Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-7-2019
After the Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night Buffalo captain Jack Eichel talked of the media, "and probably himself," looking too frequently at the negative in what turned out to be a lost season for the team. Eichel and his Sabres teammates were coming off of a feel-good win on Fan Appreciation Night when he made those comments after a game that closed out the home schedule at KeyBank Center. The 5-2 win versus the last place Senators brought some relief to those in Sabreland who were left to watch four months of some pretty depressing hockey when it mattered most. Buffalo had only four wins each in December, January and February and to make matters worse they won a paltry two out of 16 games in the month of March.
While Eichel was stretching for positives, which included 21 wins at home, tying for the most since 2009-10, and some individual feats that we'll cover at a later date, the fact remains that team-wise they were as poor as, or worse than, the teams that came out of the tank years under then head coach Dan Bylsma. In his sophomore season as Sabres head coach, Phil Housley was dancing on air back in November when his team was on a 10-game winning streak but had no answers during a precipitous fall from that high in the ensuing months.
Here's WGR550 Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton on the morning show talking about what has transpired under Housley, an offensive-minded Hockey Hall-of-Fame player and the supposed mastermind behind the incredible Nashville defense of 2016-17 that ended up propelling the Predators to the Stanley Cup Final that year. "It's obvious [the players] don't understand Phil Housley," said a cut-and-dry Hamilton to the hosts, "I mean all you've got to do is watch the defensive zone. Every now and then they have a game where it looks like play well defensively, but basically you watch them in the defensive zone and they have no idea what they're doing or what they're supposed to be doing.
"It just seems like [Housley] doesn't change anything, like [he's saying] 'This is the system we're going to play and we're gonna keep practicing it until you guys get it.' Well, it's been two years and they really haven't gotten it."
Showing posts with label paul hamilton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paul hamilton. Show all posts
Monday, April 8, 2019
Thursday, November 16, 2017
A mishmash of problems keeps Buffalo spinning it's wheels
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-13-2017
The Sabres are spinning their wheels and just can't seem to get out of the muck. Sure, there are injuries, especially on defense with Rasmus Ristolainen sidelined the last four games, but scoring has been the real problem with this team as of late. Buffalo has scored just one goal in three of their last four games while going 1-3-1 in the process. Prior to that the Sabres had been held to one goal twice all season, and that came in consecutive games late last month..
As mentioned recently here, it's been a schizophrenic season for this addition of the Buffalo Sabres and it's enough to make anyone in Sabreland want to bang their heads against the wall. Head coach Phil Housley has stuck with a mostly positive message for his players thus far and in the process took some heat for it in the press. After Saturday's overtime loss in Montreal it continued with that approach as he told the gathered media that he liked his team's effort and that they created a number of opportunities, but that they just couldn't capitalize on them.
"I can't fault the effort of our guys," said Housley, "we outshot them and out-chanced them. I thought the guys played real hard."
When asked about the difficulties his team has had scoring as of late, Housley went back to what the team was doing right. "I thought tonight was a start," he said, in reference to his team trying to get out of a scoring slump. "I thought it was our best night, we got pucks to the net, we were really gritty and dirty in front of the net. What was intriguing to me is when we delivered shots to the net guys were willing to pay a price in front of the net and get second opportunities.
"If we continue to do that, we'll score more goals, but we have to do it on a consistent basis."
Consistency has been a huge issue for this team thus far, whether it's shift to shift, period to period or game-to-game. But it would seem as if they're beginning to bring it on more consistent basis as they've played three good games in a row and have either won or kept it tight in four of the last five yielding a 2-2-1 record.
The one troubling game of those five was the 5-1 loss at Dallas. It was the fourth time 14 games to that point where the Sabres were beaten by three or more goals. The Stars game was also the one where Housley caught some grief after saying his team got the start they wanted, and played well, but were victims of a couple of bad bounces early in the game.
Housley's 2017-18 Buffalo team is in a similar spot to where former coach Dan Bylsma had the Sabres last year. This year Buffalo is 5-9-3 (13 points) while last season they were 5-8-4 (14 points) through 17 games. When you count the 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, albeit with two empty net goals against, Buffalo has lost five games by three or more goals this season while last season they posted the same number of three-goal or more lossess. This year none of Buffalo's five wins were by three or more goals whereas last season the Sabres had two wins by three or more.
Those huge swings under Bylsma last season were also evident in their streakiness at the same 17-game point of the season. After beginning 1-3-2, they won three in a row and four of five before going 0-5-1 in Games 12-17. After a 1-4-1 start this season, with their first win coming in Game-6, Buffalo has been roughly alternating wins and losses while compiling a 4-5-2 record since.
Further comparisons have the Sabres living off the powerplay a bit last season with 11 goals in 53 opportunities (20.8%) which helped contribute to two wins and three other loser-points (1 shootout, 2 overtime.) This season the Sabres are 8/57 (14.0%) with the powerplay contributing to zero wins and three loser points (1 shootout, 2 overtime.)
Goal scoring is also up for Buffalo this season--through 17 games this they've scored 40 (2.35/game) while last season the team scored 31 goals in 17 games (1.82 goals/game.) However, there's a big difference in goals-against as this edition has given up 3.47 ga/gm whereas last season it was only 2.58.
All the above numbers may show improvement, but none of hose are playoff numbers by any means. With goal scoring on the minds of those in Sabreland we're starting to hear about problems that have existed for years, namely, not being able to finish, and with that it would seem as if the narrative has begun to be directed towards the overall talent-level of this team.
"If you want to be Mr. Positive," said WGR550 Radio's Paul Hamilton after the Montreal game, "you could say the glass is half-full [and] it seems like more and more they're starting to catch on to Housley's system. It's not translating to points, it's not translating into wins, it's not translating into goals.
"Maybe they have to be a better team. Maybe they have to get better. Maybe they have to find more talent."
Hamilton went on to say that the team has five or six holes in the forward group to fill and that they're playing games with guys "that if you want to be a playoff team and a good team, probably aren't on the team."
