GDT: Sabres @ Leafs - September 27, 2023 - 6:30PM, MSG-B/NHLN📺WGR📻

[Pimlach]

47 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I may have mixed up the 2nd and 3rd goals — Power also got completely dusted on one of TO’s goals (separately from the one Johnson screwed up on).  

Power blew it on the 2nd, Johnson had a bad clear prior to a goal but then Bryson had the breakdown when we needed him to recover that play.  
 

Johnson shows promise and should improve by playing a season in the AHL.  Bryson does not. 

[matter2003]

Did anyone make the world a better place and punch Auston Matthews in the face?

Edited September 28, 2023 by matter2003

[dudacek]

I think people are letting their overall opinion of UPL colour their picture of last nights game.

He let in one long shot, and 2 breakaways. He stopped 25 shots, including several flurries down low and for the most part looked controlled.

The team in front of him was badly outplayed and he was OK.

That game didn’t win him any ground, but I doubt it cost him any either.

[Flashsabre]

The biggest takeaway from the game is that we never have to see that lineup again.😁 

outside of Johnson I don’t think any of the fringe guys looked like they made a push for the lineup.

[nfreeman]

48 minutes ago, Derrico said:

That’s what killed them last year in regular season matchup in Buffalo.  Wasn’t all the leaf fans in attendance.  It was UPL whiffing on two longer, routine shots that went in.  
 

This team is ready to sore with league average goaltending.  KA refuses to address such a glaring need.  Yes Levi looks great but do you really plan on starting him 55+ games in his rookie year and expect there to be enough in the tank come playoffs?  Someone not named Devin Levi will have to play probably 35 to 40 games and that scares the hell out of me. 

If Comrie plays well in his next start and UPL stinks in his, which I think is quire possible, they are going to be hard pressed not to keep Comrie.

 

34 minutes ago, SabresBaltimore said:

Maybe I'm giving him too much benefit of doubt, but I'm sure KA tried to upgrade our goalies during the offseason. I highly doubt he "refuses to address" the need. I do think he's maybe too reluctant to trade away some of our pipeline to win now though.

 

I do find it telling that most (all?) UFA goalies stayed put. Plus no one traded for Hellebuyck or Hart. Those were supposedly the 2 goalies on the trade market this summer. No one here knows what was actually being asked for those guys. So it's impossible to speculate if KA is refusing to do what's needed, or simply not going to get fleeced simply to appease fans impatience due to a long playoff drought that is largely not his fault.

 

People want Olofsson and Byron gone, yet somehow think other teams will take them as part of a trade for a quality goaltender. I suspect the asking price for Hellebuyck and Hart was simply too high.

As bad as UPL played last night, I suspect he won't clear waivers. Some team will take a chance on him.

I definitely think we need to upgrade on Comrie and UPL and I'd love it to be a vet who can start for 1 or 2 seasons while Levi gets used to playing a rigorous NHL schedule. But seems that ship has sailed.

I generally agree and would just add that I'm glad the Sabres didn't trade Savoie, Benson, Kulich or Rosen (not to mention Quinn or JJP) for one year of Hellebuyck.

[Flashsabre]

Just now, dudacek said:

I think people are letting their overall opinion of UPL colour their picture of last nights game.

He let in one long shot, and 2 breakaways. He stopped 25 shots, including several flurries down low and for the most part looked controlled.

The team in front of him was badly outplayed and he was OK.

That game didn’t win him any ground, but I doubt it cost him any either.

You are correct. The first goal was brutal but the others were not on him. The problem with UPL is that he doesn’t install any confidence that he is taking any steps forward and becoming a solid option.

I mean Levi seems to be the real deal and he looks the part. At this point I might feel more confident with Toker or Cooley as his backup as opposed to UPL and Comrie.

And I don’t know how Martin Jones keeps finding work. He is brutal and was no different last night on those 2 goals.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

I think people are letting their overall opinion of UPL colour their picture of last nights game.

