Stoner Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 19 minutes ago, Brawndo said: Niemi in net for Montreal tomorrow You know the drill, Phil. He should have the speech memorized by now. How many backups in a row?
North Buffalo Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 Happy Thanksgiving... I am stuffed an now at work. Belly looks like I could be having a baby soon... gonna need a lot of coffee to keep me awake this morning.
Randall Flagg Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 5 hours ago, PASabreFan said: You know the drill, Phil. He should have the speech memorized by now. How many backups in a row? While this is still true, we've gotten Price before, and both Price and Niemi have been equally bad this season, more or less. Same story for Pittsburgh and Winnipeg - we got the "backup goalie" that has been performing way better than struggling "starters." And it makes sense for Montreal. Niemi held us to 4 goals. Price gave up 6 to us.
SABRES 0311 Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 On 11/22/2018 at 11:26 AM, Sabel79 said: I find this oddly satisfying... Apparently the puck doesn’t understand no means no. 1
Sabel79 Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 5 hours ago, Randall Flagg said: While this is still true, we've gotten Price before, and both Price and Niemi have been equally bad this season, more or less. Same story for Pittsburgh and Winnipeg - we got the "backup goalie" that has been performing way better than struggling "starters." And it makes sense for Montreal. Niemi held us to 4 goals. Price gave up 6 to us. Plus which, Philly doesn't actually have a "starter" right now... I don't think teams, certainly at this point, are overlooking the Sabres.
Hoss Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 13 minutes ago, PASabreFan said: Nice narrative-shrinking, boys. Yea, this has been a weird exchange above. Lyon hadn’t started a game all year. And no matter if the backups numbers are better they’re always a smaller sample size. No team prefers their backup unless that backup has become the actual starter. 1
LGR4GM Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 Yea I wish we were playing starters. Backups give you 1 of two things, not good play or because we don't have tape, they stone you. Hard to tell which but in the flyers game we owned the first period. As for Montreal, Niemi sucks and Price sucks. So.... we better win
Randall Flagg Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 20 minutes ago, Hoss said: Yea, this has been a weird exchange above. Lyon hadn’t started a game all year. And no matter if the backups numbers are better they’re always a smaller sample size. No team prefers their backup unless that backup has become the actual starter. Unless it's Pittsburgh playing the hot hand and keeping Murray on the bench for several consecutive games because he's been freaking dreadful.
Randall Flagg Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 Does anyone have a count on how many backups we've faced? I'd be interested in looking at schedules and seeing if and when teams have back-to-backs. We got Dubnyk instead of Minny's backup, why did they choose that route while other teams didn't? I mean I know the Sabres have been bad but it can't be too much work for coaches to notice the season we're having, eh? So I wonder how skewed the backup-starter ratio is.
Randall Flagg Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 Montreal has a home game at night against the Bruins tomorrow. Assuming Price is good (he's not) I'd very easily start him in that game over the game the day before on the road, no matter who it was against. More detailed look incoming. 1
Sabel79 Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 24 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said: Does anyone have a count on how many backups we've faced? I'd be interested in looking at schedules and seeing if and when teams have back-to-backs. We got Dubnyk instead of Minny's backup, why did they choose that route while other teams didn't? I mean I know the Sabres have been bad but it can't be too much work for coaches to notice the season we're having, eh? So I wonder how skewed the backup-starter ratio is. Just from the win streak (I'm bored at work right now) 11/8 MTL: Price 11/10 VAN: Markstrom 11/13 TBL: Dominque (Vasilevsky hasn't played since the game before this) 11/16 WPG: Brossiot (looked, definite choice to play the backup) 11/17: MIN: Dubnyk 11/19 PIT: DeSmith (Started again against Dallas two nights later, Murrary hurt again?) 11/21 PHI: Lyon played his first game, but goaltending for Philly is just the worst. So, on the win streak that's one intentional playing the backup... 1
