msw2112
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Posts posted by msw2112
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Tonight's game vs. Detroit is one of the handful of Hulu games this season. I have ESPN+, but I don't have Hulu (and I live out of market). Does anyone know if ESPN+ subscribers who don't also have Hulu will have access to tonight's game? I've researched this online and the answer is not clear. Even if I can see the game, whether I can bring myself to watch this team is another story. If I can't access the game, it might actually be a relief, as I'm starting to move towards apathy. I discussed that in a different thread, so I won't get into that any further here.
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Last year, for the first time in many years, I started following the team on a nightly basis. I got a subscription to NHL Center Ice around the holidays (I don't live in Buffalo anymore) and was able to watch most of the games for the last few months of the season. I liked what I saw and was extremely encouraged going into this season. This season, after changing primary TV providers, I signed up for ESPN+ in October so that I could watch the games. I've watched almost all of them. Unfortunately, based on my job, family responsibilities and where I live, I cannot watch games in real-time. I have to stream them later at night, usually after the rest of the family has gone to sleep. I'm often up between 11:00 PM and 2:00 AM to watch the games, which makes me pretty tired the next day. When they play well and win, it's worth it, as despite being tired, I'm in a good mood and watching games is one of my favorite forms of entertainment. The last few games, the fast forward button has been my friend. They fall behind early, so I just fast-forward to see if they get back in the game, and work my way to the end rather quickly if they don't (which, other than the one Pittsburgh game, they don't). I also always do everything in my power to avoid "spoilers" - I'm one of those people who don't have a lot of interest once I know the outcome, so I avoid text messages from certain friends, watching other sports with "tickers", going to sports websites, etc.
I've decided that this team is no longer worth the sacrifice of staying up late, even with the help of the fast forward button. It's not worth being tired the next day. It's not worth bobbing and weaving for hours to avoid seeing the score. I'm not completely "out" because I'm going to intentionally follow the scores in real time so that I'm not tempted to stay up late and watch. It's sad, because if the team made it worthwhile, I'd be all in.
I suppose the way I feel now is the way people living in Buffalo feel about buying tickets. And perhaps how season ticket holders feel about renewing. I have not completely given up - I like Granato and Adams and think there's some talent in the organization, but I need to take a break for a while and see if they can get back in the race before I devote any more time to this team.
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I've had many over the years. One great, fairly recent 24-hour span was last October. I have not lived in Buffalo for many years, but like to come back and visit. I had 2 buddies who live in another state drive in, and I flew in, to Buffalo for a sports weekend. On Saturday evening, we pre-game partied near the arena, then went to see the Sabres come back in the 3rd period, down by 2, against the Blackhawks, then they won it in OT. Went out to Buffalo bars after that. Got up the next morning, went to Wegmans, loaded up with food and beer and were at Hammer's Lot at noon. Partied there all day long (sunny and 60 degrees), other than stopping by the Big Tree Inn to get some wings to add to our tailgate. Did shots out of the bowling ball and all of the other Bills tailgate stuff. Went into the stadium around 7:30 PM and saw the Bills beat the Packers on Sunday night football. My friends are huge sports fans, but had never been to Buffalo. They were familiar with all of the national media coverage of the Bills Mafia, but didn't know that much else about the city. We all had a blast, and a year later, they talk about it all the time and say what an amazing time they had. They've both been to sporting events all over the country and agree that Buffalo tailgating was beyond anything they've ever seen (including Green Bay). They also loved the Sabres game and have both adopted the Sabres as their NHL team and the Bills as their 2nd NFL team (they live in Wisconsin and are Packers fans). All 3 of us are dads with wives, multiple kids and busy jobs, so the chance to get away with the guys and do this was incredible. I felt very proud that my hometown and its teams stepped up in a big way and exceeded expectations (that were high coming in). We're hoping to do another trip next year - maybe a college football weekend.
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With UPL playing at the level he's at, he deserves the net. Comrie is a solid backup. Levi needs minutes to develop and he hasn't been good in Buffalo this year. The Sabres are down a couple of forwards and could use the roster spot. It all adds up to Levi going to Rochester. Good to see the team making a logical decision.
This is a very telling statistic from the Sabres press release: "Levi, 21, is the only goaltender drafted in 2020 or later to appear in an NHL game this season."