Brutal, but probably true. Hamilton has also said time and again that their best players must be their best players, something that's been lacking on a consistent basis in the top-six.
Buffalo continues their three-game road trip with the next two on the road beginning with a Tuesday game at Pittsburgh against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Penguins Then it's on to Detroit to face a Red Wings team that's won four of their last seven (4-2-1) on Friday.
Where will the Sabres find some answers to their scoring woes?
Methinks they'll continue to look within. Housley will juggle his lines and make some adjustments to a powerplay that scored a goal in each of it's last two games. Will it be enough?
We'll see.
The Sabres are spinning their wheels and just can't seem to get out of the muck. Sure, there are injuries, especially on defense with Rasmus Ristolainen sidelined the last four games, but scoring has been the real problem with this team as of late. Buffalo has scored just one goal in three of their last four games while going 1-3-1 in the process. Prior to that the Sabres had been held to one goal twice all season, and that came in consecutive games late last month..
As mentioned recently here, it's been a schizophrenic season for this addition of the Buffalo Sabres and it's enough to make anyone in Sabreland want to bang their heads against the wall. Head coach Phil Housley has stuck with a mostly positive message for his players thus far and in the process took some heat for it in the press. After Saturday's overtime loss in Montreal it continued with that approach as he told the gathered media that he liked his team's effort and that they created a number of opportunities, but that they just couldn't capitalize on them.
"I can't fault the effort of our guys," said Housley, "we outshot them and out-chanced them. I thought the guys played real hard."
When asked about the difficulties his team has had scoring as of late, Housley went back to what the team was doing right. "I thought tonight was a start," he said, in reference to his team trying to get out of a scoring slump. "I thought it was our best night, we got pucks to the net, we were really gritty and dirty in front of the net. What was intriguing to me is when we delivered shots to the net guys were willing to pay a price in front of the net and get second opportunities.
"If we continue to do that, we'll score more goals, but we have to do it on a consistent basis."
Consistency has been a huge issue for this team thus far, whether it's shift to shift, period to period or game-to-game. But it would seem as if they're beginning to bring it on more consistent basis as they've played three good games in a row and have either won or kept it tight in four of the last five yielding a 2-2-1 record.
The one troubling game of those five was the 5-1 loss at Dallas. It was the fourth time 14 games to that point where the Sabres were beaten by three or more goals. The Stars game was also the one where Housley caught some grief after saying his team got the start they wanted, and played well, but were victims of a couple of bad bounces early in the game.
Housley's 2017-18 Buffalo team is in a similar spot to where former coach Dan Bylsma had the Sabres last year. This year Buffalo is 5-9-3 (13 points) while last season they were 5-8-4 (14 points) through 17 games. When you count the 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, albeit with two empty net goals against, Buffalo has lost five games by three or more goals this season while last season they posted the same number of three-goal or more lossess. This year none of Buffalo's five wins were by three or more goals whereas last season the Sabres had two wins by three or more.
Those huge swings under Bylsma last season were also evident in their streakiness at the same 17-game point of the season. After beginning 1-3-2, they won three in a row and four of five before going 0-5-1 in Games 12-17. After a 1-4-1 start this season, with their first win coming in Game-6, Buffalo has been roughly alternating wins and losses while compiling a 4-5-2 record since.
Further comparisons have the Sabres living off the powerplay a bit last season with 11 goals in 53 opportunities (20.8%) which helped contribute to two wins and three other loser-points (1 shootout, 2 overtime.) This season the Sabres are 8/57 (14.0%) with the powerplay contributing to zero wins and three loser points (1 shootout, 2 overtime.)
Goal scoring is also up for Buffalo this season--through 17 games this they've scored 40 (2.35/game) while last season the team scored 31 goals in 17 games (1.82 goals/game.) However, there's a big difference in goals-against as this edition has given up 3.47 ga/gm whereas last season it was only 2.58.
All the above numbers may show improvement, but none of hose are playoff numbers by any means. With goal scoring on the minds of those in Sabreland we're starting to hear about problems that have existed for years, namely, not being able to finish, and with that it would seem as if the narrative has begun to be directed towards the overall talent-level of this team.
"If you want to be Mr. Positive," said WGR550 Radio's Paul Hamilton after the Montreal game, "you could say the glass is half-full [and] it seems like more and more they're starting to catch on to Housley's system. It's not translating to points, it's not translating into wins, it's not translating into goals.
"Maybe they have to be a better team. Maybe they have to get better. Maybe they have to find more talent."
Hamilton went on to say that the team has five or six holes in the forward group to fill and that they're playing games with guys "that if you want to be a playoff team and a good team, probably aren't on the team."
Brutal, but probably true. Hamilton has also said time and again that their best players must be their best players, something that's been lacking on a consistent basis in the top-six.
Buffalo continues their three-game road trip with the next two on the road beginning with a Tuesday game at Pittsburgh against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Penguins Then it's on to Detroit to face a Red Wings team that's won four of their last seven (4-2-1) on Friday.
Where will the Sabres find some answers to their scoring woes?
Methinks they'll continue to look within. Housley will juggle his lines and make some adjustments to a powerplay that scored a goal in each of it's last two games. Will it be enough?
We'll see.
Friday, February 6, 2015
The great Ted Nolan debate
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the 2014-15 season for the Buffalo Sabres is a throw away season. It doesn't mean things can't be accomplished (however minute these accomplishments might be) but on the whole, this team was destined to test the depths of the league standings from the get-go.
At the beginning of the season I was of the opinion that a bottom-three finish was in the offing for the Sabres and it looks as if my expectations were a bit high. At the beginning of the season, surely expectations varied throughout Sabreland, including the management team and coaches, about where they would end up. But after a 14-game losing streak, it's safe to say that nearly everyone's on the same page now.
That being said, the great debate has shifted slightly from the value of Tyler Myers and of Cody Hodgson's worth, to the future of head coach, Ted Nolan.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the 2014-15 season for the Buffalo Sabres is a throw away season. It doesn't mean things can't be accomplished (however minute these accomplishments might be) but on the whole, this team was destined to test the depths of the league standings from the get-go.
