GDT: Sabres @ Maple Leafs: November4, 2023 @ 7:00PM, NHL Network, MSG-B, and NBCS-PH

[Believer]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

This made me laugh 

 

Levi likes the spotlight… Sign of a healthy, self confident ego… 

[Taro T]

23 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

@Taro T I was at a wedding out of town and didn’t catch the game. Just saw the score and who scored. Gonna look at the highlights in a few mins. 

I agree with your even tempered and logical takes more times then not on post game analysis …

So how was the game? How did G, D, and F’s look? 
 

Thanks!

It was a fun game to watch.  

The stats say Levi had a bad game, but he made big saves early and gave them time to get their legs going before giving up a breakaway to Marner. 

On the Sabres 1st goal, a PP goal, loved that Power actually didn't do the drop back pass on the PP and he got the puck into the zone, Olofsson got a shot off that went wide but Peterka recovered the puck, got it back to Power who made a nice pass back to JJ who buried it through a screen by Okposo which tied it at one.

It was a typical Sabres TO game IMHO.  Both teams like to fly and they both did.  

Thompson's goal was a beautiful strip of Marner for a SH breakaway.  Woll isn't stopping that.  Gave the Sabres their 1st lead of the game.

Porn Stache got a hattie, but after each of his goals the Sabres answered back within a couple of minutes so TO never really got momentum going from those goals. 

Johnson and Bryson each got very little ice time, but Johnson looked good including a great breakout pass on Skinner's goal.  Bryson was fine in extremely limited time.

Greenway was solid at both ends of the ice.  A blocked shot of his set up Peterka on a breakaway.  And a rush with Peterka, Mittelstadt, and Greenway resulted in Greenway burying a rebound of Mitts.

Dahlin was back to being Dahlin.  It was his shot that Tuch shouldered/elbowed in for the winner.

The PK was effective, in no small part due to Levi.  They blanked them on their 1st 3 PPs but gave up 12 shots.  On their 4th PP, unfortunately they cleared the puck down ice.  Say unfortunately, because TO rushed the puck back up ice and got through the box with Matthews getting the puck in the slot with speed and he scored 5 hole.  You hate to see 5 hole goals, but it was arguably the best goal scorer in the league that netted it.  Maybe had they not been able to clear the zone, Matthews wouldn't have been able to get through that cleanly because he wouldn't have had a head of steam.  (Sometimes even though you make the good play, the other guys come back and make a better one.)

Didn't see the 3rd TO goal.  It came 17 seconds into the 3rd also off the stick of Matthews from a sharp angle.  Expect Levi would like that one back, but again, didn't see it well so not sure if it was on him or the D.

4th goal against came after a lost faceoff after an icing and Porn Stache deflected it with his stick even with or just below the cross bar.  No prayer for Levi on that one.

The Sabres came to play.  They only had 11 F's and 7 D and the mixing and matching of lines and pairings worked.  They got a ton of shots and a ton of chances.  They were IMHO the better team tonight.  Like mentioned above, it was a fun game to watch.

Edited November 5, 2023 by Taro T

[thewookie1]

Great win, the 11-7 worked well in part because it removed some of the pressure off Dahlin and Power who played huge minutes and even EJ who had to step up when Muel went down. They didn’t use either a ton but the safety net was there.

Can’t fault Levi on his 4 GA, 3 were from one of the best scorers in the league and the other was a clear breakaway to another top player. He also made some clutch saves.

Forwards all looked good, Tuch has had a rough season thus far but he brought it tonight, especially when it mattered the most.

Greenway is going to end up the unsung hero by season’s end if he keeps up his work. 
 

Sabres match up well with more finesse based teams; they seemingly just have fits against the very physical teams that have speed advantage in addition.

[Believer]

3 minutes ago, Taro T said:

It was a fun game to watch.  

The stats say Levi had a bad game, but he made big saves early and gave them time to get their legs going before giving up a breakaway to Marner. 

Loved that Power actually didn't do the drop back pass on the PP and he got the puck into the zone, Olofsson got a shot off that went wide but Peterka recovered the puck, got it back to Power who made a nice pass back to JJ who buried it through a screen by Okposo which tied it at one.

It was a typical Sabres TO game IMHO.  Both teams like to fly and they both did.  

Thompson's goal was a beautiful strip of Marner for a SH breakaway.  Woll isn't stopping that.  Gave the Sabres their 1st lead of the game.

