GDT: Panthers @ Sabres October 18 2025 @ 1PM, MSG-B, ESPN+, Fubo

[PerreaultForever]

I know some people are going to scoff at this, but I think Geertson has to stay in the line up. At least for now. It's not that he's any good. He isn't. He's a big dummy. But he's our big dummy and the philosophy holds true in that other players play bigger and more aggressive knowing he is there. Probably the best I've seen Malentstyn be since he got here. Initiating and throwing his weight. I am sure he is more comfortable doing that knowing he doesn't have to match up with the heavy weight should things go that way. Everybody played bigger, and it matters, a lot. In time, as they learn they can all be this all the time they might no longer need him every night, but for now, it matters.

Doan plays net front the right way and is something we have also been missing so perhaps that's an integral ingredient going forward as well. 

Obviously, if Lyon isn't playing this way and the PK isn't as good as it was this game could have been very different but that just illustrates the historical flaw of not emphasizing goaltending as a priority. If the goaltending holds up like this there is hope. Kitties aren't the team they were at the moment and they took full advantage of that. Not being intimidated and fighting through anything kitties tried. Watching Marchand lose his s**t is always hilarious.

Overall this was real hockey. Complete hockey. Balanced offensive and defensive hockey and thus winning hockey. I'm not going to jump on a bandwagon because I've seen these moments before and seen them disappear as well so we shall watch and see, but if they keep playing like this they might just turn this around.

Only downside to this would be it means Adams will get an extension rather than the pink slip he deserves. 

[ExWNYer]

2 minutes ago, Mr Peabody said:

Benson, Doan, Krebs, Kodak across the lines are shifting our culture.  No longer waiting around for Tage to score, but creating opportunities.   Entire D was engaged and physical.  
 

Granddaughter’s middle school chorus singing the anthem at the Crunch game tonight and I’m looking forward to watching Amerks D men. 

Awesome! Congrats, Gramps! 😎

[thewookie1]

Just now, mjd1001 said:

I haven't watched either of the last 2 games live. (saw most of last game on replay, haven't seen any of today's game yet)

But I'm looking for opinions here. Since Benson has been back, does anyone have a preference for who has been better....Benson or Doan?

When reading comments, I seem to read a lot of similar positives for both. Despite the stats, who appears to be better on the ice?

Frankly its hard to say, both are chaotic manufacturing machines. Doan has been solid at worst all year and Benson has been great both games he's played.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Nice win beating Fla and the refs.  Fla stopping playing with 3 minutes left.  

[mjd1001]

I'm watching the replays of the goals.  Thought on the PP.  I have thought for a while that while zone entries, faceoffs, and moving the puck around are important to a PP, traffic in front of the net is more important than any of them.

Watch replays of PP goals around the league and you'll see that on some nights, half (or more) are scrums around the net or deflections.   Do the other 3 things just "OK" (zone entries, faceoffs, and puck motion), but park a guy in front of the net that won't move, and you'll have a good PP.

Watch replays of both of Doans PP goals. Not only is he in front of the net when they are scored, but he goes there right away. His 2nd PP goal is the best example, he goes right to the front of the net and just stays within a couple feet of the net at all times. Its like on the PP, his whole world is that area.

Peterka was more of a perimter player. Cozens didn't hang around in the front of the net either...10 feet out in front yes, but he didn't just park himself there at all.  So maybe Doan isn't as 'skilled' as those 2 overall, but him going to the front of the net like he does may actually cause him to be better on the PP than either JJP or Cozens was on this team.

Edited 9 hours ago by mjd1001

[ExWNYer]

1 minute ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Nice win beating Fla and the refs.  Fla stopping playing with 3 minutes left.  

Yep. I was shocked that they didn't pull their goalie around the 4 minute mark. By they time he was still there at the 3 minute mark, I knew that they were conceding. I found it strange but whatever. It didn't matter for the Sabres. Our guys owned the game from start to finish despite the inordinate amount of penalties.

[Pimlach]

26 minutes ago, Goldseatsaud said:

Panthers cup hang over

Injuries.  Tkachuk and Barkov for starters. 

[LGR4GM]

22 minutes ago, Jorcus said:

I try not to say negative things after a win but Quinn did not have a very good game. In the second he had a shift where he made 3 mistakes that could have let the Panthers tie it up. The last shift I think he stayed on the ice too long. It wasn't all bad but his play away from the puck is sketchy.

I'm ready to move on. 

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

Injuries.  Tkachuk and Barkov for starters. 

We're missing Norris and Kesselring. 

[ExWNYer]

Lyon presented Doan with the Saber after the game and called Josh 'The Doan Show'. 

[PerreaultForever]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I'm ready to move on. 

We're missing Norris and Kesselring. 

lol, you can't be serious equating Norris and Kesselring to Barkov and Tkachuk in terms of importance/value are you? You have to be joking.

[aristocrat]

Lot of winnable games coming up. Need the top paid guys to start scoring 

[Dr. Who]

Just now, PerreaultForever said:

lol, you can't be serious equating Norris and Kesselring to Barkov and Tkachuk in terms of importance/value are you? You have to be joking.

And don't forget we had the advantage of losing Bryson early.

[mjd1001]

Taking a quick look at the games analytics...Possessions stuff like Corsi, Fenwick, xgoals, shots for/against...etc.

Pretty much across the board, Benson, Tage and Kulich had the best numbers this game.

