dudacek

Damn was this thread hard to read for most of the game. You guys turning into Twobillsdrive? Cant handle playoff-style hockey? Intense, tense, hard-fought game. Played the leagues best pretty much even up in their home barn and persevered for the win despite a sucky PP and a 2-minute 5-on-3 to kill during a late 4-minute penalty. Glad the players are mentally tougher than the board. Another important moment on the path. UPL and Krebs the latest to jump on board the growth movement. This current 11-3-2 run has now erased the 8-game losing streak. 6 out of a playoff spot with 3 games in hand. Happy New Year! Hockey is fun again!

I went looking after reading that unlinked post. I’ve seen nothing anywhere in any of Friedman’s feeds to reflect that, or in any corner of the internet for that matter. I suspect that someone made it up.

5 straight games of 3 or less allowed. 5 straight starts of .900 or more, 3 of them (Bos, Veg, Col) we don’t win without his performance. 4 wins in a row, 5 of his last 6. Ahead of Comrie in every statistical category. I’d say he’s starting to.

I mostly agree. I also believe that if UPL’s run over his next 5 mirrors his past 5 he will be doing that playing in Buffalo.

I don’t think it’s any secret that Sabrespace has generally been disappointed in Casey this year. I was curious to see how he matched up against other people in his role (basically 3C+). Mittelstadt TOI: 15:35, Goals: 7, Points: 19, Corsi 5 on 5: 48.6% Coyle TOI: 16:44, Goals: 9, Points: 19, Corsi 5 on 5: 48.0% Rasmussen TOI: 14:45, Goals: 6, Points: 16, Corsi 5 on 5: 46.6% Lundell TOI: 16:37, Goals: 4, Points: 14, Corsi 5 on 5: 55.0% Dvorak TOI: 16:52, Goals: 8, Points: 15, Corsi 5 on 5: 45.7% Pinto TOI: 15:57, Goals: 10, Points: 17, Corsi 5 on 5: 52.2% Kerfoot TOI: 15:06, Goals: 6, Points: 17, Corsi 5 on 5: 52.3% Paul TOI: 16:59, Goals: 13, Points: 21, Corsi 5 on 5: 47.5% Surprisingly, his numbers don’t seem out of line.

The plan was always to first give Comrie the opportunity to establish himself as an NHL #1 while giving UPL a ton of work to accelerate his development to the point where he could seize the job when an opportunity presented itself. Last 5 starts UPL: 4/1, 2.82, .918 Last 5 starts Comrie: 1/4, 4.00, .864 Comrie is coming back up regardless when the conditioning streak is over. What happens at that point really appears to be in UPL’s hands.

Because this convo from the game thread belongs here:

He prevents attackers from making plays, separates his man from the puck and moves the puck to safety. You know, defence.

Sabres with Mule in the lineup since March 1: 30/12/4. That’s a 114-point pace over a more than half a season sample size. This year it’s 14/4/2. (Edited to correct my math. Missed a loss)

Östlund didn’t have a huge impact offensively, but he was impressive to me for his savvy and his motor: constantly engaged, constantly in motion, constantly on the right side the puck. He passes the puck very well as well. His coach relied on him more and more as the game progressed. Krebs is going to have some competition for that 3C spot he’s started to carve for himself the past few games.

Required. Sabres were over the roster limit with Power, Lyubushkin and Bryson all healthy. They chose Fitzpatrick and Clague over him.

