GDT - Sabres @ Capitals - 11/22/2023 @ 6PM CT / 7PM ET - MSGB/ESPN+

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14 minutes ago, Sidc3000 said:

A tired roster? They are the youngest team in the league who hadn’t played in two days. If one of the oldest team  could  have more stamina than the youngest team the Sabres need to fire the whole Training staff. 

14 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

"Tired"?  Please elaborate.  They played 3 nights ago....Maybe Dahlin, Power and Muel are tired, but the rest should be pretty fresh.  

They were clearly gassed at the end of the third. Some more than others. Whatever the reason or however little sense it makes that is precisely how they looked. And they looked tired in OT. Except Dahlin.

[Archie Lee]

4 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

I’m trying to be fair and realistic but tonight did it for me, I don’t think they have what it takes to make the jump yet. Still at least a year away. I hope I am wrong. I can’t see this team suddenly becoming consistent enough to leap ahead of the teams they are in contention with for a wc spot. 

I feel a little bit like this tonight.  It was close to being a near perfect road game.  But, they just couldn't get the one last play they needed to seal the win, whether that be a 4th goal, a big defensive play or a save.  So much of that does seem to relate to experience. I'm not making excuses.  It seems the best we can hope for is that they hang in there until New Year's, don't fall too far behind, get Thompson and Quinn back, maybe sort out who the #1 goalie is by then, and then get on a role in the 2nd half.  😬

 

[eman]

11 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

The average over the past 8 full seasons is 3.75, which is 23%.  Those still seem like long odds, but keep in mind that every year there are a number of teams that are pretty much considered locks to make the playoffs before the season starts.  The Sabres, if they are going to be in the race, are going to be in competition with Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, NYI, Ottawa and Detroit for a WC spot.  Regardless, we will need to get on a run at some point.

They may have to make a few changes to get there. Not sure who they could get as a goaltender as apparently Edmonton is looking as well. Also how long will Tage be out and how long will it take for both he and Quinn to get back into game playing shape when they return. I have to say, I'm intrigued at the thought of Patrick Kane and perhaps Jaro Halak in goal so Devon can play loads in Rochester. Just a thought. 

[Sidc3000]

16 minutes ago, ... said:

They were clearly gassed at the end of the third. Some more than others. Whatever the reason or however little sense it makes that is precisely how they looked. And they looked tired in OT. Except Dahlin.

Cozen said in the post game they sat back and tried to win the game without scoring another goal.  They were not gassed, they just decided to not play offense 

[Gatorman0519]

5 minutes ago, Sidc3000 said:

Cozen said in the post game they sat back and tried to win the game without scoring another goal.  They were not gassed, they just decided to not play offense 

Wow. Im don’t even know how to respond to that. 

[CallawaySabres]

Well I guess they lose when I don’t watch too. I think I’ll continue on this path, much less frustrating.

Big game coming up for the Bills, they are our only hope.

[Pimlach]

12 hours ago, eman said:

Apparently it's an "average". I just Googled it again and they give stats and at the very end they state "On average, roughly 3 teams that are outside the playoff picture by US Thanksgiving ed up qualifying". My mistake, not only "3 teams", but on average, only 3 teams per season.

Sounds more like it.  I am not giving up hope.  I think they can be a team to hit their  groove and take off.  We need Tage back asap, and hopefully Quinn can really contribute by the end of Jan.  That will enable us populate 3 good  lines, with the 4th being filler, but is forces 2 low performers out.  

The biggest question is will UPL and Comrie hold up? 

Damm Adams , he just didn't leave much margin for error.  

Edited November 23, 2023 by Pimlach

[Taro T]

47 minutes ago, Thorny said:

He was over ambitious in his belief that he was ready to be a bonafide 1. Lots of people were.

even I succumbed to the idea with the caveat we rostered him with a capable vet backup, in case. Which we of course didn’t do 

Thing is, Adams is the *GM*. He can’t be so thoroughly wrong especially betting everything on it. It’s his foooooourth yeeeeear

every farmer and their mom knew it was exceptionally risky to enter the season with the goalies we had. We wanted to believe, but hindsight need not apply. Adams is amendable to it and the results of it. It was a bonkers decision 

Yeah, Comrie or UPL get 2 points tonight.  Heck, they probably only give up 1 or 0 respectively.  