At the beginning of the season I was of the opinion that a bottom-three finish was in the offing for the Sabres and it looks as if my expectations were a bit high. At the beginning of the season, surely expectations varied throughout Sabreland, including the management team and coaches, about where they would end up. But after a 14-game losing streak, it's safe to say that nearly everyone's on the same page now.
That being said, the great debate has shifted slightly from the value of Tyler Myers and of Cody Hodgson's worth, to the future of head coach, Ted Nolan.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
From Sochi to the Sabres: some of this and some of that
The Sabres kick off the post-Olympic NHL schedule with a make-up game at home vs. the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, the only game on the NHL schedule.
With the trade deadline a mere eight days away and a number of teams positioning themselves for the stretch run, Buffalo joins the NY Islanders, Edmonton and Florida as definitive sellers at the deadline.
Rumors are beginning to fly, including juxtaposed positions on the fate of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, and trade scenarios are coming out left and right. That's what makes the NHL trade deadline the most interesting and the most fun of all the four major North American sports.
But before we get into that, we'll touch upon one more thing from Sochi.
With the trade deadline a mere eight days away and a number of teams positioning themselves for the stretch run, Buffalo joins the NY Islanders, Edmonton and Florida as definitive sellers at the deadline.
Rumors are beginning to fly, including juxtaposed positions on the fate of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, and trade scenarios are coming out left and right. That's what makes the NHL trade deadline the most interesting and the most fun of all the four major North American sports.
But before we get into that, we'll touch upon one more thing from Sochi.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Thoughts on the Carolina home and home
After a 6-3 shelling at the hands of Carolina on Thursday, it didn't take head coach Lindy Ruff long to get that choking feeling and move veteran center/winger Jochen Hecht up to the third line.
Ruff used this as his excuse/reasoning, "We tried to be a little bit harder on [Eric]Staal. We used [Steve] Ott and [Patrick] Kaleta and Hecht against him," he said. "It was the only reason. I thought we had to try to slow [him down]." Staal had the hat trick vs. the Sabres in Carolina the night before.
Of course, that meant rookie Mikhail Grigorenko, playing in his fourth of possibly five "tryout" games was demoted to the fourth line.
Grigorenko, who had been middle-of-the road, but was showing signs of progressing, turned out to be a casualty of Ruff's reliance on the "tried and true." Hecht is one of Ruff's favorite players, one that he believes he can count on in all situations.
From the moment Hecht was signed to a one year deal, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before he climbed up the lines into a spot that was beyond his talents (that would be anything above the fourth line.) Sure enough, it was last night.
In years past, Ruff has been seen as stunting the growth of his young players either being too hard on them or putting them in a position to fail. Now, even though Grigorenko has done what's asked of him, he gets demoted to a line with fighter John Scott and little Nathan Gerbe.
At today's skate, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald thinks that Ruff may have some remorse. “It’s like burning a game,” Ruff was quoted as saying.
Sure enough, they only have five games to decide whether the 18 yr. old center sticks or gets sent back to Jr. At 6:48 of ice time, to get a better "match up," Ruff did burn a game. And further burned his reputation of leaning on "his" guys into the brains of every Sabre fan.
Being on the third line getting 10-12 minutes a game is not a bad way to get introduced into the NHL. Doing what the coach tells you to do--focusing upon defense, even though you have mad offensive skills--should get you more ice-time, not less.
Ruff screwed up last night. Everyone in Sabreland knows it (except maybe for Terry Pegula and Darcy Regier) and I would hazard to guess that Grigorenko's a little perplexed at Ruff's decision.
Let's hope "Grigs" has the wherewithal to get past it and move forward.
************
There's a reason I dislike twitter, other than the fact that it's inane. One should never trust an initial reaction while dealing in disappointment.
After last night's loss. I wanted Lindy Ruff to be fired. I also wanted to see WGR's Paul Hamilton and Howard Simon and Chris "Bulldog" Parker canned as well. What the hell, I wanted Jeremy White and Mike Schoppsie fired too, like I always do.
It's an obvious overreaction, which is why twitter is pretty much useless, unless you want to laugh at someone.
But, here are the reasons why the aforementioned should at least be on notice:
Lindy Ruff--Relying on an old stand-by--Jochen Hecht--to get the job done. The Sabres lost 3-1. His "old standbys" have gotten him to the playoffs twice in the last five seasons, never getting the team past the first round.
Howard Simon--What a sore loser. Still. Before the 'Canes home-and-home, Simon had the audacity to belittle the organization with an article entitled 'Canes mediocre since raising the Cup. He is, of course, sure that Buffalo would have won it had they not fallen on hard times vs. Carolina back in 2006. But why bag on an organization that at the very least is not that far below the Sabres? Oh, and no comment section either.
Paul Hamilton--Sabres D-man Tyler Myers is off to a slow start--again. In an interview with Hamilton a couple of days ago, Myers had the "audacity" to laugh at a perceived lack of confidence in himself. A laugh Hamilton described as "condescending." Whoa there, pardner, nobody does that to THE Paul Hamilton. Myers has now got himself an overweight beagle annoyingly barking up a storm. Yesterday the hound almighty opened up his post-game article with, "Since I felt Tyler Myers was playing worse than he does, I figured I'd make him my focus this game." Talk about condescending. Really? Oh, and as usual, no comment section.
Chris "Bulldog" Parker--Bulldog's been really annoying lately, especially when it comes to the Bills and specifically Ryan Fitzpatrick. The season's over, and despite a Syracuse reunion at the top two spots on the coaching staff, and a possibility of a reunion with their QB of the last three seasons, it's back to the old punching bag, Fitzpatrick, and Bulldog's article, Are we done with Fitz? Yes, Bulldog, we know you're done with Fitz as a starter. But your plan, "if [you] were the Bills--pick the best [QB] I can with the 8th pick and hope he's ready to play in September?" Really? I'm glad you're not the GM. Like the Bills don't have holes at linebacker (at least two,) CB and WR. Glad I don't listen to you and that Schoppsie guy anymore.