Kulich 25, Rosen 19, Östlund 12

Christmas hasn’t been a happy time for Sabres fans, at least not for the past decade or so. Instead of unwrapping shiny new toys over the holidays, we’re usually putting them back into the closet hoping Santa will somehow patch up their cracks and wipe away the tarnish in time for next year. That is why I am grateful for this year. Instead of numbly accepting another lump of coal wrapped with a ribbon stamped “maybe some other time”, I have reason to say “thank you, Sabres.” Thank you for the franchise defenceman I remember April 28, 2018 well. It was the first time in months where I had jumped to my feet, pumped my fist in the air, and yelled out loud in celebration over something Sabre-related. I weathered the painful Housley-fed teenage bullyings, the cringey Krueger-fuelled paralysis and the open rebellion among my brothers and sisters in fandom because I believed in the talent. And, at long last, we have been rewarded. Rasmus Dahlin is, without a doubt, the best defenceman in Buffalo Sabres history. Strong enough to win and protect pucks, smooth enough to move them where they need to go, smart enough to see plays no one else does and skilled enough to execute them. And a bit of a *****-disturber to boot. He is what we’d always hoped he would be when we won the lottery: a legitimate Norris Trophy contender. Thank you for the first line Lafontaine/Mogilny/Andreychuk and Perreault/Robert/Martin were special: explosive, game-changing and often unstoppable. It’s early, but Thompson/Tuch/Skinner has that feel, that magic. Those deadly shots, those sneaky puck strips, the sustained possessions, the dangerous rushes: the sense at times that they are men playing against boys. It’s impossible to fully compare eras, but at the moment they are 3rd, 9th and 5th in the league in points per game at their respective positions. At its best, the French Connection was 3rd, 5th and 3rd. TST is legitimately one of the best lines in the NHL. Thank you for the star centre Somewhere on here you will find a Tweet with most of Tage Thompson’s goals from this year. It’s jaw-dropping. This is a franchise that has featured Lafontaine and Perreault, but has there ever been a player who has scored so many highlight reel goals in so short a space of time? The toughest thing about the failure of the Eichel era was that little voice whispering “but if you trade him, how are you ever going to get a #1 centre? You know you can’t contend without one.” This isn’t a heater. It isn’t a blip. Thompson is for real. He can impose his will on a game. He and Dahlin are the types of talent that can be the best players on a cup-winner. That he was under our noses the whole time feels nothing short of miraculous. Thank you for the entertainment. The best offence in the league? Who saw that coming? A power play clicking at nearly 30%? Highlight reel dekes and passes? A sense that the game is never really ever decided until the final minute? After years of knowing that a 2-0 deficit was insurmountable, and that a 1-0 lead was going to inevitably turn into a 3-1 loss, this year’s team is like water in the desert. The fact that this group also plays hockey with an obvious joy and passion for the game, and seems to be full of the types of people you genuinely want to root for only adds to the fun. And thank you for the hope. Not one of them has played anywhere near that magical 200 game mark necessary before a player’s ceiling starts to become apparent. But it is clear Cozens, Samuelsson, Power, Quinn and Peterka will be at least good NHLers. It will be surprising if some don’t become considerably more. That they will be augmenting an existing core of Tuch Thompson Skinner and Dahlin, rather than having the entire weight of the franchise on their shoulders is reason to hope. That there is a fully stocked cupboard of talented prospects coming hard at their heels is another reason to hope. And that the team has managed to get to this point while still hanging on to all of their draft and salary cap capital in order to retain and augment this roster is yet another reason to hope. Finally, that all of this is in the hands of Granato and Adams - two good, smart men and underrated hockey lifers who walk their talk - is reason to hope. We aren’t out of the desert of irrelevance yet, but you can smell the oasis on the other side of the dunes. There are reasons to feel good about being a Sabres fan again. Merry Christmas, enjoy the ride.

Here are the current numbers for goalies who were available, with last year in brackets: Murray .925 (.906) Georgiev .925 (.898) Lankinen .925 (.891) Samsonov .924 (.896) Anderson .922 (.897) Kuemper .916 (.921) Lindgren .913 (.958) Husso .912 (.919) Talbot .911 (.911) Copley .910 (.878) Vanecek .909 (.908) Hill .903 (.906) Rittich .906 (.886) Luukkonen .891 (.917) Jones .888 (.900) Comrie .887 (.920) Blackwood .882 (.892) Campbell .876 (.914) Mrazek .874 (.888) Petersen .868 (.895) A few things stand out to me: There was literally one goalie available (Kuemper) who was coming off a good year and had a proven track record as a #1. The best choice statistically so far was quite literally Adams’ first choice (Murray) There is not a single player on that list worth investing significant cap space or assets to acquire. We are 30 games into the #s and a lot of them will change, both this year and beyond. Aside from a dozen or so who rarely come on the market (and still can slump, like Markstrom and Demko) goalies seem to be a fickle, capricious lot. If you knew prior to this year that Lankinen would be good, Copley fine and Petersen downright awful, you should probably be working for an NHL team Certainly Georgiev or Husso look like they may have been better paths for the Sabres as of this morning, but in terms of risk/reward in the off-season it’s pretty easy to justify what Adams did. It will be interesting to see if Comrie is able to close the gap at all when he returns, or if Levi (who isn’t going anywhere) and/or UPL can arrive in time to justify his plan.

