it really was a simple give and go between Henrique and comtois...not sure what you want him to do other than block the pass...which would have been nice, but isn't exactly easy to do
- Michael Pachla

Of course they could’ve played it better,
but props to the Ducks on a good play there

Take the body or the puck

If you watch the replay, Risto is playing 3 feet off of him. He literally did nothing there. Literally any different choice would have been better than "stand over here and waive my stick at him

https://mobile.twitter.co...amp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

I'll post it again

Risto starts fading away from his man into the corner and does nothing. Risto is backing into the corner instead of taking the passing lane
- jcragcrumple

it was a quick play...if he lunged at comtois, chances are he goes around risto

Of course they could’ve played it better,
but props to the Ducks on a good play there
- jdfitz77

are we allowed to give props to the opposition for a good/great play?

are we allowed to give props to the opposition for a good/great play?
- Michael Pachla

No. The rules clearly state that no matter the circumstance of the goal against, all posters must nit pick ad nauseam every action of all Sabres involved.


With that said Erod has looked terrible this year and that weak play is nearing my last straw with him.

it was a quick play...if he lunged at comtois, chances are he goes around risto
- Michael Pachla

There's no reason to fade to the corner though. Either take the man or block the passing lane. Dont passively fade backward and waive your stick

There's no reason to fade to the corner though. Either take the man or block the passing lane. Dont passively fade backward and waive your stick
- jcragcrumple

Or just make a routine save?

I mean, I’m all for bashing Risto but it was a bad goal

There's no reason to fade to the corner though. Either take the man or block the passing lane. Dont passively fade backward and waive your stick
- jcragcrumple

what encompasses taking the man?

Wow. There is some real 2018-19 passing going on tonight. Putrid.
- PrinceChill

#Rattled

They were fine until the Ducks started laying the body, and the PP was totally ineffectual at that point too, so the Ducks just kept taking liberties/penalties.

are we allowed to give props to the opposition for a good/great play?
- Michael Pachla

Idk anymore

I used to think that when we started playing well that ppl would stop their constant b!tching & complaining

I guess that matters to them more than enjoying
what’s been going on

We are 5-1-1

NO ONE...
not one person on here would’ve thought that was even possible

Maybe ppl are just waiting for what they deem to be an inevitable collapse?
And maybe that will happen

But I’m gonna enjoy the ride while it’s going good
And not overly dissect every little thing wrong in every single game

Watching hockey is supposed to be fun
Seems like a lot of ppl are forgetting that

Take the body or the puck

If you watch the replay, Risto is playing 3 feet off of him. He literally did nothing there. Literally any different choice would have been better than "stand over here and waive my stick at him

https://mobile.twitter.co...amp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

I'll post it again

Risto starts fading away from his man into the corner and does nothing. Risto is backing into the corner instead of taking the passing lane
- jcragcrumple

Okay, but that doesn't change the fact that the goal is far more on Erod and Ullmark than Risto.

It was a good last 45 minutes for the Ducks, unfortunately the Sabres had no answer for the physicality of the Ducks. Gonna have to learn how to play that style of game, The West plays a different style then the East.

So I fell asleep after the 1st period and from back reading it seems I saw the only good period the Sabres played last night?

I like coach Ralph and there are some very good players on this team, but unfortunately this roster still doesn't measure up to most of the rest of the league.

Great start, for sure. However, this is a .500 team at best.

The ducks had them frustrated and off their game. Continued man pressure forced crappy passes and decisions. Instead of simplifying their game they tried to get fancy. Nice game plan by the ducks after the first.

1- the game last night is closer to playoff hockey. With less cheap shots normally in the playoffs. But it’s physical in the post season. If they want to get there, they better find a way to succeed against that model of play against them.

2- zero puck luck last night. Just no good bounces. And the ducks took their passing lanes away consistently.

3- for what ever reason. Erod is they odd center that can’t play wing. We’ve seen it for years now. He just doesn’t look good on the wing. At all. Ever. But put him at center and it clicks. Either that or past teams were just so bad?! But I’m not sure. I had decent hopes for him. He’s shown flashes. But always as a center. It’s odd.

I like coach Ralph and there are some very good players on this team, but unfortunately this roster still doesn't measure up to most of the rest of the league.

Great start, for sure. However, this is a .500 team at best.
- Losman

It’s been 7 games.... The fan base has the emotional fragility of the team the past few years. Can’t get too high or too low. I’ll take a 5-1-1 start. With a condensed schedule and going out west you can see it took a toll on the group. We were bound to lose in regulation at some point. It’s just disappointing how we lost as we came out of the gate and completely dominated the first 15 minutes of that game.

The only fear I have is if they move one of the quality d men, the damn injury bug will hit and it would leave the team with a severe hole in the lineup.
We are just not deep enough if that came to be.
- sgk56

Not at all, really. They could literally trade 2 RhD and 1 LhD and still not worry about that scenario in the least.

Right side - when healthy, 7 NHL deep, a full compliment just on the right side
Montour*
Risto
Miller
Joker
Nelson
Borgen
Bogo

Left side, 5 NHL level deep, very deep indeed
Dahlin*
McCabe*
Scandella
Pilut
Gilmour
Bryson ( in an emergency)
Hickey ( in a really bad emegency)

* can flip sides if absolutely needed
It would have to be a disaster of epic porportions for you case to be real even after unloading 3 dmen.