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I have zero inside information, but I don't think the Sabres made a big push for Kane. They may have kicked the tires a bit, but he's really not what they need right now. He's an undersized skill player on the downside of his career. No doubt he's a first ballot Hall of Famer, but he didn't do much in Chicago or New York last season. Despite his track record of playoff success, he didn't help the Rangers, who got bounced in the first round. The Sabres have lots of undersized skill players who are emerging young guys. The Sabres need a big, gritty, sandpaper veteran forward. If Kane was not from the Buffalo area, I really don't think he'd even be in the conversation.
A much better "get" for the Sabres would be Kane's former running-mate in Chicago, Jonathan Toews. He's a great faceoff guy (a huge need for the Sabres) and a great leader/character guy with a Stanley Cup pedigree that might really help Okposo mentor the young guys. From an article in The Athletic:
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Can Toews still play in the NHL?
Absolutely. Even at age 35, even with his two-way game in steep decline, and even with all his health issues, he’d be a pretty darn good bottom-six center for a contending team, a guy who could play 15 minutes a night and either kill penalties or play down low on the power play (likely not both anymore, though). Yes, he’s a shell of the player he once was, but he still had a respectable 15 goals and 31 points in 53 games last season, often playing alongside AHL-level talent. And regardless of how much he can produce, you can be sure there are general managers and coaches around the league that would love to have Toews’ leadership and experience in their locker rooms. Few players carry as much respect within the league as Toews does.
Another statistic I found:
Jonathan Toews had the highest faceoff win percentage with more than 75 faceoffs in 2022-23, at 63.1 percent won.
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8 minutes ago, Taro T said:
Personally, expect that they believe the bigger issue for the team is the bottom 6 rather than the top 6, which is why we saw them give Biro and Rosen an opportunity when injuries were mounting but have yet to give Kulich or Rosen a look.
I think you mean Rousek, not Rosen, but I agree with you on why the Sabres promoted the guys they did. That said, Thompson and Quinn are top-6 type of scorers, so their absence is impacting offensive production, which is why Benson/Kulich/Rosen are the guys on the radar now.
As a side note, I'm concerned about how effective Quinn will be this season, even after he comes back. That was a pretty major injury and surgery, so I could see him not being back to 100% for a year or more - perhaps not being 100% until sometime next season. It's certainly not a knock on Quinn, it's just the reality of the situation. Had he not been injured, I was expecting a big season from him, with the kind of jump that Peterka has made. Hopefully, my concerns are unfounded and we see it this year, but my hunch is that we'll have to wait until next season to see him at his best.
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I'd have to agree with the others that I could go either way on this one. Benson's play has been good enough for him to stay, but he could also benefit from another year of development. For what it's worth, he does seem to be more ready than Savoie. I can't compare to Rosen and Kulich, because I have not seen them play in the NHL (or at all, for that matter). I suppose that if the Sabres feel that Rosen or Kulich can contribute as much or more than Benson, then they should send him down.
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I was born and raised in Buffalo and followed the Sabres and Bills throughout my childhood. Hockey came first, having played the sport at the "mite" level (age 4-5, I think - it was a long time ago) and sitting on my parents' lap at the Aud for Sabres games. Started following the Bills as a kid in the Joe Ferguson era, although in the days of NFL blackouts, we only got to see 8 games per year. On Sunday afternoons when the Bills were at home, I'd play football in the street with my brothers and friends while listening to Van Miller call the game on a portable radio. In high school and college (Super Bowl era for me), my best friend's dad had 4 Bills seats on the 45 yard line and was very generous with them. Went to tons of games and really learned how to tailgate as a teenager! (The same dad had 2 Sabres seats that he was also always generous with). Went to a major Big 10 school and that has been my college team ever since.
I have lived in two major markets with teams in all of the professional sports leagues, but have never adopted the teams in the cities in which I live. It's always been the Sabres and Bills for me! My dad grew up in Rochester as a Yankees fan, so that's my MLB team, although I typically don't like big spending/major market/front runner types of teams. NBA is one where I don't have a consistent team. I went to a few Braves games as a kid, liked the Larry Bird Celtics, then liked the Miami Heat (pre-Lebron James) and now I typically root for teams from smaller markets like Cleveland and Milwaukee. I tend to prefer teams that draft and develop their own over teams like the Lakers who buy up all the high-priced free agents and create superteams (which is at odds with being a Yankee fan, but I was born into it). I have no connection to those cities, but think it would be fun to see the Sacramento Kings or the OKC Thunder win a championship.