Which goal in regulation was the one you expected UPL or Comrie to stop?  And, which save that Levi made do you acknowlege that Comrie or UPL would've given up.  (Oops, sorry, forgot, they'd NEVER give up a goal that Levi didn't.)

[SABRES 0311]

I’ll admit when I was wrong twice.

Levi and Cozens

[GASabresIUFAN]

The team should have buried Washington tonight.  They stopped giving the necessary effort 7 minutes into the 2nd period and they lost because of it.  

Send Krebs down if you're not going to play him.  

Send Levi down as well.  

Trade Joki and get a 3rd/4th center or KA might as well admit he doesn't give two craps if this makes the playoffs. 

[nfreeman]

Very disappointing loss tonight after a much better effort than in the W vs Chicago last game.  They played tough and determined and got some timely offense, including an unforgettable 1st NHL goal by Benson.  But they didn't get the defensive play they needed to close it out in regulation (I think it was Zemgus who failed to tie up his man on the GTG) or the goaltending they needed in OT.

Let's hope they don't quit and Granato can get them back at it.  If so they will win enough to stay in it.

[HumanSlinky39]

3 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Very disappointing loss tonight after a much better effort than in the W vs Chicago last game.  They played tough and determined and got some timely offense, including an unforgettable 1st NHL goal by Benson.  But they didn't get the defensive play they needed to close it out in regulation (I think it was Zemgus who failed to tie up his man on the GTG) or the goaltending they needed in OT.

Let's hope they don't quit and Granato can get them back at it.  If so they will win enough to stay in it.

I said it after last game where they won despite playing really poorly, I don't think Granato is the guy to get this team to the next level. He did an admirable job helping this team and these players crawl out of the gutter, but I think we're getting stale. It's the same issues we've seen for 2.5 years. I just feel like they need a fresh message from behind the bench. Maybe someone like Gallant? 

[Thorny]

26 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Yeah, Comrie or UPL get 2 points tonight.  Heck, they probably only give up 1 or 0 respectively.  

Which goal in regulation was the one you expected UPL or Comrie to stop?  And, which save that Levi made do you acknowlege that Comrie or UPL would've given up.  (Oops, sorry, forgot, they'd NEVER give up a goal that Levi didn't.)

it’s not about any one specific lack of save. It’s not about which unlikely save he should have made. It’s about not snagging one among a total of 4. Each save could be unlikely and yet it still unlikely he stops not one 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Thorny

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

it’s not about any one specific lack of save. It’s not about which unlikely save he should have made. It’s about not snagging one among a total of 4. Each one could be unlikely and it still unlikely he stops not one 

Cool, send him down. 

The fact that he's the best of the 3 be damned and the fact that many of us realized they needed to get him an actual NHL top liner as a partner be damned too.  Sending him down so they can bring up Kulich will clarly get them into the playoffs.  😒

[LabattBlue]

If DG goes with 11 & 7 again on Friday, win or lose, I am packing it in until he gets fired. 

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Cool, send him down. 

The fact that he's the best of the 3 be damned and the fact that many of us realized they needed to get him an actual NHL top liner as a partner be damned too.  Sending him down so they can bring up Kulich will clarly get them into the playoffs.  😒

If he’s one of the best he should stay. Maybe I’m just not paying close enough attention. To me, none of them stand out or meaningfully differentiate. They are the subway sandwich goalie trio

[Porous Five Hole]

19 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Yeah, Comrie or UPL get 2 points tonight.  Heck, they probably only give up 1 or 0 respectively.  

Which goal in regulation was the one you expected UPL or Comrie to stop?  And, which save that Levi made do you acknowlege that Comrie or UPL would've given up.  (Oops, sorry, forgot, they'd NEVER give up a goal that Levi didn't.)

Man, I am going to feel dirty in the morning when I revisit this (given UPL’s issues with rebound control),  but I think his size saved one of these GA.
The first one was a deflection that length might have gotten to? This is a guess, but Levi looked inadequate. Willing to let it go either way. 

The second goal was a juicy rebound.  Hard to argue UPL would have swallowed given his history, but it was bad nonetheless.   

The third goal is on the defense and not the goalie. 
 

The OT goal was a 2 on 1, but if the goalie has the shooter…it was a poor effort by the goalie. 
 

I cannot claim UPL would have been better, but he would not have been worse. It’s time to re-evaluate the plan to develop Levi in the NHL.  

[Zamboni]

5 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

If DG goes with 11 & 7 again on Friday, win or lose, I am packing it in until he gets fired. 

