GDT: Capitals @ Sabres, 7:00pm Nov. 1, 2025, 🎙 📺 ESPN+/MSG

[Pimlach]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Truthfully? 

I see some good with Buffalo. They certainly are a better checking team and the defense doesn't make me want to gouge my soul out. Kesselring is as advertised which I love. Finally prospects don't have roster spots unless injuries occur. The PK deserves praise. Lyon and to an extent Ellis and potentially Luukkonen have been solid to really good. 

I would have to agree.  They are a better checking team and more willing to defend themselves.  Depth is being tested, especially at center and on defense, and they are getting better  

Not sure the goaltending holds up, we still do not know Ellis at all.  The power play is still a problem. 
 

[bg17]

36 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

We'll see what the next 10 games holds. 

5-2-3 in their last 10. Is a duplicate of that adequate? 

[SwampD]

15 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Truthfully? 

I see some good with Buffalo. They certainly are a better checking team and the defense doesn't make me want to gouge my soul out. Kesselring is as advertised which I love. Finally prospects don't have roster spots unless injuries occur. The PK deserves praise. Lyon and to an extent Ellis and potentially Luukkonen have been solid to really good. 

I agree. The hockey just looks different. It’s way more watchable. Remember Kruger’s "gain the blue line with speed, stop, and pass the puck to someone behind you” scheme? He thought he was coaching soccer. So dumb.

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, SwampD said:

I agree. The hockey just looks different. It’s way more watchable. Remember Kruger’s "gain the blue line with speed, stop, and pass the puck to someone behind you” scheme? He thought he was coaching soccer. So dumb.

Kruger was all about low event hockey. I don't remember that but I believe it, I've tried to erase those yrs from my brain. 

[JohnC]

36 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Truthfully? 

I see some good with Buffalo. They certainly are a better checking team and the defense doesn't make me want to gouge my soul out. Kesselring is as advertised which I love. Finally prospects don't have roster spots unless injuries occur. The PK deserves praise. Lyon and to an extent Ellis and potentially Luukkonen have been solid to really good. 

As you noted, if there is anything to be encouraged about it is that our goal tending has been solid. I'm not going to put it at an upper tier level, but so far it has been at a level where it keeps us in the game. 

Both Kesserling and Timmons were added in the offseason. They upgraded the unit. (To me, Timmons is an unsung player who quietly and efficiently does his job.) And there is no question that Samuelsson and Power are improved, with Samuelsson making the biggest improvement. Dahlin is the best player on the unit. And it seems that he is pressing and trying to do too much. But from an overall standpoint this unit is playing better than in prior years. And I forgot to mention that Byram is also playing well. I preferred Kesserling paired with Power but he playing with Byram seem to be a compatible pair. 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

Idk, Dahlin always kinda looks like this, it’s just slightly worse this season 

He seems more off to me this season. My sense is he is trying to do too much and is forcing the play instead of letting the game come to him. It seems to me he is working too hard to carry the team instead of just playing his game. Tage is another player who is trying to do too much and playing too much solo hockey. The injury to Norris hurt that line. 

[Pimlach]

31 minutes ago, bg17 said:

5-2-3 in their last 10. Is a duplicate of that adequate? 

That would be 13 points out of possible 20.  That would be a good pace and put us in the running. 

[sabrefanday1]

Think any apprehension by the team on OT is a byproduct of many years of failure and of the team playing too tight and worrying too much. Confidence is such a big part of any sport, and the team had lacked it for so long but slowly seem to be getting better. I do see big improvments which is nice. For sure harder to play against, and getting points they would have never got last year (or any other previous year).

Edited 12 hours ago by sabrefanday1

[JohnC]

16 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

That would be 13 points out of possible 20.  That would be a good pace and put us in the running. 

What we can't go through is extended losing streaks. Although getting losing points is frustrating it keeps us from more steeply descending. Those loser points don't necessarily raise us up but keeps us in the mix. Consolation is better than desolation. 

[BullBuchanan]

17 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What we can't go through is extended losing streaks. Although getting losing points is frustrating it keeps us from more steeply descending. Those loser points don't necessarily raise us up but keeps us in the mix. Consolation is better than desolation. 

I mean, if you got a loser point every game of the season, that might be good enough to get you in the playoffs. It's better than consolation.

[Broken Ankles]

35 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What we can't go through is extended losing streaks. Although getting losing points is frustrating it keeps us from more steeply descending. Those loser points don't necessarily raise us up but keeps us in the mix. Consolation is better than desolation. 

desperation, separation
Condemnation, resignation
In temptation, isolation. 

Let it go. 

[JohnC]

14 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

I mean, if you got a loser point every game of the season, that might be good enough to get you in the playoffs. It's better than consolation.

If you got a loser point for every game of the season you would not be in the playoffs. Instead, you would be on the couch watching other teams playing in those post games.

[JohnC]

Just now, Broken Ankles said:

desperation, separation
Condemnation, resignation
In temptation, isolation. 

Let it go. 

I don’t know about you but I would gladly take a loser point than lose in regulation and get nada. 

[Broken Ankles]

Just now, JohnC said:

I don’t know about you but I would gladly take a loser point than lose in regulation and get nada. 

💯.  Agree with all you said…just added some lyrics from Bad, by U2. 

[Pimlach]

24 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

I mean, if you got a loser point every game of the season, that might be good enough to get you in the playoffs. It's better than consolation.

No.  That will never be good enough in a normal season.  One point a game gives you 82 points and well out of the wild card. 
 

