GDT: Capitals @ Sabres - Feb. 26, 2023, 1pm, MSG, WGR

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

Does anyone know what the attendance was? On TV it looked like a full house. 

There were less than 50 unsold tickets as of 11am.

[Doohicksie]

20 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Patrick Lalime

How did I get pulled into that convo?  I have no idea what that whole subthread is about.

[Doohicksie]

12 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

...they were in full Globetrotter on Ice mode today.

The Hinostroza goal in particular was amazing.  Just when it looked like the Caps D nullified a shot, Vinnie picks it up and taps it home.  I couldn't figure out what happened until I saw the slow replay.

[PerreaultForever]

49 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Oh heck yes. Every other broadcast show running shot totals. How freaking hard is that to incorporate into a broadcast, yet the Sabres are probably the only team in the league that doesn't. 

Dunleavy doesn't even know what's going on half the time. Watched the highlights again and it was his call and he said the Sabres scored to make it 5-3 when they scored their 5th goal. No Dan, the Caps had 2...stop trying to be like the fans and put the beer down during the matinee game...

 

You got a thing for "shot totals"? 

Just be glad he's not Jack Edwards. 

[PerreaultForever]

46 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

It's gonna be great in a few years when we don't have any checking lines and are rolling 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d scoring lines.

lol, oh sure.  there's a long history of teams with 4 scoring lines winning the cup. 

[bg17]

 

[Sabel79]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

A 15-8-2 dumpster fire. 😂

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, Believer said:

Vinnie gets 3rd star… Good on him… Made the most of the opportunity today

While I can't argue with any of the stars, I really think Quinn was a difference maker out there today as well.
 

[Taro T]

6 minutes ago, bg17 said:

 

Whoa.  Meeee-ooooow.

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, Night Train said:

Coming into today UPL in February

.856 Save %

5.35 GA

So he lowered that today with 4.

 

Anypne got some pig lipstick ?

I don't care if he allows 10 goals a game, as long as the team plays at a 105 point pace with him in goal (they've earned 32 of a possible 50 points with him in net, which is a 104.96 point pace over 82 games).

And for those who advocate sending him back to the A, what is he going to learn there that he can't learn with the Sabres?  If he's not hurting the team, why send him down?

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

If the goal is UPL’s long term development at the expense of this season, we can hope he gets hot. But I don’t expect it. 

"Expense of this season"?????? The Sabres play at a 105 point pace with him in goal.  HE'S NOT HURTING THE TEAM.

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Has anyone sent out a search party for VO?  I don't remember him even touching the puck today.

Early in the game he was floating, especially in the defensive zone when he should have been actually pressuring the point.  The first Washing goal was a direct result of his driveby of Jensen, waiving his stick and then curling away from him toward the middle of the ice, allowing Jensen to move up the boards for a clear pass to Strome who buried it.

That's a common maneuver by him and frankly I bet it's picked up in scouting reports and the whole league knows he does.  If I noticed it, professional scouts noticed it.

Later in the game I did notice he positioned himself better and was able to break up Washington passes in the Sabres zone and get the puck up ice.  He also skated back hard to prevent what otherwise would have been a 2-on-1.  So it wasn't all bad but he's just not very consistent at coverage in his own end.  I think his problem is focus because sometimes he does play really well defensively, but he has too many lapses that lead to quality chances against.

[JohninMinn.]

16 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

While I can't argue with any of the stars, I really think Quinn was a difference maker out there today as well.
 

Stars chosen by that games fan popularity.

[sabresparaavida]

2 minutes ago, JohninMinn. said:

Stars chosen by that games fan popularity.

I think it was Cozens first star for obvious reasons, Thompson because that goal was was his 40th on the season, and Vinny because he was the only other saber with a goal and an assist.

[dudacek]

Over the past month or 2, Peyton Krebs really started to evolve into a useful player, creating a version of himself where we’ve started to see the pace of the NHL game starting to come into focus for him.

Over the past week or 2, we’re now starting to see the same from Jack Quinn - moments when we realize why he was so dominant last year in Rochester.

Those hard drives toward the slot followed with the abrupt  1/4 turn to open a shooting lane; those precise passes to the hard areas to create good scoring chances - they're starting to work.

I really liked the way he played today. It would be fantastic if a stint on the 1st line kickstarted his journey to belonging there, because I really think 1st line winger is something that can be in his future.

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

As I have been saying since...

😉

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Early in the game he was floating, especially in the defensive zone when he should have been actually pressuring the point.  The first Washing goal was a direct result of his driveby of Jensen, waiving his stick and then curling away from him toward the middle of the ice, allowing Jensen to move up the boards for a clear pass to Strome who buried it.

That's a common maneuver by him and frankly I bet it's picked up in scouting reports and the whole league knows he does.  If I noticed it, professional scouts noticed it.

