Buffalo News arcticle about Sabres trip to Philly tomorrow

[Buffalo Rick]

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabres-nhl/trip-to-philadelphia-a-test-of-young-sabres-character-20131120

 

You should read it as Nolan has some comments about the Flyers in here

[Buffalo Rick]

Sorry, I am now having a problem opening the article.  I do not know what is wrong.  My fault.   Sorry

[Buffalo Rick]

Just go back and try to open it a couple of times and it should open.  I got it to open second try.  Its their BS trying to get people to subscribe.  Imagine that

[hf101]

 

Ted Nolan remembers what it was like to take a young team into Philadelphia.

 

The Flyers are tough, aggressive and their fans are passionate. It’s not an easy place to play. And back in 1995, during his first stint as the Buffalo Sabres’ head coach, he saw his team reveal its own grit and character in those games.

 

Nolan hopes to see a bit of that come alive with his current club as the Sabres play in Philadelphia tonight.

 

“I look back and I think the last time we had this many young kids on our team was 1995 with Jay McKee, Wayne Primeau, Vaclav Varada and Curtis Brown,” Nolan said. “Going into a place like Philly, I was a little bit worried for them at the time, but they showed me what kind of character they really did have. And that was a turning point. We weren’t afraid. We weren’t intimidated. We went down there and competed and all of a sudden we had some rough games with them. I’m hoping this is a similar type of thing. We don’t have to be intimidated. We just have to go down and play.”

 

A few weeks ago, the Philadelphia faithful were losing patience with their Flyers. The Flyers suffered through their worst start in franchise history (1-7-0) but have rebounded to go 7-3-2 in their last 12 games, including a 5-2 win over Ottawa on Tuesday.

 

But Nolan isn’t getting too caught up in his opponent’s situation. He’s far more concerned with helping the Sabres figure out themselves.

 

“Philly’s Philly,” Nolan said. “They’ve had the same type of environment there for years and years and years. I don’t think that’s going to change at all. It’s going to be an aggressive hockey game. We have to be ready but above all, I’m not too concerned with how other teams are playing right now. I’m really concerned with how we have to play. We have to get better defensively. We have to get better moving the puck. We have to get better in a lot of areas.”

 

Matt Moulson is very familiar with the Flyers, who are in the same division as his former team, the New York Islanders. In 24 career games with the Islanders against the Flyers, he has nine points (four goals, five assists) and is a minus-6.

 

“They’re always a tough team to play against. The Islanders faced them a lot of times over the last couple of years and they play hard, especially in their own building,” Moulson said. “They have a lot of guys with some pretty good offensive skill and also have guys that play a real gritty game. They’re a tough team to play against.

 

“It will be good for us to get back to the game we want to play. I think we got away from that last game. I didn’t have much success there in my career in Philly, but it’s good to hear the Sabres did so hopefully we’ll keep that going.”

 

The Sabres lead the all-time series with the Flyers, 93-57-27, and are 4-5-1 in their last 10 meetings. In their last 10 games in Philadelphia, the Sabres are 4-6-0.

 

...

 

Improving communication has been a theme for Nolan since he took over as interim coach last week. If you want players to talk to each other on the ice, it starts with them engaging with each other in the hallways.

 

“It’s just good old communication. That’s what we have to teach this team,” Nolan said. “We have to get off the iPads and we have to get off texting and we have to say ‘hello’ and ‘how are you’ and ‘good morning’ and ‘I got this guy, you got that guy.’ We’ve got to communicate better.”

[hf101]

@Hockey Junkie

 

Texting seems to have worked for Giroux  

[jammer2]

@hf101  Nice to see our rep is intact. Philly will always be considered a hostile environment to play in, makes me proud.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Ted Nolan has the right idea.

 

As long as his team plays hockey, as long as they compete, as long as they are smart on the ice about what they do, they have a chance to win there.

For sure, they shouldn't let the Flyers push them around on the ice....but their whole game plan shouldn't revolve around trying to be 'tougher than the Flyers'.

 

Nolan seems to understand this very well and it will now be up to the vets on the team to make sure everyone who takes to the ice understands that.

 

Sabres want to dress John Scott, or have Cody McCormick play more minutes than usual, that's fine....but really, making room and getting good looks for guys like Cody Hodgson and Tyler Ennis should be the focus.

 

Also, in what ways can guys like Ehrhoff or Talinder contribute to keeping the puck in the offensive zone...things like that.

Ryan Miller, or whomever the Sabres put in net tonight, will of course, have to bring their 'A' game.

 

But again, Nolan knows this all too well. I know he will do everything he can to get his team prepared. Test of character for his team indeed.

