GDT Sabres Season Opener: Sens @ Sabres 10/13/2022, 7pm, MSG, ESPN+, RDS, WGR

[PromoTheRobot]

1 minute ago, SDS said:

What was said that couldn't be said in watching the 7 min game recaps on yahoo?

He seemed to get ebb and flow of the Sabres game. Not sure if watching a recap does the same.

[SDS]

Just now, inkman said:

I was told grapefruit, not sacks of flour.

[K-9]

6 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

How does that guy watch every game?

[SDS]

2 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

He seemed to get ebb and flow of the Sabres game. Not sure if watching a recap does the same.

I watched and it felt like he read an AP post-game report coupled with some chronological listing of events. I wanted my time back for that, as I already watched the game.

[Curt]

Lots of complaints about sloppiness, turnovers and defensive miscues.  That’s pretty standard for the first month of the NHL season league wide. Teams often don’t have their systems fine tuned and the games are a little more open.

It should get better with more reps.

[GoPuckYourself]

Great win for us out of the gate.

Anderson was our saving grace in this 1, he was unbelievable.

I feel the same about Middlestadt as I've felt last season, gives the puck away too much, not fast, not tough imo. But it's only game 1 so hears to hope.

Jokiharju Is terrible at everything. I'm almost to the point where I think we should sit him that's how bad he is.

Power was definitely shaky at best but he's still young and he might have that I need to do everything mentality right now.

Samuelsson, Tuch, Cozens and Lybushkin are our only tough players, most others seemed to get knocked around fairly easy,

I didn't notice Thompson out there most of the time, that's never a good thing but again way too early.

Congrats to Peterka, hopefully that's 1 of many goals he gets.

All in all I thought we were rusty at first and took us the period to get our legs back, that Peterka line was on fire and if Anderson can give us this type of play throughout the year then we're golden but at 42? that's alot to ask. 

 

 

[Taro T]

Thoughts on the game & in rink experience in no particular order.  (Well, rink experience 1st.)

PITA connecting up to the WiFi entering the building.  Probably took 5 minutes to finally get on it.  (Wouldn't be a big deal except tix are on the device that uses the WiFi.  Grrr.)  Others were also having the issue.

Remember to take your game day program coupon to Moe's for 50% off an entree thanks to Dahlin's goal.  Minor problem.  They didn't give out programs for the game.  D'oh.

They really didn't need to ramp up the PA system's volume to an 11.  With makeshift earplugs in, it was still louder than the Nick Mason concert last Su day.

Not sure why, but the shot clocks apparently used gray #'s on a gray background.  Had no idea how many shots were taken until they told us Anderson had made 35 saves when he came out as the 1st star.

They finally had most of the garbage cans in the 300 level not sticking out into the aisle ways.   When they stick out, they make passage almost impossible.  Especially in the 1st intermission.  Not sure why, but EVERYBODY leaves the seating bowl at the 1st intermission.

Instead of Rick James "Give It To Me Baby," the song played after the W as the crowd cleared out was the Goo Goo Dolls' "Broadway."  Hopefully we find out Saturday if that is this year's thing.

As for the game ...

It was obvious this was the 1st game for both teams.  LOTS of missed passes.  Wonder if there was an event in the rink the night before because the ice seemed bad.  Lots of guys falling down & lots of bouncing pucks.

Anderson came to play.  Counting partial breakaways, believe he faced 7 and stopped them all.  Definitely deserved the 1st star.

Granato seemed to not care about line matching at least in the 1st & the 3rd.  The Otters coach was rolling his lines out late & seemed to be doing what he could to have Tkachuk's line against Cozens in the 1st.  He got that matchup at least 3 times in the 1st & got a goal from it & nearly a 2nd but Power & Krebs combined to get a rebound out of harms way.  Never saw Tkachuk's line vs Cozens in the 2nd (might've been a function of all the Otter PPs) but it happened a few times in the 3rd again.  

Seemed the Norris line was usually against Thompson's line.

Power had his weakest game as a Sabre but wasn't bad & seemed to settle down as the game went on.

Overall thought the Sabres outplayed the Otters, but the Otters didn't give up 97 breakaways unlike their opponents, so let's call it a draw.

Dahlin seemed just a tad off most all game.  His passes were just missing the mark & guys were missing him by 1/2 a mile.  The shift he scored on, he's been involved in at least 4 errant passes before that incredible effort & it seemed he'd simply decided enough of this ####, let's make something happen & he did.  Simply incredible.

Krebs was a turnover machine most of the game, but he got the puck back to Dahlin on the goal & that was a glimpse of what he can be once he finally figures out what can get by an NHL D-man & what can't.

Quinn looked like he did in the AHL playoffs, but expect he'll come around.  Just needs to get used to these guys being a bit bigger & faster than what he's used to.  Expect he'll figure it out sooner than later.  Mitts & Tuch we're working hard.

Liked the Asplund line.  Solid effort.

