GDT: 11/04/25 Utah Mammoth @ Buffalo Sabres 7 pm MSG and Radio

[SabreFinn]

These overtime losses suck. They have to figure out how to be better there - and fast! Still, with all the injuries we have (Canes might be the only team comparable to us) , I take every point we can. Just keep fighting to stay close to the wild card spot, wins will come!

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

Quinn has a responsibility of his man. He gets caught flat footed as he first moves towards his man before realizing Tuch got beat 

bottom line. That was Tuchs responsibility.  
he should get called out, just like anyone else on this team 

You can say "bottom line" all you want but you  are blatantly wrong. I already acknowledged Tuch missed his man, that doesn't pardon Quinn for his play. He was in position and another player would have moved up and used his body. Quinn just tried a feeble stick check and got walked past. 

Look, it's a TEAM game with interconnected responsibility. If there was a breakaway and you were across the ice you don't say "Oh, not my man, I can go to the bench" you hustle across the ice in desperation and try to cover for the guy who missed his check. This wasn't a breakaway but I hope that illustrates the point for you with a blatantly obvious example. 

So it's fair to say if Tuch gets his man Quinn doesn't have to make the play but it's not fair to say it's not also Quinn's fault. 

1 hour ago, SabreFinn said:

These overtime losses suck. They have to figure out how to be better there - and fast! Still, with all the injuries we have (Canes might be the only team comparable to us) , I take every point we can. Just keep fighting to stay close to the wild card spot, wins will come!

They aren't desperate enough and aggressive enough in OT. They love open ice and think they can just take turns at possession and make nice plays. They need to use their speed and attack the other team's puck carriers more. Create puck battles and then win them. 

[jsb]

1) They are 2 points from being 3rd in the division

2) They were missing Kulich, Zucker, Benson and Norris plus Kesselring and Greenway just came back from IR, plus they have the most missed man games in the league so far this year.

3) They just played one of the hottest teams in the NHL

4) Can we please stop all this biotching about this years team until December, they appear to be a faster more physical team so far and their GT is holding up

5) With the exception of the first 3 games, they are fun to watch as frustrating as the OT losses are, it's to the point where I don't want to read the GDT's unless they win. And before I forget it was Tuch who was blown up by Keller in OT, Quinn was left in no man's land on that play. 

[LGR4GM]

6 hours ago, SabreFinn said:

These overtime losses suck. They have to figure out how to be better there - and fast! Still, with all the injuries we have (Canes might be the only team comparable to us) , I take every point we can. Just keep fighting to stay close to the wild card spot, wins will come!

I assume if Appert coaches the pp, he coaches OT.

[LGR4GM]

30 minutes ago, jsb said:

1) They are 2 points from being 3rd in the division

2) They were missing Kulich, Zucker, Benson and Norris plus Kesselring and Greenway just came back from IR, plus they have the most missed man games in the league so far this year.

3) They just played one of the hottest teams in the NHL

4) Can we please stop all this biotching about this years team until December, they appear to be a faster more physical team so far and their GT is holding up

5) With the exception of the first 3 games, they are fun to watch as frustrating as the OT losses are, it's to the point where I don't want to read the GDT's unless they win. And before I forget it was Tuch who was blown up by Keller in OT, Quinn was left in no man's land on that play. 

Yea, I've seen the play again. It's Tuchs guy and Quinn is trying to maintain his spot in the center after Tuch over pursues.

 

 

8 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Greenway has been helpful since he’s been back. Not a top line guy, but someone who finishes checks and makes this team harder to play against. He kills penalties well and helps hold things together. Need him to contribute this until the injuries sort themselves out. 

Greenway needs to be taken off the top line. He can't handle it. 

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Is Matthew Barzal still rumored to be on the block? They lost Dobson so maybe a Quinn, Power and pick or Kulich can get the deal done?

They lost Dobson but added Matthew Schaefer. The Sabres need to move on from Power sooner rather than later. He's never going to play the more assertive style needed to be a top nhl player. 

[triumph_communes]

They had chances all game. Not a game to be too frustrated about. Focus on the stars who aren’t showing up

[Archie Lee]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Yea, I've seen the play again. It's Tuchs guy and Quinn is trying to maintain his spot in the center after Tuch over pursues.

 

 

Greenway needs to be taken off the top line. He can't handle it. 

I’m not certain. Tuch was picked…gently, legally, but he was picked. I’m sure there are scenarios in 3 on 3 where defenders switch coverage. This looks to me like a spot for a switch. Who was Quinn covering?  

Also, why is Quinn trying to hold the centre of the ice when the only player to his right is Dahlin?  And, most importantly here, Quinn didn’t hold the centre of the ice, rather he completely relinquished the centre of the ice to Keller. In short, Quinn looked lost.