Mike Schoppsie--Shoulda been fired long ago. Arrogance and perceived "entertainment." This is the same guy that once had some suggestions to help Ryan Miller get out of his goaltending slump. Schoppsie's suggestions were based on his time as a goalie, in an intramural floor hockey league. This is also the same guy who said faceoffs are not as important as people make them out to be. My suggestion is that you ask the Sabres about Carolina's go-ahead goal last night. Or go ask Edmonton why Nail Yakupov was able to tie the score with 4 seconds left in the third. What a maroon.
Jeremy White--The Jim Rome wannabe shtick is old. Has been old for a while. A waffler who said that he's happy to have the NHL back, yet was willing to boycott NHL players during the lockout. Said that he'd watch AHL players play for the crest. Never went to a Rochester game during the lockout.
Like Mike Trivisonno said one time down here in Cleveland. Fire all the media.
************
Yeah, can fire 'em all, except for WGR's John Murphy.
Would like to say thank your, Mr. Murphy, for your knowledgeable and insightful journalistic approach to the Buffalo sports scene.
Oh, and thanks for letting us know that 2013 unrestricted free agent Logan Coture of San Jose' is a huge Buffalo Sports fan.
************
Back to the Sabres.
Lindy "the tinkerer" Ruff held firm to his top two lines for three games with only the top line scoring. It would seem as if he'll be changing things up a bit for the afternoon game tomorrow at Washington.
Tomorrow's skate will give us more of an insight, but making one simple move may be a good way to approach things--exchange Steve Ott for Marcus Foligno on the second line.
Having Ott replace Foligno will give Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford the same kind of forward Foligno is, only he's more experienced, has played with star players in a top-line/top-six role and he has produced.
Plus, having Ott ready to take faceoffs will allow Ennis to "cheat" a little more knowing that he has an excellent face-off man in waiting should he get tossed. Maybe that's what Ennis was hinting at when he said,
"Maybe another big guy on my line, we could be mutual at it and cheat on draws and have them take some. I have to improve at it."
Ennis is presently 38.6% on draws. Ott is at 61.9.
Rookie Grigorenko is 57.2% on draws.
Foligno dropping down with Grigorenko and Gerbe on the third line would still give that line a power forward presence and it might even help Grigorenko.
Who knows?
Ruff used this as his excuse/reasoning, "We tried to be a little bit harder on [Eric]Staal. We used [Steve] Ott and [Patrick] Kaleta and Hecht against him," he said. "It was the only reason. I thought we had to try to slow [him down]." Staal had the hat trick vs. the Sabres in Carolina the night before.
Of course, that meant rookie Mikhail Grigorenko, playing in his fourth of possibly five "tryout" games was demoted to the fourth line.
Grigorenko, who had been middle-of-the road, but was showing signs of progressing, turned out to be a casualty of Ruff's reliance on the "tried and true." Hecht is one of Ruff's favorite players, one that he believes he can count on in all situations.
From the moment Hecht was signed to a one year deal, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before he climbed up the lines into a spot that was beyond his talents (that would be anything above the fourth line.) Sure enough, it was last night.
In years past, Ruff has been seen as stunting the growth of his young players either being too hard on them or putting them in a position to fail. Now, even though Grigorenko has done what's asked of him, he gets demoted to a line with fighter John Scott and little Nathan Gerbe.
At today's skate, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald thinks that Ruff may have some remorse. “It’s like burning a game,” Ruff was quoted as saying.
Sure enough, they only have five games to decide whether the 18 yr. old center sticks or gets sent back to Jr. At 6:48 of ice time, to get a better "match up," Ruff did burn a game. And further burned his reputation of leaning on "his" guys into the brains of every Sabre fan.
Being on the third line getting 10-12 minutes a game is not a bad way to get introduced into the NHL. Doing what the coach tells you to do--focusing upon defense, even though you have mad offensive skills--should get you more ice-time, not less.
Ruff screwed up last night. Everyone in Sabreland knows it (except maybe for Terry Pegula and Darcy Regier) and I would hazard to guess that Grigorenko's a little perplexed at Ruff's decision.
Let's hope "Grigs" has the wherewithal to get past it and move forward.
************
There's a reason I dislike twitter, other than the fact that it's inane. One should never trust an initial reaction while dealing in disappointment.
After last night's loss. I wanted Lindy Ruff to be fired. I also wanted to see WGR's Paul Hamilton and Howard Simon and Chris "Bulldog" Parker canned as well. What the hell, I wanted Jeremy White and Mike Schoppsie fired too, like I always do.
It's an obvious overreaction, which is why twitter is pretty much useless, unless you want to laugh at someone.
But, here are the reasons why the aforementioned should at least be on notice:
Lindy Ruff--Relying on an old stand-by--Jochen Hecht--to get the job done. The Sabres lost 3-1. His "old standbys" have gotten him to the playoffs twice in the last five seasons, never getting the team past the first round.
Howard Simon--What a sore loser. Still. Before the 'Canes home-and-home, Simon had the audacity to belittle the organization with an article entitled 'Canes mediocre since raising the Cup. He is, of course, sure that Buffalo would have won it had they not fallen on hard times vs. Carolina back in 2006. But why bag on an organization that at the very least is not that far below the Sabres? Oh, and no comment section either.
Paul Hamilton--Sabres D-man Tyler Myers is off to a slow start--again. In an interview with Hamilton a couple of days ago, Myers had the "audacity" to laugh at a perceived lack of confidence in himself. A laugh Hamilton described as "condescending." Whoa there, pardner, nobody does that to THE Paul Hamilton. Myers has now got himself an overweight beagle annoyingly barking up a storm. Yesterday the hound almighty opened up his post-game article with, "Since I felt Tyler Myers was playing worse than he does, I figured I'd make him my focus this game." Talk about condescending. Really? Oh, and as usual, no comment section.
