GDT: Sabres @ Hurricanes: November 7, 2023 @ 7:00PM, MSG-B, BSSO

[Pimlach]

4 minutes ago, zow2 said:

 

Disagree.  Sabres never beat Carolina.  They are a mediocre team at best right now.  UPL rebounded,  they got the tying goal in the 3rd. take the point be happy. 

Never?  We beat them last year in April.  They won the season series 2-1.  They had 113 points and won their division last season, they are really good.  I am well aware that they are good. 

You want the Sabres to get better?  Then expect more because they should expect more of themselves.   UPL rebounded from what exactly? 

I'll take the point, but I am not happy, especially under the circumstances on 3v3.  Every damm goalie in the league covers the puck to get that change - he has to see the Canes made a change and had fresh legs out there. 

Paying attention to everything is part of being a goalie.  Even the bad ones do it.  

[Huckleberry]

4 am of to bed 🙂

[shrader]

If they’re going to lose, get those losses into the third column in the standings. That’s going to get them into the playoffs. 

[PerreaultForever]

A lot of things to like in that game imo. They hung in tough in a tighter checking game and that's something they have to learn to get good at so it's a start. 

I think they are far too passive on the PK though. They form the box and then with Tage and his reach and everyone else they try to shut everything down with their sticks and the other team gets to move easily around that. I'm not saying they should chase, but they have to pick their moments and up their physicality. When the net drive happens, it's usually unopposed. 

Carolina didn't forecheck or hit the way I've seen them do in the past. Maybe they save that for playoffs but they are still a tough team to play against and more physical when and where it counts so it was good to see the Sabres fight through that. 

Peterka one great play, one missed backcheck which is I guess what you expect at his stage of development.

I'm not going to critique the OT cause 3 on 3 is stupid no matter what happens. 

overall solid effort. Probably the game I've liked best from the Sabres this year. 

[bg17]

49 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

next time demand a win. 

That should do it. Thanks!

[Archie Lee]

19 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Never?  We beat them last year in April.  They won the season series 2-1.  They had 113 points and won their division last season, they are really good.  I am well aware that they are good. 

You want the Sabres to get better?  Then expect more because they should expect more of themselves.   UPL rebounded from what exactly? 

I'll take the point, but I am not happy, especially under the circumstances on 3v3.  Every damm goalie in the league covers the puck to get that change - he has to see the Canes made a change and had fresh legs out there. 

Paying attention to everything is part of being a goalie.  Even the bad ones do it.  

UPL is the only goalie in the NHL who has ever had a brain cramp?

[Pimlach]

1 minute ago, Archie Lee said:

UPL is the only goalie in the NHL who has ever had a brain cramp?

I think you know the answer.  That does not make it ok.  

[tom webster]

46 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

I’m pretty sure he bailed them out tonight and have you forgotten the game he won when they were outshot 40-15?  

And that’s what NHL goalies do consistently. Also, the 40-15 game wasn’t as lopsided as 40-15. He’s played better but neither he nor Levi have been good enough this year.

[zow2]

Sabres broke a streak of 7 straight regulation losses in Raleigh. 

[Archie Lee]

4 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I think you know the answer.  That does not make it ok.  

Who said it was ok? He was trying to avoid a d-zone face-off when he should have prioritized fresh legs. Declaring that no goalie in the league makes that mistake is kinda ridiculous, even taking post-game frustration into account. 

[thewookie1]

3 minutes ago, zow2 said:

Sabres broke a streak of 7 straight regulation losses in Raleigh. 

Baby steps I guess

[Pimlach]

34 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

Who said it was ok? He was trying to avoid a d-zone face-off when he should have prioritized fresh legs. Declaring that no goalie in the league makes that mistake is kinda ridiculous, even taking post-game frustration into account. 

Who are you to judge that?  (bolded) 

It does not make it any better if another goalie makes that same stupid mistake.   Sure, there are 32 teams and 64+ goalies so it probably happens on occasion.  That  does not make it ok. 

