The moment of enlightenment for Gaustad

[Wally]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071016/capt.240bdb725775454db694118bd0448254.maple_leafs_ sabres_hockey_nydd108.jpg

I think he can get even better going forward in front of the net... watch Gaustad easily get 20 goals this year.

[charbs]

Gaustad is a bit over-rated, he needs to pick it up. He had an OK game but I feel he could be much better, especially with the stick handling...

[billspwn]

he's looking better infront of the net, but i agree, he's gotta work on the handling a bit. i think he'll come along by mid season quite a bit, with the extra responibility and ice time on the PP

[ksl66]

Gaustad is not out there on the PP to score goals, its about creating interference in front of the net and retrieving pucks on the dump-ins. If you noticed the second unit looked a lot better tonight, Its partly because if they shoot the puck in, Goose is in the corners gaining possession of the puck and getting to Connolly who is setting everything up along the half wall. He does his job really well out there, but your mistaken if you think its about him scoring goals, sure he'll get a few on redirections, but don't expect him to become Tomas Holmstrom, he's just not that skilled.

[bduff54]

no offense but he didn't really do anything on that play

[Acoustic-Fury]

no offense but he didn't really do anything on that play

...other than wreak havoc in front of that net and have McCabe go "Oh noes Goose is going to score the game winner...

...Doh! I just did!"

Anytime you get a body in front of the goaltender it's "doing something".

[bduff54]

...other than wreak havoc in front of that net and have McCabe go "Oh noes Goose is going to score the game winner...

...Doh! I just did!"

Anytime you get a body in front of the goaltender it's "doing something".

i guess it was a four on 3, he was just kind of standing there, it wasn't like he and mccabe were having a war or anything. i agree though, having somebody in front of the net is key, i just don't think on this particular play goose was outstanding or anything.

[г]

He's a diver ;)

[thisisfunah]

goals or not, he's a presence who has led to many goals so far

[anEinherjer]

over-rated? Que pasa?

[unklechucky]

He took a beating in front of the net all night. Its nice to see him net the winner.

[bduff54]

He took a beating in front of the net all night. Its nice to see him net the winner.

for sure he is a good team guy, he did not get the winner though mccabe did. kotalik got credit

[ninecarpileup]

His value has been, and always will be his ability to retrieve pucks down low. He did a great job at that tonight. On almost every dump in for his line, he was the first Sabre on the puck, or the puck carrier. Stick handler...NOT. This guy is a "pressure" forward. Get in as fast as you can, use your size, and make the other team do something quickly with the puck. He does his job very well, and his center and winger are the beneficiary's of his board work.

P.S. Remember, this guy is coming of a major injury.

[unklechucky]

for sure he is a good team guy, he did not get the winner though mccabe did. kotalik got credit

I didn't see or hear the official scoring on the winner. It looked like Goose tipped it and he was mobbed afterwards.

[Thumper]

no offense but he didn't really do anything on that play

Gaustad is the only reason that McCabe turned and fired the puck into his own net.

[Thumper]

Gaustad is not out there on the PP to score goals, its about creating interference in front of the net and retrieving pucks on the dump-ins. If you noticed the second unit looked a lot better tonight, Its partly because if they shoot the puck in, Goose is in the corners gaining possession of the puck and getting to Connolly who is setting everything up along the half wall. He does his job really well out there, but your mistaken if you think its about him scoring goals, sure he'll get a few on redirections, but don't expect him to become Tomas Holmstrom, he's just not that skilled.

Precisely. Great post.

[pigpen65]

He's a diver ;)


that was a strange play out of Gaustad. 2 years i've never seen him do it. Hope it was just a momentary lapse in judgment and not a sign of things to come.

[Thumper]

i guess it was a four on 3, he was just kind of standing there, it wasn't like he and mccabe were having a war or anything. i agree though, having somebody in front of the net is key, i just don't think on this particular play goose was outstanding or anything.

He didn't have to be outstanding. He just had to be standing there. I think there's been at least 6 goals for the Sabres already this season where Gaustad is standing in front of the net........Its not a matter of being "outstanding" at all. Its about body position and standing where you can get killed by the oppostions defense or the shot from the point.

[Acoustic-Fury]

that was a strange play out of Gaustad. 2 years i've never seen him do it. Hope it was just a momentary lapse in judgment and not a sign of things to come.

Right before that play Gaustad was getting murdered by that Toronto defenseman (name escapes me atm) in front of the net...the chippiness continued after the play as they both moved back up ice. A penalty should have been called before that...the dive was a result of both players pushing it because the zebras weren't getting involved.

[bduff54]

Right before that play Gaustad was getting murdered by that Toronto defenseman (name escapes me atm) in front of the net...the chippiness continued after the play as they both moved back up ice. A penalty should have been called before that...the dive was a result of both players pushing it because the zebras weren't getting involved.

it was matt stajan, one of the softest players in the world.

gaustad nailed him clean, stajan got up and was mad, he pulled at gaustad, then gaustad sold it by diving.

The refs caught both. That's exactly what happened.

