mjd1001

Doan vs Petekra though about 1/4 of the season by the numbers even strength: -Actual goals for vs allowed percentage: Peterka 52.63 Doan 47.37 -Expected goals for vs allowed: Peterka 48.71 Doan 52.16 -82 game goal/points Petera: 34 goals, 60 points, +7, 15 hits 15:58 ice time per game. Offensive zone starts 68.2% 82 game pace/points Doan: 26 goals, 56 points, -11, 90 hits 15:37 ice time per game. Offensive zone starts 45.2% As for as helping the PP, Peterka not only has zero pp goals or points, he hasn't even been in the ice for a single PP goal for Utah this season. On the other hand, I think many of us think Doan has actually improved the Sabres PP by going to the net, scoring 2 goals on the PP, having 2 PP assists. He has been on the ice for 8 pp goals for the Sabres (ties for the team best among forwards), but he has done than in less time than Tage, statistically equating to him being the best forward on the team in helping them score PP goals. Of the guys with over 40 minutes of PP ice time so far: When Doan is on the ice, the team scores a PP goal once every 6.9 minutes. Tage is once every 9.4 minutes. Zucker every 7.8 minutes. Quinn every 11.2 minutes. Tuch every 10.5 minutes. On the PP this team has its 'sniper' in Tage. It has its puck handler in Dahlin. It might very well be, possibly long term, that Doan helps this PP more than Peterka ever could. He does something this team needs more than it needs what JJP does well on the PP.

It kind of reminds me of the discussion that comes up... Could the best college football team beat the worst NFL team? Could the best Alabama team of the decade beat the Detroit Lions when they were owing 16? There are people who argue. Yes, the college team could win and I think that's crazy. I think those games would probably be 70 to nothing... Depending on how hard the NFL team wanted to try. Oftentimes the very best college teams of all time will have 10% or less of their roster that is drafted into the NFL, and many of those players may or may not even make an impact. Not to mention they practice less, they have less complicated schemes, it all matters. I agree with your original point, and it just made me think of that argument I just listed above.

They actually were pretty good: Corsi: 20 for, 6 against Fenwick: 15 for, 6 against Scoring chances: 8 for, 4 against expected goals: .65 for, .52 against. They were better possessionally that whoever the Sabres put out there against them. They were Carolina's best line. They just didn't finish.

Plus with Pittsburgh upcoming, the Penguins have lost 7 out of their last 9 after a hot start. They are old, pretty slow, and their 2nd and 3rd pair D-men are pretty much a collection of nhl journeymen. They will be well rested though.

Overall good game, but by far the worst line was Tuch/Thompson/Doan for most of the game. Even strength they had 2 scoring chance for, 7 allowed. Their shots for/against, Fenwick, Corsi, Expected goals for/against....all were awful. McLeod, Zucker, Quinn by far the best line of the night in terms of analytics. Dahlin has the best analytics of all D-men on the game. https://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20252026&game=20347&view=limited

Tage 1 goal in the first 7 games... 11 in his last 15 games

He might. Often times on the official scoresheet and NHL.com, they list goals as 'unassisted' for a few minutes before adding the assists. Its like they want to get the goal scorer up as soon as possible, and iron out the details a few minutes later.

Big game Wed against Pittsburgh. For me personally, growing up I always looked forward to any games the day before Thanksgiving or the games on New years eve. The Wed before Thanksgiving, it was a long weekend from school (now sometimes a long-ish weekend from work), that a win that night just 'feels' better than most other nights.

UPL played well. I still don't trust him yet.

What I don't want is for him to play just well enough that they want to keep him around but not well enough for him to steal you games.

That's the math, some crazy things can happen. But if they were to win their next six in a row, their point percentage becomes .592. technically, as of today, that would still not put them in a playoff position.... So if you look at the standings exactly the way they are today they would have to win seven in a row, but with the way the rest of the league usually shakes out, six in a row from today would probably do it.

Yeah... I posted this about an hour ago but to get to the point percentage of the last playoff spot, they have to win six games in a row. Not five in a row, not five of the next seven... Doing that would still have them out of the playoffs. From right now they have to win six in a row just to get to the 8th and final spot.

Or you could look at the standings and say to get that last eighth spot in the conference, you need a .600 Or better point percentage. Starting today, what do the sabres need to do to get to that level so they could be the last team in the playoffs? It's a six-game winning streak. If they were to 'only' win the next five in a row that brings them to .577..... Which would still have them outside a playoff spot.

100% Beat Carolina and Pittsburgh the next 2 games.

Why does it look like Quinn was upset to score that goal and no one else on the ice was really all that happy either?

Samuelsson 5 goals in 19 games. Thats almost a 22 goal pace.

UPL sporting the early .800 save percentage tonight.

Do they not have anyone else? McLeod has been awful on the PP. His game is speed, skating, always moving. Not exactly a guy who is good at setting up in the offensive zone.

The issue with Quinn is almost 100% consistency and effort. We know he has the ability to make really nice plays in the offensive zone. He just has to have as many good games as bad ones.

Maybe Chicago is having some fits of bad defensive coverage, but it is infuriating the Sabres can be up 2-0 and looking good after playing so bad against Calgary.

I'm not sure about winning board battles, but I would put Zucker there.

You are probably correct in the long term regarding Doan, but often times its not how much talent you have, but rather how you compiment the players you are with. I think most will agree that Tage Thompson is the most talented offensive forward on this team, so how does Doan impact him when they are playing together: Tage with Doan: 1 goal every 16 minutes ES. Tage with anyone other than Doan: 1 goal every 18.7 minutes That is actual goals, how about how well they generate chances? (expected goals) Tage with Doan: 1 expected goal every 17.8 minutes. Tage with anyone else: 1 goal every 22.5 minutes. Small sample size, but in the 65 even strength minutes Doan has played with Tage, they produce, and generate chances better than Tage with anyone else other than Doan. Just like last year with Kulich and Tage...maybe it won't last, maybe it will, but it deserves a bit more time to find out.

I think Malenstyn was pretty bad early in the year, but the last week or two I think he has been one of the better forwards.

He might know what to do but he doesn't want to. Hire a proven hockey guy, maybe a couple. Pay up to get them to come here, and sweeten the job by telling them its their show to run, all Terry asks is he be notified when money is going to be spent. Pegula needs to tell those guys he wants to hear the explanation behind their moves, but that he won't override their decisions. It seem to have been a while since he was willing to give control to competant members of a front office and give them control/money/power to make their own decisions.