Quinn and Zucker near the bottom. (Tuch and McLeod also not that great, but not as bad and Quinn and Zucker)

[LGR4GM]

Bryson in concussion protocol 

[Pimlach]

16 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I know some people are going to scoff at this, but I think Geertson has to stay in the line up. At least for now. It's not that he's any good. He isn't. He's a big dummy. But he's our big dummy and the philosophy holds true in that other players play bigger and more aggressive knowing he is there. Probably the best I've seen Malentstyn be since he got here. Initiating and throwing his weight. I am sure he is more comfortable doing that knowing he doesn't have to match up with the heavy weight should things go that way. Everybody played bigger, and it matters, a lot. In time, as they learn they can all be this all the time they might no longer need him every night, but for now, it matters.

Doan plays net front the right way and is something we have also been missing so perhaps that's an integral ingredient going forward as well. 

Obviously, if Lyon isn't playing this way and the PK isn't as good as it was this game could have been very different but that just illustrates the historical flaw of not emphasizing goaltending as a priority. If the goaltending holds up like this there is hope. Kitties aren't the team they were at the moment and they took full advantage of that. Not being intimidated and fighting through anything kitties tried. Watching Marchand lose his s**t is always hilarious.

Overall this was real hockey. Complete hockey. Balanced offensive and defensive hockey and thus winning hockey. I'm not going to jump on a bandwagon because I've seen these moments before and seen them disappear as well so we shall watch and see, but if they keep playing like this they might just turn this around.

Only downside to this would be it means Adams will get an extension rather than the pink slip he deserves. 

Gertie played 2:06, so two shifts probably, maybe 3.   I recall one shift were he was a deterrent to Florida’s big guys taking liberties. 

[LGR4GM]

Just now, Pimlach said:

Gertie played 2:06, so two shifts probably, maybe 3.   I recall one shift were he was a deterrent to Florida’s big guys taking liberties. 

They should bring up Rosen and stop this Geertsen crap. 

[PerreaultForever]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

Gertie played 2:06, so two shifts probably, maybe 3.   I recall one shift were he was a deterrent to Florida’s big guys taking liberties. 

He doesn't need a lot of ice time. Just being there is why the other guys feel braver. 

I know a lot of people don't get this, but Ruff does. It's like on Shorsey where they get the 3 Jims . Obviously that's exaggerated for comedic effect but at the core of it is how hockey culture still works. 

[pastajoe]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

They should bring up Rosen and stop this Geertsen crap. 

It would be a waste to put Rosen on the 4th line for short minutes when he can play top minutes in Rochester. He needs to be a top nine player when he comes up, and Lindy won’t give him that this season.

[mjd1001]

Doan and Benson now the topping the scoring leaders for the team after 5 games, (Benson only playing 2 of them)

Who had that before the season started?

1 minute ago, PerreaultForever said:

He doesn't need a lot of ice time. Just being there is why the other guys feel braver. 

I know a lot of people don't get this, but Ruff does. It's like on Shorsey where they get the 3 Jims . Obviously that's exaggerated for comedic effect but at the core of it is how hockey culture still works. 

I'm half way there with you.

I don't think it should be true, and I'd normally rather have the better overall player...but maybe there is something to it?

[ExWNYer]

8 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

lol, you can't be serious equating Norris and Kesselring to Barkov and Tkachuk in terms of importance/value are you? You have to be joking.

Nobody is saying that. I'm pretty sure that the point @LGR4GM was making was that the Sabres were without two of their most important players, as well. At the end of the year, they look at the points you accumulated not who did or didn't play in them. The Barkov-less and Tkachuk-less Panthers still had Bobrovsky in goal and were generously given ten power plays by the officials yet didn't net one goal. Credit the Sabres for a solid win. Period.

[LGR4GM]

5 minutes ago, pastajoe said:

It would be a waste to put Rosen on the 4th line for short minutes when he can play top minutes in Rochester. He needs to be a top nine player when he comes up, and Lindy won’t give him that this season.

You don't put him on the 4th line. You demote someone else. 

2 minutes ago, ExWNYer said:

Nobody is saying that. I'm pretty sure that the point @LGR4GM was making was that the Sabres were without two of their most important players, as well. At the end of the year, they look at the points you accumulated not who did or didn't play in them. The Barkov-less and Tkachuk-less Panthers still had Bobrovsky in goal and were generously given ten power plays by the officials yet didn't net one goal. Credit the Sabres for a solid win. Period.

Yup. We're missing 2 players that matter to our team. 

[mjd1001]

Doan with not a lot of ice time this game.

My guess is his line this game was Doan-McLeod-Tuch. The Sabres were on the PK so much this game, and his line-mates of Tuch and McLeod are used on the PK so much....that after the PK was over those guys needed a rest, so unfortunately Doan was on the bench with them.

If not for that, I think he would have had more ice time than 13:55

[shrader]

42 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Anyone else notice that when the Sabres were in puck battles along the boards, other Sabres jumped into the fray to back them up instead of waiting around for something to happen?

There was one little play late in the game that I thought said a lot. I’m forgetting the names at this point. One of the Florida forwards pushed our defenseman at the whistle. A second or two later, that panther had 4 Sabres standing directly in front of him. There was no contact beyond that point, it was just a simple “yeah, this scrum is over”.

[Doohickie]

38 minutes ago, rickshaw said:

And I have to ask. How is Marchand not given another 2’ unsportsmanlike when he told Dahlin’s talent and tore it apart? Or a 10’? 
This is where NHL refs come j to question and people start up the Panthers getting preferential treatment. 
Such an automatic extra penalty.

It was discussed during the intermission and the Sabres broadcast team it should have been an Unsportsmanlike 10 minute penalty.  Kudos to Dahlin for putting it behind him quickly and the Sabres capitalizing on the penalty.

It's likely that Marchand will be fined.

[Pimlach]

Power, Timmins, and Byram all had more TOI than Dahlin.  Muel’s TOI was up there too. 
 

A Bryson out side effect?