GDT: Buffalo @ Colorado, 10:00 pm est, 1-20-2016

[That Aud Smell]

lehner still should have handled it and not whined so much after.

 

in fairness to him, he said as much after the game.

[WildCard]

Just saw the highlights, gotta agree with Liger.

[SwampD]

Just saw the highlights, gotta agree with Liger.

I still think he'll end up the uncontested #1 in a short amount of time.

[Samson's Flow]

I still think he'll end up the uncontested #1 in a short amount of time.

I think this is far more likely than the alternative of him being supplanted as the #1 by Chad Johnson.

[Claude_Verret]

I still think he'll end up the uncontested #1 in a short amount of time.

 

Agreed, it's his job to lose and he'll be given a ton of rope.

 

My brother in law played a round of golf with Alfredsson and some of the Sens execs a few weeks ago.  I had asked him to get some Lehner intel and this is what he reported back....

 

Lehner is extremely crazy/flaky/intense..even for a goalie, and he was universally thought of as having an elite skill set by the entire Ottawa front office.  As we know high price was due to knowing how much GMTM loves the kid and risk with trading another goalie in the division.

[Thorner]

I thought Lehner had a really good game. Not perfect, but he made some great saves and gave us a chance to win. The criteria has to be that on a night to night basis: giving us a chance to win. And he certainly did that. Especially impressive yesterday because he is no doubt still shaking off the rust.

[Brawndo]

That was fun.  Lots and lots of Sabres fans in attendance last night and had a few really good Let's Go Buffalo chants going throughout the game.  Couple random thoughts:

 

- some sloppy passing by the Sabres for much of the game

- Zadorov had a ton of ice time

- Gorges looked good (apart from the stupid penalty)

- Eichel didn't look nearly as fast as he did earlier in the season

- A bunch of Avs fans behind us kept making references to O' Reilly's DUI, which was funny at first but got old by the 3rd period.

- Lehner looked real shaky in the beginning, but I thought he settled in nicely in the 2nd period.  Unfortunately the whole team seemed to think the game was over after the second.

- I hope Reinhart is okay.  I'm sure the ref who was hit around the same time is feeling it today, too.

- Pepsi Center is a nice arena.  We sat in section 304 and still had a great view of everything without feeling like we were up in the rafters.  The pre-game production with video projections on the ice surface was pretty neat, but the intermission folks could use some help.

 

Kind of a pisser how the game ended, but overall it was fun and the banter between fans was good-natured.  Also: loaded tater tot nachos need to be a thing everywhere.  So good.

 

I see what you did there.. :lol:

[biodork]

I see what you did there.. :lol:

LOL that was entirely unintentional, but now that you point it out...  :w00t:

[Brawndo]

LOL that was entirely unintentional, but now that you point it out...  :w00t:

 

Run with it!

 

Thanks for the update on the game and yes I'm craving Tater Tot Nachos now.

[North Buffalo]

And if you look at the replay he was in perfect position to save the initial shot. Not his fault Pysyk got manhandled and it deflected off his hand less than a foot in front of him. Again, just like Johnson said, his saves may not have been by the book but they were there. And if we won the game you would all be praising those same saves as why we were able to stay in the game. We completely turtled in the 3rd period. No offense whatsoever, and that's not on Lehner.

I did and I agree he was in position for where shot was going but not necessarily square to shooter and where interference was in case of a deflection, he slightly over committed leaving his short side exposed which is exactly where puck went. Shooter was aiming far side hoping for a deflection. Something he is gonna have to work on anticipating. That being said he looked faster in this game but under pressure he still has a ways to go imo.

[Stoner]

Sorry, once again I am not going to reread the thread to see if this was discussed. Why was Kane out there in the final minute? He play at both ends was indefensible. I don't use the word often to describe hockey players, but he was lazy.

[North Buffalo]

Sorry, once again I am not going to reread the thread to see if this was discussed. Why was Kane out there in the final minute? He play at both ends was indefensible. I don't use the word often to describe hockey players, but he was lazy.

Also, Psyk was getting abused late in the game in corners and in front and I wondered about him in front with bigger forwards:(

[Brawndo]

Sorry, once again I am not going to reread the thread to see if this was discussed. Why was Kane out there in the final minute? He play at both ends was indefensible. I don't use the word often to describe hockey players, but he was lazy.