Sabel79 Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 Looking at the rest of the schedule, there was a three-game stretch 10/25-10/30 where we saw backups in a row, against MTL, CBJ, and CAL. So, by my calculation, we've had four games against backups so far this year just because. 1
Randall Flagg Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 (edited) Boston: We drew the backup, but they played on the road against the cup champs the night before, there starter giving up like 6 goals. In general, Halak has "become" their starter for now: He has 3 more starts than Rask and a .935 save percentage versus Tuukka's .909. It's "drawing the backup" but both the situation at the time and later on indicate it's not any sort of "disrespect" NYR: We drew Lundqvist. No-doubt-about-it starter/best goalie on team. Vegas: We drew Fleury. Obvious starter, not great this year but far more games played than an even worse backup. Colorado: Varlamov, their starter and top performer in net. Arizona: Raanta, their starter, only reason he's not leading them in starts is injury. Vegas: Fleury, again their starter San Jose: Martin Jones, the starter. He is worse than Aaron Dell this year, but still has the bulk of their games. If a changing of the guard happens (Sharks fans want Dell playing a lot more) it didn't happen when this game was going on. LAK: Jonathan Quick. Their starter, but he's only played a few games because of surgery on meniscus. Anaheim: Ryan Miller, drew the backup. They played at Vegas the night before, using Gibson there. At the time, Vegas was a cup-finalist, not seen as a bad team. Makes some sense. Not an obvious "disrespect moment" just yet. Montreal: Niemi. They had not played the night before, did not play the night after. IMO, the first unusual drawing of a backup. That game was sandwiched by victories with fine goaltending, so it was a bit odd to not see Price. Through ten games we saw 7 starters and 3 backups. One backup situation was odd. This corresponds to facing starters 57 games, which IMO looks like an average amount for any given starter, and given the relative lack of "dominant starter, obvious backup" situations that like every team had a decade ago in today's NHL, with plenty of "established starters" falling off the map unexpectedly, I think this is normal so far. But I think things are going to get a little more skewed in the next set. Columbus: Korpisalo. A backup, but a backup getting his 2nd of 3 starts in a row. Not a "decision to play the backup instead of the starter because Buffalo" - Bob was really struggling at the time. Badly. He's righted the ship since then. So, tally for backups, but not the same way the Price situation looked. Calgary: Rittich. They used Smith in Toronto the night before, so a fairly easy back-to-back decision. At the time. Now, however, Rittich is the starter. He's won 8 of 9 starts, has a bunch in a row. So we drew the backup at the time, but played the better goalie, and it was a regular back-to-back situation where the better team (at the time) got the better goalie. Ottawa: Anderson, their starter. Ottawa: Anderson, their starter. NYR: Lundqvist, their starter. Montreal: Price, their starter. Six goals baby. Vancouver: Markstrom, their starter performing much worse than the backup. Tampa: Domingue. Vasi's injury occurred the next day, and so we drew the backup. Nothing special, other than Vasi having started a few in a row. No back-to-backs. Winnipeg: Brossoit. The backup. Great season, and spelling Helle after 6 straight. No back-to-backs. Minnesota: Dubnyk, their starter. Pittsburgh: DeSmith, their "backup" but really their starter for now as Murray recovers from being @$$. Buffalo was not his first start in this string of games, nor his last, and so I don't count this as being disrespected by drawing the backup. Philadelphia: Lyon. Another technical "backup" situation...however, they have a bunch of goalies hurt, and the other guy that was the other option gave up six goals the game before, so that was hardly a "this is only Buffalo" situation. It was a "please god let us find a goalie that can play" situation. Montreal: Niemi. Back-to-back, Price gets the Bs at home. Reasonable. Price sux Through 23 games, the Sabres have faced 14 no-BS starting goalies given the context of the time. This corresponds to 50 times over the course of an 82 game season. Last season the top 31 goaltenders averaged 53.5 starts. This season the average top 31 goalie has 13 starts, in 21 games, which paces for 50 games on average for the starting goalie. So, based on how often teams are playing the "dominant" goalie, the Sabres are actually bang on in terms of how many times they should have seen a starter versus a backup. Considering that there were only three situations where we caught a backup not on a back to back with a better/home game waiting the next/previous day, and in each of those cases the starter had gotten an extended stretch, well, 3 "disrespects" in 22 games can't be unusual for any team. In conclusion: The Sabres aren't drawing more backup goalies than average, and the skew towards this very busy stretch (for all teams) seeing more than we have been just makes it look like teams don't take us seriously, but I think by now most teams are aware that we aren't yesterday's Sabres. Teams are, on average, going to start their starter 50 times this season at this pace, and the Sabres are on pace to see 50 starters. 25 minutes ago, Sabel79 said: Looking at the rest of the schedule, there was a three-game stretch 10/25-10/30 where we saw backups in a row, against MTL, CBJ, and CAL. So, by my calculation, we've had four games against backups so far this year just because. Nice. I'm not at work which is why I was able to post a bit more lol! And we came to the same conclusion except I counted Korpisalo against CBJ as not really a backup because he got several games in a row due to bob being bad, and we were in the middle of that. But he certainly is a backup. Edited November 23, 2018 by Randall Flagg 1
Weave Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 I say PA is correct in having Phil use the starting of a "backup" as a motivational tool. Go all Trump about this and ignore the reality to push an agenda. Apparently it works. #triggering in 3...2...1 ?
Randall Flagg Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 According to hfboards, teams are averaging 3.08 goals per game this season, the highest total since 2005-06 which finished at the same number. Of course, lots of games left to change that. However, teams are averaging more than 2 fewer PPs per game than in that season.
Hoss Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 (edited) McKenzie says lots of Nylander buzz but doesn’t say if it’s a signing or trade. UPDATE: seems to think a signing is close but won’t outright say it. Edited November 23, 2018 by Hoss
Hoss Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 Bob sees the deal being either around 3 x $5M or 6 x high $6M/low $7M
Randall Flagg Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 That's boring. We want a trade!
Stads Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 11 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said: That's boring. We want a trade! Eklund says the Leafs wil trade Nylander here for Skinner plus prospects. It has been Skinner's dream to play in Toronto and would take less to sign there. https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Leafs-Could-End-Up-w-Prospects--Skinner-for-Nylander-Faulk-and-NYI-e3/1/96139
Weave Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 6 minutes ago, Stads said: Eklund says the Leafs wil trade Nylander here for Skinner plus prospects. It has been Skinner's dream to play in Toronto and would take less to sign there. https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Leafs-Could-End-Up-w-Prospects--Skinner-for-Nylander-Faulk-and-NYI-e3/1/96139 I feel dirty for clicking on that. I should know better.
Sabres Fan in NS Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 15 minutes ago, Stads said: Eklund says the Leafs wil trade Nylander here for Skinner plus prospects. It has been Skinner's dream to play in Toronto and would take less to sign there. https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Leafs-Could-End-Up-w-Prospects--Skinner-for-Nylander-Faulk-and-NYI-e3/1/96139 It's ONLY e3, so you know better than to put anything below e5 on SabreSpace. 8 minutes ago, Weave said: I feel dirty for clicking on that. I should know better. Race you to the shower ... #triggered ... 1, 2, 3 ... GO!!
shrader Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 I’m just going to assume that link is to the TSW Peter Pan guy. That’s the only thing that could save that post. 1
North Buffalo Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Hoss said: McKenzie says lots of Nylander buzz but doesn’t say if it’s a signing or trade. UPDATE: seems to think a signing is close but won’t outright say it. Heard Nyls signed an offer sheet with Bastan not sure accuracy
Andrew Amerk Posted November 23, 2018 Report Posted November 23, 2018 Sad news about Mick McGeough being taken off of life support. Great guy. Got to meet him at quite a few Amerks games.
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