GDT - Montréal at Buffalo - November 26, 2021 - 7:00 PM EST - MSG and WGR

[Flashsabre]

Hayden physically resembles Eichel out there, especially the old #15. Even his skating style at times looks similar.

When he is on the ice I like to squint my eyes and tell myself that Eichel is really defecating the bed this season for the Sabres.😜🤣

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

Hayden physically resembles Eichel out there, especially the old #15. Even his skating style at times looks similar.

When he is on the ice I like to squint my eyes and tell myself that Eichel is really defecating the bed this season for the Sabres.😜🤣

Ya, same! 

[woods-racer]

15 hours ago, The Ghost of Doohickie said:

Montréal is still pretty terrible, so I have to say that this is actually a must win game for the Sabres.

MUST WIN!!

GO SABRES!!

@The Ghost of Doohickie(tGoD) is on a roll. May  his ghost mojo start another thread and let the winning continue! 

[Norcal]

Skinner had himself a nice game on both ends besides the fanned pass turnover that led to a Montreal goal and the fact he still can't finish

Murray didn't look like he doesn't belong and played pretty well too

Loved the lineup changes

Tage is a rockstar...this season

Every line had good chances

Eakin keeps playing much better than last year

I didn't even know Drouin and Caufield were in the game until I caught the lineups at the start of the third

Good win. Good Toker tonight

 

 

Gallagher still deserves a beating 

[nfreeman]

2 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

Except he'll price himself out of our Effective, Efficient, and Economical structure. 🍺😇

But KA already locked TT up on a cheapo 3-year deal!

Separately:  fun game.

I’m pretty sure Joe Dirt’s goal song is “B-b-b-baby you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I’ll say it:  TT is a legit NHL goal-scorer.

[sabremike]

Here's video of the play leading to the second Tage goal:

 

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

It looks a little fuller at the game tonight.  
 

anyone know the attendance?  

 

Would say probably ~4,500.  Second most of the ones yours truly was at.  Except for some of the 200's everything seemed  nearly 1/4 full.  

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

Yeesh Montreal looks bad. And that team nearly got a cup last year. Goes to show what the stars aligning can do 

Also shows you how much difference a great goalie can make.

They are missing many key people from that team and some of their kids have taken the not that unusual step backwards. 

[Randall Flagg]

Tage deserves a much better apology from me than I'm currently capable of composing. The crow is delicious. Kudos to him for working his ass off and never complaining despite having fifteen valid things to complain about potentially derailing or crushing him,including unfair and dismissive treatment from people like me. And same to Kevyn for believing in him and showing him the faith that helped him grow 

[dudacek]

That was the most NHL Brett Murray has resembled AHL Brett Murray. He had a presence.

If you don’t allow shooters time to pick their spots Toker will hold his own. He tracks well, battles and controls his rebounds. He just shows way too much space when they get ckean looks.

I swear I have seen Jeff Skinner make more good passes in 10 games with Thompson than he did all season with Eichel.

16 NHL players have 10 goals. Tage is one of them. It feels like every one of his goals was earned.

Cody Eakin’s best game as a Sabre?

His been solid all season, but a few times this year Kyle has reminded me of how good a player he was before he came to Buffalo, I think he’s been my favourite player this year.

Wasnt the best night for the other two pairs, but Bryson and Jokiharju looked good. Henri has been an asset.

Habs folded up their tents when the Sabres scored their 3rd. It was a noticeable contrast to the way the Sabres haven’t really done that. Montreal looks really bad in their own zone. What’s happened to Jeff Petry?

Needed that one.

[PASabreFan]

Rick was so Rick.

He shouldn't retire.

22 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

The thread title is so fantastic. This is the first GDT I've been encouraged by.

Sabres win tonight. Lock it down and up. Throw away the key.

That's right.

This season will turn on accent marks and hubris.

[PromoTheRobot]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Also shows you how much difference a great goalie can make.

They are missing many key people from that team and some of their kids have taken the not that unusual step backwards. 

And a little defense too. The Sabres did not allow the Habs many extended possessions in our end or odd man rushes. Toker didn't have to stand on his head. Made the first save and covered the rebound. Boring yet efficient.

[JohnC]

My observations are very similar to @Norcal and @dudacek's observations. This is one of the best games I have seen Skinner play from an all-around game. He made some nifty passes that contributed to Tage scores. And what is even more appreciated is his consistent effort along the boards and tracking his man. There has been a lot less floating and a lot more play within his unit. (Coaching matters.)

And repeating what others observed in this game I liked the play of Eakin. He's possibly our most tenacious player. It took a year to understand why he was signed.  

The time off due to injury didn't seem to hurt Joki's game. I thought he was our best defenseman in this game. He logged a lot of minutes. He's not a flashy player so much as an efficient player.