Anyway, it’s overtime 3 on 3 and the whole point is for somebody to make a play. I don’t want to beat up on Quinn anymore than on Dahlin and Thompson for the Boston loss or UPL for the Toronto loss. The real frustrating part of the OT struggles is that it seemed 3 seasons ago that we had a bench full of guys who thrived in that situation and could make plays like Keller did. It seemed we used to play OT fearlessly and now it seems we are thinking a bit too much. It’s kind of the Sabres’ story: we can’t put it all together. Score a lot and we can’t keep it out of our net; get good goaltending, but then we can’t score. We couldn’t drag enough games to OT, and now that we are we can’t win them. 

[JohnC]

The Sabres were fortunate to squeak out a point with the loser point. A number of our players were out due to injuries, most notably Benson and Zucker. 
 

I was really impressed with Utah. They are fast but also play an unrelenting hard game. 
 

Both goalies shined in this game. Lyon is solidifying a claim to be our #1 goalie.

Anyone who is a nonpartisan fan and watched this game would have concluded that last night Utah was the better team. On the other hand, recognizing that Buffalo was shorthanded in this I’m more upbeat than downbeat with the home team.

[mjd1001]

1 hour ago, jsb said:

 

4) Can we please stop all this biotching about this years team until December

Absolutely not.

First the public service announcement... This is a message board. This is where we discuss different points of view. This is not a place to gather a consensus and then wash our hands and say job done. 

Just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean that any critical discussion or negative opinions are 'biotching'

Next, I believe I'm overall one of the more positive people on the team... At least on the margins. There is some to like, but there also is some to dislike with this team and again.... go back to my first point: That's what a discussion board is for. 

If you want to bottom line it.. They aren't eliminated from the playoffs yet... but as of right now, they have underperformed the rest of the league. Yes they can still turn it around but as of this moment.. they are a below average team. They are out of a playoff position. They have a negative goal differential. 

I'm not in the camp of fire and trade everyone... But certainly there are negatives to be discussed.

 

[shrader]

It’s actually kind of nice having to actually look up the last time they put a game in the loss column. 

[SabreFinn]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I assume if Appert coaches the pp, he coaches OT.

That explains a lot. 

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

They lost Dobson but added Matthew Schaefer. The Sabres need to move on from Power sooner rather than later. He's never going to play the more assertive style needed to be a top nhl player. 

Do you have a trade partner in mind?

[mjd1001]

10 minutes ago, shrader said:

It’s actually kind of nice having to actually look up the last time they put a game in the loss column. 

True.

But I think part of the reason some of us are feeling frustrated is in the middle to end of October, They won three out of four games over the Panthers, Red wings, and Leafs, by multiple goals.

Since then, while they have accumulated the loser point, they've actually left the ice as the losing team 4 out of five games.. with the only win being a shootout win... No actual regulation victories.

Yes, of course we want them to make the playoffs in. Getting points are the way you do that... But ultimately I watch hockey to see my team win on any given night. That hasn't happened much lately.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, triumph_communes said:

They had chances all game. Not a game to be too frustrated about. Focus on the stars who aren’t showing up

I thought it was an amazing performance by the Sabres, who were clearly outclassed by Utah. Yet they frustrated the Mammoth all night and even answered with their own goal when they feel behind. 

You knew they were going to lose OT against those Utah forwards but it was still a quality "loser point" earned with hard work.

[ska-T Palmtown]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Yea, I've seen the play again. It's Tuchs guy and Quinn is trying to maintain his spot in the center after Tuch over pursues. 

 

1 hour ago, Archie Lee said:

I’m not certain. Tuch was picked…gently, legally, but he was picked. I’m sure there are scenarios in 3 on 3 where defenders switch coverage. This looks to me like a spot for a switch. Who was Quinn covering?  

Also, why is Quinn trying to hold the centre of the ice when the only player to his right is Dahlin?  And, most importantly here, Quinn didn’t hold the centre of the ice, rather he completely relinquished the centre of the ice to Keller. In short, Quinn looked lost.

Anyway, it’s overtime 3 on 3 and the whole point is for somebody to make a play. I don’t want to beat up on Quinn anymore than on Dahlin and Thompson for the Boston loss or UPL for the Toronto loss. The real frustrating part of the OT struggles is that it seemed 3 seasons ago that we had a bench full of guys who thrived in that situation and could make plays like Keller did. It seemed we used to play OT fearlessly and now it seems we are thinking a bit too much. It’s kind of the Sabres’ story: we can’t put it all together. Score a lot and we can’t keep it out of our net; get good goaltending, but then we can’t score. We couldn’t drag enough games to OT, and now that we are we can’t win them. 

I think Archie might be on to something - seems like a system thing. First, Tuch going OVER the soft pick was dumb. The pick player purposely stayed high to freeze Quinn, it worked. Quinn was probably stuck, no matter what. Keller came around that high pick with a lot of speed, Quinn was going to get caught flat-footed unless he read Tuch getting beat at least a full second earlier. Even if he had, Quinn can't "step up" - Keller has too much speed and skill and Quinn would have been just starting to get going.