Later in the game I did notice he positioned himself better and was able to break up Washington passes in the Sabres zone and get the puck up ice.  He also skated back hard to prevent what otherwise would have been a 2-on-1.  So it wasn't all bad but he's just not very consistent at coverage in his own end.  I think his problem is focus because sometimes he does play really well defensively, but he has too many lapses that lead to quality chances against.

That goal absolutely was on Olofsson.  And MAYBE if he was on his weak side like he normally is, that turn towards his right actually helps limit the D-man's space.  But he HAS to be more aware there.  And, he's lucky he plays for Granato because Don is probably one of only a handful at most of coaches in the league that wouldn't bench him for a least a couple of shifts for that brain fart.

[Doohicksie]

2 minutes ago, Taro T said:

That goal absolutely was on Olofsson.  And MAYBE if he was on his weak side like he normally is, that turn towards his right actually helps limit the D-man's space.  But he HAS to be more aware there.  And, he's lucky he plays for Granato because Don is probably one of only a handful at most of coaches in the league that wouldn't bench him for a least a couple of shifts for that brain fart.

Brain fart is a good word for it because I'm convinced he knows better but.... oopsie.

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, sabresparaavida said:

I think it was Cozens first star for obvious reasons, Thompson because that goal was was his 40th on the season, and Vinny because he was the only other saber with a goal and an assist.

Plus Hinostroza's goal turned out to be the game winner.  (In his 1st game back in a couple of months.)  The way the game went, wouldn't have expected anything else.

And yes, a strong case could be made for Quinn to have been 1 of the 3.  And minus 1 HUGE brain fart even Mitts might've had a case.  Because of the brain fart he was lucky he played for Granato because a lot of guys would've stapled him to the bench after that.

[Doohicksie]

25 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Whoa.  Meeee-ooooow.

OMG so spot on and so funny!

[Doohicksie]

2 minutes ago, Taro T said:

And minus 1 HUGE brain fart even Mitts might've had a case.

Memba when they used to do that all game long when RFK was the coach?  Memba??

[That Aud Smell]

35 minutes ago, bg17 said:

 

They are so fun

[JohnC]

53 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Others watched more, but the biggest difference from last year to this is it seemed Peterka generated space for himself a lot last year.  He's not doing that nearly as often this year.  When the Kid Line got hot, all 3 guys were creating and finding space.  That hasn't really happened for him since the calendar flipped.  But until today, he'd had 3 games in a row where he got himself a truly excellent scoring chance.

Almost think he's at the point where sitting a game or 2 and just watching would help a lot again.  Now that Hinostroza is back, he might get that chance when Tuch comes back.

You make a keen observation. Quinn can make moves in tight spaces and create space for himself. Although Peterka is a fast north/south skater, he doesn't seem to have enough quickness which could help him create space for himself in the offensive zone. I'm certainly not down on JJ. He just needs more time to become acclimated to the NHL game where everything has to be done more quickly than in the lower leagues. I still consider him a high-end prospect but it's going to take time for him to figure it out. An offseason should do wonders for him to prepare himself for the next season. 

[JohnC]

25 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Over the past month or 2, Peyton Krebs really started to evolve into a useful player, creating a version of himself where we’ve started to see the pace of the NHL game starting to come into focus for him.

Over the past week or 2, we’re now starting to see the same from Jack Quinn - moments when we realize why he was so dominant last year in Rochester.

Those hard drives toward the slot followed with the abrupt  1/4 turn to open a shooting lane; those precise passes to the hard areas to create good scoring chances - they're starting to work.

I really liked the way he played today. It would be fantastic if a stint on the 1st line kickstarted his journey to belonging there, because I really think 1st line winger is something that can be in his future.

Don't you think that as he emerges as a first line talent, even if it is at wing on the first line, that there is better use for him as a second line center who is driving that line? Maybe a second line composed of Mitts/Cozens/Quinn?

[Believer]

37 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Early in the game he was floating, especially in the defensive zone when he should have been actually pressuring the point.  The first Washing goal was a direct result of his driveby of Jensen, waiving his stick and then curling away from him toward the middle of the ice, allowing Jensen to move up the boards for a clear pass to Strome who buried it.

That's a common maneuver by him and frankly I bet it's picked up in scouting reports and the whole league knows he does.  If I noticed it, professional scouts noticed it.

Later in the game I did notice he positioned himself better and was able to break up Washington passes in the Sabres zone and get the puck up ice.  He also skated back hard to prevent what otherwise would have been a 2-on-1.  So it wasn't all bad but he's just not very consistent at coverage in his own end.  I think his problem is focus because sometimes he does play really well defensively, but he has too many lapses that lead to quality chances against.

A Granato Work In Progress