Porn Stache got a hattie, but after each of his goals the Sabres answered back within a couple of minutes so TO never really got momentum going from those goals. 

Johnson and Bryson each got very little ice time, but Johnson looked good including a great breakout pass on Skinner's goal.

Greenway was solid at both ends of the ice.  A blocked shot of his set up Peterka on a breakaway.  And a rush with Peterka, Mittelstadt, and Greenway resulted in Greenway burying a rebound of Mitts.

Dahlin was back to being Dahlin.  It was his shot that Tuch shouldered/elbowed in for the winner.

The PK was effective, in no small part due to Levi.  They blanked them on their 1st 3 PPs but gave up 12 shots.  On their 4th PP, unfortunately they cleared the puck down ice.  Say unfortunately, because TO rushed the puck back up ice and got through the box with Matthews getting the puck in the slot with speed and he scored 5 hole.  You hate to see 5 hole goals, but it was arguably the best goal scorer in the league that netted it.  Maybe had they not been able to clear the zone, Matthews wouldn't have been able to get through that cleanly because he wouldn't have had a head of steam.  (Sometimes even though you make the good play, the other guys come back and make a better one.)

Didn't see the 3rd TO goal.  It came 17 seconds into the 3rd also off the stick of Matthews from a sharp angle.  Expect Levi would like that one back, but again, didn't see it well so not sure if it was on him or the D.

4th goal against came after a lost faceoff after an icing and Porn Stache deflected it with his stick even with or just below the cross bar.  No prayer for Levi on that one.

The Sabres came to play.  They only had 11 F's and 7 D and the mixing and matching of lines and pairings worked.  They got a ton of shots and a ton of chances.  They were IMHO the better team tonight.  Like mentioned above, it was a fun game to watch.

Nice summary.

[Mango]

25 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

I disagree.  He is not a top 6 player. Solid 3rd liner…absolutely. 

I don’t necessarily disagree with you. 

He isn’t a top 6 individual skill player. But he does make every line he’s on with the top 6 better. He’s the glue. I wouldn’t move him from his line with Mitts-Peterka for anybody right now. 

[Cityo'Rasmii]

Glory, Glory

[Zamboni]

13 minutes ago, Taro T said:

It was a fun game to watch.  

The stats say Levi had a bad game, but he made big saves early and gave them time to get their legs going before giving up a breakaway to Marner. 

On the Sabres 1st goal, a PP goal, loved that Power actually didn't do the drop back pass on the PP and he got the puck into the zone, Olofsson got a shot off that went wide but Peterka recovered the puck, got it back to Power who made a nice pass back to JJ who buried it through a screen by Okposo which tied it at one.

It was a typical Sabres TO game IMHO.  Both teams like to fly and they both did.  

Thompson's goal was a beautiful strip of Marner for a SH breakaway.  Woll isn't stopping that.  Gave the Sabres their 1st lead of the game.

Porn Stache got a hattie, but after each of his goals the Sabres answered back within a couple of minutes so TO never really got momentum going from those goals. 

Johnson and Bryson each got very little ice time, but Johnson looked good including a great breakout pass on Skinner's goal.  Bryson was fine in extremely limited time.

Greenway was solid at both ends of the ice.  A blocked shot of his set up Peterka on a breakaway.  And a rush with Peterka, Mittelstadt, and Greenway resulted in Greenway burying a rebound of Mitts.

Dahlin was back to being Dahlin.  It was his shot that Tuch shouldered/elbowed in for the winner.

The PK was effective, in no small part due to Levi.  They blanked them on their 1st 3 PPs but gave up 12 shots.  On their 4th PP, unfortunately they cleared the puck down ice.  Say unfortunately, because TO rushed the puck back up ice and got through the box with Matthews getting the puck in the slot with speed and he scored 5 hole.  You hate to see 5 hole goals, but it was arguably the best goal scorer in the league that netted it.  Maybe had they not been able to clear the zone, Matthews wouldn't have been able to get through that cleanly because he wouldn't have had a head of steam.  (Sometimes even though you make the good play, the other guys come back and make a better one.)

Didn't see the 3rd TO goal.  It came 17 seconds into the 3rd also off the stick of Matthews from a sharp angle.  Expect Levi would like that one back, but again, didn't see it well so not sure if it was on him or the D.

4th goal against came after a lost faceoff after an icing and Porn Stache deflected it with his stick even with or just below the cross bar.  No prayer for Levi on that one.