Chris "Bulldog" Parker--Bulldog's been really annoying lately, especially when it comes to the Bills and specifically Ryan Fitzpatrick. The season's over, and despite a Syracuse reunion at the top two spots on the coaching staff, and a possibility of a reunion with their QB of the last three seasons, it's back to the old punching bag, Fitzpatrick, and Bulldog's article, Are we done with Fitz? Yes, Bulldog, we know you're done with Fitz as a starter. But your plan, "if [you] were the Bills--pick the best [QB] I can with the 8th pick and hope he's ready to play in September?" Really? I'm glad you're not the GM. Like the Bills don't have holes at linebacker (at least two,) CB and WR. Glad I don't listen to you and that Schoppsie guy anymore.
Mike Schoppsie--Shoulda been fired long ago. Arrogance and perceived "entertainment." This is the same guy that once had some suggestions to help Ryan Miller get out of his goaltending slump. Schoppsie's suggestions were based on his time as a goalie, in an intramural floor hockey league. This is also the same guy who said faceoffs are not as important as people make them out to be. My suggestion is that you ask the Sabres about Carolina's go-ahead goal last night. Or go ask Edmonton why Nail Yakupov was able to tie the score with 4 seconds left in the third. What a maroon.
Jeremy White--The Jim Rome wannabe shtick is old. Has been old for a while. A waffler who said that he's happy to have the NHL back, yet was willing to boycott NHL players during the lockout. Said that he'd watch AHL players play for the crest. Never went to a Rochester game during the lockout.
Like Mike Trivisonno said one time down here in Cleveland. Fire all the media.
************
Yeah, can fire 'em all, except for WGR's John Murphy.
Would like to say thank your, Mr. Murphy, for your knowledgeable and insightful journalistic approach to the Buffalo sports scene.
Oh, and thanks for letting us know that 2013 unrestricted free agent Logan Coture of San Jose' is a huge Buffalo Sports fan.
************
Back to the Sabres.
Lindy "the tinkerer" Ruff held firm to his top two lines for three games with only the top line scoring. It would seem as if he'll be changing things up a bit for the afternoon game tomorrow at Washington.
Tomorrow's skate will give us more of an insight, but making one simple move may be a good way to approach things--exchange Steve Ott for Marcus Foligno on the second line.
Having Ott replace Foligno will give Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford the same kind of forward Foligno is, only he's more experienced, has played with star players in a top-line/top-six role and he has produced.
Plus, having Ott ready to take faceoffs will allow Ennis to "cheat" a little more knowing that he has an excellent face-off man in waiting should he get tossed. Maybe that's what Ennis was hinting at when he said,
"Maybe another big guy on my line, we could be mutual at it and cheat on draws and have them take some. I have to improve at it."
Ennis is presently 38.6% on draws. Ott is at 61.9.
Rookie Grigorenko is 57.2% on draws.
Foligno dropping down with Grigorenko and Gerbe on the third line would still give that line a power forward presence and it might even help Grigorenko.
Who knows?
Monday, December 20, 2010
knit-one, purl-two nominee #2
a look at some really crabby, whiny, sourpuss content from major media sources in the buffalo area concerning the bills and the sabres
***nominee #2--paul hamilton, wgr december 19, 2010***
the set-up: the buffalo bills just finished beating longtime rival, the miami dolphins on the road and knock them out of the playoffs...wgr has been talking about the issue of rivalries in sports lately, as well as focusing on the "lost" bills/dolphins rivalry and what leagues should do to increase rivalries amongst teams...hamilton always thought that the bills should have moved to the afc north with pittsburgh, cleveland and cincinnati, replacing baltimore...fine...and he, like most in the buffalo media lately, also have been debating the merits of ryan fitzpatrick at qb as well and how the team should move forward this coming draft...with each win, the bills move farther down the draft order:
The Bills went out and played a pretty decent game and are leaving South Florida with a win. Hey Bills fans, isn't it a great thing to pretty much put an end to your arch rival's playoff chance? What's that, who cares? I'm right with you.
I'm sitting here with absolutely nothing to write because this game really didn't have much. It's really a shame when things were realigned that Ralph Wilson was so far out of touch he had no idea Miami was no longer a rival. He maintained he didn't want to lose the rivalry. That rivalry walked out the door with Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. Ralph Wilson hasn't had a visionary thought since he became an AFL owner. That was 1960. It's too bad he couldn't see flipping with Baltimore would’ve been the very best thing for the organization with Pittsburgh and Cleveland coming here every season.
I sat here this afternoon yawning and trying to figure out how this big rivalry ended. I think the Bills have been irrelevant for so long, nobody cared. There were many empty seats in Miami. Rivals sell out stadiums.
What did we learn today? Arthur Moats is still good, David Nelson should be playing more than Donald Jones. The kids all did well today including Buffalo's own Naaman Roosevelt. He caught his first two NFL balls and one was for a big first down. I think it's a no brainer now, trade Lee Evans in the off season if he can bring you a good return.
What else did we learn? We already know Ryan Fitzpatrick is average putting up less than 20 points for the 7th time in 8 games. He threw some great balls, but again when they needed him the most, he missed his receiver two plays in a row and they had to punt. Good thing Carpenter missed four field goals. Fred
Jackson only averaged 2.4 yards per carry while C.J. Spiller was 1.8. We already knew it would be hard to run the football.
Good job by Arthur Moats putting some heat on Chad Henne. George Wilson had a huge interception.