When the Sabres get good goaltending without the soft goal mishaps this team can keep up with the opposition even against the more talented teams. Tok was very efficient and I thought the defense played well around him. 

If you are a Sabre fan you are not in a position to disparage any other team. But Montreal was very lackluster. It seems as if their players are just going through the motions. They already look like a demoralized team.

A win against Detroit would be big especially when the next game is against Seattle. It would be terrific to string some wins together. 

 

[Pimlach]

9 hours ago, Taro T said:

Would say probably ~4,500.  Second most of the ones yours truly was at.  Except for some of the 200's everything seemed  nearly 1/4 full.  

I thought most game attendance had been  6500 to 7000?   Was hoping to hear 9,000. 
 

 

[woods-racer]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

I thought most game attendance had been  6500 to 7000?   Was hoping to hear 9,000. 
 

 

Rick made multiple comments on how enthusiastic the crowd was. 4500 there enjoying and cheering is better for the Sabres players than 9000 sitting on their hands. Baby steps. 

[PASabreFan]

4 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I thought most game attendance had been  6500 to 7000?   Was hoping to hear 9,000. 
 

 

He's counting fannies, as he is wont to do.

1 minute ago, woods-racer said:

Rick made multiple comments on how enthusiastic the crowd was. 4500 there enjoying and cheering is better for the Sabres players than 9000 sitting on their hands. Baby steps. 

FWIW, it was a very weak celebratory SO at the end. Started with about 15 seconds left, which is very late. And it was tepid. People are weary, I'm afraid.

[inkman]

11 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Hayden physically resembles Eichel out there, especially the old #15. Even his skating style at times looks similar.

When he is on the ice I like to squint my eyes and tell myself that Eichel is really defecating the bed this season for the Sabres.😜🤣

Until this post, I haven’t thought about that dude for one second after the trade.  He gone.  I’ve moved on. 

[Doohickie]

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I thought most game attendance had been  6500 to 7000?   Was hoping to hear 9,000. 
 

 

That 8,000 or so is paid tix.  My estimates have been of actual in seat attendance.

There were about 6,500 ST's sold.  So, there have been about 500-1,500 single ticket sales each game. Which is where the 7-8,000-ish attendance #'s come from.

Pretty sure actual attendance hasn't topped 5,000 this year.  (Would put (a very small amount of) money on them not having exceeded 6,000 to date (w/ the possible exception of TO that I didn't go to).

[JohnC]

What's apparent is that the label that Olofsson is basically only a PP scorer and spot shooter no longer applies. He's become a full-length player who is developing a well-rounded two-way game that includes good passing. He made one pass to Tage that gave him a gaping open area to score on. Another young player that I'm impressed with is Asplund. He's become a solid NHL player and one of our most consistent players. There is little flash in his fundamentally sound game. I'm hoping that when Mitts gets back he continues on with the progression in his game like these other young players. 

As @dudacek and others have stated not only is Okposa is currently one of our better players but he is also a positive influence on the youngsters. He's embracing a mentoring role  that not all veteran players are keen on doing. He's classy leader and person. There isn't a player I admire more on this team than  him.  

[Weave]

23 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What's apparent is that the label that Olofsson is basically only a PP scorer and spot shooter no longer applies. He's become a full-length player who is developing a well-rounded two-way game that includes good passing. He made one pass to Tage that gave him a gaping open area to score on. Another young player that I'm impressed with is Asplund. He's become a solid NHL player and one of our most consistent players. There is little flash in his fundamentally sound game. I'm hoping that when Mitts gets back he continues on with the progression in his game like these other young players. 

As @dudacek and others have stated not only is Okposa is currently one of our better players but he is also a positive influence on the youngsters. He's embracing a mentoring role  that not all veteran players are keen on doing. He's classy leader and person. There isn't a player I admire more on this team than  him.  

Gotta love KO's enthusiasm.  Hopefully it is infectious.

[inkman]

4 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

He's counting fannies, as he is wont to do.

FWIW, it was a very weak celebratory SO at the end. Started with about 15 seconds left, which is very late. And it was tepid. People are weary, I'm afraid.

SO= shoot out in hockey 

[Doohickie]

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

Olofsson is basically only a PP scorer and spot shooter

Dude, that is so 2019-20  😉

1 hour ago, inkman said:

SO= shoot out in hockey 

or Standing Ovation.  Both work.

[Thorny]

On 11/26/2021 at 10:16 AM, dudacek said:

And ^^^

Their record and their play overall is entirely where we expected it to be.

But there is a floor in terms of enduring the valleys, and we're nearing it.

chef's kiss type call here, should be called to note

[inkman]

2 hours ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

Dude, that is so 2019-20  😉

or Standing Ovation.  Both work.

I will never think of standing ovation when the letters S and O are combined together, capitalized and used in a hockey forum.