GDT: Sabres @ Rangers - November 27, 2023 - 7:00PM, MSG-B/ESPN+📺 WGR📻

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The last 4 Sabres games encompass the Sabres' season to date.

Blow a 2-0 and 3-2 lead against the Caps and lose in OT.  Then get embarrassed and booed off the ice after 2 periods against Pitt, then come out like a house on fire, score 3 in the 3rd, and win the game 3-2.  Coming off that high, they played their worst game of the year (and that is saying something) against the Devils losing 7-2 (and getting outshot 37 -12 with only 6 shots in the 1st 2 periods).  Following that embarrassment, they dominated the leading team in the NHL and won 5-1. 

Will the real Sabres please stand up? 

One can honestly argue that is truly the sign of a young team. A literal enigma of games that make zero sense 

[Thorny]

15 minutes ago, Derrico said:

Agreed.  Their record feels worse because of the high expectations but they haven’t yet dug themselves an insurmountable hole.  

If someone said: “they’ll start 10-10-2, but UPL will definitively elevate to starter quality” I’d probably have taken it. We don’t know he’s that, yet, but if he is, we’ll be in a pretty good spot imo to make a good run at it 

[Doohickie]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

Tuch played like The Man.  

fify

[nfreeman]

Awesome.

Let the record reflect that UPL outplayed Shesterkin tonight.

I haven’t like Mitts’ game for a couple of weeks now, but he stepped up tonight in minutes 55-59.

Cozens is working hard but still squeezing the stick and making too many cute passes.

JJP and Benson are the real deal.

Tuch is leading the way right now.

All the dmen played pretty well.

Good for DM for getting them to turn the page and come out with some heart and determination tonight.

Go Sabres.

 

[Doohickie]

2 hours ago, sabremike said:

The only thing I compare this to was in 2016 when my Red Bulls got hammered by the DC Scum (our most hated rivals) on a Wednesday and then on Sunday at Yankee Stadium dropped the biggest ass kicking in MLS history on the fake posers from the Bronx with a 0-7 win that is known to this day as The Red Wedding.

MLS?  Is that a sport or a disease?  Multiple Lateral Sclerosis or something?

 

 

I kid, I kid.

[Andrew Amerk]

This board hates UPL, but sure seems to be okay with him after his good games. 

[Thorny]

1 minute ago, Andrew Amerk said:

This board hates UPL, but sure seems to be okay with him after his good games. 

The board said he was poor-to-below-average when he played poor-to-below-average and sings his praises when he plays really well and his numbers look really good

what am I missing? 

Is this unexpected? 

[bg17]

Just now, Thorny said:

The board said he was poor-to-below-average when he played poor-to-below-average and sings his praises when he plays really well and his numbers look really good

what am I missing? 

People calling him garbage or trash seems to be what you missed. 

[OverPowerYou]

I love this team. I hate this team. I love this team. I hate this team… I guess I just have to be indifferent for them to be consistently good? 🤣

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, bg17 said:

People calling him garbage or trash seems to be what you missed. 

It’s possible. As far as I know I’ve only seen one notable poster ever go that far 

[Doohickie]

While I can't argue the stars, I thought during the first period our best forward was JJP.  He opened the scoring and was tilting the ice when he was out there.  At least deserves an honorable mention.

[Doohickie]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Sabres out shot the Rangers in the 3rd.

And not just by a little.  LOOK AT THOSE SHOTS

The Sabres out shot them 17-3 when the Rags were trying to catch up, and the Sabres had one and a half times the Rangers shot total over the whole game!  Holy hell.

[TageMVP]

Wow what a complete win against  arguably the best team in the league. Put up 5 without their best forward, too  

UPL looked great, has looked solid all year 

Peterka seems to be taking a leap like Cozens took last year 

Just play tough solid hockey until guys recover from injuries. Still a long season ahead. Plenty of time to stack wins 

[Doohickie]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

And, for once, the Sabres actually had a good start.  They didn't score on either chance, but the Mitts line had a killer opportunity on each of its 1st 2 shifts.  That seemed to help boost the other lines too.

And it served notice to the Rangers/put them back on their heals a bit.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, Big Guava said:

And as much as I am afraid to say this, UPL looks like he might be turning a corner in terms of his play...has been mostly solid and by far the best goalie this year, and at times outstanding.