I noticed Terrence McGee has played very little CB the past two weeks, but has been great on special teams. He's the best kick returner they have by far so let him do that to.
paul hamilton is spot-on with his bills/sabres insights on many occasions...this article, although having many good points, comes off as crotchety with the author taking a, "see, i told you so" approach...the faux-boredom and condescending apathy he infuses belittles the accomplishments of many outside the reach of his praise, belittles the accomplishments of the team as well as it's coaching staff...what's worse than an armchair quarterback?...an armchair gm...and the only thing worse than an armchair gm is an armchair owner...hamilton nails two out of three here...and he coulda nailed three if any of drew bledsoe, greg williams, jp losman, mike mularkey, trent edwards or dick jauron were at the helm
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
sisyphus' boulder is rolling downhill again..
and everybody has a reason, thought or opinion as to why...
here's a compilation of articles and such concerning the sabres as they welcome the change of the calender, with a game vs. a very stingy tim thomas and the boston bruins at home tonight...
- first the good...puck daddy ranks the best goal celebrations in the east and buffalo ranks...
#2
his reasoning?..."Buffalo Sabres: (Listen Here) The horn sounds like an express train pointed at your living room window, and it segues right into an air raid siren. The song they use is "Hell Yeah" by Rev Theory. The whole thing works, and makes us angry that so many of the Sabres' forwards are underachievers."
--a positive aspect (albeit unrelated to the sabres on-ice play) to a horrendous season thus-far, yet a quick truism to finish with ...
while reading on, i offer the following track off of brian eno/david byrne's, my life in the bush of ghosts, entitled, help me somebody as a musical prelude:
while reading on, i offer the following track off of brian eno/david byrne's, my life in the bush of ghosts, entitled, help me somebody as a musical prelude:
- matt reitz, from the cheap seats, does a fine job of analyzing this season's sophomore slump poster-child--tyler myers...from the loss of hank tallinder to myers trying to do too much, a myriad of factors has myers plummeting to the bottom of the plus/minus category and the effect it has on the team...should have added that he's had a number of different d-partners since shaone morrison went down and that he's also carrying 15 extra pounds and an extra inch of height...but...all-in-all, he makes some good points
- the sabres parade to the penalty box the past few games has lead to loads of trouble on a team with a poor pk...john vogl of the buffalo news starts off an article on the pk with this, "It seems like pretty simple logic. If a team is struggling on the penalty kill, it probably shouldn't take a lot of penalties"...pretty simple, perhaps the players should take note
- mike schopp on gr continues his "i really think lindy ruff should be held responsible (read fired) for the demise of the sabres" charge and is shot down by paul hamilton, again, during a wgr roundtable...a couple of days later in his blog, he tempers his point by saying "i think there are three times to change coaches..." says that now is not the right time and finishes by saying, "But I also don't think Lindy Ruff ought to be on a de facto lifetime contract. I think over the years he's done a decent but not exceptional job...To be a great coach, doesn't your team have to overachieve? At least occasionally? Maybe last year's team did that"...in the last two or three years, he's rarely, if ever, mentioned that maybe the sabres don't have the talent his frequent guest, gm darcy regier, seems to think they have
- schopp's on-air partner, bulldog, takes a broader view of the october buffalo sports scene adding in the sabres lousy home record with the 0-7 buffalo bills...his blog begins with, "october was a joke, right?"...not surprising, he likes the bills, as do many fans right now, much more than the sabres
- the buffalo news', bucky gleason, basically says that regier is ultimately responsible as he's trying to find a scapegoat for the sabres woes, but, as we have seen, it's usually the coach who takes the fall...and his buffalo news colleague bob dicesare says the target's on ruff's back mostly for failing to motivate his team (an easy out, imo) concluding that ruff is pretty much dead in the water...not convinced that ruff is the problem, he concludes, "If the team fails to respond to a new coach then we'll at least know what is widely suspected -- that it was the personnel all along."
- gleason: #20, "Lack of mental toughness exposed during collapse in Philly." http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabres-nhl/nhl-power-rankings/article236943.ece
- tsn: #27, "Still winless at home, the Sabres aren't good enough to get by on average goaltending (or worse) from Ryan Miller, who has a .903 SV% despite facing 27.7 shots per game, down more than 2.5 per game from last season." http://www.tsn.ca/fantasy_news/rankings/nhl/
- sportsnet: #29, "The Sabres have made captain Craig Rivet a healthy scratch in back-to-back games." http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2010/11/01/nhl_power_rankings_nov01/
- ross mckeon, yahoo sports: "A healthy scratch relegated to the press box for two games, captain Craig Rivet(notes) brings a whole new meaning to 'stay-at-home defenseman.'" http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=At_OSv3tPhIz78s7OgaLvrh7vLYF?slug=rm-nhlpower110210
- wes goldstein, cbs sportsline: #26, "Little going right these days for the Sabres, who finished a forgettable month with three straight losses." http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/story/14225149/power-rankings-kings-lucky-they-dodged-ilyas-check
- the hockey news: #29, "Penalty kill is atrocious; power play not much better" http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/36119-Power-Rankings-Lightning-strike.html
Friday, October 29, 2010
ch-ch-ch-ch-changes in the air?...hopefully...part 2
as previously mentioned, the 40th anniversary edition of the buffalo sabres is stuck in limbo with management and coaches in place and a reluctance on the part of general manager darcy regier to move any of the "core," top-six players...since regier has shown a penchant for little change within the core, it's up to managing partner larry quinn to force regier into making a trade of significance...and he's done it before...
back in july, 2003, darcy regier refused to part with 2002 draft pick (#11 overall) keith ballard in order to obtain chris drury...quinn stepped in and forced regier to do it, and it worked out pretty well ...(note: quinn was also instrumental in drury's departure as well)...
would quinn do it again?...i'm not sure...as of right now he has his own personal problems as he recovers from heart surgery at the cleveland clinic, so it's safe to say that he has other things on his mind...it's expected that he'll be in the hospital for at least a few more days...hopefully, once he regains his faculties and feels well again, he'll have had some sort of epiphany to the effect that stagnation is causing the sabres fans to become restless and that it is beginning to show at the box office...and it will only get worse if things continue as they are...
should quinn do it?...absolutely...it actually shoulda been done this off-season (if not a few years ago)
what should they do?