I get a little head-shakey when Rob Ray goes on one of his inevitable spiels about how the Sabres just have to throw shots at the net and see what happens when they are clearly coached not to do that. I find it odd that Donnie gets very little credit for icing the best offence in the league. And from a team that was the worst offence in the league just 2 years ago and then traded away its entire first line. We don't see the D blasting away from the point or the forwards taking low-percentage whacks at the net at any opportunity. Our players are in constant motion — shooting to score, or passing to a player who is in a better position to do so, or find someone who is. This is clearly a team strategy. On Donnie's WGR appearance this week he talked about coaching a team at the world's that outshot an opponent 36 to 12 and lost because the other team was able to sit on their lead and how that inspired him to find ways to not let that happen. His philosophical response is not to teach patience, or fight stone walls with one of his own; it's to teach skill and cultivate players capable of cracking that type of shell.

The Sabres lead the NHL in shooting percentage. Some might say this is an indication of puck luck and is something that is unsustainable. I say it is an indication of players who are really good shooters, and coaching that is emphasizing high-percentage shots over high-percentage Corsi. Discuss.

Jeff Skinner has the NHL’s 36th-highest cap hit this year. He is the league’s 25th-highest scorer. Only 8 of the 35 players making more than him are out scoring him. Only 2 of them have a better +/-.

I think they committed to this year being Comrie-Anderson until UPL pushed his way though the door, and next year to Comrie-UPL until Levi (or Portillo) pushed his way through the door. Of course they will deviate if that blows up in their faces, or if Thatcher Demko can be theirs for a 2nd-rounder. But if neither of those thing happen, their inclination will be to stick with it and watch at least one of the three develop. They stick with the players they believe in through good (Skinner, Thompson, Okposo, Dahlin, and more) or evil (Casey) Here’s the kicker: Last year we thought Adams’ goaltending choices were going to kill morale and hurt the development process for the team. We were wrong. There were some bumps early, but both the individual players and the team got better. This year we thought Adams’ goaltending choices were going to kill morale and hurt the development process for the team. It’s early, but it’s starting look like we were wrong again. Both the individual players and the team are getting better. If current trends continue, I can’t see myself being comfortable with UPL/Comrie/Levi as the last line of defence for a playoff team. But if Adams is, and if current trends continue, who am I to argue?

I would be mildly surprised if the Sabres carry any rookies next year. The only prospect with an even 50/50 chance to make the team is Ryan Johnson if he signs. Maybe Rousek as a longshot? What’s happening this year is the settling in of the core and I suspect next year’s additions will be about how to best complement that core to “win now” (you’re welcome @Thorny) Savoie and Kulich aren’t likely to play as teenagers in a bottom 6 that also includes Krebs, Olofsson and Mittlestadt, no matter how good they finish the year, and Levi would have to absolutely blow the doors off Comrie and UPL after he signs to finish the season. If Olofsson or Mittelstadt is moved, I suspect their spots will be taken by new veterans. The cap would pretty much demand it even if team chemistry didn’t. Only semi-related: Okposo will be traded to a contender of his choice at the deadline if the Sabres are out of the race and will ponder an offer to retire into a front office role with the Sabres this summer.

Somewhat quietly Quinn has put up 12 points in his past 12 games. A point tonight will move him into a tie for 2nd in scoring among all 2020 draft picks this year. That’s ahead of Raymond, ahead of Jarvis, ahead of Lundell and ahead of Lafreniere. And way ahead of Drysdale, Byfield, Holtz and Rossi.

10-4-2, 75 goals for, 48 goals against. Sure makes you wonder how the Mattias Samuelsson effect continues to play out this season.

