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Berg

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Posts posted by Berg

  1. Off-season Game Plan 2024

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    On 4/16/2024 at 9:50 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

    In Goal.  This might be the most interesting decisions to watch.  How much and how long do they re-sign UPL and whether they add a vet in order to leave Levi in Rochester another year (option A) or do they anoint (again) Levi as a NHL goalie in tandem with UPL (option B).  I suspect KA will go with option B.

    "Plan B" will cost us another year without playoffs...

  12. Worst trades in Sabres history?

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

    The Sabres have acquired many "stars" in trade.  Hasek, Satan, Briere, Drury, ROR, and Skinner to name 6.

    The worst trade the Sabres made in recent history was trading McNabb and 2 2nd rd picks for Fasching and Deslauriers.  Fasching never made the Sabres, Deslauriers was a briefly useful 4th line player and all McNabb has done is be a steady stay-at-home D for the last decade who is having a breakout offensive year this season.  Also one of the 2 2nd rd picks became Eric Cernak.  All Cernak has done is become a steady physical stay-at-home D for TB getting top 4 minutes.  Well done TM.

     

    Some teams get this number of "stars" in 1 or 2 years not in 20 years like Sabres 

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  15. Could the Sabres be even younger next year? Projected Roster for 2024-25.

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    On 12/28/2023 at 10:28 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

    Here is what should happen with this roster if our GM is truly serious about winning.

    Forwards

    Benson TNT Tuch

    JJP Cozens Quinn

    Mitts ???? Skinner

    ????  ???? Greenway

    Defense

    Dahlin ????

    Power Ryan Johnson

    Mule Clifton

    Goalies

    Levi Veteran??

    I think there are 5 slots that should be filled with outside talent:  Veteran Goalie, 3rd line center, 4th line center, a 4th line winger, and a top 4 D.

    Admittedly bringing in that many established players would probably blow KA’s budget.  In addition, at least one of top 3 forward prospects will make the team.  It will be easier to incorporate one of the kids by moving Mitts to center and opening a winger slot for the rookie. I can see at least one of the 3 top forwards prospects being included in a trade to get a top 4 D.

    Sabres GM is too stupid to make such decisions..

  19. In December and your team is failing - Adams Do Something Substantive Already!

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    15 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

    Issues:

    1) Continued bad goaltending - 12 goals allowed in the last two games.  The combo of Comrie and Levi allowed 7 goals 4 games ago against NJ helping Levi earn his demotion to the AHL.

    2) Failing forward group - Yes there are a couple of injuries, but only one relevant one and that's to TNT.  The truth is the group with few exceptions (Mitts and Tuch) don't back check.  The team, outside of the Rangers game, isn't attacking with speed like they did last year.  This team's forward depth is also a problem.  The effective 4th line from last year has been awful all year.  Jost adds nothing.  VO has had 4 good games, the rest not to much.  Greenway looks distracted and uninterested.    All this has sent the forward depth into the crapper.  Adding an undersized and physically lacking 18 year old is not adding quality depth at this point even if he occasionally makes a spectacular play.

    3) Coaching - The message has been lost on the players since they aren't executing what they did well last year (Scoring and PP) and aren't improving on what they did poorly last year (Back checking).  

    How do you start to fix this mess?  It's going to take at least 3 acquisitions

    1) Go get a legit 2 way 3rd line center.  

    2) Get another physical forward for the energy line

    3) Get a real goalie

    While the goalie need is obvious, the center need is less apparent.  TNT and Mitts are the top 2 centers.  Cozens is having a terrible time recovering his game after his injury and has become a liability in the middle.  Get a center who can win a draw, contribute some offense and allow Cozens to move to wing and we'll be much better off. 

    The lineup could eventually look like with

    Skinner TNT Quinn

    JJP Mitts Tuch

    Benson ???? Cozens

    Greenway Krebs ???? (KO)

    Two center ideas - Adam Henrique and Sean Monahan - both are pending UFAs, both are vets, both are good in the PF circle and both can still add some O. Ana would have to eat 40% of Henrique's contract. I also think some like Cal Clutterbuck would be a good depth option.   

    The only goalie options I see aren't great in Reimar and Allen, and both are in division.  

     

    100% true. I want you to be Sabres GM. Who was this genius who thought that we can get playoffs with Levi, UPL and without true NHL goalie.

  21. IT'S GAME DAY: Buffalo Sabres (9-9-2) @ New Jersey Devils (8-9-1) Sat 7pm MSG, ESPN+

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:

    Rosen and Kulich play all season together on the same line but Donny splits them up, because…the risk of two rookies on one line trumps the chemistry these two have built all season?  Meatballs should be working at @Wyldnwoody44 birthday bash.  He’s a next level mixologist.  Consistency Don!!! 
     

    It was 100% tactical lose...No game picture at all..

  22. Penguins (9-9-0) @ Sabres (8-9-2) Black Friday 6pm TNT

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    11 hours ago, Taro T said:

    Didn't read the rest of the thread, so apologies if any of this is redundant.

    Missed prior to the 1st TV timeout because the electronic ticket wouldn't load right and it took them from before the anthems until just before the TV timeout to get me an actual paper ticket.  - Ain't technology grand.  🤪

    Though they weren't scoring in the 1st 40, they seemed overall to be playing the Pens pretty evenly.  It seemed every D-man wanted to hit Nylander.  Good.  F' that guy.

    UPL had by far his best game.  He looked the calmest and most in control that he has.  With 2 horribly horrific exceptions, that the D were actually helping him see to the puck and to keep Pens from being able to get backdoor chances was no doubt a part of him being so settled in, but he played really well and deserved another SO.  

