row_33 Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 Still early but the East has taken 10 points to 1 off the West in interconference games so far
billsfanmiami(oh) Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 The one time they’re playing in Cbus this year and I have to leave town for work tomorrow ?
bbb Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 I didn't see any pictures of LaFontaine from Saturday. Is the rift that bad that he didn't show up?
Alaska Darin Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 12 minutes ago, bbb said: I didn't see any pictures of LaFontaine from Saturday. Is the rift that bad that he didn't show up? He was invited but declined. 1
bbb Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 8 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said: He was invited but declined. Thanks. That sucks.
JohnC Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 The link is a BN column written by Mike Harrington. Although the title of the column listed Reinhart the body of the column dealt with the philosophy and style of play that Krueger is promoting. It points out that playing responsibly on the defensive end leads to offensive opportunities. Krueger's hockey philosophy is not complicated. It's basic and simple. It's all about giving effort and playing responsibly starting with the defensive side of the game. https://buffalonews.com/2019/10/06/buffalo-sabres-nhl-sam-reinhart/
Alaska Darin Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 Krueger reminds me of Belichick a bit. Obviously he's not the same personality-wise but in his approach to success. I am so tired of hearing about talent (lack thereof).
Jauronimo Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 On 10/5/2019 at 9:37 PM, JohnC said: What is dramatically different this year is that the team quickly gets the puck out of the defensive zone. They are playing a north/south game instead of dithering with the puck in their zone. There have been more successful stretch passes up the middle in the first two games of the season than there were all season last year. The addition of talent allows you to have the capability to execute plays. Nailed it. They are putting 10x more pressure on their opponents this year. No more letting the defense get set while they stage a canned breakout. The puck movement in transition, team defense, and sustained pressure in the offensive zone have all stood out. Last year most of our scoring was a result of individual efforts from Eichel/Skinner. We scored almost exclusively on the rush, not even odd man rushes which were few and far between. Also noticeable is we are running 4 lines which all look like they can contribute. Last year Housely ran the first line into the ground I thought. 1
JohnC Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 58 minutes ago, Jauronimo said: Nailed it. They are putting 10x more pressure on their opponents this year. No more letting the defense get set while they stage a canned breakout. The puck movement in transition, team defense, and sustained pressure in the offensive zone have all stood out. Last year most of our scoring was a result of individual efforts from Eichel/Skinner. We scored almost exclusively on the rush, not even odd man rushes which were few and far between. Also noticeable is we are running 4 lines which all look like they can contribute. Last year Housely ran the first line into the ground I thought. Housley had no choice because other than the first line there was no potency to the offense. What do you do when you don't have a credible second line? You play players in a higher position than they should be playing. As an example Okposo was incapable as a top two line player but as a fourth line player he is more than fulfilling his more appropriate role. You can say the same thing about all the lines and defensive pairings. No one is arguing that Housley comes close to matching Krueger as a coach. That would be an absurd position to take. But when a coach is working with a bereft of talent the plays that are now being executed were never going to be consistently executed because the players weren't good enough to execute them. Entering this season there have been at least six players added to the roster. That is the major reason for the good start and better play. In this league success is mostly predicated on talent. That's the way it has always been and will continue to be.
JohnC Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said: Krueger reminds me of Belichick a bit. Obviously he's not the same personality-wise but in his approach to success. I am so tired of hearing about talent (lack thereof). (I made this same point in a response to Jauronimo.) This year's team is much more talented than last year's team. Vesey, Johansson, Miller, Olofsson, Jorki were additions that bolstered the roster. In addition, young players such as Dahlin and Mitts and others should be improved with the added experience. By adding more talent you are better placing the players in the roles that they should be playing. No one is arguing that Housley is a better coach than Krueger. But to be fair to Housley last year's team lacked adequate talent. What's apparent is that the GM did a good job this offseason in bringing in talent (nearly a half a dozen players) to bolster last year's obviously inadequate roster.
bbb Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 Who knew that if you try harder, you get better results
GG Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 New talent on offense is a rookie and a Rangers washout. 1
shrader Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 On 10/5/2019 at 8:14 PM, Kelly the Dog said: Olofsson is going to score 30 goals playing with Jack and Reinhart as well as the PP. That first PP is a killer group. Totally different team under Krueger, plus the new guys make a huge difference. They're really fun to watch right now. If he sticks on that line all year, it will pretty much make him a Calder finalist by default. I can't picture 70+ games with Eichel leading to anything less than that.
JohnC Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 1 hour ago, shrader said: If he sticks on that line all year, it will pretty much make him a Calder finalist by default. I can't picture 70+ games with Eichel leading to anything less than that. The addition of Olofsson on the first line has a multiplier positive effect. Not only is his addition to the first Jack line maintaining its effectiveness but It also allowed Skinner to be moved to the second line. With the addition of Johansson a credible second line was created also benefiting the first line by taking some of the scoring pressure off of it. 1
shrader Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 18 minutes ago, JohnC said: The addition of Olofsson on the first line has a multiplier positive effect. Not only is his addition to the first Jack line maintaining its effectiveness but It also allowed Skinner to be moved to the second line. With the addition of Johansson a credible second line was created also benefiting the first line by taking some of the scoring pressure off of it. That and they now have 5 incredibly accurate shots on that first PP unit. They should finally get back to the first year or two of Eichel where the PP unit was near the top of the league. They obviously fit that description on saturday. 1
eball Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 3 hours ago, GG said: New talent on offense is a rookie and a Rangers washout. Yup. Coaching means more in the NHL than in any other professional sport. The Sabres have talent.
Greybeard Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 3 hours ago, bbb said: Who knew that if you try harder, you get better results Nolan. 1
JohnC Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 1 hour ago, shrader said: That and they now have 5 incredibly accurate shots on that first PP unit. They should finally get back to the first year or two of Eichel where the PP unit was near the top of the league. They obviously fit that description on saturday. In addition to your adroit comment the second PP unit isn't bad. And when Montour gets back, and with the addition of Miller, strong and accurate shots from the defensemen make our PP one of the better PP units in the league.
JohnC Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 3 hours ago, GG said: New talent on offense is a rookie and a Rangers washout. Johansson was a terrific addition that helped in the rebuilding of a second line. And Miller not only is a good defenseman who meshes well with Dahlin but he also has a tremendous shot. And if you want you can consider Vesey a Ranger washout. However, that doesn't take away the from fact that he upgraded the talent base on the Sabres. Let's be clear here, adding talent doesn't diminish the importance of coaching and make our positions mutually exclusive. Both adding talent and better coaching can occur at the same time and result in better outcomes.
JohnC Posted October 7, 2019 Posted October 7, 2019 The below link is an article by Paul Hamilton from WGR focusing on Okposo. It indicates that Ullmark will be playing in goal in Columbus. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-look-go-3-0-columbus
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