds the net while Skinner resides around an eight foot radius of it. There are others who do some work around the net but are not accomplished in finishing/converting the opportunities close in. This team is still a work in progress not only from absorbing what the new coach is advocating but also from a staffing standpoint. What I find encouraging, even during the losing streak, is that this team consistently plays hard and a more responsible game compared to last year. Sure there are some dud games but a lot of that is due to the compressed schedule and fatigue from traveling. The issue, as it was last year, is not only the level of talent but also the mix. Each side of this equation has improved this year. However, there is still plenty room for improvement. While many are in a state of reflexive despair I am optimistic that we are moving in the right direction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 6, 2019 Author Share Posted December 6, 2019 Wow, what a tip by Reinhart! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 (edited) This is crazy! Zaitsev asked for a leave of absence from the team, apparently to go steal his kids from their mother in Russia and move them to Canada. And here’s Zaitsev’s fathers side of the story. What a crazy situation. I don’t know who’s at fault but I feel for those kids. I just hope they’re safe and happy. Edited December 7, 2019 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 ❤️❤️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 at a swim meet and have about an hour, should i watch Sabres or SEC? than i see this thx for making it easy boys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 15 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said: at a swim meet and have about an hour, should i watch Sabres or SEC? than i see this thx for making it easy boys! Tied 2-2 right now. I almost turned it off myself, but they suddenly got their **** together about 5 minutes into the 2nd. I don’t know if it’ll last, but at least it’s a game right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 I sincerely hope that Pegula hired Krueger as his McD who can help him find a Beane. They have to rid themselves of the ineptitude that is Botterill. In some ways he is the opposite of Whaley. Whaley at least tried to get talent although he often overpaid. Bots has the sense of urgency of a Koala bear at nap time. It is hard to believe they trot these guys out there game after game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 Tied at 5 with 58 seconds remaining!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 2 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: Tied at 5 with 58 seconds remaining!! 6 on 5 was like a 5 on 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 Hutton blows. That is all. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 (edited) Eichel yelling at someone on the bench after the game. Maybe it was a ref just over the boards, but the clock is ticking on him wanting to be here. They have to pull the plug on the GM or it'll be 8 more years of this crap. Edited December 8, 2019 by 4merper4mer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 Man, started watching at 2-2 on the phone. Tough way to lose. And yes @K-9, spot on on Hutton. Costing points at this time , when you can ill afford them. Linus gets 80 % of games here. Had to play Huts tonight though , no option really. UPL gunna be here sooner rather than later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 Just now, plenzmd1 said: Man, started watching at 2-2 on the phone. Tough way to lose. And yes @K-9, spot on on Hutton. Costing points at this time , when you can ill afford them. Linus gets 80 % of games here. Had to play Huts tonight though , no option really. UPL gunna be here sooner rather than later Does your definition of sooner match John's? Like 2026? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 You cannot let that goal in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 2 minutes ago, 4merper4mer said: Does your definition of sooner match John's? Like 2026? This ain’t doing em any favors either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 They deserved better. I thought that was a questionable tripping call. All did was pivot 45 degrees. He didn’t even lift his stick off the ice. The Vancouver player skated directly into his stick and tripped. It was an unfortunate play, but not a trip IMO. Not the Sabres best game but I’m Proud that they battled back 3 separate times. Down 2-0, tied it at 2-2. Down 3-2, tied it at 3. Down 5-3, tied it with 58 seconds left. Hutton was awful though. At least 3 questionable goals IMO. He’s definitely in his own head, I think. He’s lost his last what, 10-11 straight starts or something like that? and I read that it’s really been getting to him. It’s hard to not feel like buffalo wins tonight with Ullmark in net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jrb1979 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 16 hours ago, 4merper4mer said: I sincerely hope that Pegula hired Krueger as his McD who can help him find a Beane. They have to rid themselves of the ineptitude that is Botterill. In some ways he is the opposite of Whaley. Whaley at least tried to get talent although he often overpaid. Bots has the sense of urgency of a Koala bear at nap time. It is hard to believe they trot these guys out there game after game. The problem is with almost all teams at the cap its hard to make any moves. I disagree that Botterill hasn't made any moves. He rebuilt the defense since the end of last season. If the UPL keeps playing like he has in the minors I can see him up with the Sabres by mid season. My question, since you seem to think this is NHL 20 and trades are easy to make, what would your plan be? So far there has been a couple of minor trades of bottom 6 players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 They are definitely better on offense and Eichel is a monster. That should have been a win. But they still stink on defense and just handling the puck in their own end. Goaltending is not great but the poor D makes it worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 6 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said: The problem is with almost all teams at the cap its hard to make any moves. I disagree that Botterill hasn't made any moves. He rebuilt the defense since the end of last season. If the UPL keeps playing like he has in the minors I can see him up with the Sabres by mid season. My question, since you seem to think this is NHL 20 and trades are easy to make, what would your plan be? So far there has been a couple of minor trades of bottom 6 players. How about not staking the future on guys like Sheary and Vesey? I realize that some of the cap stuff was created with Murray but how can a roster so horrible and which includes a lot of guys on their first contract be near the cap if the GM is competent? The real question is what are the goals for the 19-20 team and what season does the GM project to be the first in cup contention? It seems his goal is about 2026-27 and that is simply bad management. Why not just trade the whole roster to Seattle and we'll be the expansion team? Oh, right. Seattle would turn that down. Botts fails to take into account that the players are people and not robots. The weak minded O'Reilly already ran out of town after crying. Botts got piles of crap in return. Part of that was from lack of proper evaluation and part was due to letting the on ice situation stay in an abysmal state for too long, lowering the value of his asset. Eichel clearly is stronger mentally than O'Reilly but how many more seasons like this can he take? 5?, 3?, 1? There are16 teams in the east and 8 make the playoffs. How many years should Eichel expect it to take? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 13 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said: The problem is with almost all teams at the cap its hard to make any moves. I disagree that Botterill hasn't made any moves. He rebuilt the defense since the end of last season. If the UPL keeps playing like he has in the minors I can see him up with the Sabres by mid season. My question, since you seem to think this is NHL 20 and trades are easy to make, what would your plan be? So far there has been a couple of minor trades of bottom 6 players. There is an unrealistic faction here that believes that firing the GM is going to immediately alter the course of this franchise. This same delusionary faction with a childish fantasy hockey mentality believes that moves can easily be made to benefit your team at the expense of the other team with no cap consideration. The current GM traded for Skinner, Montour, Joki, Miller, Vesey and added Johansson over the past year or so and gave up little. As it stands the Sabres have a number of players on the last year of their contracts that will give the GM more flexibility in pursuing players next year. Hutton's play has hurt this team. In a compressed schedule it is difficult to rely on only one goaltender. The good news is that Ullmark is playing well so Hutton will be playing much less. I'm not one to make excuses. But if Hutton would have been playing at an average to above average NHL level this team's fortunes would look much differently. The worst thing this franchise should do is listen to the frantic voices calling for this organization to lurch back and forth and wasting time and prolonging the struggle to getting better . 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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