GDT: 9/22/25--Buffalo Sabres @ Columbus Blue Jackets 7 PM TV: MSG

[bob_sauve28]

9 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

The game wasn’t chippy, there wasn’t much rattling of boards. But the Columbus statistician was racking up hits for the Sabres. The Sabres did forecheck well. 

32 hits awarded to Sabres forwards. 7 for Helenius.

I think in Buffalo it’s more like 16 hits. But that’s just me. 

Announcers stated Sabres were just winning most puck battles 

9 hours ago, K-9 said:

Unlike Power, I don’t think we’d regret trading Muel for one second. I think Mrtka is better than him already. Can we send Muel back to the WHL as well?

He really did look good. Not out of place at all 

Charlie McAvoy was taken 15th overall and became instant starter. Benson stayed, too

Who knows? 

[Rasmus_]

Were the forwards playing defense away from the puck.  How did Quinns skating look?  I'm not getting espn.  So ill just be watching highlights.

[Jorcus]

It was the first time I saw Novikov and Komarov paired together. Novikov worked hard clearing the front of the net. He put at least two Cbus guys on the ice and stayed on top of them. They got a lot of time on ice and held up well. Komarov did get turned inside out on a rush. Novikov is getting closer and closer to the NHL. 

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, K-9 said:

Unlike Power, I don’t think we’d regret trading Muel for one second. I think Mrtka is better than him already. Can we send Muel back to the WHL as well?

I didn’t watch the game so I won’t comment on the game. With respect to Samuelson, I don’t consider him a lost cause. If he can stabilize his game, he hopefully will turn out to be a good third pairing player. In some respect, salvaging a player is like adding a player to the roster. What this team needs is more additions, not less. 

[mjd1001]

13 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I didn’t watch the game so I won’t comment on the game. With respect to Samuelson, I don’t consider him a lost cause. If he can stabilize his game, he hopefully will turn out to be a good third pairing player. In some respect, salvaging a player is like adding a player to the roster. What this team needs is more additions, not less. 

Even last year when he didn't play well, I thought Samuelson was one of the better penalty killers on the team. 

At his best... He has the potential to be a great penalty killer. He's not overly aggressive which can be good on the PK.. his size and reach covers a lot of ground and he doesn't get out of position too often. 

If he can just stay healthy and improves a little bit to be a decent third pair guy... But you can get him to be a very good to Great penalty killer... He's well worth his contract then.

[Captain Caveman]

82-0 here we come!

[WhenWillItEnd66]

Offense looked disjointed as you would expect from a first preseason game. They played defensively sound even though they were on the their heels in the 1st. They slowly turned it around in the 2nd and third and hemmed CBJ in their end for good periods at a time. Not bad considering ....

[JohnC]

I just saw some clips on the game. So I don't want to exaggerate the significance of what I saw. What was evident to me on the Byrum and I believe the Power?? goal is net presence that created congestion in front of the goalie. It seems that there is an emphasis on tougher play in front of both ends of the net. That adjustment in mentality will be a positive step. 

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Announcers stated Sabres were just winning most puck battles 

He really did look good. Not out of place at all 

Charlie McAvoy was taken 15th overall and became instant starter. Benson stayed, too

Who knows? 

You're gonna start Mrtka over which one?

Dahlin,  Kesselring, or Timmins? If Timmins how does 14 min a night on a 3rd pair with no pp time help Mrtka develop?

[dudacek]

7 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

He's universally liked, idk what there is to reasses?

Physicality, skill and NHL upside.

Prior to rookie camp, the universal reaction was “he’s fine”.

He’s looked better right now than people realized he was and shown more upside than they gave him credit for.

 

No I don’t think he should make the team, I’ve just been impressed with his tools and where his game is already.

[LGR4GM]

10 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Physicality, skill and NHL upside.

Prior to rookie camp, the universal reaction was “he’s fine”.

He’s looked better right now than people realized he was and shown more upside than they gave him credit for.

 

No I don’t think he should make the team, I’ve just been impressed with his tools and where his game is already.

He's been since the draft a potential all around top pairing defender. 

Mrtka will probably be better than Power some day.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Rasmus_ said:

Were the forwards playing defense away from the puck.  How did Quinns skating look?  I'm not getting espn.  So ill just be watching highlights.