If a team in my current city makes a deep playoff run, I'll get on the bandwagon a little bit. It's not a deep love for those teams, but I like to watch sports, go out, have a few cold ones, and have fun, so it's a great excuse to join the party. My wife thinks I watch too much sports (and she's right), but if the local team is doing well and everyone else is into it, I get a free pass. In those situations, I can have a few drinks, socialize and focus on key points in the game. If a Buffalo team is on, I'm not social at all. I'm totally focused, watch every play, every player, etc. I might be known to drop a few f-bombs here and there. My kid keeps telling me "Dad, do you know they can't hear you?" It's just a different level.
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I wasn't a big fan of the pick of Rosen, at the time. He was very small and you never know how guys will grow. He had shown out at one international tournament, but his day-to-day numbers weren't that great. That said, the Sabres picked him right around where the experts had ranked him, so it wasn't one of those reach picks where the Sabres were trying to outsmart everyone, or one of those picks where a guy dropped way down and the Sabres swooped in the for the "steal" (like Grigerenko). It looks like the kid has grown physically and mentally and he's been well-served with development time in the AHL, so I'll just give credit to the Sabres on this one. Of course, he hasn't made it to the NHL yet, but he appears to be on track to be a successful draft and develop type of player that has been properly managed. I suspect he'll get a few games in Buffalo this year and make the team next year.
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I was watching on TV and thought I heard something unusual with O Canada. Then the anthem singer's poor performance was dwarfed by the Sabres' poor performance in the first period that followed.
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Good to see Benson and Tuch in there.
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Granato publicly stated in the past that given the makeup of the roster (lots of youth, speed, and offensive talent), the team was going to focus on offensive play. It is easier to teach, easier to get guys to buy in, and would help the team win some games and get the young guys some confidence while they adjusted to the league. It worked. He said that more defensive concepts would follow in the future and I believe that this season, it's happening. The defensive play and penalty kill has improved, but the offense has been sporadic. They need to find the right balance. There's another active thread about the Sabres power play and that truly may be the difference maker. If the team can score 1 more PP goal every game (or even every other game), they're probably winning some of the close games. Thompson's defensive play (and the team's) has not yet resulted in a better record (they're hovering right around .500, which is where they were last season), but better defensive play should ultimately result in a better record. The Sabres have more offensive skill than most teams and eventually, the math says that the PP will produce more goals, and that should result in more wins. If both teams play good defense, and one team has more talented scorers, the team with more offensive talent should win most of the games over the course of a long season. That extra goal or two that goes in because of pure offensive talent (overcoming good defense) will make the difference in most games. Whether it plays out that way is anybody's guess, but Granato and Adams have been consistent with their messaging and, as a fan, I'm willing to give it a chance to see how it turns out.
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I have not seen the last 3 games, but it sounds like the PP hasn't gotten any better from the games before then. From what I've seen, they don't get enough shots on goal and when they do, there's no traffic in front and the goalie make the easy save. They need to get some shots on goal with the goalie being screened. That should lead to some shots getting through the goalie and other shots creating rebounds, that lead to high-percentage chances. The Sabres have more than enough offensive skill to have a PP that's in the top third of the league.
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8 hours ago, freester said:
I’m assuming this game is not on ESPN PLUS. Ugh. I don’t get NHL network with you tube tv. So pissed. 😡
I'm in the same boat as you. Was hoping to watch tonight, but it won't happen. I think ESPN+ gets more than 70 out of the 82 games, so I can't complain too much. Maybe I'll spend some time with my wife and kids on a Friday night (while listening to the game on my phone through the WGR or some other app with the radio broadcast).
Losing NHL Network is one of the few downgrades I've experienced when moving from Directv to YouTubeTV. On the flip side, there are many benefits, which outweigh these downgrades and I'm saving a good chunk of change every month.
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No doubt that for players well into their 30's, one-year deals are the way to go. Even guys you like and respect. Fortunately for the Sabres, Okposo is on a 1-year deal right now.
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1 minute ago, mjd1001 said:
As per my original post, I mostly agree.
I said he is 'shot'. I'd like to see someone like Biro, or Rousek, take his role on the ice (whoever would be best on that 4th line.)
With that said I don't think he is totally sinking this team. Look at what Toronto fans are talking about Ryan Reaves, now he appears to be "SHOT/Done" He looks like a bad/slow college player trying to keep up in the NHL where it is obvious he can't really do anything other than harm his 4 teammates out there. I don't think Okposo is at that level, I just think now a faster, hungry young guy might be a better option for the Sabres.
