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GDT: Buffalo @ Colorado, 10:00 pm est, 1-20-2016

WildCard

By WildCard
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WildCard Hall of Famer

WildCard

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Anyone feel like joining the Mile High Club on this fine, Wednesday night? Because that's exactly what the Buffalo Sabres will set out to do as they look to take it to the Colorado Avalanche tonight in a match-up of the lost vs the destined. The Sabres, 4-1 in their last 5 and winners of 2 straight, will look to keep the mojo going and the conga line a-swinging as they return to the old stomping ground of ROR and Jamie McGinn.
 
Buffalo last played on Monday night in the desert, an effort that saw the Sabres kill over 10 minutes in pk time and still hold the Coyotes to 1, lonely, lonely goal. Eichel continued his 2nd half surge with 1-1-2, and Johnson is playing for his NHL life as he continues to make GMTM scratch his head. Weber has been, well, the best Weber of his career. I don't know what happened to him, but he's not only playing well, but he's actually killing it out there. Combine all of this with Bogosian losing his ###### mind and teeing off on Duclair's face like a cinderella story in the Augusta Open and Ristolainen going into, as TBJ says, "I will destroy you mode" and showing OEL exactly why balls matter on the ice, and the Sabres are starting to come together boys. Now all we need is a big cardboard poster of Kim Pegula in cheetah print and removable pieces for every win we get. 
 
The Avalanche are in the midst of a very confusing season to say the least. Currently clinging on to the last WC spot in the west, the Avalanche have had a season swirling with trade rumors and the disappointing performance of captain Gabriel Landeskog. Handcuffed by an inept front office that continues to misidentify talent and the coaching equivalent of Ted Nolan mixed with John Tortorella, the Avs need to make a playoff push and make one now if they have any hope of maintaining a shred of confidence in that core. If not, Barrie leaves, and Duchene is likely trade fodder. The Avs are coming off a 2-1 win in Winnipeg on Monday night, one that saw Varlamov stop 36 shots faced. 
 
The Sabres may see the return of Josh Gorges to the lineup; out with an UBI for the last two games, Gorges returned to a full practice on Tuesday, although he may get snubbed due to what Byslma heralded as the best defensive performance of the year against the Coyotes on Monday night. The Avs may be without defenseman Erik Johnson again; he's been on IR since January 4th
 
Varlamov will get the start, and Lehner will go for Buffalo. Grigorenko returns to the lineup for the Avs tonight specifically for this game. 
 
Game Preview 

"It feels like forever ago that I was here," O'Reilly told the Sabres website Tuesday. "It's amazing, I feel like this is the city where I turned into a man kind of, coming in so young and all the experiences I had here." O'reilly leads the Sabres with 17 goals and 39 points. Goalie Robin Lehner will make his third start of the season.

 
STATS:
All Team Rankings
Team Comparison Chart


Tuesday Practice Report

In Gorges' absence, Mike Weber has stepped up as a leader on a Buffalo penalty-kill unit that was 4-for-4 against Washington on Saturday and 5-for-5 against Arizona. All throughout the game, Weber could be seen blocking shots in front of the net or clearing rebounds before the Coyotes had a chance to strike.
 
"The last [few] games without Josh in there, he's been really the main guy on the penalty kill," Bylsma said. "I think he's got four big blocked shots for us on the penalty kill and, even better yet, there were some rebounds, there were some pucks in around on their power play and he was clearing out the front of the net in a big way."

"The fans have every right. They've got to cheer for their team and we're not with that squad anymore so it's all in good fun," McGinn said. "Watching what happened with Kaner and Bogo in Winnipeg, it was a lot of fun. It gets everyone into the game and it's intense so either way it'll be fine, I've still got to do a job out there."
 
Both players said that they enjoyed the time they spent in Colorado, but they've also both taken quite well to being in Buffalo. McGinn said he's already "fallen in love" with the city and the organization, while O'Reilly has seen new opportunities open to develop his game moving forward.
 
"I think my time in Denver was great," O'Reilly said. "I did enjoy it, obviously didn’t have the success that I felt I wanted to have, but I think it's been a great transition. I think [buffalo is] a hockey town and we have a great group of guys here and I think, obviously, having the extended contract and being here for a while and being seen as more of a leader – it's just a way for me to expand my game and grow as a player and a person."

