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This is inaccurate and also doesn't show an understanding of what is happening in the rest of the league. Some of the advanced models do take into account pre-shot puck movement as well as screens, shot type, nearest defender, you could really add any trackable variable to this formula. The other part is you assume that no other team is allowing a cross ice pass for a shot, or a breakaway, or a backdoor look. Most of these models are looking at shots over a 3 year rolling average. These types of plays happen EVERYWHERE on ALL teams. Buffalo's goalies save less of them than the rest of the league. Go ahead and defend UPL or whatever, the fact remains in all metrics that get tracked for goalies in the modern era, he is anywhere from below average to bad. Sure his numbers would improve with a better defense but some of these tracking numbers would not. If he sees an extra 1xG more a start than an average goalie with a bad defense and only sees .5xG more with a good one, that washes out in numbers. Basically if he sees 10 hard shots and saves 8 versus 5 hard shots and saves 4, it's the same.

Matt MArtin? One of the tougher guys to ever play in the league compared to Greeway? Bad comparison.

tough to rebound against.

I think this site would have gone bonkers mad if we had selected Wallstedt with that pick. He lights out right now but the Wild has for the most part been a defensive oriented team where goaltenders do well. Wallstedt may turn out to be a fine goalie but looking at his AHL stats you have to think he could go bad and any moment. in 27 games last year he had a .879 save percentage. That is bad for an AHL goaltender. Let's wait and see if he holds up before we complain about not going after him.

Saved for posterity. Hurts just looking at it.

I questioned whether it was, but, the Bills were in the Super Bowl this year, the game aired on Hallmark, and like a good massage it had a happy ending, thus proving there is a God.

Oh? You mean this gate key?

When we eventually make the playoffs it’s going to be incredibly fun if I’m alive. But it’s gonna be incredible I imagine this place will also (finally) be opened up to a world of new conversation and posters will really get a chance to shine There are a lot of folks being let down by an in-opportunity to experience a non-historical drought landscape - and the conversations that will come from simply being able to talk about an actual hockey team

I was looking for it last week and couldn’t find it. I think Pete had it scrubbed from the Internet for Mr. Pegula.

There’s a little man that sits inside the goal that you can’t see, right behind the goal line on top of the camera at the back, who makes the call in real time sometimes on the broadcast you can hear a very faint “ow! goal..” when they get hit by the puck but still make the call

Stick salute fiasco put them beyond compare. Personality of their GM

They did in fact count all the berths as official playoff berths “On May 28, the NHL stated that both the round-robin and the qualifying round were to be counted under playoff records, on the same day that the league declared the winners of the stats-based regular season NHL awards.[7]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Stanley_Cup_playoffs

I’m taking the Tage Thompson approach to the Sabres: sometimes I’ll be interested and motivated to watch: and sometimes I won’t.

No, the lowest point in franchise history always comes with the turn of your day calendar. Every day is the new lowest point as we are further from the playoffs with no action being taken. Every day the decision is made to make no changes is objectively worse than the one that came before Damn should have read this first. Spot on But it’s not a loss tonight that makes it the new lowest, it comes tomorrow morning regardless of result tonight. It’s a placeholder regime - their narrative is written in stone

Yes, every game is either the final straw or the beginning of the turnaround. No in-betweens. This post should honestly be pinned at the top of every GDT

Well they suck, but they are a defensive team so they might give them problems just like Philly did. One would think Sabres would be motivated after the other Calgary loss and bring their best but who knows. Greenway hat trick maybe 🙂

Well yes, that's true. Draft mistakes have been numerous (as they are with all loser teams) and not valuing the right guys is a big thing too. For example I'm looking at Zadorov turning into captain like leadership in Boston and find myself thinking he could have been a career Sabre. A perfect player? Far from it, but I'd think a guy like that on the back end creates an entirely different defensive dynamic and the team culture is different too. Tage doesn't have to do his payback fight because Zadorov would have done it already. A Foligno or two, a Zadorov, a few others we passed on or let go and we might still be talking about how good Eichel and Reinhart are for us.

Was he? I guess I've forgotten that. His early years were just about violence though. His scoring didn't come in until later. But I admit I've forgotten his draft status.

Without taking into account what led to those shots or the context they were taken.

Pretty sure they didn't consider teams to officially be in the playoffs unless they made it to the round of 16. Could be misremembering as the Sabres were one of the unwashed and unloved that year so didn't follow the bubble tourney that much.

Barring a 20-game losing streak (which won't happen, they're talented enough to win 1 game per week), the earliest that Pegula would take any action in the front office is at the Olympic Break. But even then, what would the change be? Jarmo to GM? Then he has to get Pegula's approval to trade the equivalent of Joker for a 4th? Could Jarmo hire DeBoer and a completely new coaching staff while the current guys were still under term? Unlikely to be approved. The front office won't change until the summer. And then, assuming Emperor Sheevyn is still involved, it's a "no-stones-unturned" coaching search that selects... Appert.

Maybe I wasn't clear. Greenway typically fails to meet fan expectations for a player of his size and physical capabilities. He is expected to be tough and physical, and a willing combatant. It just isn't in his nature to bring that every night.

It did, but for me the true dagger of this offense is the run game and not the passing game. I wouldn't say the Bills abused the Bengals defense all afternoon. There was a point where the Bengals had 10 more points. The play call here is not playing to win or lose. It's what call gives you the best chance to move the ball forward without stopping the clock. Personally I look at my #1 rushing offense in the NFL and ride that horse. Especially when it's a situation where the Bengals need to apply pressure for a stop. They're going to push up and press and there's a damn good chance that once Cook is through the hole the endzone is the next stop. Playing to win would not be taking a knee with 10 seconds left in the first half and instead throwing a deep ball on a field where receivers have the advantage due to snow and an officiating crew that certainly loved its defensive passing play penalties. There's 10 seconds... why not take a chance? And all of that aside.. why did the Bengals choose to kick-off rather than attempt the on-side kick? That's a clear cut decision of not playing to win. I'm glad they won but not a single thing changes about how I feel. They are hanging on by a gossamer thread and we've already been presented with situations this year where that thread gets snapped more often than it stays intact.

A loss tonight could help turn this season around if it finally makes Pegula clear out the front office.

Or, you know, just draft Nick at #24 in 2006 (four spots ahead of where he went to Ottawa) instead of <ruffles pages for effect> ... Dennis Persson.