He let in one long shot, and 2 breakaways. He stopped 25 shots, including several flurries down low and for the most part looked controlled.

The team in front of him was badly outplayed and he was OK.

That game didn’t win him any ground, but I doubt it cost him any either.

UPL is in a competition with Comrie and I would say that based on what we saw from each of them so far that Comrie did better, but no conclusion can be made yet. 

UPL is probably they guy they want to see emerge, and he may have started higher on the depth chart which is why he played last and with the weaker roster.  He did nothing to help carry the squad IMO.  

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

UPL is in a competition with Comrie and I would say that based on what we saw from each of them so far that Comrie did better, but no conclusion can be made yet. 

UPL is probably they guy they want to see emerge, and he may have started higher on the depth chart which is why he played last and with the weaker roster.  He did nothing to help carry the squad IMO.  

i think he stopped something like 22 of 23 shots in more than half a game where his team had about 10?

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

The biggest takeaway from the game is that we never have to see that lineup again.😁 

outside of Johnson I don’t think any of the fringe guys looked like they made a push for the lineup.

You’re right on with the fringe players, they didn’t do anything to distinguish themselves. I was hoping Rousek would have a good game but I don’t recall anything that stood out.

Benson, Biro, Rosen, Kulich and Cooley have made a case to stick around a bit longer.

[Pimlach]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

i think he stopped something like 22 of 23 shots in more than half a game where his team had about 10?

28 shots, 25 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.893 pct.  Sounds like UPL.  

He let in a weak long shot and 2 breakaways.   

Sure, he played behind a poorer Sabres roster that had nothing in sync.  Maybe they wanted him to carry that group?   Just saving one breakaway and not letting in a long cheap goal and then we are singing another tune.  I saw nothing to get excited about from him.  

 

[dudacek]

15 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

28 shots, 25 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.893 pct.  Sounds like UPL.  

He let in a weak long shot and 2 breakaways.   

Sure, he played behind a poorer Sabres roster that had nothing in sync.  Maybe they wanted him to carry that group?   Just saving one breakaway and not letting in a long cheap goal and then we are singing another tune.  I saw nothing to get excited about from him.  

 

Not really arguing with this.

I was just responding to the "did nothing to help carry the squad" by pointing out that the sabres were badly outplayed for more than half the game and until Power's awful play setting up the shortie, he kept them in it.

[...]

58 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

28 shots, 25 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.893 pct.  Sounds like UPL.  

He let in a weak long shot and 2 breakaways.   

Sure, he played behind a poorer Sabres roster that had nothing in sync.  Maybe they wanted him to carry that group?   Just saving one breakaway and not letting in a long cheap goal and then we are singing another tune.  I saw nothing to get excited about from him.  

 

Maybe they wanted to see if he could carry the group. Put him in a situation typical of the defensive failures last season and see if his response to those situations has improved.

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

28 shots, 25 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.893 pct.  Sounds like UPL.  

He let in a weak long shot and 2 breakaways.   

Sure, he played behind a poorer Sabres roster that had nothing in sync.  Maybe they wanted him to carry that group?   Just saving one breakaway and not letting in a long cheap goal and then we are singing another tune.  I saw nothing to get excited about from him.  

 

And THAT is UPL's issue.  He is going to give up an early weak goal way more often than he should that puts the team back on their heels.

Yes, other than that and his penchant to do his Lehner imitation anytime he's 1v1 against anybody he looked OK.  Not great, OK.  He had at least one stretch where he was doing his old roll around on the ice trying to figure out where he left the rebound; but fortunately his D kept the Loafs from getting a shot off while he was lost.

But it's those moments of getting lost in the crease and the bad goals he gives up that are the killers.   Those are the goals that get highly offensive teams like the Loafs into feeding frenzy mode and the ones that give bad teams that extra little pep in their step thinking that though they should be getting killed, they're still in this and have a shot if they just keep working and sticking with it.