I kind of remember Ullmark turning the corner... at first no one hear wanted to believe it but by the time he left he was very impressive.  Are we seeing another goalie take that same developmental step?

[Doohickie]

28 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Cozens is working hard but still squeezing the stick and making too many cute passes.

JJP and Benson are the real deal.

While I agree that Cozens is inside his own head, I also can't blame him for passing off to linemates like JJP and Benson.  Cozens will be fine and that line will score its share of goals.

[PerreaultForever]

Well go figure. Bizarro world. 

Not to take anything away from the Sabres, who played so much better than the previous game and several players had an outstanding night, but that wasn't the same Rangers as I watched beat the Bruins. Now the Bruins are in a funk/slump so maybe they also made the Rangers look better but they were definitely not playing as well as they can. 

But UPL obviously had one of his good nights. Very good in fact and if he played like that consistently we'd have no goalie issue at all would we. 

I know Kyle scored late but Tuch once again showed me why he should be captain next year. Maximum elevation/leading by example after a team horrible game. That to me is strong leadership. Peterka continues his break out season. Not unexpected. Top line was good. Big Johnson (and his bad analytics) was very good. More leadership. You have to like what we saw. They were pretty good and did a lot of things that they don't usually do right. 

Although he didn't impact the score, I do really like the tenacity and energy that Benson brings every night. All too often there are Sabres who lack that tenacious spirit and he seems to have it in spades. This is often the missing ingredient on this team. We have the skill, we have the speed, but we lack the intensity/desire/tenaciousness you need to forecheck, create turnovers and finish plays. Hopefully this attitude holds and rubs off on some of the others so that we start to see it EVERY night. 

As a whole, I should probably stop commenting on individual games on a regular basis cause this team is impossible to predict or figure out from one night to the next. 

[Doohickie]

UPL's miracle paddle save has been tweeted by the NHL

 

[FrenchConnection44]

4 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

This board hates UPL, but sure seems to be okay with him after his good games. 

 

4 hours ago, Thorny said:

The board said he was poor-to-below-average when he played poor-to-below-average and sings his praises when he plays really well and his numbers look really good

what am I missing? 

Is this unexpected? 

I think it’s true in general. And it’s not related to his play per se. (Up and down play). When I’ve expressed hope for UPL based on the fact that he’s still young and inexperienced and that it sometimes takes a while for goaltenders to develop, the response is to cite all sorts of past statistical metrics to pre determine not just that he’s a bad goalie but that he can never possibly become a good one. 

[FrenchConnection44]

I thought there was no chance we would beat the Rangers. No chance. lol. 

This is one of the most, if not the most, unpredictable teams I’ve seen in any sport since 1970. 

UPL has been excellent the past five games he’s played. .937 save %. But has also come up with huge saves. That heavy leg work in the off season seems to be paying off.  And his overall gaa in 11 games is now 2.54. Wouldn’t that be a pleasant surprise if he kept playing consistently at this level? Knock on wood. 
 

[Night Train]

Awesome. UPL has started 5 games the last 2 weeks with a .942 save %. Hats off to the guy. Probably opens the door to send Levi to Rochester.  Comrie the backup. 

 Can't figure the rest of the team but they showed up last night. Best win of the year. 

[PASabreFan]

5 hours ago, Doohickie said:

UPL's miracle paddle save has been tweeted by the NHL

 

It made Clipley's Believe it or Don't as well.

[sabrefanday1]

As I have been saying the whole league generally is completely unpredictable these days. I use to make good money betting on games via ProLine but thes days it is so hard to predict scores...sure bet-team slike Colorado getting blown out and Philly as a example actually far surp[assing anyone's expectations. We are still a young team (and that is not a excuse people like to hear). UPL is stil young by a goalie's standard (often they do not come into their own until in thei rlate 20's). 

  And as I figured, there is far less pages for this win then when they lose...we as Sabre fans are so use to doom and gloom I guess...

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, Doohickie said:

And not just by a little.  LOOK AT THOSE SHOTS

The Sabres out shot them 17-3 when the Rags were trying to catch up, and the Sabres had one and a half times the Rangers shot total over the whole game!  Holy hell.

@Doohickie where did you get that breakdown from? Nhl.com?

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

It made Clipley's Believe it or Don't as well.

52 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

@Doohickie where did you get that breakdown from? Nhl.com?

Yessir.  https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/buf-vs-nyr/2023/11/27/2023020322