K012010

This is really damaging to our playoff push

Goalie let in goal! Goalie bad! Get new goalie! That’s quite the argument you’re making here. You should be sure to pass that along to management this off-season.

I’ve definitely acknowledged that he hasn’t been consistent this year. I think that there needs to be some serious consideration for what it does to a goaltender psychologically to play with a team this bad in front of him. This inconsistent. We can’t pretend that there’s not an organizational issue here where good young players go elsewhere and thrive. That there’s a problem here ruining our players psychologically. Why wouldn’t we extend that to UPL? I’m simply opening up a discussion about the why not about the what. He absolutely has not been good enough. But I have absolutely zero issue with him right now. Because this organization needs to seriously revamp this team going into next season with UPL and Levi goaltending is not on my list of concerns. The other aspects of this team need to be shored up first. Watch what happens to UPL and Levi when there is some competence in front of them on a nightly basis.

Yeah, that’s what I said, bud. Go back to shouting at the TV because the players aren’t doing what you want them to do. That’s obviously all you’re capable of.

Yeah, that’s what I thought. That’s the extent of your ability to break down the situation. Because it’s so much easier just to say “he stinks!!!” at the TV lol

Who wouldn’t get rattled with the clown show that we have on defense out there and then also forward to don’t play both ways and barely skate. Hard like Quinn tonight. Watch UPL go to a different organization and be a top five goaltender in the NHL. And then we’ll cry about how we had him and some people ran him out.

Got it. Let’s run another great young player out of Buffalo so he can go win a Stanley Cup on another team that runs the organization with competence.

This is really where the fan base is somewhat divided on UPL. To some of us it’s crystal clear that the problem is rooted in like you said absolute clown play after clown play game after game that leave some of the best shooters in the world point blank on our goalie. To others they go to stats like that which I also agree with you don’t tell the full story at all. This fan base has a hole was singing a very different tune about a year ago regarding UPL and now every time he has a bad game, he’s a huge part of the problem. UPL is a SYMPTOM of the problem, not necessarily part of it the way that other positions on our team are. It’s ironic in my opinion to claim others of being simplistic and then bring up a stat that doesn’t show the full picture at all.

Yeah, what I’m trying to understand from fans who say this is what do you think is the reason for that? Are you not considering the fact that it’s possibly our defense being so bad that is leading to his inconsistency? That is eroding the confidence he had just as we’ve done with many other good players who have gone on to be better elsewhere? I think it’s fair to say that he is inconsistent right now. But that’s a ridiculously simplistic diagnosis for the situation. The only type of goaltender that could succeed on this Sabres team is a Hasek level player. And that’s why I’m saying that the fan base is being unfair to UPL. Ryan Miller would have a hard time with this defense in front of him.

I’m just curious, what people like you think about all of the games where UPL has legitimately shut down very good teams. There has been a decent amount at this point. You say he stinks— do you think what he has shown is not enough to build around? Are you saying he’s just too inconsistent? Or are you saying he doesn’t have the ability to be a number one goalie in this league? I’m just trying to understand what fans like you really mean by this. I just find it interesting that our fan base flip-flops on UPL so much. We have to acknowledge that our entire team is lacking. Our defense in my opinion is our worst group. There is talent there obviously, but they don’t know how to play together and they really end up being a terrible defense. When you say UPL stinks, are you factoring this in? Do you not think that could have a tremendous effect on a goalie over a whole season, multiple seasons etc? I think it would be very Sabres like for us to part ways with UPL anytime in the next three or four years and then watch him go dominate on a good team with a good defense in front of him. Our fan base just continues to punish goalies for not being Dominik Hasek or Ryan Miller. I’ve already acknowledged that UPL definitely needs to be more consistent, but imagine playing with that garbage defense in front of you on a nightly basis. He has shown that he has the ability to be a number one. The issue is figuring out where his inconsistency is really coming from. He’s also still young. It seemed that our fan base had come to a conclusion a year or so ago that UPL was indeed a number one goaltender in this league. Now he’s not? Did he forget how to play the position? Or is it more the fact that he has a garbage defense in front of him and he’s struggling to maintain the right mindset?

UPL has absolutely not been consistent this year — a lot of us think this is more on how bad the defense has been and frequently out of position they are — but I think everyone does agree that overall he has not been consistent enough. However, I constantly see people say that he never makes big saves or good saves. He does. Basically every single game he makes two or three huge saves including tonight already. Our defense is horrendous. I think it also needs to be factored in how much having such a poor defense that’s so often out of position can wear on a goalie mentally over the course of a season. As the season has gone on, he’s let in more easy goals. I think we need to give him somewhat of a break while also acknowledging that our goaltending does need to be better. I’m still very optimistic with UPL and Levi coming up. Reimer has also been a good backup.

Four. Not a typo.

Do you think Norris just felt the same spine tingles as Dylan after that first goal with the new team

Guitar or hair picks?

I don’t believe you, Callaway. I think you pregamed for hours while crunching playoff simulator numbers, made a special meal, and have your lucky Sabres sweater on. But I promise I won’t tell anyone 😉

I think it’s time to send the work horse to the glue factory

14-13 Sabres. Who needs defense?

You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t care. The more you say this, the less I believe you lol. I know you’re trying to lessen the pain, but come on… we’re the fourth worst team in the league and absolutely out of the playoffs and you’re here commenting on the teams message board haha.

Vas may be off, but some of these shots are serious snipes. I think it’s more us lighting him up tbh.

It’s actually kind of annoying when they flash their talent, showing us what they’re capable of. Though they’re obviously a bad team, and the rest of the league definitely circles them as a pretty easy W, they’re one of the more dangerous bad teams I can recall. Get smoked by the worst team one night and a couple days later rack up goals on a serious contender fighting for playoff position like it’s nothing.

Did he seriously say that haha omg no way

This team has no soul. So sad.

There was a game a few weeks ago where razor said they were focused on skating hard. And it was a good first 10 min iirc. So maybe since then?

You think goaltending is our biggest issue?

He is. He’s still very young though. Literally no reason to rush him up here considering this dumpster fire, particularly the inconsistent defense.