While his ceiling likely is higher than Comrie's, am still of the opinion that Comrie is the better choice as the backup because his floor is higher and he's less likely to give up that killer stinker goal.  (Though he isn't exactly imune from it, especially high glove side.)  Comrie gives up goals.  He's a backup at best.  But he is IMHO less likely to give up the momentum changing goal than UPL is.  And considering the backup's 30 games are going to primarily be against weaker teams &/or road games, that's what they need.  The guy that isn't going to get the other team's crowd into it and catcalling and the guy that isn't going to cause the other team to "just get it on net, it has a real chance."

UPL makes his own life more difficult because he's going to get other teams to shoot from anywhere on him and not just from the high danger spots.  He has to be more alert than say Levi will (though expect he won't be more alert than Devon) because teams aren't going to take low percentage shots against Devon.  Because those are nearly no percentage shots.  Against UPL, they're a little more dangerous.

And there have been moments when UPL has been good.  But they've been few and far between and unfortunately have no expectation on any given night that we'll see one of those.  As long as he's a Sabre/Amerk will hope he figures it out.  He HAS gotten better through the years.  But better still isn't good.  And the Sabres need good.  (It's all you ask of your backup, but you still have to get it.  Leave great to Levi.  The backup has to be good or at a bare minimum adequate.  And they really should expect from a backup to get good.  Don't honestly believe they get good consistently from either guy; but IF Comrie stays healthy, expect he's closer to good than UPL is.  Curious to see in a week or so if the coaches and Adams agree.)

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, SabresBaltimore said:

People want Olofsson and Byron gone, yet somehow think other teams will take them as part of a trade for a quality goaltender. I suspect the asking price for Hellebuyck and Hart was simply too high.

I said end of last season we'd be lucky to get a 2nd for Olofsson, more likely a 3rd. I stand by that. Bryson gets us nothing. He's waiver material. 

I have no idea what Hellebuyck's price is but a fairly solid rumour out of Philly was 2 firsts or equivalent for Hart. It is a high price tag and what I really wanted was a solid back up for Levi. KA is putting too much all in on Levi imo. 

I'm not sure on his waiver status but if Bussi (Bruins) becomes available I would snap him up in a heartbeat. He looked incredible in his debut this year after a very good AHL year last year. Don't know who else might be available. Vladar maybe? UPL ain't it though. 

[Weave]

Nothing Ive seen so far convinces me that we won’t end up carrying 3 goalies to start the season.  We just don’t have a bonafide #2 so far and Levi is still a bit of an unknown as a starter.

[Pimlach]

5 hours ago, Weave said:

Nothing Ive seen so far convinces me that we won’t end up carrying 3 goalies to start the season.  We just don’t have a bonafide #2 so far and Levi is still a bit of an unknown as a starter.

We can cut either Comrie or UPL. If we lose either of them we have Toker for emergency 3.  Not great but it buys us time.  

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

We can cut either Comrie or UPL. If we lose either of them we have Toker for emergency 3.  Not great but it buys us time.  

Cooley may pass Toker on the depth chart once the AHL season is underway.

[matter2003]

12 hours ago, French Collection said:

Cooley may pass Toker on the depth chart once the AHL season is underway.

Plus then we can have 2 Devin's in goal...

[Taro T]

7 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Plus then we can have 2 Devin's in goal...

And then Skinner's skits could be renamed from between 2 Staals to between 2 Devons.  😉

And the 1st guest could be Adams.  Skinner could have Kevyn between 2 Devins.

[matter2003]

On 9/29/2023 at 6:04 PM, Taro T said:

And then Skinner's skits could be renamed from between 2 Staals to between 2 Devons.  😉

And the 1st guest could be Adams.  Skinner could have Kevyn between 2 Devins.

Too bad they aren't spelled the same...one is Devin and the other is Devon...