Before becoming a Sabre, Okposo was able to effectively keep up with a young John Tavares with the Islanders, and had the speed and hands to become a very effective scoring winger. It landed him a big free agent contract (at the time) with the Sabres. As he aged and played on some lesser Sabres teams, Okposo morphed into a great bottom-six forward, checking, cycling the puck, playing sound defensive hockey, etc. and he became a great glue guy and leader too. Unfortunately, he has lost a step to the point where he can't even do the bottom-six stuff as effectively as he used to. I agree that he's not a huge detriment to the team at this point, but he's also not much of a benefit on the ice. A younger, hungry player might bring more. So, in a long-winded fashion, I'm agreeing with what you are saying.
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19 hours ago, mjd1001 said:
Last year I thought Krebs might have been the worst forward in the league for the first month of the season. As the year went on, he got better. By the end of the year, I was 'content' with is play.
What has happened this year? I know he is playing the 4th line roll, but he isn't doing that great, and he is bringing nothing. He has to turn around his game right away somehow, but at this point I agree with many others, just replace him with Jost and this team is better.
Okposo looks shot. Its not just the lack of production, but he looks one step slower than even last year, he isn't getting to guys on the forecheck like he was last year and he is a step slow to the boards in his own end. Again, he has the "C", and I'm not sure who from Roch you could replace him with in a 4th line role..but when I watch him, its almost like he is even 'slowing down' Girgensonns. I'd like to see Girgensons, Jost, and 'someone else' on that 4th line. Is Biro suited for a 4th line checking roll? Girgs, Jost, and Biro might be better than what they are putting out there now.
I'm a big fan of Okposo and was in favor of re-signing him for his veteran leadership, but I have to agree. Age appears to have caught up with him and he just can't do it anymore. A couple of anecdotes come to mind:
I played a lot of youth hockey, but stopped playing in my teens, as I was playing too many other sports. Around age 30, some friends got me into a rec league. It was like riding a bike, I got right in there and was a really good player right off the bat. I played all the time and loved it. I scored a bunch of goals and was one of the best players in the league for several years. Around age 35, I just lost it. I tried changing sticks and a few other things and NOTHING would work. I was in great physical shape (better at 35 than I was at 30), but my hands were just gone. I couldn't maintain possession, I couldn't score, etc. I was moving in quicksand....I just couldn't do what I used to do. I was no longer fun. So, I just stopped playing. I took up other sports and physical activities to keep in shape (like running, yoga, and hiking), which I do to this day. When I see Okposo this year, I think of my own experience. I realize it's a bit of a stretch to compare a rec league weekend warrior to a professional athlete, but that's what I see.
A great example of a pro athlete is Lindy Ruff. As a kid, he was my favorite Sabre. He was tough and aggressive on the ice and not a guy to mess with. He could also score a little bit, scoring around 20 goals at his peak. I just loved the way he played and carried himself. He was a great leader and became the team captain. By the end of his career, however, before he was traded to the Rangers, it seemed like he could barely move. I have memories of watching him falter all over the ice and being completely ineffective. With him being my favorite player, it was hard to watch. Fortunately for Lindy, he was able to retire and establish a great career as a coach. He was arguably the best coach in Sabres franchise history and is now having great success with a young New Jersey team.
Another example is from football - Jim Kelly. An all-time great Buffalo Bill and NFL Hall-of-Famer. I recall his last game in the NFL, a playoff game against Jacksonville that the Bills lost. Kelly was old and slow and beaten up badly by the Jags defense and the Bills lost the game. It was pretty clear that Kelly was done. Age had caught up to him. Kelly retired shortly after that game.
So to sum up my long post, Okposo looks like he's done. Great guy, great leader, great influence on the team, but he just can't keep up on the ice anymore. I'd love to see him stay with the team in a coaching/advisory/mentoring role.
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Good to see Rousek up for another shot, but hopefully Tuch is nothing serious (and hopefully nothing at all). If Biro took Benson's spot, does Rousek take Comrie's spot? I'm not sure how all of the injury designations have been handled.
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It's early in the season and he's only played a few games, so we're dealing with a small sample size, but I've liked what I've seen over the course of the last week or 2 and it couldn't have been more timely with the Levi and Comrie injuries. I was always in favor of keeping UPL and giving him time to develop, so I'm happy to see it paying off, at least for now. Whether he can maintain it, we'll see.
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Eric Johnson and Jordan Greenway have proven to be great additions for overall team defense and penalty killing. Credit to the "pro personnel" scouting and analytics folks who identified quality players to fill very specific needs. And neither guy costs a fortune to have on the roster.