paul hamilton on wgr's "roundtable" brings up daniel briere's present situation with the flyers...basically briere said that life's easier right now because he's not seeing the likes of zdeno chara very much in the course of a game...when he was in buffalo, he would see chara the whole game...in other words, he was going up against the top d-men in the league...you could also add that he was facing the opposition's top checking line as well...
with those top players tied up for most of the game, production fell to the second and third lines...with briere anchoring the sabres top line, chris drury's line and derek roy's line thrived...thomas vanek had a year worthy of a $50m poach attempt by then oilers gm kevin lowe...
with the departure's of drury and briere, the likes of roy and vanek were asked to step up to the top-line and face the top-defenders in the league while the rest were counted on for secondary scoring...the results were two missed playoff years in a row and question marks as to whether or not they could produce in that situation with that style of play...
last season saw an emphasis on vezina-winner ryan miller and the defense lead by calder-winner tyler myers...production from the top-six forwards was stunted, but defense carried the team to the playoffs...in the playoffs vs. the boston bruins there was no scoring from the sabres top-centers--roy and tim connolly-- vanek looked fully able to handle his top-lw role, pomminville contributed and rookie tyler ennis contributed in a depth role...once again, on the whole, they looked over matched in their roles...but, still, nothing was done...
so now we're 10 games into the season and the sabres are faced with a few areas that are weak:
the #1 line that will face the oppositions #1 defenders is vanek/roy/drew stafford...so far, roy started hot and has cooled down, vanek started cold and is heating up, stafford is still inconsistent...i do believe that vanek is a top-line player...roy can produce in a top-line role facing top defenders, but is better suited to the second line...stafford is more like a third-line rw...
nothing new, the sabres are still lacking a true #1 center while #1 rw is, and has been, even more of a major problem area
that could be overcome if the second line produced...it hasn't...and therein lies a major problem...
the line of jochen hecht/connolly/pomminville was the most consistent line the sabres had last season...a line the helped get the team off to a great start...this season, that line started out slow, some would say were "invisible" on a nightly basis...
with the sabres #1 line taking on top-defenders, this line has the opportunity to do some damage...connolly should be able to handle #2 center duties, but looks out of it most nights...pomminville is a solid #2 rw, but has been injured...hecht is a #3 lw, but is capable of playing #2 as long as there's chemistry between him and his linemates, as proven last season...
right now, the invisibility of connolly means the sabres are lacking a player to take on the #2 center position...
what are the sabres options in regards to filling these holes?...regier would say that these players will "grow into them"...on the other end, some sabres fans would say trade everybody except miller, myers and ennis...
maybe quinn could tell regier to address one area...even if the second line starts producing, there's still areas that could use some help on the top line...although i'm not privy to, nor claim to be privy to, any inside information concerning the availability of players, by the looks of, it here are some players that might be available:
the bottom line is this, darcy regier needs to shake-up and strengthen the top-six...larry quinn is his boss...if quinn says do it, it'll get done...if it doesn't happen soon, whether this team turns it around or not in the near future, the bottom line will be adversely affected...and i'm pretty sure that will not please larry quinn
back in july, 2003, darcy regier refused to part with 2002 draft pick (#11 overall) keith ballard in order to obtain chris drury...quinn stepped in and forced regier to do it, and it worked out pretty well ...(note: quinn was also instrumental in drury's departure as well)...
would quinn do it again?...i'm not sure...as of right now he has his own personal problems as he recovers from heart surgery at the cleveland clinic, so it's safe to say that he has other things on his mind...it's expected that he'll be in the hospital for at least a few more days...hopefully, once he regains his faculties and feels well again, he'll have had some sort of epiphany to the effect that stagnation is causing the sabres fans to become restless and that it is beginning to show at the box office...and it will only get worse if things continue as they are...
should quinn do it?...absolutely...it actually shoulda been done this off-season (if not a few years ago)
what should they do?
paul hamilton on wgr's "roundtable" brings up daniel briere's present situation with the flyers...basically briere said that life's easier right now because he's not seeing the likes of zdeno chara very much in the course of a game...when he was in buffalo, he would see chara the whole game...in other words, he was going up against the top d-men in the league...you could also add that he was facing the opposition's top checking line as well...
with those top players tied up for most of the game, production fell to the second and third lines...with briere anchoring the sabres top line, chris drury's line and derek roy's line thrived...thomas vanek had a year worthy of a $50m poach attempt by then oilers gm kevin lowe...
with the departure's of drury and briere, the likes of roy and vanek were asked to step up to the top-line and face the top-defenders in the league while the rest were counted on for secondary scoring...the results were two missed playoff years in a row and question marks as to whether or not they could produce in that situation with that style of play...
last season saw an emphasis on vezina-winner ryan miller and the defense lead by calder-winner tyler myers...production from the top-six forwards was stunted, but defense carried the team to the playoffs...in the playoffs vs. the boston bruins there was no scoring from the sabres top-centers--roy and tim connolly-- vanek looked fully able to handle his top-lw role, pomminville contributed and rookie tyler ennis contributed in a depth role...once again, on the whole, they looked over matched in their roles...but, still, nothing was done...
so now we're 10 games into the season and the sabres are faced with a few areas that are weak:
- ryan miller still has not hit his stride, although much can be attributed to a mediocre (at best) defense
- the defense is off to a rough start with tyler myers going through growing pains, jordan leopold is still adapting to the new climate, but has played very well, and shaone morrisonn had the triple-whammy of adjusting to a new team, a d-partner and dealing with an early season injury
- on offense more adjustments with rob niedermayer, cody mccormick and nathan gerbe coming in and tyler ennis beginning his first full season
- scoring from the forward lines are down, with some players being non-existent
the #1 line that will face the oppositions #1 defenders is vanek/roy/drew stafford...so far, roy started hot and has cooled down, vanek started cold and is heating up, stafford is still inconsistent...i do believe that vanek is a top-line player...roy can produce in a top-line role facing top defenders, but is better suited to the second line...stafford is more like a third-line rw...