My point of frustration is more with people who in the second and third period that are just happy and hoping for a regulation tie.  As if the Canes are too good to beat in regulation.  They beat them last April.  They could have done it again.   They need to start doing it routinely.   

I have seen enough hockey to understand that one road point against a strong team is not the worst outcome.  OK?  I get that.  But we lost another game. 

This team needs a win streak and they will have tough games, against tough teams almost every night.   They will not get a win streak if they rationalize in this way.  Some fans can do it if it makes them feel better.   I want more from this team.  

I am not happy with a goalie that isn't paying attention to an obvious play.  If you don't like it, tough.  I don't need your permission to vent about it.  

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Pimlach

[FrenchConnection44]

I thought we played well and tough. 

I don't know who coaches Carolina's penalty kill but we could learn from that. They were dominant. Felt impossible to get past them on the blue line - they just lined up there and said, "Try and get by." Dahlin on a fantastic individual play. 

I agree with PerraultForever that we are too passive on the penalty kill. We just accept their possession and sit back in a tight box. Carolina is a great contrast. They are all over the puck. Right on top of every player. Sometimes it didn't look like they were shorthanded. 

I thought UPL was great. The OT mistake was bad. I think that comes from just a lack of experience in the game. One thing for sure, he won't do it again! But otherwise, he made some great saves and really had no shot on either goal in regulation. The first was clearly off Greenway who deflected it perfectly into the corner. SMH. The second goal was a phenomenal pass and once again, a failure to back check. 

Still, we need to be tough every game. And more aggressive defensively; esp. on the power play. 

[Broken Ankles]

  Sebastian Aho with two points tonight and 22 in his last 11 games against Buffalo.   This guy kills Buffalo like William Fredrick Cody.  

[Broken Ankles]

4 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

I have the Carolina feed and they are going off on Raantas save, which really was nothing special. Krebs golfed it. Was a relatively easy save seeing it in slow motion. 

Raanta’s save against Krebs was number 8 on ESPN’s Top 10, and his save against Mitts was number three. 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, Mustache of God said:

Mitts or Okie deserve a point tonight, let's see it happen.

Mittelstadt got the secondary assist on Dahlin's goal.

[Thorny]

6-6-1. On to Minnesota 

[Taro T]

57 minutes ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

I thought we played well and tough. 

I don't know who coaches Carolina's penalty kill but we could learn from that. They were dominant. Felt impossible to get past them on the blue line - they just lined up there and said, "Try and get by." Dahlin on a fantastic individual play. 

I agree with PerraultForever that we are too passive on the penalty kill. We just accept their possession and sit back in a tight box. Carolina is a great contrast. They are all over the puck. Right on top of every player. Sometimes it didn't look like they were shorthanded. 

I thought UPL was great. The OT mistake was bad. I think that comes from just a lack of experience in the game. One thing for sure, he won't do it again! But otherwise, he made some great saves and really had no shot on either goal in regulation. The first was clearly off Greenway who deflected it perfectly into the corner. SMH. The second goal was a phenomenal pass and once again, a failure to back check. 

Still, we need to be tough every game. And more aggressive defensively; esp. on the power play. 

Carolina can be very aggressive on their PK because they trust their goalies implicitly to make the save from the back door or clean from the slot when their press gets beat (well, Andersen and Raantta, how much they trust Halak remains to be seen).  That style significantly cuts down on the chances against, but the few chances that the other team gets often will be very high quality.

Expecting that as Levi matures, the Sabres will be able to trust him to make those saves too and will be able to amp up the pressure.  But, he doesn't seem to be QUITE there yet; and judging from the 2nd and 3rd goals against tonight UPL isn't there either.  (Presonally doubt he ever does get there; but hoping that's overly pessimistic.)

So, that "passive" PK the Sabres use feels fairly pressured for the other team because the primary PKers are all so long.  They can be 3 yards away from the puck carrier and still have their stick 1' away from him.