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I was concerned about the slow start, but I agree that they are starting to figure it out and rounding into form with more than enough time left to move up into playoff position. The play of UPL and Comrie (pre-injury) have been good - better than expected - and the the PK has been a revelation. There's too much talent on the PP for it to stay as poor as it's been. There's still too much running around in their own end in the 3rd period of games, but they are keeping more of the chances on the perimeter and the goaltending has been better. With expectations so high coming in, I expected them to come bursting out of the gate and they certainly didn't, but they were not having much "puck luck" in the first few games (due to hot goalies, or simply hitting posts and cross bars, pucks jumping off sticks, etc.), but the scoring is starting to come around, while the overall defense/PK/goaltending is better, so they should be fine.
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Biro earned his shot. He was a captain of his college team (so presumably has good leadership and character), is putting up more than point per game in the AHL this season and is just under a point per game in his entire AHL career, plus, according to Sabrespace, he had a good training camp this season.
All that said, his callup surprises me a little bit, given how much more highly touted some of the other prospects are. I assume that Biro has, at present, a higher floor, but a much lower ceiling.
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I was thinking the same thing as the earlier post saying they were not ready to throw in the towel yet on Krebs, and compared him to Casey Mittelstadt. Krebs is only 22, and I think Casey was in a similar spot at age 22 (2 years ago). First round draft pick who has played in the AHL and NHL, has shown out in spurts, but has not played at a consistent high level. Casey has developed into a very good NHL player and Krebs could follow a similar development plan. He has the skillset and he has the effort (I like his grit - a smaller guy, but not afraid to mix it up and drop the gloves), but he just hasn't put it all together on a regular basis.
That said, I do agree with what's been said earlier in the thread - the Sabres have several strong forward prospects in the system, so if another one is developing at a faster pace than Krebs and is ready, it wouldn't be the worst thing to move on from Krebs in favor of the other prospect. When he came to Buffalo, things were still pretty bleak, but Krebs (and Tuch) embraced the move and have been part of the turnaround. He seems like a good kid, so I would like to see him become a consistently good NHL player in Buffalo or elsewhere.
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For all the criticism the kid has taken on this board, he showed up yesterday. If he didn't slam the door early, the Sabres would have fallen behind 1-0 or 2-0 and likely lost the game to fall to 3 games below .500. He may not be the second coming of Ken Dryden, but maybe if given the chance to develop, he can become a solid NHL goalie. Some players take more time to develop than others, particularly goalies. Are their exceptions - sure. Levi may be NHL ready right out of college at age 21. But some goalies take some time and don't hit their stride until their late 20's. UPL/6K is only 24 and has had some bad breaks with injuries and not being given much time in the minors to develop. Maybe he'll make it, maybe not. Last night gives some hope on the maybe side.
An interesting side note is the development of Jonas Johansson, who the Sabres drafted and developed, then gave up on somewhat early, trading him to Colorado for a 6th round pick. Granted, he was going to be a free agent and may have left the organization due to UPL & Portillo being in the pipeline at the time (not sure if Levi was acquired by then). Both Johansson are European goalies drafted by the Sabres, and both are 6'5", with Jonas being listed at 219 lbs. and UPL at 217 pounds. There are many similarities. In any event, after bouncing around the league a bit, Johansson is 28 and playing great hockey as Tampa's starting goalie while Vasilevskiy is out injured. He had back to back shutouts in his last 2 starts. Ironically, he did lose to the Sabres a couple of weeks ago, but he's playing well overall. I cite Johansson as an example of a goalie who has some similarities to UPL and needed a few years to figure it out. Jonas was awful in his starts as a Sabre, has been hit and miss since then, but seems to have found his game. It will be interesting to see how he continues to develop, and, of course, how UPL continues to develop.
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Hulu telecasts
in The Aud Club
Posted · Edited by msw2112
Do you have Hulu? I know that if you subscribe to both, you definitely get the Hulu/ESPN+ exclusive games, but I'm not sure if you get them if you only subscribe to ESPN+ and not Hulu. This only impacts a handful of games a year (maybe 6 to 😎 that are identified as "Hulu" games. Tonight's game is one of them.
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I logged into my ESPN+ account and saw this, so I think that I will get it, even without Hulu.
My guess is that Hulu subscribers who do NOT have ESPN+ will only get these select games, but as long as you have ESPN+, you will get all of the games (except for the NHL Network and TNT games). I will confirm later.