nothing new, the sabres are still lacking a true #1 center while #1 rw is, and has been, even more of a major problem area
that could be overcome if the second line produced...it hasn't...and therein lies a major problem...
the line of jochen hecht/connolly/pomminville was the most consistent line the sabres had last season...a line the helped get the team off to a great start...this season, that line started out slow, some would say were "invisible" on a nightly basis...
with the sabres #1 line taking on top-defenders, this line has the opportunity to do some damage...connolly should be able to handle #2 center duties, but looks out of it most nights...pomminville is a solid #2 rw, but has been injured...hecht is a #3 lw, but is capable of playing #2 as long as there's chemistry between him and his linemates, as proven last season...
right now, the invisibility of connolly means the sabres are lacking a player to take on the #2 center position...
what are the sabres options in regards to filling these holes?...regier would say that these players will "grow into them"...on the other end, some sabres fans would say trade everybody except miller, myers and ennis...
maybe quinn could tell regier to address one area...even if the second line starts producing, there's still areas that could use some help on the top line...although i'm not privy to, nor claim to be privy to, any inside information concerning the availability of players, by the looks of, it here are some players that might be available:
- jamie langenbrunner, rw, nj devils--the devils are in worse shape than the sabres and one would have to think that some changes are coming...langenbrunner brings alot to the table--he has two rings, is a leader still capable of top-line duties, and is clutch in the playoffs...potential top-line: vanek, roy, langenbrunner
- simon gagne, lw, tb lightning--gagne's a goal-scorer...he's been injury-prone lately, but when he's on the ice, he's a top-notch lw...presently he's goalless in six games with his new team and is a minus-8...it should not be a problem moving vanek to rw (i actually think he'd do much better there)...potential top-line: gagne, roy, vanek
- chris drury, c, ny rangers--(ducks for cover)...i know all the criticisms and hatred for the guy, but he brings a lot to the table, has two years left on his contract with only this one being financially atrocious and would certainly help in the secondary scoring role and top-six leadership role...ny was a bust for him and the team...potential second-line: hecht, drury, pomminville
the bottom line is this, darcy regier needs to shake-up and strengthen the top-six...larry quinn is his boss...if quinn says do it, it'll get done...if it doesn't happen soon, whether this team turns it around or not in the near future, the bottom line will be adversely affected...and i'm pretty sure that will not please larry quinn
Monday, October 11, 2010
what to do if stafford rides the pine
we're two games into the 2010/11 season and already head coach lindy ruff pulled two wingers aside for a little talk...one of them was thomas vanek who's a league-worst minus-5 thus-far and has no points much less goals...
the other?
drew stafford...wgr's paul hamilton put it best during the home-opener debacle vs. the ny rangers, "Drew Stafford had a great first period in Ottawa and has been back to being Drew Stafford since. It just makes you wonder if he had a Trent Edwards preseason. It's only five periods into the season, but it does make you wonder." http://www.wgr550.com/Rangers-Double-Up-Sabres-6-3/8321078
should stafford continue to falter and get removed from the line-up (which will become more of a probability with every passing period) what should ruff do with the lines?
unless they bring up a right winger (kassian?) or trade for one (highly unlikely) some line juggling will need to be done...a possible solution would be this:
sure, that joche hecht, rob niedermayer, mike grier line is one helluva shut-down line and, yes, you may believe that hecht should be a bottom-six left wing (i don't,) but the fact of the matter is, the hecht/tim connolly/jason pomminville line was the best and most consistent line on the team last season...until hecht got hurt...look what that did to connolly...that line should be reunited...
who takes hecht's place on the "third-line?"...would have to be nathan gerbe...actually, not a bad scenario for him or the team...he gets to play with two defensive-minded, savvy vets, and the team adds some scoring potential on the third line...
the fourth line would remain the same--cody mccormick, paul gaustad, pat kaleta
so what about the other "top-line?...for that i ask this question, why can't vanek play right wing?...he's right-handed and there's no reason that the switch from left wing would be a detriment, because he had an off-year last season and is off to a piss-poor start this year...if tyler ennis and derek roy could work their magic with the likes of stafford one that line, having vanek would be even better...in fact, that may even open things up further for him...
ennis, roy, vanek
hecht, connolly, pomminville
gerbe, niedermayer, grier
mccormick, goose, kaleta
(shrugs)
just a thought
the other?
drew stafford...wgr's paul hamilton put it best during the home-opener debacle vs. the ny rangers, "Drew Stafford had a great first period in Ottawa and has been back to being Drew Stafford since. It just makes you wonder if he had a Trent Edwards preseason. It's only five periods into the season, but it does make you wonder." http://www.wgr550.com/Rangers-Double-Up-Sabres-6-3/8321078
should stafford continue to falter and get removed from the line-up (which will become more of a probability with every passing period) what should ruff do with the lines?
unless they bring up a right winger (kassian?) or trade for one (highly unlikely) some line juggling will need to be done...a possible solution would be this:
sure, that joche hecht, rob niedermayer, mike grier line is one helluva shut-down line and, yes, you may believe that hecht should be a bottom-six left wing (i don't,) but the fact of the matter is, the hecht/tim connolly/jason pomminville line was the best and most consistent line on the team last season...until hecht got hurt...look what that did to connolly...that line should be reunited...
who takes hecht's place on the "third-line?"...would have to be nathan gerbe...actually, not a bad scenario for him or the team...he gets to play with two defensive-minded, savvy vets, and the team adds some scoring potential on the third line...
the fourth line would remain the same--cody mccormick, paul gaustad, pat kaleta
so what about the other "top-line?...for that i ask this question, why can't vanek play right wing?...he's right-handed and there's no reason that the switch from left wing would be a detriment, because he had an off-year last season and is off to a piss-poor start this year...if tyler ennis and derek roy could work their magic with the likes of stafford one that line, having vanek would be even better...in fact, that may even open things up further for him...
ennis, roy, vanek
hecht, connolly, pomminville
gerbe, niedermayer, grier
mccormick, goose, kaleta
(shrugs)
just a thought
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