[pigpen65]

Right before that play Gaustad was getting murdered by that Toronto defenseman (name escapes me atm) in front of the net...the chippiness continued after the play as they both moved back up ice. A penalty should have been called before that...the dive was a result of both players pushing it because the zebras weren't getting involved.


eh, i don't like diving and don't want to see it out of a guy they are going to need to keep progressing as a physical force. "Unsportsmanlike conduct" is the perfect term for diving. Under any circumstances it just doesn't belong, especially from Gaustad.

[Acoustic-Fury]

it was matt stajan, one of the softest players in the world.

gaustad nailed him clean, stajan got up and was mad, he pulled at gaustad, then gaustad sold it by diving.

The refs caught both. That's exactly what happened.

A lot more was going on in that play than that Bduff...Gaustad had position right in front Raycroft (the reason I remember it so vividly is because he buried himself like a tic there and took some major punishment) and the softest player in the world was getting chippy because he couldn't move him. He took a whack at Gaustad as the play moved up ice and Gaustad responded, the softest man in the world than took a minor run at Gaustad that Gaustad embellished.

Again had the zebras got involved earlier it wouldn't have escalated to Gaustad embellishing a weak hit.

[bduff54]

A lot more was going on in that play than that Bduff...Gaustad had position right in front Raycroft (the reason I remember it so vividly is because he buried himself like a tic there and took some major punishment) and the softest player in the world was getting chippy because he couldn't move him. He took a whack at Gaustad as the play moved up ice and Gaustad responded, the softest man in the world than took a minor run at Gaustad that Gaustad embellished.

Again had the zebras got involved earlier it wouldn't have escalated to Gaustad embellishing a weak hit.

cool, but thats the part of hockey i love, if Gaustad wants to take a position right in front of the goalie he should get pounded, thats what makes the game great. Remember the old days with ciccarelli? He would get abused, i want more of that. The way it is now Gaustad can just stand there and a smaller player has to just let him stand there. Stajan did the right thing if it happened, he has to slash and move him, its all he can do.

The play was great, gaustad got stajan riled, he forced stajan into a penalty, if he hadn't dove i would be praising gaustad for his restraint.

[unklechucky]

Gaustad is the only reason that McCabe turned and fired the puck into his own net.

I didnt realize that had happened.

[bduff54]

I didnt realize that had happened.

yeah it was brutal, i wouldn't really credit Gaustad with much though, that was a horrible play by a vet defenseman., pure panic

[Thumper]

yeah it was brutal, i wouldn't really credit Gaustad with much though, that was a horrible play by a vet defenseman., pure panic

Would he have panicked it Gaustad wasn't standing on top of the crease looking for a rebound?

[bduff54]

Would he have panicked it Gaustad wasn't standing on top of the crease looking for a rebound?

ok, gaustad is the man, he was a beast on that play.

yes he was there, but a normal defenseman would have just cleared the bloody thing.

[Thumper]

ok, gaustad is the man, he was a beast on that play.

You can get as sarcastic about it as you want. Simply put, if Gaustad wasn't there, it wouldn't have been a goal.

[MauvaisSang]

Now he's been officially credited with the goal... so it's pretty hard to argue he had no influence on it being scored.

[bduff54]

You can get as sarcastic about it as you want. Simply put, if Gaustad wasn't there, it wouldn't have been a goal.

more importantly if the sabres didn't have a man in front of the net they would have been stupid. yes he was in front of the net but lets not ramble on about him being a beast on that play, he was just there mccabe was the one that made the play noteworthy.

[MauvaisSang]

more importantly if the sabres didn't have a man in front of the net they would have been stupid. yes he was in front of the net but lets not ramble on about him being a beast on that play, he was just there mccabe was the one that made the play noteworthy.

It's not like you can just throw any warm body in uniform in front of the opponent's net. You need someone who is hard to move, who creates havoc. Gaustad is a lot more effective at that than say Derek Roy or Mike Ryan would be. He, Spacek and Connolly are the three main reasons the Sabres powerplay has gone from atrocious to pretty damn good.

[MauvaisSang]

he was just there mccabe was the one that made the play noteworthy.

Thumper already pointed this out, but McCabe wouldn't have made the play 'noteworthy' if there wasn't a Sabre there pressuring him to clear the puck from the front of the net quickly. As wretched as McCabe is, I doubt he'd have put the puck in his own net if he'd ample time to clear it.

[Thumper]

more importantly if the sabres didn't have a man in front of the net they would have been stupid. yes he was in front of the net but lets not ramble on about him being a beast on that play, he was just there mccabe was the one that made the play noteworthy.

Hahaha, you're the one rambling on about Gaustad being a beast on that play. No one else has even said the word 'beast' in this thread besides you. And now Gaustad has an overtime game winning goal on his stat sheet for standing in front of the net. You won't agree with me, yet Don Cherry would.

[unklechucky]

Now he's been officially credited with the goal... so it's pretty hard to argue he had no influence on it being scored.

I guess my eyes didnt decieve me then