I can’t get behind the idea that Kevyn Adams is blithely sitting on his hands when he clearly spelled out his plan then spent the past 18 months doing exactly what he said he would. And I can’t get behind the idea that Adams needs to deviate from his plan when he has made so much clear and demonstrable progress over such a relatively short period of time. Adams told you he was going to strip the roster of players who didn’t want to be here, and invest his time and effort in developing and rewarding the players who did. And that he would assemble a team that would respect the fans, the city and each other, and grow together into something that would endure. He broke up a 31st-place, .330 team that sported the league’s 29th best offence and 29th best defence with terrible analytics, a league-worst goal differential and, by all accounts a miserable dressing room. His bag of assets included: An intriguing collection of unproven NHL talent (Dahlin, Jokiharju, Bryson, Cozens, Olofsson, Thompson, Mittelstadt, Asplund) Perhaps the worst contract in the league, along with another generally considered bottom-10 (Skinner, Okposo) A bucket of prospects and picks (Quinn, Peterka, Johnson, Portillo, Levi, Samuelsson, 6 1sts and 6 2nds over the next 3 drafts) Not a single proven top-six forward, top pairing defenceman or starting goalie A whack of cap space 109 games later he has progressed to a 24th-place, .464 team that sports the league’s best offence and 24th best defence, with middle of the pack analytics and goal differential, and, by all accounts, a tight, happy room. His bag of assets now includes: An intriguing collection of unproven NHL talent (Power, Quinn, Peterka, Krebs, Luukkonen) No anchor contracts A bucket of prospects and picks (Johnson, Portillo, Levi, Rosen, Poltapov, Kisakov, Savoie, Östlund, Kulich, Leinonen, Neuchev and more, 3 1sts and 5 2nds over the next 3 drafts) An emerging legitimate #1 NHL centre (Thompson) signed long-term on a 2C contract An emerging legitimate #2 NHL centre (Cozens) An emerging legitimate shutdown defenceman (Samuelsson) on a long-term contract A legitimate Norris Trophy contender (Dahlin) A legitimate 1st-line NHL scoring winger (Skinner, 5th in scoring among NHL LWs) A legitimate 1st-line NHL power forward (Tuch, 6th in scoring among NHL RWs) on a bargain long-term contract. No starting goalie A whack of cap space In short, in less than a season and a half, Adams’ plan has produced 6 core pieces where none existed before. And he’s done that without cutting into our cap space, or sacrificing our treasure chest of futures, just trying to maximize what each player has to give. All this and we’re upset that he didn’t put in a waiver claim for a 29-year-old depth blueliner who has been an NHL regular exactly one season in his entire career? Or paid Jack Eichel trade prices for a Doug Bodger-level defenceman? Does the above mean Adams is beyond reproach? Of course not. But it does mean that he is capable and consistent: two qualities this organization’s leadership has been bereft of for far too long. We are making progress - significant, measurable progress. I suspect he will have no hesitation to make moves to fill in the holes when the right moves come available at the right time. I’m confident the groundwork is being laid and re-laid on a daily basis. We’ve been at the bottom of a deep, dark pit for far too long for quick fixes. From my vantage point, he’s doing what needs to be done.

I think it’s strange that our goaltending struggles are being pinned on Adams as sins of omission, when quite clearly they are sins of commission. It’s not that Adams chose not to address the crease; he quite clearly targeted Eric Comrie as his best available option, then went out and signed him with the idea that he could progress into a viable starter with Anderson as his support and safety net. Meanwhile UPL would get the reps needed to grow into his own in the AHL until his play allowed him to take over from Andy and challenge Eric for the starter’s role. That looks to me a lot less like an unwillingness to “get a real starter” and more like a misreading of what Comrie and Luukkonen are actually capable of. This comes on the heels of underestimating Linus Ullmark’s ability and/or market value (a failure he apparently shares with a lot of Sabrespacers) Personally, I’m not certain I’ve seen enough to judge the real Comrie, especially considering he’s only played 3 games with an NHL defence. But at this point I’m far more skeptical of Adams’ ability to judge goaltenders than I am of his willingness to go get them.

I think Kevyn Adams must be ridiculously busy right now. This is just the top baker’s dozen priority activities I’ve gleaned from reading Sabrespace. Penning heartfelt letters on monogrammed stationary to the league’s biggest agents reassuring them “things are different in Buffalo now”. Forcing his team to watch Lucic/Miller on video loop to the soundtrack of Jack Edwards’ “greatest” calls. Personally choosing those weekly flower arrangements for Patrick Kane’s mother, grandmother, wife and mistress. Figuring out whether Justyce “Haymaker” Smoke and Justin “Bull” Schmidt really want to be in Buffalo. The daily Cohiba Lanceros and Loch Lomond with Terry in the owners suite. Reviewing with his players the latest analytics heat charts on the importance of winning faceoffs, blocking shots and hitting. Making sure Jim Rutherford is still on ignore. Allowing himself a small, self-satisfied smile over how thoroughly Sean McDermott has adopted his philosophies on blocking. Wondering where Casey Mittelstadt hid the original file and how many copies there are. Practicing his best “aw shucks” grin in front of the mirror in the executive en suite to the audiobook version of Mike Harrington’s Twitter feed. Tracking down the current whereabouts of Matt Hackett, Michal Neuvirth, Anders Lindback and Jhonas Enroth. Mindfulness and avocado toast bruncheons with Cozzie, Krebsie, Quinnie and JJ. Sticking to the plan. Frankly, I don’t know how he finds the time to do anything else.

Andor was probably the 2nd best thing I watched in 2022. @LGR4GM nailed it.