171 replies to this topic

[Eleven]

A place for us to aggregate all the coverage & comments.

Thanks to 26CornerBlitz for his link to coverage in the USA, because I couldn't find it on the NHL homepage:

26CornerBlitz, on 27 December 2012 - 09:10 AM, said:

USA with Captain McCabe vs Germany is being streamed live on NHL.com:

http://video.nhl.com...vid=DL|NHL|home

[Eleven]

That's not the Deutschlandlied I'm hearing...8-0 to the good guys.

[TrueBluePhD]

Can't wait to watch US-Russia tomorrow.

[26CornerBlitz]

Here's the US Television/Web Streaming Schedule:

http://www.nhl.com/i...id=nhl:topheads

IIHF WJC Team Rosters:

http://forecaster.th...ter.cgi?wjc2013

Edited by 26CornerBlitz, 27 December 2012 - 12:55 PM.

[Eleven]

Yakupov calls Canadians "dirty."  Considering where he is likely to be employed for the next fifteen years, this may not have been smart.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=412253

[26CornerBlitz]

McCabe and USA take on Grigorenko and Russia live on NHL Network and NHL.com:

http://video.nhl.com...vid=DL|NHL|home

Update: Makarov in goal for Russia.

Edited by 26CornerBlitz, 28 December 2012 - 09:10 AM.

[TheMatrix31]

Makarov with a great save early, and Grigorenko has looked pretty good in his time early.

We had two chances to get a goal, came up with nothing both times.Then a stupid penalty led to a goal for the commies.

[TrueBluePhD]

This is easily one of the most entertaining hockey games I've seen in the past year.

[deluca67]

It's 2012 going into 2013, why are the Russian players wearing bumper stickers on the front of their helmets?

[Eleven]

I've missed all three goals so far.

DeLuca, I believe that the bumper stickers say "Romney 2012" in Russian.  It's cheaper than tape...

Edited by Eleven, 28 December 2012 - 11:00 AM.

[TrueBluePhD]

Makarov looks really good.  Just stonewalled a wide-open US shot in the slot.

Eleven, on 28 December 2012 - 11:00 AM, said:

I've missed all three goals so far.

DeLuca, I believe that the bumper stickers say "Romney 2012" in Russian.  It's cheaper than tape...

If it makes you feel any better, I've missed two of them and I'm not even working

Only goal I saw was Russia's second, where Seth Jones (D-man projected to go 1 or 2 in the draft, for those who don't follow prospects) got completely undressed.  Russian player just walked around him and scored.

[Eleven]

Part of the reason I'm missing goals and big plays is because the announcers aren't great.  With a good announcer, I know when to look up (or, in this case, over at the other part of the monitor).  These guys could be reading a book out loud; there is rarely a change in inflection until after an event has occurred; there is no audible build-up.

Edited by Eleven, 28 December 2012 - 11:11 AM.

[Eleven]

Ouch.  2-1 bad guys.  "The State Anthem of the Russian Federation" (no kidding; Soviet-style name even in these times) is on its way.

[26CornerBlitz]

Excellent and Highly Competitive Game.  Makarov was excellent, Grigorenko was good, and McCabe was steady.

Looks like we have three future Sabres.

Edited by 26CornerBlitz, 28 December 2012 - 11:25 AM.

[TrueBluePhD]

We had plenty of chances, just no finish. Although those last two rushes were really sloppy.

[dudacek]

Been a long time since I watched a good hockey game. Enjoyed that.
Makarov looked very good. Be nice if we got lucky there.
Girgorenko did not stand out, but he's big and strong and smart and skilled, a great passer. Appeared to be very conscious of his defensive responsibilities.
McCabe did not stand out either, but I note he was matched up against Yakupov all game long, a good sign.

[TrueBluePhD]

dudacek, on 28 December 2012 - 11:26 AM, said:

Been a long time since I watched a good hockey game. Enjoyed that.
Makarov looked very good. Be nice if we got lucky there.
Girgorenko did not stand out, but he's big and strong and smart and skilled, a great passer. Appeared to be very conscious of his defensive responsibilities.
McCabe did not stand out either, but I note he was matched up against Yakupov all game long, a good sign.

On that note, Yakupov was distinctly unimpressive offensively today.  Maybe it was an off-game for him, but the optimist in me would like to think McCabe played a role here.

[Eleven]

TrueBluePhD, on 28 December 2012 - 11:28 AM, said:

On that note, Yakupov was distinctly unimpressive offensively today.  Maybe it was an off-game for him, but the optimist in me would like to think McCabe played a role here.

He blocked our best scoring opportunity late in the game, though.  That was a gutsy dive in front of that slapshot.

The little bit of Grigs that I saw, I really liked.  Great sense of where his teammates are.

[dudacek]

TrueBluePhD, on 28 December 2012 - 11:28 AM, said:

On that note, Yakupov was distinctly unimpressive offensively today.  Maybe it was an off-game for him, but the optimist in me would like to think McCabe played a role here.

I was thinking the same thing. It wasn't like he was on Yak like a blanket, but he did look very responsible, took his man and made good outlet passes.

Edited by dudacek, 28 December 2012 - 11:35 AM.

[26CornerBlitz]

TrueBluePhD, on 28 December 2012 - 11:28 AM, said:

On that note, Yakupov was distinctly unimpressive offensively today.  Maybe it was an off-game for him, but the optimist in me would like to think McCabe played a role here.

Yakapov tries to do too much as an individual.  McCabe definitely blunted him on a few occasions.  Very Steady, Smart D-Man.

Edited by 26CornerBlitz, 28 December 2012 - 11:34 AM.