The Sabres came to play.  They only had 11 F's and 7 D and the mixing and matching of lines and pairings worked.  They got a ton of shots and a ton of chances.  They were IMHO the better team tonight.  Like mentioned above, it was a fun game to watch.

Thank you. After watching the replays, your description was perfect to complete the entire picture. I appreciate you taking the time to type that up.

 

[Flashsabre]

This team is going to be infuriating this season aren’t they?😁

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, Big Guava said:

Sabres run their record to 31-0-4 when leading after 2.

Neat trick.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, SABRES 0311 said:

Is that for his first game or did he get a point? Either way it’s cool

He passed across two blue lines to catch Skinner in stride who ripped a slapper for a goal.... so yeah, first assist.  He looked pretty good in limited minutes.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Tuch is playing hard.  His shots aren’t hitting target yet, but he still finds ways to score and contribute.  Defense, PK, fighting, hustling.  
 

I think his season will click soon.  He can be a beast when he gets that crazy look going. 

They got the band (Skinner-Tage-Tuch) back together tonight and it made all the difference.  I suggested that last game when Donny was juggling lines.  It was only a matter of time before they ended up back together.  I can see breaking them up now and again, but that is the most natural line this team has had in a decade.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, Mango said:

Mitts and JJP were impressive tonight. Peterka really leveled up his game this year and Greenway seems to add value no matter who he pairs with. 

This game was fun. Hopefully they keep playing fun hockey in Carolina. 

JJP has a man body now.  His tenacity reminds me of Skinner when they're both dogging the puck, but JJP can weather a hit far better, and give back besides.

Speaking of hits, at one point in the third period Dahlin got absolutely crushed behind the Sabres goal, but the puck never left his stick.  He bounced off the hit and passed the puck up ice.  That's gotta be demoralizing to get all of a check and it has no effect on the play whatsoever.

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I just realized the Sabres played 11-7 tonight with Johnson and Bryson basically splitting the 6th D slot.  

The Sabres also only played 9 forwards most of the night with VO and Krebs playing about 8 minutes each.  

A win is a win, but the whole team has to be better.

On the plus side, VO drew a penalty.  Krebs had a good close-in look and almost scored but he didn't have a lot of options.

[Doohickie]

3 hours ago, Doohickie said:

It seems like opponents are always getting a step on Tuch.

I'm gonna rescind that statement.  It's almost like I jinxed him in a good way because he seemed to get stronger as the game progressed.  I think it's being back with Skinner and Tage. 

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, Carmel Corn said:

So a question.....would the Sabres have won this game with UPL in net?

Maybe, but I think the goals allowed would have been different goals.  For instance on the hat trick deflection, UPL would have covered more of the net.  But there was that diving play back to Levi's left that I don't think Oopie would make.

[Doohickie]

58 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Greenway was solid at both ends of the ice.  A blocked shot of his set up Peterka on a breakaway.  And a rush with Peterka, Mittelstadt, and Greenway resulted in Greenway burying a rebound of Mitts.

I can't argue with the three stars, but I still feel Greenway and Tage were both robbed somehow.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

It was a fun game to watch.  

The stats say Levi had a bad game, but he made big saves early and gave them time to get their legs going before giving up a breakaway to Marner. 

On the Sabres 1st goal, a PP goal, loved that Power actually didn't do the drop back pass on the PP and he got the puck into the zone, Olofsson got a shot off that went wide but Peterka recovered the puck, got it back to Power who made a nice pass back to JJ who buried it through a screen by Okposo which tied it at one.

It was a typical Sabres TO game IMHO.  Both teams like to fly and they both did.  

Thompson's goal was a beautiful strip of Marner for a SH breakaway.  Woll isn't stopping that.  Gave the Sabres their 1st lead of the game.

Porn Stache got a hattie, but after each of his goals the Sabres answered back within a couple of minutes so TO never really got momentum going from those goals. 

Johnson and Bryson each got very little ice time, but Johnson looked good including a great breakout pass on Skinner's goal.  Bryson was fine in extremely limited time.

Greenway was solid at both ends of the ice.  A blocked shot of his set up Peterka on a breakaway.  And a rush with Peterka, Mittelstadt, and Greenway resulted in Greenway burying a rebound of Mitts.

Dahlin was back to being Dahlin.  It was his shot that Tuch sh the ouldered/elbowed in for the winner.