It was a really good play by da Utes and probably something where the Sabres need to recognize a switch sooner.

[inkman]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

They lost Dobson but added Matthew Schaefer. The Sabres need to move on from Power sooner rather than later. He's never going to play the more assertive style needed to be a top nhl player. 

He’s killing this team.  He’s been directly responsible for several losses.  He needs to go to save the season and the franchise. I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. He may be the next Erik Karlsson.  The Sabres can’t wait for that nor do they need that.  Get him off the team. 

[JohnC]

24 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

True.

But I think part of the reason some of us are feeling frustrated is in the middle to end of October, They won three out of four games over the Panthers, Red wings, and Leafs, by multiple goals.

Since then, while they have accumulated the loser point, they've actually left the ice as the losing team 4 out of five games.. with the only win being a shootout win... No actual regulation victories.

Yes, of course we want them to make the playoffs in. Getting points are the way you do that... But ultimately I watch hockey to see my team win on any given night. That hasn't happened much lately.

Getting a loser point when the opposition outplayed you is not a bad outcome. It tells you that your depleted team hung in there to the end. And it tells you that this team has more fight and intestinal fortitude than prior teams. Injuries are part of the game. But recognizing that two important contributors to the lineup (Zucker and Benson) were missing is the backdrop in this hard-fought game. 

There were ebbs and flows to this game where overall Utah had the advantage in play. (My opinion.) However, I never felt that the Sabres ever stopped competing. The reality is that the Sabres are a fringe playoff caliber team. Last night, they played a better team that went full throttle and they kept up. I'm not trying to be defeatist here. I'm trying to objectively evaluate the team that currently exists. 

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, shrader said:

It’s actually kind of nice having to actually look up the last time they put a game in the loss column. 

Four of the last five games IMO 

[Pimlach]

20 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Getting a loser point when the opposition outplayed you is not a bad outcome. It tells you that your depleted team hung in there to the end. And it tells you that this team has more fight and intestinal fortitude than prior teams. Injuries are part of the game. But recognizing that two important contributors to the lineup (Zucker and Benson) were missing is the backdrop in this hard-fought game. 

There were ebbs and flows to this game where overall Utah had the advantage in play. (My opinion.) However, I never felt that the Sabres ever stopped competing. The reality is that the Sabres are a fringe playoff caliber team. Last night, they played a better team that went full throttle and they kept up. I'm not trying to be defeatist here. I'm trying to objectively evaluate the team that currently exists. 

What exactly has Utah done to be anointed “the better team”?  All this fawning over a team that is a lot like Buffalo, a unproven group that hasn’t made the playoffs in forever.  

Utah is young, and they looked fast, skilled, and better coached.  Buffalo got great goaltending again, or else this is 5-1 loss.  

Buffalo had 5 shots in the 2nd, and 3 shots in the 3rd - I’m giving the Sabres the benefit of the doubt, there is not enough firepower due to injuries.  

In OT the Sabres had the first couple of scoring chances and they missed.  Utah didn’t miss their chance.  

It’s another loss.  Get ready for St Louis.  That is a poor team and that game is must win, as in 2 points.  

[LGR4GM]

34 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Getting a loser point when the opposition outplayed you is not a bad outcome. It tells you that your depleted team hung in there to the end. And it tells you that this team has more fight and intestinal fortitude than prior teams. Injuries are part of the game. But recognizing that two important contributors to the lineup (Zucker and Benson) were missing is the backdrop in this hard-fought game. 

There were ebbs and flows to this game where overall Utah had the advantage in play. (My opinion.) However, I never felt that the Sabres ever stopped competing. The reality is that the Sabres are a fringe playoff caliber team. Last night, they played a better team that went full throttle and they kept up. I'm not trying to be defeatist here. I'm trying to objectively evaluate the team that currently exists. 

I don't think they kept up. I think Alex Lyon goalied them. 

 

[Jorcus]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

The Sabres were fortunate to squeak out a point with the loser point. A number of our players were out due to injuries, most notably Benson and Zucker. 
 

I was really impressed with Utah. They are fast but also play an unrelenting hard game. 
 

Both goalies shined in this game. Lyon is solidifying a claim to be our #1 goalie.

Anyone who is a nonpartisan fan and watched this game would have concluded that last night Utah was the better team. On the other hand, recognizing that Buffalo was shorthanded in this I’m more upbeat than downbeat with the home team.

For me it's the same thing as what has been happening a lot so far this year. They are just not finishing good chances. Quinn had 2 or 3 where it was him vs goalie. Thompson has 2 post hits. The Tuch/ McLoud play. Tuch in overtime. Kesselring had a free look. The defense and goaltending are keeping them in games, They have got to find a way out of the scoring slump.