95 is the number to be in contention 

[Archie Lee]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

What position of strength and abundance do we have on the roster to deal to recalibrate it?  Usually, a reshaping deal is done in the offseason. In my view, the most impactful player transaction would be getting back Norris. And as you noted, I’m not confident in our current GM making such a deal, especially when he feels pressure to do so. 

I’m certainly not saying it is easy. Frankly, having looked at PuckPedia for  “that trade” that would work for the Sabres and the other team, I couldn’t give you an example right now of one that fits. But, I think there’s a reasonable argument that having Power and Byram making a combined $14.5 million is not great cap allocation when you have Dahlin as your undisputed #1 d-man. This is perhaps further magnified if Samuelsson is seen as the best partner for Dahlin. Trading Power or Byram would not be without risk. But for the right forward it could absolutely make the Sabres a better team. 

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I think making this personal like that, is lazy, low, and shows your true colors.

You'll get over it. I know i do when people attack me personally.

Edited 10 hours ago by PromoTheRobot

[bg17]

34 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I don’t know about you but I would gladly take a loser point than lose in regulation and get nada. 

23-24 Islanders made the playoffs with 39 wins - the same number as the Sabres. NYI had 16 loser points. They all count.

Now, just win baby!

[Mr Peabody]

I’ve been down on Tage this year but that OT last night was a clinic on leadership.  He never gave up and the blocked shot was the cherry on top of an incredibly gutsy shift 

[shrader]

3 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

lol - i see a robust “what is .500” debate ensued upthread.

i look only at true .500 as a threshold for being good because, if you ain’t there, you need the stars to align to make the playoffs.

plus, i won’t toe the line for gary bettman’s loser point parity project.

The bonus point doesn’t go to the loser, it goes to the OT winner. That’s what happens when you create an artificial decider for ties. 
 

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Focusing on a .500 point percentage is meaningless, especially this early in the season. 

Every team in the Sabres division has at least .500 point percentage. Every team in the Sabres conference has at least .500 points percentage.   Only 6 teams out of 32 are below .500 points percentage.  

I don’t think people are focusing on that point. When you start so horribly, you have to get back to .500 before you get to .580 or whatever. It’s an easily recognizable point. No one is going to be able to look at the standings and say “hey, .580”. 

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, Freeezo said:

Is it just me or are crowds at home games alot bigger?

Wouldn't say the crowds are bigger in general than they were last year at this time, maybe a bit.  Last night was a sellout because it was "Hockey Fights Cancer Night" which is always a big draw as Roswell makes sure there are a lot of bodies in the building.  Plus it was a Saturday night game which also draws well and it was one of the last chances people will have to watch Ovechkin play in person.  Add all those up and you get a sellout.

But WOULD say, the crowd has been louder this season, even in games where we've only had ~14k in the barn, we've been able to get loud at times.  And, them winning more often than not at home helps feed the crowd participation which also helps feed the team playing well.  Once in a while, those feedback loops work in our favor.  😉 

[JohnC]

26 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

I’m certainly not saying it is easy. Frankly, having looked at PuckPedia for  “that trade” that would work for the Sabres and the other team, I couldn’t give you an example right now of one that fits. But, I think there’s a reasonable argument that having Power and Byram making a combined $14.5 million is not great cap allocation when you have Dahlin as your undisputed #1 d-man. This is perhaps further magnified if Samuelsson is seen as the best partner for Dahlin. Trading Power or Byram would not be without risk. But for the right forward it could absolutely make the Sabres a better team. 

No to Power trade. Open to Bryam but I like how he is currently playing. 

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, BullBuchanan said:

I mean, if you got a loser point every game of the season, that might be good enough to get you in the playoffs. It's better than consolation.

Note, if you only got a loser point in every game you'd be 0-0-82. In the offseason, the GM would say "We were really competitive. We were a .500 hockey team last year." And the fans would tell the GM, "Go to hell. We never won a single game. We finished 10 points back of the final wild card and are drafting #9 overall."

You have to win more game than you lose except in extremely rare cases as @bg17 notes below. When you do lose, get the loser points if you can.

It's like in the NFL. In 2010, the Seahawks went 2-6 vs. the AFC West and NFC South... but the rest of their division also sucked against those like opponents. They won their division with a 7-9 record (and won their home playoff game). They then got trounced in the divisional round (they scored 21 points in the 4th quarter and lost by two scores) -- because they weren't a good team (yet). If they'd have been competing for the wild card they'd have finished as the 8th seed and 3 games back.

13 minutes ago, bg17 said:

23-24 Islanders made the playoffs with 39 wins - the same number as the Sabres. NYI had 16 loser points. They all count.

Now, just win baby!

[mjd1001]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Truthfully? 

I see some good with Buffalo. They certainly are a better checking team and the defense doesn't make me want to gouge my soul out. Kesselring is as advertised which I love. Finally prospects don't have roster spots unless injuries occur. The PK deserves praise. Lyon and to an extent Ellis and potentially Luukkonen have been solid to really good. 

I can't get a feeling for Kesserling at all yet.  Like nothing good or bad.

Maybe thats a bad thing in that I don't notice him making good plays. Maybe thats a good thing that I don't notice him making bad plays.  

[shrader]

7 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I can't get a feeling for Kesserling at all yet.  Like nothing good or bad.

Maybe thats a bad thing in that I don't notice him making good plays. Maybe thats a good thing that I don't notice him making bad plays.  

You haven’t even noticed his nose? That thing is just waiting to get Folignoed.