They gave up no odd man rushes. They came close once but a forward got back quickly and broke it up.

[That Aud Smell]

10 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Mrtka will probably be better than Power some day.

Power + for Robertson confirmed.

[Jorcus]

1 hour ago, Rasmus_ said:

Were the forwards playing defense away from the puck.  How did Quinns skating look?  I'm not getting espn.  So ill just be watching highlights.

Only forward not to record a hit last night. The usual drifting around waiting  for someone to feed him a puck or the play to come to him. Helenius recorded 7 hits last night. 

[JP51]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

I didn’t watch the game so I won’t comment on the game. With respect to Samuelson, I don’t consider him a lost cause. If he can stabilize his game, he hopefully will turn out to be a good third pairing player. In some respect, salvaging a player is like adding a player to the roster. What this team needs is more additions, not less. 

I hope so, but I am finding it very difficult to forgive and or believe that he will be the type we want on this team after the Thompson incident as well as the constant injuries... maybe... but I have my doubts... big contract for a 3rd pairing D man... but at this point who wants to take that off of our hands...  he is a quandry. 

[JP51]

Mrtka, loved his game, clearly runs around a bit and I don't think is like Zach Benson ready in his first year... but this is a guy I would give the 9 games to if he went back to Junior... 1 game, not elite from top to bottom competition, but from what I saw is as advertised + as I see him taking to heart his role as a big guy who needs to be physical... lets see what happens as we go on... JMO

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

You're gonna start Mrtka over which one?

Dahlin,  Kesselring, or Timmins? If Timmins how does 14 min a night on a 3rd pair with no pp time help Mrtka develop?

Who knows, just saying if he is ready, and sending him down serves no purpose because he has possibly outgrown the juniors, then he is in. Even if its to be number 7, because, as you know, that will mean he will get to play. 

Not saying he SHOULD stay up, just that it happens that 18 year olds make it sometimes. 

[LGR4GM]

3 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Who knows, just saying if he is ready, and sending him down serves no purpose because he has possibly outgrown the juniors, then he is in. Even if its to be number 7, because, as you know, that will mean he will get to play. 

Not saying he SHOULD stay up, just that it happens that 18 year olds make it sometimes. 

He hasn't outgrown Jr's. Mrtka only played about 4 months in jrs, it's why it was tricky to evaluate him. He'll be fine in Seattle playing 25 min a night. 

[DarthEbriate]

12 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

There was one good fight.

I don't put any stock in that at all. The fight was a staged "hey I'm trying to make my team, wanna scrap?" out of a faceoff. It was not a response, nor was there any contentious play leading up to it.

[PASabreFan]

Same old Sabres.

[DarthEbriate]

15 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Same old Sabres.

Really old... like late '90s, where they outworked their opponent nearly all night and got solid goaltending?

(And yes, it's only a preseason game against a half-CBJ roster with no Werenski) but after the first period, the Sabres forechecked and backchecked like you'd expect of a '90s dead-puck team.)

[Thorny]

8 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Really old... like late '90s, where they outworked their opponent nearly all night and got solid goaltending?

(And yes, it's only a preseason game against a half-CBJ roster with no Werenski) but after the first period, the Sabres forechecked and backchecked like you'd expect of a '90s dead-puck team.)

No like the sabres of last year’s preseason, who went 6-1

[K-9]

31 minutes ago, Thorny said:

No like the sabres of last year’s preseason, who went 6-1

[mjd1001]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

You're gonna start Mrtka over which one?

Dahlin,  Kesselring, or Timmins? If Timmins how does 14 min a night on a 3rd pair with no pp time help Mrtka develop?

I'd hope even if he was 'good enough' to crack the top 6 (I'm not sure if I'm even there) that you wouldn't have him on the roster this year.

I'm not worried about him being 'good enough' this year.  I want him to be VERY good in 3-4 years.   

Yes, you can develop at the NHL level, yes, he can have side sessions after practice with development coaches.  But I think he'd learn more playing a lot more minutes and still dealing with development coaches, just not at the NHL level.

[PASabreFan]

What was the final score? I tried that 900 number for sports scores, but it said to check the number and dial again.