 

Taking Reinhart's Spot perhaps?

[WildCard]

Kane is almost out there at the end of the game when we're in Alamo Mode

[qwksndmonster]

Haven't read the thread yet.  Wow what a game.  Tough one to lose, but both teams played hard and heavy.

 

Lehner looked great, aside from flopping to the ground a couple times.  I felt so bad for him when that last one went in.  His face was purple with rage.  Can you imagine two more different people than Lehner and Ullmark?

 

Grigorenko and Nikita were solid, but not difference makers.  I miss Nikita :(

 

Rasmus was excellent.  He's got all the smoothness of Pysyk, the offense of Soupy, and the heavy game of Bogosian.  Once again he made a beautiful play off the half wall.  He dangles through seemingly effortlessly. I think he's going to end up being Doughty good.

 

82-22-12 had another awesome game. Their offense looked like it starting clicking.  I think this is how Gionta is going to have his second half scoring spasm.  They made life miserable for the Avs all game long.

 

Pysyk and Gorges was a good looking pair.  That interference call on Gorges was so weak, especially when Samson got interfered with way worse on the played where he got injured (concussion?).

 

Eichel's conditioning is his worst enemy right now.  You see the burst of speed every now and again, but it's a long way from being consistent.  That pass to O'Reilly on the first PP was ridiculous, though.  Couldn't believe that didn't end up in the back of the net.

 

Kane played another hard-nosed game.  His offensive zone play still isn't great but it seems to be getting a little better.  He's starting to learn where 23 and 90 are going to be.

 

Pretty passing play on the goal.

[Kruppstahl]

Sorry, once again I am not going to reread the thread to see if this was discussed. Why was Kane out there in the final minute? He play at both ends was indefensible. I don't use the word often to describe hockey players, but he was lazy.

Our coach isn't that good.

 

His player usage has been maddening all season.

[qwksndmonster]

Haha anyone catch that Mario noise??

Mushroom noise for return to full strength is pretty awesome.

[beerme1]

Wow what a game.  Tough one to lose, but both teams played hard and heavy.

 

Lehner looked great, aside from flopping to the ground a couple times.  I felt so bad for him when that last one went in.  His face was purple with rage.  Can you imagine two more different people than Lehner and Ullmark?

 

Grigorenko and Nikita were solid, but not difference makers.  I miss Nikita :(

 

That interference call on Gorges was so weak, especially when Samson got interfered with way worse on the played where he got injured (concussion?).

 

.

 

 

It was a fun game for two periods but a real deflating loss.

 

Lehner was F'n awesome imo. He might not make any friends on any team though simply due to how intense the dude is.

 

I disagree with you on Grigs and Nikita. Grigs had a decent play or two but was otherwise invisible. Nikita was very visible to me in how shaky and just bad he looked. I was expecting a big game from him. A fun game but I think he stunk and I project him to be all world!. That was the most bizarre thing throughout the game to me.

 

That call on Gorges was something a referee should be suspended for. Complete crap.

[qwksndmonster]

That LGR quote may have been the oddest critique in the history of goaltending.

'twas a headscratcher.  Teams might have the book on a returning-from-injury Lehner? What?

[LGR4GM]

'twas a headscratcher. Teams might have the book on a returning-from-injury Lehner? What?

Teams will get the book on Lehner,how he adjusts interests me greatly.

[LBJ18]

The weird thing about this loss were the last 5 faceoffs or so.  All taken by ROR, all lost, in crunch time.

[qwksndmonster]

Teams will get the book on Lehner,how he adjusts interests me greatly.

Well, sure.  But the book on a healthy, in-shape Lehner will be different than that of his current incarnation.

[LGR4GM]

Well, sure.  But the book on a healthy, in-shape Lehner will be different than that of his current incarnation.

sure

[jsb]

Sorry, once again I am not going to reread the thread to see if this was discussed. Why was Kane out there in the final minute? He play at both ends was indefensible. I don't use the word often to describe hockey players, but he was lazy.

Wow!!!!! Kane and lazy, never thought I'd see that pair of words together concerning him.

[Stoner]

The weird thing about this loss were the last 5 faceoffs or so.  All taken by ROR, all lost, in crunch time.

I know Radar is top notch on the draws, but it seems like every time I feel like it's a big faceoff, he loses it. That's the kind of fancy stat I could embrace: faceoff percentage in crunch time.