The PK was effective, in no small part due to Levi.  They blanked them on their 1st 3 PPs but gave up 12 shots.  On their 4th PP, unfortunately they cleared the puck down ice.  Say unfortunately, because TO rushed the puck back up ice and got through the box with Matthews getting the puck in the slot with speed and he scored 5 hole.  You hate to see 5 hole goals, but it was arguably the best goal scorer in the league that netted it.  Maybe had they not been able to clear the zone, Matthews wouldn't have been able to get through that cleanly because he wouldn't have had a head of steam.  (Sometimes even though you make the good play, the other guys come back and make a better one.)

Didn't see the 3rd TO goal.  It came 17 seconds into the 3rd also off the stick of Matthews from a sharp angle.  Expect Levi would like that one back, but again, didn't see it well so not sure if it was on him or the D.

4th goal against came after a lost faceoff after an icing and Porn Stache deflected it with his stick even with or just below the cross bar.  No prayer for Levi on that one.

The Sabres came to play.  They only had 11 F's and 7 D and the mixing and matching of lines and pairings worked.  They got a ton of shots and a ton of chances.  They were IMHO the better team tonight.  Like mentioned above, it was a fun game to watch.

A good summary but one thing that I think needs to be mentioned is that, like the Avs game, the Sabres effectively swarmed the puck, forcing errant passes and turnovers.  TO did the same to us, actually. 

But in the end putting the Skinner-Tage-Tuch line back together, and a very effective (and bruising/hard to play against) line of JJP-Mitts-Greenway gave us the edge to TO's very, very good top line. 

I'm adjusting my Concept of Peterka to include physical play.  He's not big like Greenway, but he plays a strong-on-his skates game like Mitts does.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, Mango said:

I wouldn’t move him [Greenway] from his line with Mitts-Peterka for anybody right now. 

This would be a top line on a few teams I think.

[Flashsabre]

Might have been Greenway’s most impactful game.

Peterka is right on the cusp of exploding

[PerreaultForever]

So you guys like this sort of hockey? Interesting. It's a nice ice show, but I'm not sure it's hockey. 

I knew they had a solid shot in this game. A bounce here or there and we come out on top. The kind of game they love with the virtually non existent physical aspect and the free open ice all over. If we could play teams like this all year we'd be a cup contender. We'd then lose to the actual hockey teams in the playoffs, but that's another story. 

Peterka continues his breakout year. Mitts still good. Not sure why they went 7 D considering the limited ice time for Johnson but maybe somebody's got a nagging injury they were afraid would flare up idk. 

I had to laugh several times with the HNIC announcers "Leafs better on the draws tonight" "Leafs playing with more physicality tonight" lmfao. No, no they weren't, they were just playing Buffalo rather than Boston (from the previous game).

Boy is the bottom 6 for them BAD. Bertuzzi is awful. He looked so good down the stretch in Boston but him and Domi are both awful on the Leafs. It's still all about their big 4 and that gives them zero chance to win the cup. Which I love. 

I know some of you got excited here. You think we're capable and better now, but nothing's changed. Next team that plays a 1-3-1 or gets physical or just plays good D and it'll be right back where it was. But cool beans, we beat the Leafs. HATE the Leafs. Don't want to BE the Leafs. So in that respect, an enjoyable night. 

 

 

PS - So I missed it, what's up with Cozens? He get concussed with Hathaway's knock out punch? Was that it? If so that's not good. 

[Sabres Super Fan]

Good win for the Buffalo Sabres tonight over the Toronto Maple Leafs onto the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[Randall Flagg]

8 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

So you guys like this sort of hockey? Interesting. It's a nice ice show, but I'm not sure it's hockey. 

I want the Sabres to handle physical teams better too, but yes, the Sabres played a good hockey game tonight against a team that has won 50 per year for almost a decade now

[HoosierDaddy]

So, am I allowed to be happy with this win? Asking for a friend.

[SABRES 0311]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

He passed across two blue lines to catch Skinner in stride who ripped a slapper for a goal.... so yeah, first assist.  He looked pretty good in limited minutes.

I thought it was the other Johnson

[Randall Flagg]

21 minutes ago, HoosierDaddy said:

So, am I allowed to be happy with this win? Asking for a friend.

This isn't the Bills board, we go nuts after losses but everyone enjoys the wins.

[SABRES 0311]

59 minutes ago, HoosierDaddy said:

So, am I allowed to be happy with this win? Asking for a friend.

Tell your friend to temper their happiness. The win was against a rival with a dbag fan base. To that end they shroud be happier than a pig in mud.

OTH, the win makes us 6-6. Not where anyone expected this team to be nor is it where they should be.