[Thorny]

14 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

If DG goes with 11 & 7 again on Friday, win or lose, I am packing it in until he gets fired. 

Ya, totally dude! 
 

The cracks of doom are right over there. Go ahead…throw it in. 

[PerreaultForever]

Textbook case of how to blow a point (to a conference competitor). Prior to that one of their best games of the year but they do not have what it takes when the going gets tough. 

Good to see the response to the physicality (even if Greenway can't fight either) and this version of Clifton was closer to the Boston version I thought we'd get all along but still not enough. Benson goal obviously a thing of beauty, even if the Washington D was out to lunch on it. I have reservations still but I guess he stays. 

On any normal team Levi would already be in the AHL but who knows what we do going forward. Power in a sophomore slump for sure. I thought this team learned from how they developed Samuelsson but sadly no, we are clueless developing D men. Fortunately he is talented enough he will probably eventually get it all together like Dahlin did but it'll be a rocky road getting there. 

Playoffs get further and further away..............

[thewookie1]

Honestly just depressed that we never seem to catch a wave. It doesn't matter what we do; it will just blow up in our face anyway. 

2 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

On any normal team Levi would already be in the AHL but who knows what we do going forward. Power in a sophomore slump for sure. I thought this team learned from how they developed Samuelsson but sadly no, we are clueless developing D men. Fortunately he is talented enough he will probably eventually get it all together like Dahlin did but it'll be a rocky road getting there. 

Playoffs get further and further away..............

#1 overall picks don't play in the AHL; it just doesn't happen. Plus he played a year in college which is also very rare for a #1 overall pick. He's still solid analytically but seems to be have frequent brain farts; definitely a sophomore slump. 

Benson is truly an enigma on what to do with him. Benson is NHL ready in all but physicality and generally makes us a better team when he's on the ice. Sending him back to the WHL feels idiotic due to how it would likely hurt the team yet simultaneously he'd likely be better served with more time to physically prep.  

Levi is similar to Benson in that he has NHL talent but he also has the unenviable job of a goalie whom historically requires a ton of time prior to readiness.

[Gatorman0519]

10 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Textbook case of how to blow a point (to a conference competitor). Prior to that one of their best games of the year but they do not have what it takes when the going gets tough. 

Good to see the response to the physicality (even if Greenway can't fight either) and this version of Clifton was closer to the Boston version I thought we'd get all along but still not enough. Benson goal obviously a thing of beauty, even if the Washington D was out to lunch on it. I have reservations still but I guess he stays. 

On any normal team Levi would already be in the AHL but who knows what we do going forward. Power in a sophomore slump for sure. I thought this team learned from how they developed Samuelsson but sadly no, we are clueless developing D men. Fortunately he is talented enough he will probably eventually get it all together like Dahlin did but it'll be a rocky road getting there. 

Playoffs get further and further away..............

Looking at the pack we are in for the last two spots gets even more depressing. Probably 4-5 teams better than us. We are already 5 points out if a division spot. We’d need like an 8-2 run for that. 

[Taro T]

45 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Man, I am going to feel dirty in the morning when I revisit this (given UPL’s issues with rebound control),  but I think his size saved one of these GA.
The first one was a deflection that length might have gotten to? This is a guess, but Levi looked inadequate. Willing to let it go either way. 

The second goal was a juicy rebound.  Hard to argue UPL would have swallowed given his history, but it was bad nonetheless.   

The third goal is on the defense and not the goalie. 
 

The OT goal was a 2 on 1, but if the goalie has the shooter…it was a poor effort by the goalie. 
 

I cannot claim UPL would have been better, but he would not have been worse. It’s time to re-evaluate the plan to develop Levi in the NHL.  

BS.

UPL looked GREAT against Chicago.  Um, yeah, THAT Chicago.  How did he look against the Phlyers?  How'd he look against the Pens, Carolina?

Levi gets teams like the Rags, TO, Boston, and the Caps on an 8-1-1 run.  Yeah, he absolutely needs to find a way to stop giving up a goal in the last 2 minutes.  Of course, if the Sabres could find a way to actually play in their own zone in the last 2 minutes, it would help him to pull that off. 

[thewookie1]

Honestly, Cozens should’ve just tripped the guy instead of trying to catch up after a minute plus shift. Literally the worst outcome is a delayed penalty and Power 1v1 with Strome

[Thorny]