Lindy Ruff re-iterated after practice on Wednesday that his PP units are still a work in progress.
The additions of Boyes and Leino vs. Tampa proved nothing as the Sabres went ohfer power power.
Ruff mentioned that every team in the league knows that Ehrhoff wants to blow his lethal shot through the goalie, however, opposing PKers are getting in shot lanes and blocking his bomb.
Ruff suggested that he has a couple of looks where they will move Ehrhoff up top, as opposed to parking him on the wall, in order to get his one-timer through traffic and onto the net.
Lindy Ruff and the coaches worked the troops for 45 minutes.
The Tampa games are dead and buried. The players have turned the page to Columbus.
I spent some time with Cody McCormick after the skate. He, Matt Ellis, and Brad Boyes were one of Buffalo's better forward units on Tuesday night. They play an honest game. No flash and dash, just hard work, sweat, and heavy lifting. It only took 33 seconds of this new line's first shift together to manufacture a gritty goal. Boyes was rewarded with the game's second goal, however, it took McCormick and Ellis to get the puck to the scoring area.
"Its a simple game we play as a line. Get possession of the puck and get it in on their D, then go to work".
There's no time to look in the rear view mirror in today's NHL.
"Its every other day now...we gotta forget about the two Tampa games and think about the guys coming in with the Jackets", McCormick told me.
He's toldme that he cannot be miffed at the phantom interference call that was levied against him with eight minutes left Tuesday night, with Buffalo a goal down. Matters not now.
"Look... thats over and done with now. We are onto the next game. Ya know, I dont know if their (Columbus) record is indicative of how good a team they really are. They are desperate. It showed when they beat Detroit. They are coming in on a high".
McCormick told me that his mind is focused now on Nash and the Jax, not what happened Tuesday night. The preparartion is a tried and true approach.
"We are doing our homework on them now. The coaches put it in front of us and its now our job to do the work, to do the rest", he told me.
Cody's right. The coaches don't skate the shifts, play D, defend and keep the puck out of the net. Thats the role of the players to have to carry out.
McCormick knows that the smothering style of D that Guy Boucher and the Lightning play with is also prevalent in most teams on the Buffalo schedule this season. There's no magic potion or shortcut or substitute for the hard work and and stick-to-it-ive-ness needed to solve the frustration of the one-man fore check systems.
Watching defense-first hockey can be as mind numbing as watching paint dry. McCormick says its frustrating as Hell to play against, however, you can't whine about it.
"Teams are sitting back. Its a fact. They are clogging up areas. As forwards, you gotta get it in the zone, and everybody's right there. You're not gonna get any easy plays. Its not pretty hockey. Its tough hockey. Sometimes you get lucky", he said.
Yeah, like Tampa banking and clanking a couple of pucks into the Buffalo net off skates?
Cody says it doesn't matter if its Boucher's system, or Barry Trotz's system, or Lindy Ruff's. he says that the NHL is a defense-fist league now, where quality scoring chances are at a premium, now more than ever.
" Yes. Its not pretty. Its a chess match. They are waiting for tranistion in the middle. Waiting for the other team to make the mistake and they've got their guys turning and going as hard as they can, and its usually the one team's going one way, while the other team is going the other way. I think other team's are kinds looking at that and they are copying it or doing something sort of close to that".
So with all the mounted police guarding the opposing blue line, why do skilled guys choose to carry the puck rather than throw it deep?
"I don't know. Its better and more successful to get it deep, get their D moving back to the glass to retrieve it, then applying the heavy forecheck to get possession or create a turnover or chance. Its about getting your nose dirty. Its about fighting in the hard areas. Thats something I think I can do a little better, too. Knowing you're playing against smothering teams, knowing you're going to go into ebattles, you're gonna have to win a battle to get a shot on net".
"The harder we work as forwards, the more chances we're gonna get to score. Its that simple. Look at yesterday. We got rewarded with a goal because Matt was working his tail off, and anytime Brad gets a puck in that spot he's got the capabilities to put it in the net".
McCormick was happy to have played a small role in Boyes' first goal in a long time.
"It was fun for everyone. He's had a number of chances, hit a couple posts, so to see him slide that one in was good for him, and for all of us. You get that feeling that you can score onnthe next shift after something positive like that happens".
I corrected Cody when after he said he played a small role in his line's success. I told him that his type of work ethic and his attention to the most minute details are not overlooked by this observer. I quoted Lindy: "Hard work will beat talent, when talent refuses to work hard".
"Thanks. I take a lot of pride in my game. I dont have all the talent that most of tehse guys have, but I gotta do something with the work ethic and lead where I can with good habits. I never try to brag about mys skills. We just have to.. me, Brad and Matt Ellis have to play our system to a "tee", and work hard within that and when we do that, I think good things can happen".
Maybe its not a fallacy. Maybe hard work does trump talent.
" I cant tell you hjow many times I've seen a guy in the minors or in the OHL and they just couldnt get "it". It kinda comes back to that sometimes".
On this day, when we harp on the missed chances, the missed opportunities and insufficeient power play, its best to look at the body of work and ask:
Is the team working as hard as its hardest working player or players?
I submit that when all four lines and all six D are maximizing their energies and talents, just like Cody Mc Cormick does on most shifts, then the team will be better for it.
Brad Boyes was flashing his pearly whites after practice. He told me that he feels a tremendous amout of relief in scoring his first goal of the season last night.
"Its always a great feeling. You look to do that (score) every game. Its been a while".
Join the Discussion:
»