It’s been 7 games.... The fan base has the emotional fragility of the team the past few years. Can’t get too high or too low. I’ll take a 5-1-1 start. With a condensed schedule and going out west you can see it took a toll on the group. We were bound to lose in regulation at some point. It’s just disappointing how we lost as we came out of the gate and completely dominated the first 15 minutes of that game.
- Swedish_Jesus

If we manage to go 5-1-1, more often than not this year, I will not be mad.

The only thing I can hope is that they learn from mistakes.

I would guess Jack comes out of the gate fast and dominates all night, like he did after the Columbus game.

Maybe Dahlin will as well, after his poor game.

He's hurt, think he had a lower body injury
- Buff36

Buff, I must say that you are a breath of fresh air. I enjoy your takes, and you post add quite a bit to the conversations.
Keep on keeping on!

It’s been 7 games.... The fan base has the emotional fragility of the team the past few years. Can’t get too high or too low. I’ll take a 5-1-1 start. With a condensed schedule and going out west you can see it took a toll on the group. We were bound to lose in regulation at some point. It’s just disappointing how we lost as we came out of the gate and completely dominated the first 15 minutes of that game.
- Swedish_Jesus

I fell asleep during the 1st intermission and woke up this morning, saw the score and was like "what the heck." They definitely seemed to struggle the last couple minutes of the 1st, so it wasn't as shocking as it could have been, but clearly they fell apart and just never regained their composure.

But here's the thing. It's going to happen. There's 82 games in a season. They're going to lose some. Even the good teams have games where they look totally out of sync and get outworked and get frustrated. It happens.

I'll take how they look tonight as more of an indicator of their overall progress than what happened last night. If it's the same team as last year, they'll look equally bad for the full game tonight. If they've turned over a new leaf, then they'll drive the play more like they did during the 1st and during the Dallas game.

I fell asleep during the 1st intermission and woke up this morning, saw the score and was like "what the heck." They definitely seemed to struggle the last couple minutes of the 1st, so it wasn't as shocking as it could have been, but clearly they fell apart and just never regained their composure.

But here's the thing. It's going to happen. There's 82 games in a season. They're going to lose some. Even the good teams have games where they look totally out of sync and get outworked and get frustrated. It happens.

I'll take how they look tonight as more of an indicator of their overall progress than what happened last night. If it's the same team as last year, they'll look equally bad for the full game tonight. If they've turned over a new leaf, then they'll drive the play more like they did during the 1st and during the Dallas game.
- HonkFortheGoose

Post more, read less

Buff, I must say that you are a breath of fresh air. I enjoy your takes, and you post add quite a bit to the conversations.
Keep on keeping on!
- IonSabres

Thanks, it's just fun to watch hockey again, it is fun talking with you guys.

Thanks, it's just fun to watch hockey again, it is fun talking with you guys.
- Buff36

Agreed. I've been enjoying the ride so far. If it stops being fun at some point, I'll invest a lot less time in it. If it's not bringing me joy, then I'll spend my time doing something else that does instead.

I'll always be a fan. I'll bleed blue and gold until the day I die I'm sure. But I don't need to watch every game from start to finish every year in order to say that, especially if it's not making me happy in the moment.

If we manage to go 5-1-1, more often than not this year, I will not be mad.

The only thing I can hope is that they learn from mistakes.

I would guess Jack comes out of the gate fast and dominates all night, like he did after the Columbus game.

Maybe Dahlin will as well, after his poor game.
- thatsapickle

On one hand, you're right. Go 5-1-1 every 7 games and you run away with the President's Trophy. That's not going to happen, but there have been far more positives than negatives so far.

My only concern about last night was Anaheim was the first team all season to come out and punch them in the mouth, and their response was less than ideal. I'm not talking about Reinhart going after the guy that clocked Olofsson from behind either. The Sabres seemed to have no answer for Anaheim's forecheck. Hopefully Kruger and company can adjust. Otherwise, it could turn into a long season.

The ducks had them frustrated and off their game. Continued man pressure forced crappy passes and decisions. Instead of simplifying their game they tried to get fancy. Nice game plan by the ducks after the first.

1- the game last night is closer to playoff hockey. With less cheap shots normally in the playoffs. But it’s physical in the post season. If they want to get there, they better find a way to succeed against that model of play against them.

2- zero puck luck last night. Just no good bounces. And the ducks took their passing lanes away consistently.

3- for what ever reason. Erod is they odd center that can’t play wing. We’ve seen it for years now. He just doesn’t look good on the wing. At all. Ever. But put him at center and it clicks. Either that or past teams were just so bad?! But I’m not sure. I had decent hopes for him. He’s shown flashes. But always as a center. It’s odd.
- Gr8daygo

This is very true, and as presently constructed, the roster just doesn't have a productive player that can hold the other team accountable. Bogo is the closest, and we saw it in spades at the beginning of the season last year into December. Risto hits as we all know, but will he ever drop them and destroy someone, nope. Lazar is willing, but so far him playing in the top 9 sacrifices production...so 4th line would be the place for him.

A lot of interesting conversations in Pachlas post, think it's gonna be a fun year. Last night showed some weaknesses they need to fix. Not gonna be able to just out skate every team