    No idea what Dahlin was thinking getting out of the way of the Crosby shot.  (It was very reminiscent of Power getting out of the way of the shot the other night in Winnipeg.)  Sure, try to get out of the goalie's way BEFORE the shot is taken, so he can see it leave the shooter's stick and track it way better; but if you're setting a screen DON'T then jump out of the way.

    Have even less of an idea what he was thinking on the 2nd goal against.  (THAT was very reminiscent of the 4th Bruin goal when Power sent the puck out front to the B's.)  Nothing the goalie can do when his D are setting the opponents up in the slot.

    After that though, Dahlin settled down in the 3rd and played very well the last 20.  (After having some other iffy moments in the 1st 40.)

    But the biggest difference in the end of this game and many others they've played this year is when with ~3-1/2 minutes left to play and the puck got behind UPL after they'd battled back to tie it, his D both kept the Pen that would've had an open net tap in away from the puck and they cleared it too.  Which gave Skinner and Tuch the opportunity to get the go ahead goal.  And then after that, they NEVER let the Pens control the puck in their own end the rest of the way.  Hoping they all pay attention to the way they played the last 200-230 seconds, because they played the sort of hockey that even @PerreaultForever can get behind.  It was awesome to be there for that.

    Speaking of which, it was IIRC the 2nd sellout of the season (maybe it was the 1st; not positive if the opener vs the Rags was sold out or just close) and the team left those in attenance leaving with a good taste in their mouths.  And, it seems that for the 1st time, the Sabres policy of not selling tix to those from unsavory Zip Codes finally worked.  The crowd was probably 3/4 Sabres fans AND the building was full.  

    And, except for Ryan Johnson and possibly Tyson Jost, every player that was still healthy at game's end took part in those final 3+ minutes.  Benson just missed a shot wide.  Cozens with the hustle to get the icing waived off and get Karlsson to give his best Pittsburgh Stealer imitation.  

    Glad they decided to call Peterka for a 4 minute HS rather than just a 2 minute one because they couldn't have reviewed the call.  Also glad they actually did the right thing and took that penalty off the board.  If he hadn't been checked in the head by Letang (the name of which means 'the Tang' in French 😉 ) his stick never would've come up.  And were it anyone other than Letang making that hit, he probably would've been called and would be looking forward to a call from the head of player discipline; but it's Letang so the league will look the other way.

    Something still seems to be wrong with Samuelsson.  Pretty sure he had the turnover that led to Crosby's goal and something just seems "off" with him.  Can't really put a finger on it.  And maybe that had Dahlin off slightly in the 1st 1/2 of the game.  Ras definitely picked his play up in the 3rd.

    Clifton was hitting everything in sight (especially when it had an 11 on its back) and only had a couple of oopsies.

    Both Johnsons are very settled.  Not at all surprising Erik is; kind of surprising how settled Ryan is.  But Granato does seem to be giving him opportunities to succeed.

    Jokiharju wasn't noticed much on the ice tonight which is a good thing.  Power still is having rougher stretches than would like to see; but he might've been the D-man that had UPL's back to save the night.

    Still not a fan of Skinner on the top PP unit (his passing kills so many chances) but that goal of his on the PP was massive.  (And he'll never get moved from the top unit, so guess it is what it is.)  Really bad penalty by Geno set that one up.  He had a couple of other huge gaffes in the 3rd that helped the Sabres have the opportunity for the comeback and to actually comeback.  Probably should've been one of the 3 stars as he was instrumental in the Sabres victory.

    As was whichever D-man tipped Okposo's pass to Krebs into the net.  Nice to see that the Sabres opponent can do that occassionally too.    Thought that line had its best game of the year prior to Girgensons getting hurt.  Have no idea what happened to Z; just knew he wasn't there in the 3rd.

    Maybe Cozens relates well to players that are younger than him.  He was playing well between Peterka and Benson.  And that line was working pretty well.  Wouldn't mind seeing them stay together for a few games to see if the 3 can generate some serious chemistry.

    The Mittelstadt line, in the 1st 2 periods got a ton of scoring chances but it seemed they could never get the puck actually on net.  And then Tuch got robbed early in the 3rd.  Couldn't figure out why Skinner didn't go hard to the net on that play watching it live, but then saw that he needed to pretty much come to a stop to keep from having the D-man crossing end up taking his head off.

    Jost was solid.  Olofsson was OK too, though still not sure how he didn't connect w/ a puck that got past him at the side of the net in the 2nd.  Thought that one was going to be buried.

    Granato was saying they almost called a F up from Ra-cha-cha today when Greenway was questionable and now with no update on Girgensons until tomorrow, they likely will bring somebody up.  Expecting they'll use an emergency recall for that as they will only have 10 or 11 healthy F's on the roster.  Will be interesting if they send a D or a G down or if they do use the emergency callup.  Will also be interesting to see who gets the callup.  Expecting it'll be Kulich, but we shall see.

    Also will be interesting to see which of the 3 goalies get the nod tomorrow in Joisey.  IF they play in front of that one the way they played in front of UPL tonight, would be a great thing to see.

    20 games - 20 points.  5-5-0 at home; 4-4-2 on the road.  Need to find a way to make up the 4 missing points somehow over these next 62 games and also a way to start generally going at least 6-4-0 over the next 10.  Points in 3 straight games.  Let's keep it up, boys!

    As I said UPL  for now is the best our goalie. He saved another game.

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