It's almost impossible to win in this league by playing a soft, perimeter game. The planets need to align to get those perfect tic tac toe passes to connect. And when Buffalo ramped up the physicality, we turtled.
For years, this team's needed a net-front presence on the PP. The problem is, those guys tend to be big, and usually have a bit of snarl to them. Those are traits Sullivan loathes, so instead, our PP just passes around the perimeter for 2 minutes while 5'8" Guentzel occassionally enters the crease for a second until he's knocked on his ass.
We've also needed a 4th line (well, and a 3rd line) with an identity. I couldn't care less if our 4th line ever scores a goal. But they need to be able to grind, eat minutes, make life miserable for opponents, and change momentum when needed. Instead, Sully wants a random collection of soft scrubs that play 6 minutes a night and contribute nothing. Wonder why Sid and Geno are gassed in the 3rd period?
None of these things will ever change under Sullivan. JR tried addressing it, and Sully ran all of those types of players out of town. You guys get all bent after a loss like this. What's the definition of insanity again? I've been saying for 5 years this team will never win again playing 'Sully hockey', so it doesn't surprise me in the least.