 

Philly, as tough as they are as a team, really isn't a defensive juggernaut, and I believe good sustained offensive pressure can yield some good results for Buffalo.

 

It has often been said in sports that many times, a team will take on the personality of the guy in charge....well, if that holds true, then Buffalo, win or lose, SHOULD give all they got and let the Flyers know they were in a game when the dust settles.

Edited November 21, 2013 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[Buffalo Rick]

Ted Nolan has the right idea.

 

As long as his team plays hockey, as long as they compete, as long as they are smart on the ice about what they do, they have a chance to win there.

For sure, they shouldn't let the Flyers push them around on the ice....but their whole game plan shouldn't revolve around trying to be 'tougher than the Flyers'.

 

Nolan seems to understand this very well and it will now be up to the vets on the team to make sure everyone who takes to the ice understands that.

 

Sabres want to dress John Scott, or have Cody McCormick play more minutes than usual, that's fine....but really, making room and getting good looks for guys like Cody Hodgson and Tyler Ennis should be the focus.

 

Also, in what ways can guys like Ehrhoff or Talinder contribute to keeping the puck in the offensive zone...things like that.

Ryan Miller, or whomever the Sabres put in net tonight, will of course, have to bring their 'A' game.

 

But again, Nolan knows this all too well. I know he will do everything he can to get his team prepared. Test of character for his team indeed.

 

Philly, as tough as they are as a team, really isn't a defensive juggernaut, and I believe good sustained offensive pressure can yield some good results for Buffalo.

 

It has often been said in sports that many times, a team will take on the personality of the guy in charge....well, if that holds true, then Buffalo, win or lose, SHOULD give all they got and let the Flyers know they were in a game when the dust settles.

An excellent take on this and of course the Flyers faithful here will not agree with you.  But you are a smart cookie on the subject of hockey.  While I have you, are you a bit surprised your Tampa team has done so well?  I did not like their chances in LA as they had that long flight and usually the first game on a coast trip is not good for the traveler.  I am not sure how good Tampa really is?  I almost forgot LeCavelier is now a Flyer.  That should have helped them out a ton making it more of a head scratcher why they have had so much trouble scoring until their recent return to being a force.  Is it real?  Or an anomaly?  We shall see.  But if the Sabres work, they can make a game of it.  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@Hockey Junkie

 

That's the great thing about the NHL..the parity.

Where even the team ranked 30th in the league has a legit shot to win a game against even the number one ranked team....if they are smart and work hard.  None of the other major sports leagues in North America can really say that.

 

Sabres underdogs? Absolutely.  Do they have a chance? Sure, why not...if they keep their wits about them.

 

As for my Bolts..not really sure yet. I know Jon Cooper is a very good, fundamentals and team oriented guy. His teams in Syracuse and Norfolk played that way, and it seems he is impressing that upon the Lightning as well.

It certainly  helps that he coached many of the young players the Bolts have playing now, while in the minors. He knows the personnel extremely well, and where best to play them in order to succeed.

 

Last year's Bolts, by their record, were pretty bad, but really, they were just missing goaltending, some defense, and a bit more attitude...all of which seems to be developing for them this year.

Losing Stamkos hurt like hell...but now, more than ever, the team will be tested, and TB fans will see just what kinds of players they really have on their team.

 

And this most recent trip for the Lightning...in a word..brutal.  At Phx, at LA, at SJ, at Anaheim...boy, that would be tough for anyone...particularly a team trying to find its contention legs like the Lightning coming in from the East.

 

But hey, Bolts still have a chance to make this a .500 road trip.

[Buffalo Rick]

@Hockey Junkie

 

That's the great thing about the NHL..the parity.

Where even the team ranked 30th in the league has a legit shot to win a game against even the number one ranked team....if they are smart and work hard.  None of the other major sports leagues in North America can really say that.

 

Sabres underdogs? Absolutely.  Do they have a chance? Sure, why not...if they keep their wits about them.

 

As for my Bolts..not really sure yet. I know Jon Cooper is a very good, fundamentals and team oriented guy. His teams in Syracuse and Norfolk played that way, and it seems he is impressing that upon the Lightning as well.

It certainly  helps that he coached many of the young players the Bolts have playing now, while in the minors. He knows the personnel extremely well, and where best to play them in order to succeed.

 

Last year's Bolts, by their record, were pretty bad, but really, they were just missing goaltending, some defense, and a bit more attitude...all of which seems to be developing for them this year.

Losing Stamkos hurt like hell...but now, more than ever, the team will be tested, and TB fans will see just what kinds of players they really have on their team.