The PK was great.  Samuelsson & Lyubushkin are definitely the 1st pair & Cozens & Asplund the 1st F pair w/ Mitts & Tuch the 2nd.  Hopefully they can continue using those young legs to let Okposo & Girgensons stay fresh for 5v5.  [Edit:  Girgensons took the 1st 1/2 of the 5v3 & Thompson & his long reach finished it out.]

Lyubushkin brings a mean this D hasn't had in quite some time but he'll take himself out of the play a bit & will end up w/ dumb penalties like his interference call.

Bryson looked better than remembered, but he did get out muscled on 2-3 occassions.

Granato didn't mess w/ the lines much except to get guys on the ice after PKs/PPs.  But Quinn was bumped from the Mitts line to get VO his goals at the end.

Both PPs were bad (PP1 was beyond bad).  The stupid drop pass to the trailer forcing EVERYBODY else to be standing still at the blue line doesn't work w/out an Eichel.  Once they started dumping it in they actually started to gain in zone possession.  (And that isn't an ideal entry either.)

Cozens & Peterka worked well together.  Liked Cozens' game in the 1st & after the beautiful set up got JJ his 1st NHL goal really liked the confidence JJ played with.  Though had he actually shot the puck the next time he was in front of the net might've had another one.

Didn't think the Thompson line played bad, but Norris - DeBrincat - & Stutzle is a very good line & they were normally out against them.  And late in the 1st we saw why Skinner chose the goal song he did as his dancing had the D-man tied I knots & should've drawn a penalty at minimum.

Seemed everybody was working hard, but as said earlier, REALLY sloppy game.  They have to clean stuff up or tomorrow's game could be ugly.

Fun game to be at.  Seemed to go quickly once they finally got through all the pregame ceremonies.

Edited October 14, 2022 by Taro T
"muscled" not "us led"

[SDS]

2 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Instead of Rick James "Give It To Me Baby," the song played after the W as the crowd cleared out was the Goo Goo Dolls' "Broadway."  Hopefully we find out Saturday if that is this year's thing.

That's a weird song. It's not very uplifting, not that the GGD catalog is filled with hope and inspiration. If you are going with a GGD sing-a-long hit, Iris is the choice there.

[Taro T]

44 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

I didn't go, but did see the entire program on the feed I had.

I found it a bit cringe-inducing. What was the reaction re the timing to which you refer?

I will add: I went to the Bills home opener and there was a tribute and program devoted to the same incident and issues. Bruce Smith was the focal point and dude was PREACHING. I did not find that program awkward or weird. I have some ideas on why that might be, not the least of which is that Bruce was given the mic, there were dozens of black people on the field getting ready to play the game, and there was a goodly number of black fans in the stands (including the Chefs!). My mother's a bleeding heart liberal who tends to cluck her tongue at things like pro football, but I have told her time and again: There's no more racially integrated experience in WNY than being a Bills fan. It has a long way to go, of course, but it's something over which white and black (and brown ...) people come together in an organic way.

The NHL and the Sabres? That's a different vibe. I couldn't miss the fact that the local TV production crew regularly put a camera on the black fan sitting at the glass (in a red jersey of some kind (a swizzle stick retro?)).

I applaud the efforts. I'm just being honest about my visceral reaction.

Thought the tribute was fine.

Personally, really liked that they had the Otters & the refs too skate out to CI with the Sabres.

[JohnC]

15 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Way up over last year. That's good to see. 

The fans have been subjected to a franchise that was in disarray for a decade. They lost faith, and understandably walked away. If this was a situation where the hockey operation was professionally run, I would have been disappointed with the attendance. But like you, I was not only happy with last night's attendance but more importantly ecstatic how engaged the fans were.

Without question, last's night game was entertaining, and although the play was a bit choppy (not surprising for an opening game) the atmosphere in the arena was very lively. This was a game where the fans appreciated the play of the players and the players appreciated the involvement of the fans. This is a good sign indicating that the fans will be back this season. When trust is broken it takes time to rebuild that trust. Yesterday was a good start. 

 

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

That's a weird song. It's not very uplifting, not that the GGD catalog is filled with hope and inspiration. If you are going with a GGD sing-a-long hit, Iris is the choice there.

Don't know if it was a 1 off or if it'll be a thing this year.  Slightly odd choice, but it's a decent song.  The Rick James tune was a good choice IMHO.

Considering the tribute prior to the game found it slightly strange that Rick James was replaced by the Goos last night.

[SDS]

Just now, Taro T said:

Don't know if it was a 1 off or if it'll be a thing this year.  Slightly odd choice, but it's a decent song.  The Rick James tune was a good choice IMHO.

Considering the tribute prior to the game found it slightly strange that Rick James was replaced by the Goos last night.

There is nothing wrong about the song per se, but it's a bleak portrait of song's subject from our hometown band. "See the young man sitting at the old man's bar waiting for his turn to die" is a weird-ass message after a win.

[Taro T]

One other thing about the in game presentation.  The ads & spiels from the PA announcer, RJ & the rink girl (can't think of her name at present) are now being closed captioned on the upper ribbon board in the corners of the rink.  

