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

[Jorcus]

38 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Why does he deserve a "tribute video"? He wasn't here long and wanted out. Besides, I'm sure he didn't want one or even care about having it. The tribute video is a nice tradition that gets used too much. There are a number of things that one can criticize the organization for, but this isn't one of them. 

Yes length of service on the short side for a tribute.

[Broken Ankles]

49 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Wonder what the tribute video standard is?  

I think the min games is 300.  Four seasons or more, and that’s if you have character and impact as a player.  Maybe 2 seasons if you were a fan favorite and won a cup or made some significant contribution to a championship or memorable season. JJP had 3 seasons maybe 220 games.  Impactful yes, but character, no.  And losing seasons to boot.  I side with the organization on this one.  JJP got exactly what he deserved.  A one way ticket out of Dodge.  
 

On a side note, you might remember 40 Thieves on Elmwood better as Merlin’s.  I went there this summer with a group of college buddies. The food was fantastic, the remodel is above average.  Looks nothing like Merlin’s of the early 90s when I was there last.  And the clientele….I can see why JJP might frequent. Stunning young ladies on a random Friday in July. 

Edited 18 hours ago by Broken Ankles

[Crusader1969]

11 hours ago, Pimlach said:

You are on a anti-Ruff Crusade.   He is one the the better players on team.  Not a perfect player, but he brings a lot and he is far from being a problem on this team.  

Tuch Shooting Percentage - Career: 12.4%

2024-2025 season: 18.3%   (82 games,  36 goals) 

2023-2024 season: 11.5%    (75 games, 22 goals)

2022-2023 season: 16.5%    (74 games, 36 goals) 

2021-2022 season: 8.6%       (50games, 12 goals) 

Now factor in hits, blocked shots, PK, leadership/toughness.  

Not all shots are the same. He misses glorious opportunities. 
And I like Tuch but he shouldn't be above criticism is my point.   especially last night    he missed a complete open net on the 3 on 1    You could hear the exasperation in Rob Rays voice right after he missed it 

he missed a point blank opportunity right before the Utah goal and it was literally his man that got away from him 

He seems to be the one guy that always gets a pass. )

 

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

He told the Sabres to eff off, and you want to nurture a relationship with him. 🤣

Not demanding a trade is a start.

 

Edited 16 hours ago by Pimlach

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Broken Ankles said:

I think the min games is 300.  Four seasons or more, and that’s if you have character and impact as a player.  Maybe 2 seasons if you were a fan favorite and won a cup or made some significant contribution to a championship or memorable season. JJP had 3 seasons maybe 220 games.  Impactful yes, but character, no.  And losing seasons to boot.  I side with the organization on this one.  JJP got exactly what he deserved.  A one way ticket out of Dodge.  
 

On a side note, you might remember 40 Thieves on Elmwood better as Merlin’s.  I went there this summer with a group of college buddies. The food was fantastic, the remodel is above average.  Looks nothing like Merlin’s of the early 90s when I was there last.  And the clientele….I can see why JJP might frequent. Stunning young ladies on a random Friday in July. 

Makes sense on the tribute stuff.   Just lamenting on the broken culture that makes them want to leave.  

I looked up 40 Thieves.  It’s at Elmwood and W Ferry. I’ve seen it, never went in.   I do remember Merlin’s.   We stay in Elmwood Village quite often near Bidwell and Elmwood.   JT’s is my go to place in that area. 

[PromoTheRobot]

7 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Makes sense on the tribute stuff.   Just lamenting on the broken culture that makes them want to leave.  

Ironic how much better the culture seems to be without JJP around. Gee.

[ska-T Palmtown]

19 hours ago, LTS said:

Meh.. the Sabres need to try something different in OT.  Ray made a comment last night about 5 straight let's you learn. He's not wrong. The problem is they are not learning.

Quinn is a 3 v 3 nightmare.

Players on the ice for the last 4 OTL games when the game was decided, Quinn has been on for 2 of those

Utah: Tuch, Quinn, Dahlin
Boston: Thompson, Quinn, Dahlin
Columbus: Power, Tuch, Kulich
Toronto: Thompson, Quinn, Power

It might be time to NOT put Quinn out there.  It's not working.

Overall as I was reviewing this, if you've not reviewed the NHL goal visualizer yet, you should. Here's last nights game center - https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/buf-vs-uta/2025/11/04/2025020203

I find it funny when they show all the players jumping over the boards and the puck being shot down the ice. It's also a good way to see where players were at when things happened from a top down view.

Good enough to get to OT, but they are not skilled at 3 v3 which requires even better man to man coverage on defense.  And of course, you don't allow a goalie to play the puck to his own team.. kids are taught go to the net to get the whistle... why Tuch did not is beyond me.

 

Funny how Quinn is the only nightmare you singled out ... Tuch, Thompson, and Dahlin are all on that list twice. But you also say Quinn was on the ice for two and list him three times. (shrug)

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Ironic how much better the culture seems to be without JJP around. Gee.

Yeah, thanks for teaching me all about it 

 

 

 

[LGR4GM]

The Sabres inability or refusal to use Doan at 3v3 is another indictment of this coaching staff. 

[inkman]

55 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The Sabres inability or refusal to use Doan at 3v3 is another indictment of this coaching staff. 

But they love sending out Dunne, Malestyn and whoever with under 3 minutes to play needing a goal. 

[LTS]

3 hours ago, ska-T Palmtown said:

Funny how Quinn is the only nightmare you singled out ... Tuch, Thompson, and Dahlin are all on that list twice. But you also say Quinn was on the ice for two and list him three times. (shrug)

Yeah, sorry I missed an edit to go back and update Quinn to 3 times. You use the word funny, but not sure why. Even if I didn't single out the others Quinn is the only player who has been on the ice for 3 of the goals. So yes, I focused on the player with the 75% failure rate versus 50%.

Did you know who was on the ice and how many times before I posted that?  If so, great, then you knew Quinn was on the ice 3 times and that I got it right in my details but missed in the summary.  If not, then maybe not complain about a mistake that was made.

I could go on about the others. I blamed Tuch in one of the games because he left the slot guy open, which then opened the center of the ice. Power lost his guy on the boards who eventually scored.

Thompson pinched on a play when they were changing the third player and he should have made a better decision.

All in all Tuch is not good at man coverage, Thompson and Quinn are not good at any coverage. Power is not good and Dahlin, while good, needs to cover for the rest of the defensively inept players who are put on the ice.

Were you aware of the goal visualizer?  I also added that value. I suppose if you knew then great, but I tried to point out something cool about how we all could watch the players on the ice and clearly see where they made mistakes.

I'm glad your point was to focus on a simple mistake though. That really raises the conversation bar doesn't it?  Why did you use the word funny and then not bother to explain how that word fit in your post? I mean, if we're being pedantic.

[PromoTheRobot]

5 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Yeah, thanks for teaching me all about it 

 

 

 

Here's a take on JJ's diss.

If you want a podcast that's actually informative and thoughtful, and not a hot-take fest, this one is probably the best Sabres pod out there.

Edited 1 hour ago by PromoTheRobot