 

And this most recent trip for the Lightning...in a word..brutal.  At Phx, at LA, at SJ, at Anaheim...boy, that would be tough for anyone...particularly a team trying to find its contention legs like the Lightning coming in from the East.

 

But hey, Bolts still have a chance to make this a .500 road trip.

I just have to say, are you from Tampa?  Or a transplanted northerner?  My money says you are from the North?  Most Tampa fans are.  They go to Florida to escape the nasty winters, and when the Sabres are winning, many times there are as many blue and gold jersey's in the stadium as home team fans.  Florida is not really a place where hockey originated or was really big.  Just like California.  But of course there are tons of Canadiens buying up land like crazy down there.  My in laws are in Ocala and my family are in Ft Lauderdale area.  I love Florida.  I do not love their teams.  As for tonight, I do not think the Sabres are big underdogs against a team with its own major problems.  Maybe they think all is well now?  They would be mistaken

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I just have to say, are you from Tampa?  Or a transplanted northerner?  My money says you are from the North?  Most Tampa fans are.  They go to Florida to escape the nasty winters, and when the Sabres are winning, many times there are as many blue and gold jersey's in the stadium as home team fans.  Florida is not really a place where hockey originated or was really big.  Just like California.  But of course there are tons of Canadiens buying up land like crazy down there.  My in laws are in Ocala and my family are in Ft Lauderdale area.  I love Florida.  I do not love their teams.  As for tonight, I do not think the Sabres are big underdogs against a team with its own major problems.  Maybe they think all is well now?  They would be mistaken

 

From Clearwater...smaller city/suburb of Tampa actually.

I am actually one of those people that can say they AREN'T from somewhere north...but I know what you mean by that.

 

Growing up in a sports crazed family, I sorta got used to having other teams' fans around...for better or worse, but to be honest, it has been mostly cool experiences for me.

Without really knowing it, following sports and interacting with fans from all over (in hockey, baseball, and football), has made me appreciate the bigger picture in whatever particular sport I happen to have an interest in.

 

Hockey and baseball are my faves.....in hockey, I am a bit of an odd duck in my family, as they are mostly baseball and football fans.  Even my husband who is from Minneapolis, is more Vikings, Timberwolves, Twins, then Wild..in that order.

I also have family in the NYC area who are (yuck) Yankees fans, NY Giants fans, and there are some Rangers and Isles fans among them as well.

 

My husband was really into the North Stars, but like many Minnesotans had his heart broken when the owner moved them to Dallas. He does follow the Wild a bit (probably mostly due to MY interest in hockey..   ) but unfortunately, the Wild just aren't the same as the North Stars for him. There is a larger than normal age difference between he and I, so his sports fandom goes back much farther than mine.

 

I dunno...hockey is just a very neat sport. It was a novelty to me at first...we had gotten a team in Tampa in '92, but I didn't catch on until some other family members of mine caught what was termed at the time "Lightning Fever", the Bolts had made the playoffs for the first time during the 95-96 season.....they  lost to the Flyers in 6 games, but they finally were on the  map, and I was hooked on the sport since.

Then as I got older, I discovered other Lightning fans who really were into the team, then from there, discovered fans from other teams (yes, LOTS of transplants in the Bay Area of Tampa...particularly from NY, Chicago, and Toronto!).

 

Even dated some hockey fans during my HS and college days which further helped me get into the sport.

 

LOL...sorry, got a bit sidetracked for this thread...

 

As for your Sabres, no you should NOT like the Florida teams...especially now that both are your division rivals and currently ahead of you in the standings!  

 

And besides, I seem to remember Lightning- Sabres games to always be quite chippy...going all the way back to the days when Matthew Barnaby was a Sabre, along with other guys like Dominek Hasek, Rob Ray, Brad May, Chris Drury...just to name a few...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Since I partially derailed the original intent of this thread, least I could do is contribute some stuff that is actually Sabres-Flyers related...  

 

Here is a link from NHL.com...it says that two players will be making their Sabres debuts this  season, Luke Adam and Brayden McNabb.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=23018

 

Article also mentions the starting goaltenders will be Ryan Miller and Ray Emery.

 

Also, another here that talks about the two head coaches, Ted Nolan and Craig Berube...both First Nation coaches...and that it marks the first time ever that two such coaches managed opposing benches.

 

http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=23003&navid=nhl:topheads

 

These may or may not interest Buffalo or Philly fans, but here they are.  

 

Oh, and these two teams drop the puck in about 15 minutes or so....

Edited November 21, 2013 by TropicalFruitGirl26