Overall, was very impressed with the Sabres commitment to D.  They got caught chasing on the Canes 2nd goal, but actually kept them from making that killer pass through the defenders for nearly a minute.  The way they were playing the 1st few games, that puck would've made that trek across on the very 1st cycle through and would almost definitely have ended up behind UPL just like it eventually did.  But that was one of only 3-4 really glaring lapses defensively (the breakaway, the puck through the middle of the box on the PK that UPL made his best save ever as a Sabre on, and a partial breakaway from the 1/2 wall late in the 1st); against arguably the best team in the East.  They blocked a ton of shots and really only let the puck move across the D zone cleanly and low about 4 times counting the OT winner.  They played the game that UPL needs to thrive and he did.

They still generated chances; just not as many as they do when they don't bother to play D.

Apologies to whomever it was that was saying that Johnson the Lesser will be up with the team from now on prior to this game.  Considering he got nearly 20 minutes of ice time, pretty much all with Dahlin and looked good; you might be right.  Figured that it will happen this season but that it wouldn't happen this soon, and it still might not.  But he is making a case to stay in the lineup.  Sweet.

Very disappointing that they didn't come away with 2 points tonight.  Happy they got 1, but hoping they're upset at leaving a point on the table.  It's a big part of maturing to want and expect to get 2 points every game and to be upset when they don't get both of them.

But wondering just how much longer Olofsson will be a Sabre.  He's clearly at the point where he needs a change of scenery to even get back to his one dimensional self.

Will be at the game on Friday and am really looking forward to it.

 

[Rasmus_]

Sucks to lose that game.  But they are fighting back with more pressure. They are slowly getting into stride.

[Shoot da Puck]

Not a lot of complaints from me.

Next time Shoot da puck more .

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Shoot da Puck

[phil_soisson]

9 hours ago, Spoonman said:

@JohninMinn. I think you may seriously consider that  this is in need of a deletion. 

I never watched the "Jerry Springer Show", but this is America, and one thing that Mayor Springer said in concurrence with that is, "If you don't like it, turn the channel".

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, phil_soisson said:

I never watched the "Jerry Springer Show", but this is America, and one thing that Mayor Springer said in concurrence with that is, "If you don't like it, turn the channel".

This is America, which means a crap post like what your referring is allowed to be called out. We don't have to "turn the channel" aka ignore it. 

[LGR4GM]

I think Buffalo needs to either waive or trade Olofsson. He had exactly 1 good play yesterday where he deflected a puck out of the zone. This is the thing that worries me most about Adams and company, when the time comes they won't have enough of that ruthless mentality to walk away from players. 

[phil_soisson]

Just now, LGR4GM said:

This is America, which means a crap post like what your referring is allowed to be called out. We don't have to "turn the channel" aka ignore it. 

Respectfully, I get that, and I support the the right of any person that finds that post(or any post) offensive. I just abhor censorship, independent of whether for not I agree with. a particular point of view. Personally, hockey for me is a diversion from the crap show that is modern politics, socioeconomic, and geopolitical turmoil. Heretofore, the closest we came to controversy of that nature on these forums was the "pride" warm jerseys, which is a nothing burger.

[WhenWillItEnd66]

Some quick Thoughts and Observations:

- I hate Carolina, but damn they played some awesome stifling fast hockey!

- Although 6K made the mistake in OT, they would have not gotten there if it was not for him. Great bounce back game for him!

- Nice to see Tuch back to himself!

- Johnson looks very poised for a young kid!! He PLAYS SMART!!!

- Sabres PP was horrible! They are too slow to dump and chase!

- It was a strong team defensive effort!! It was nice to see! With the exception of chasing on that second goal, they looked good!

 

Not going to go crazy over an OT loss in a building where we have not won since 2016. I liked to see them skating and playing hard. Lots of lessons to be learned from that game! The next 2 are very winnable if they put forth the same effort!!! Lets go Buffalo!!