[dudacek]

I get the feeling fans will be down on Grigs at times for not taking over games, more Turgeon than Lafontaine, but Generally I liked what I saw. Smart and his passes were right on the tape. I thought he did a much better job finding his line mates than they did him.

Edited by dudacek, 28 December 2012 - 11:35 AM.

[TrueBluePhD]

Eleven, on 28 December 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

He blocked our best scoring opportunity late in the game, though.  That was a gutsy dive in front of that slapshot.

The little bit of Grigs that I saw, I really liked.  Great sense of where his teammates are.

Definitely.  I did a double-take when they said it was Yakupov on the block.

dudacek, on 28 December 2012 - 11:34 AM, said:

I get the feeling fans will be down on Grigs at times for not taking over games, more Turgeon than Lafontaine, but Generally I liked what I saw. Smart and his passes were right on the tape. I thought he did a much better job finding his line mates than they did him.

Yea, I mean Grigs isn't a Malkin clone.  Different style of game.  I still think Spezza is a very good comparable.

[Eleven]

I can't believe we are actually talking about hockey on this board.  It is SO freaking refreshing.  Dammit, I miss this!

[26CornerBlitz]

Eleven, on 28 December 2012 - 11:39 AM, said:

I can't believe we are actually talking about hockey on this board.  It is SO freaking refreshing.  Dammit, I miss this!

Indeed, let's hope the NHL's latest offer today leads to much more of the same.

[wonderbread]

I enjoyed the game today. What I did see was a lot of sloppy play entering the zone from the Americans. The last minute of play was sabresque.

[Sabres Fan In NS]

TrueBluePhD, on 28 December 2012 - 11:36 AM, said:

Yea, I mean Grigs isn't a Malkin clone.  Different style of game.  I still think Spezza is a very good comparable.

Isn't Spezza way over-rated by many on this board?

I hope you mean the very good Spezza and not the lazy and good for nothing Spezza that shows up pretty often.

[TrueBluePhD]

Sabres Fan In NS, on 28 December 2012 - 05:23 PM, said:

Isn't Spezza way over-rated by many on this board?

I hope you mean the very good Spezza and not the lazy and good for nothing Spezza that shows up pretty often.

I was talking skill-set and style of play--really nice set of hands, great shot, good skater but not overly fast or quick--that sort of thing.

[26CornerBlitz]

Mikhail Grigorenko had a strong game with two assists and six SOG as Russia dominates Germany 7-0.

[Peppy22]

3:9 0:8 and 0:7...

[26CornerBlitz]

Peppy22, on 29 December 2012 - 11:47 AM, said:

3:9 0:8 and 0:7...

Ja, sehr schlecht.

[Peppy22]

we gotta beat latvia and send them down...thats all that counts

[LabattBlue]

Saw in the Buffalo News that the Sabres would not allow Girgensons to play for Latvia in the WJC.  Would it have really killed his already slow development to be away from the Amerks for 2-3 weeks?

[Vanek-Man]

LabattBlue, on 29 December 2012 - 07:34 PM, said:

Saw in the Buffalo News that the Sabres would not allow Girgensons to play for Latvia in the WJC.  Would it have really killed his already slow development to be away from the Amerks for 2-3 weeks?

Would it had helped to get his butt kicked every time out? I dont think it matters either way to be honest.

[Vanek-Man]

Peppy22, on 29 December 2012 - 03:29 PM, said:

we gotta beat latvia and send them down...thats all that counts

How good can Leon Draisaitl be? If anyone gets a chance to watch Germany, i recommend it, just for watching #15. He's only 16 years old and looks like he belongs whenever he's played in the previous two games (missed game vs. Russia). When he was 14 years old, he scored 192 (97g, 95a) points in 29 games in a U16 league in Germany. In the playoffs, he scored 16 goals and added 15 assists in 5 games. At 16 years old, he plays in the WHL for Prince Albert, has scored 9 goals and 19 assists, 28 points in 33 games.

He's not draft eligible until 2014. He may be the first player taken this draft.

[TheMatrix31]

USA/Canada starting soon! 4:30am ET.

Edited by TheMatrix31, 30 December 2012 - 03:14 AM.

[Vanek-Man]

Tough loss for USA. Canada wins 2-1 on goals by Nugent-Hopkins and Strome. Jacob Trouba for USA.

Great goalie showdown between Subban and Gibson though. Both goalies were outstanding. For the first 45 minutes, it didn't even seem if USA belonged to be in this game with Canada and the last 15 minutes i thought they were the better team, despite taking few dumb penalties and being down 5v3 for 2 minutes. Jake McCabe took a pretty dumb hit to the head penalty with 7 min left in the 3rd so he missed remainder of the game. Hartline got the same penalty about 4 min left. USA lost their cool but when they got their confidence in them, they really put Canada on their heals.

Good game, could of been better, now it means it's must-win for USA vs. Slovakia tomorrow morning. And they could def use a huge favor out of Peppy's boys later today.

[Peppy22]

we held them to 2 points instead of 3...

[LabattBlue]

Vanek-Man, on 30 December 2012 - 12:13 AM, said:

Would it had helped to get his butt kicked every time out?

No, but it might have meant a lot to Z to play for his country.

Edited by LabattBlue, 30 December 2012 - 12:06 PM.

[26CornerBlitz]

@SabresProspects
Jake McCabe picks up a power play assist as John Gaudreau gives the USA a 6-2 lead on Slovakia. McCabe's second point of the game (1+1).

[TheMatrix31]

Good to see us kicking some ass today. After two consecutive one goal efforts, nice to see the offense wake up a bit.