Guess they figure after they deafen everyone then they'll still be able to communicate w/ their patrons.  😉

 

[Mustache of God]

1 hour ago, spndnchz said:

They could turn the down the music a bit.  It made my head hurt.

It wasn't just me thinking that they had it turned up to 11. When they switched from the PA to to the live band I could barely hear that music.

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

There is nothing wrong about the song per se, but it's a bleak portrait of song's subject from our hometown band. "See the young man sitting at the old man's bar waiting for his turn to die" is a weird-ass message after a win.

Thus the "slightly odd choice" comment.  😉

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, nfreeman said:

I agree with most of this except for your observations on Power, Joki and Mitts.  As I mentioned upthread I thought Power was shaky for most of the game and Joki was solid.  Despite being a longtime Mitts skeptic, I also thought that was maybe the best I've ever seen Mitts look, and I think he's going to have a pretty good season.

I'm already looking forward to tomorrow.

I have this feeling there's going to be disagreements on Mitts all season. Some people saw him as good while I (and some others) saw him as skating fast (when he wasn't tripping on his own skates) but missing opportunities and passes. Some sort of whirling dervish but ultimately ineffective and often out of position. IDK, give it more time and see how it unfolds. His line starts scoring some goals and I might be convinced to change my mind. 

At the moment however, I think the Thompson line isn't as good without Tuch and Tuch with Mitts don't have the chemistry yet. maybe they will develop it, but at the moment it doesn't work imo. 

[nfreeman]

2 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I have this feeling there's going to be disagreements on Mitts all season. Some people saw him as good while I (and some others) saw him as skating fast (when he wasn't tripping on his own skates) but missing opportunities and passes. Some sort of whirling dervish but ultimately ineffective and often out of position. IDK, give it more time and see how it unfolds. His line starts scoring some goals and I might be convinced to change my mind. 

At the moment however, I think the Thompson line isn't as good without Tuch and Tuch with Mitts don't have the chemistry yet. maybe they will develop it, but at the moment it doesn't work imo. 

Interesting.  I am of the opinion that Mitts is actually a pretty mediocre skater -- i.e. not quick in small spaces and not particularly fast when he gets going.  However, last night he looked to me much more poised, thinking the game better and making better decisions and more accurate passes than ever (recognizing that there is much room for improvement among the entire team, including him).  He also looked to me like he's in the best physical condition of his career.

I agree about Tuch and the lines.  It's too soon for panic but if TT and Skinner look lousy again tomorrow I'll be ready for Tuch to move back to their line.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Interesting you mention that.  Granato said post-game specifically that they hadn't shown the guys any post-game video in the preseason because there was no point to it when it wasn't against NHLers.  But that they would be reviewing a lot of stuff from this game with everybody.

I heard that. It's why I made that remark.

#GranatoShill

[Norcal]

Mitts looks like a guy who is gaining confidence on the ice. 

He could turn in some highlight plays this season. 

[inkman]

1 hour ago, SDS said:

I was told grapefruit, not sacks of flour.

At my age, grapefruit, sacks of flour, saddle bags, I’ll take anything. 

[Norcal]

Girgensons had a ton of chances in this game 

[Zamboni]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Nowhere near that few in the building.  The place holds close to 19,000 (the exact # seems to change every couple of years depending on whether/how many seats they need to block off to be ADA compliant; thanks Larry) & there was absolutely no way the building was 1/3 empty.  Expect there were at least 14,000 in the building, likely 14,500.

OK, agree to disagree. I have been going to games for decades just like you have. I really don’t think it was anywhere near 14,000. No big deal.

[SDS]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Nowhere near that few in the building.  The place holds close to 19,000 (the exact # seems to change every couple of years depending on whether/how many seats they need to block off to be ADA compliant; thanks Larry) & there was absolutely no way the building was 1/3 empty.  Expect there were at least 14,000 in the building, likely 14,500.

I was also told 75% full.

[DarthEbriate]

4 hours ago, Doohickie said:

Ullmark was not a regular NHLer in 15-16.  He played more for the Amerks.

True, but he got into 20 games because of injury and posted a .913. He was sliding out of position and flopping a bit too much, but as far as rookie potential he was looking like a future 1B type then.

[Sidc3000]

3 hours ago, Spoonman said:

Here is Meatballs: https://21143.mc.tritondigital.com/OMNY_SABRESHOCKEY_P/media-session/893b1665-a2d1-49e3-bfc6-77f49b172141/d/clips/4b5f9d6d-9214-48cb-8455-a73200038129/5f47c5fb-d9f1-4f87-adb1-a92b003718e7/69a9cdc1-8f3c-4475-8d1b-af2e00308cee/audio/direct/t1665716248/10-13_Don_Granato_Postgame.mp3?t=1665716248

go to Podcasts on Audacy. Sabres, then DG

Picture please!

Thanks but I’d like the full post game from beginning to end. I haven’t looked this afternoon but I couldn’t find the whole post game program this morning