 

Forwards:

9 Evander Kane – 90 Ryan O'Reilly – 23 Sam Reinhart

 

84 Philip Varone – 15 Jack Eichel – 88 Jamie McGinn

 

82 Marcus Foligno – 22 Johan Larsson – Brian Gionta

 

26 Matt Moulson – 59 Tim Schaller – 17 David Legwand

 

Defense:

47 Zach Bogosian – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen

 

29 Jake McCabe – 46 Cody Franson

 

6 Mike Weber – 3 Mark Pysyk

 

4 Josh Gorges – 25 Carlo Colaiacovo

 

Goalies:

40 Robin Lehner
31 Chad Johnson

 

 

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Jsixspd Second Liner

Jsixspd

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 I don't trust lehner at this point though.

 

 

Hard to put trust in a guy we've seen a whopping total of 87 minutes of TOI after more than half the season is over,  and who has spent most of the year sidelined with a self-inflicted injury - somehow managed to give himself a nearly fatal charley-horse while stretching in the crease during a break in the action in Game 1.  That takes a special kind of skill.    

 

He didn't have the most auspicious of starts with the team, and his one full game he played was a pretty 'meh' performance.  Kind of concerned about his durability.   He needs to really bring it out there, and prove himself, to stay on this roster.  

Edited by Jsixspd
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Randall Flagg Hall of Famer

Randall Flagg

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The Sabres have had a few hot stretches this season. All of them have been followed by equally bad stretches, and have lasted about as long as this recent one (4 wins in 5 games) has.

 

At this point in the season, I want to start seeing the hot streaks last a little longer and the cold streaks be a little shorter.

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Norcal All Star

Norcal

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Jet Blue had a sale on fares to Denver. Nearly went. Been looking for an excuse to check out the local, ahem, greenery.

Jet Blue had a sale on fares to Denver. Nearly went. Been looking for an excuse to check out the local, ahem, greenery.

Ahh, the other Mile High
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That Aud Smell Hall of Famer

That Aud Smell

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I know some people in this forum will argue this, but I'm really happy that our organization from top to bottom isn't a quarter as inept as the Avalanche.

 

Who are they?

 

Let them come forward and be counted. And mocked.

 

The 'Lanche are quietly one of the most poorly managed franchises in the NHL.

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Jsixspd Second Liner

Jsixspd

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Who are they?

 

Let them come forward and be counted. And mocked.

 

The 'Lanche are quietly one of the most poorly managed franchises in the NHL.

Yeah, but at least their fans have 2 Stanley Cup wins in the past 20 years to hang their hats on.  And a division pennant a couple years ago.   We got about jack squat - it's been 16 years, going on 17, since the Sabres made it to the SC finals.   

 

Reminds me of that scene in the movie "Airplane" where one of the stewardesses, thinking she's about to die, bemoans the fact she's never been married.  Moments later, another woman enters the scene and states - "At least I've been married" to the great agony of the first stewardess.   LOL.  

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Samson's Flow First Liner

Samson's Flow

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Very excited to watch my first Sabres game since getting back from my vacation in the Dominican. Apparently the team went on a big winning streak just in time for me to miss a week of watching them.  :censored:

 

Hoping to see a strong game from Lehner and continued momentum from the end of game skirmish with the Desert Dogs. Keep up the scoring guys.

 

Who are they?
 

Let them come forward and be counted. And mocked.

 

The 'Lanche are quietly one of the most poorly managed franchises in the NHL.

I don't think it's that quiet.

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That Aud Smell Hall of Famer

That Aud Smell

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Yeah, but at least their fans have 2 Stanley Cup wins in the past 20 years to hang their hats on.  And a division pennant a couple years ago.   We got about jack squat - it's been 16 years, going on 17, since the Sabres made it to the SC finals.   

 

Well, yeah. And the St. Louis Rams won a Super Bowl.

 

I know, I know. Very different issues.

 

But my point is the same: Past success is all well and good. And hooray for all that. I'm just talking about what's going on right now, and in the recent past. And Colorado is a mess. They have some good young talent, sure, but they are an organizational tire fire.

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elroy16 Prospect

elroy16

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Shots fired...

 

 

 

 

Patrick Roy calling out O'rielly for lack of leadership on Colorado radio this am. He feels trade was good for avs

 

https://twitter.com/gamet_bob/status/689837948754231296

 

 

This is my favorite response.

 

 

 

sba ‏@essbeeay  21m

The guy who threw the biggest "trade me right f-ing now" hissy fit in NHL history is a GREAT judge of leadership.

 

https://twitter.com/essbeeay/status/689853632095727616

 

 

 

 

The 10pm start kind of sucks, but I'm going to try and stick it out depending on how the game goes. I've missed the last few games, so maybe I should not watch it since they've been winning.

 

 

BTW, these GDT's are pretty awesome, thanks WildCard.

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