GDT 10-21-18 Sabres vs Anaheim 8pm ET

[PerreaultForever]

Nice.

Two things that impressed me. First, puck possession in this game so much better than we have seen in the past. That's the way to succeed in this league now and this is the first game where I think our puck possession was far better than theirs. Second, we worked along the wall really well. Ducks are a big strong team and we outworked them and controlled the puck along the boards many times. Not the Sabres I am used to seeing, and that is a really really good thing.

The big thing for me after this road trip is we fell apart a little at first, and in past years the wheels usually came off and the entire trip was a bust. This time we regrouped and came out stronger and seem to have gained confidence by the end of it. Maybe it's just my love of old time hockey, but I really think Bogo's going ballistic at the end of that game had a hand in waking them up and pulling together. Emotion. Caring. Maybe that losing culture has in fact been broken? Coming back from 2-0 in this game, Eichel did what I said was lacking earlier, he did step up and he did lead and now roles are starting to be defined. Big thumbs up.

[Randall Flagg]

12 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

That happened just about right in front of me.   Elite level awareness to recognize where his teammates were, combined with elite level skill to execute the play.   

He's still growing as a player, I'm not he makes that play 2 years ago.

I had a feeling you'd be at this one too. 

[coastal]

Some quick hits...  

- At the end of a west coast swing, beating the Kings and Ducks in their barns on a back to back is pretty damn cool.

- Having Bogo back changes the depth of this defensive core dramatically

- I liked the defensive pairings of Bogo-Scandella, Risto-McCabe, Nelson-Dahlin

- Mittlestadt may not be making the score sheet, but Housley appears to have him focused on the right things.   The offense will come.

- realizing its still early, there’s a legit goaltending competition brewing.

- Botts appears to have totally corrected the Amerks

- I still don’t see this as a playoff team

 

 

[That Aud Smell]

4 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

A schlimazel is a Yiddish word for an unlucky person.  The schlemiel is the fool.  The old joke is the schlemiel spills the soup and the schlimazel is the guy he spills it on.

Laverne and Shirley agree.

Man. There’s nothing like a classic 70s sitcom opening segment to get me all nostalgic.

[Huckleberry]

This was the type of game we were waiting for, a close battled victory.

[Ho-Chi-Sock]

8 hours ago, Doohickie said:

That's been so absent from the Sabres psyche the last several years.  They're starting to play a determined game.

I remember seeing that in person against the Bruins last year. That was a game where you could tell the Sabres had an attitude on the ice that they would NOT be denied. If the opponent was going to win, they would have to spill some blood for it. This should be the rule, not the exception.

[Sabre1974]

nothing better to start a new day than a sabres win, well and truly mean that.

[hsif]

6 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Maybe it's just my love of old time hockey, but I really think Bogo's going ballistic at the end of that game had a hand in waking them up and pulling together. Emotion. Caring. 

 

1 hour ago, coastal said:

Having Bogo back changes the depth of this defensive core dramatically

For whatever reason, we''ve been a better team with Bogo back in the lineup. Emotion? Physical presence? Blazing speed?..... well, 2 out of 3 anyway...... I hope he stays with us for a while.

Upthread, someone mentioned Mittelstadt having a good game and I agree, but I'm still not convinced that spending some time in Rochester might be better for him and the Sabres in the long run. I'm conflicted. 

[coastal]

58 minutes ago, hsif said:

 

For whatever reason, we''ve been a better team with Bogo back in the lineup. Emotion? Physical presence? Blazing speed?..... well, 2 out of 3 anyway...... I hope he stays with us for a while.

Upthread, someone mentioned Mittelstadt having a good game and I agree, but I'm still not convinced that spending some time in Rochester might be better for him and the Sabres in the long run. I'm conflicted. 

I would agree about Mittlestadt spending some time on the Merks, however something tells me they agreed to keep him on the big club to get him to sign.

[darksabre]

I see no reason to send Mittelstadt down. He's so close. Give him some time and make sure he's in a good headspace (which I think he is) and the hard work he's putting in right now is going to start really showing up on the score sheet. The NHL is where he belongs. 

[inkman]

3 minutes ago, darksabre said:

I see no reason to send Mittelstadt down. He's so close. Give him some time and make sure he's in a good headspace (which I think he is) and the hard work he's putting in right now is going to start really showing up on the score sheet. The NHL is where he belongs. 

I'd give him 5 more games if it isn't looking better send him down. Tage on the other hand should be on the Thruway as soon as the plane touches down.

[darksabre]

3 minutes ago, inkman said:

I'd give him 5 more games if it isn't looking better send him down. Tage on the other hand should be on the Thruway as soon as the plane touches down.

Yeah, I think Thompson needs some more A time for sure.

Casey just looks too damn good. He does so many things right and in a way that I can't remember a player doing those things. He's raw and he's still learning, but I don't think sending him to the A ends up helping him at all. He's rising to meet the challenge in the NHL and I'm willing to continue letting him do that. I think he's a few weeks away from breaking out.  

[That Aud Smell]

34 minutes ago, darksabre said:

I see no reason to send Mittelstadt down. He's so close. Give him some time and make sure he's in a good headspace (which I think he is) and the hard work he's putting in right now is going to start really showing up on the score sheet. The NHL is where he belongs. 

24 minutes ago, darksabre said:

Yeah, I think Thompson needs some more A time for sure.

Casey just looks too damn good. He does so many things right and in a way that I can't remember a player doing those things. He's raw and he's still learning, but I don't think sending him to the A ends up helping him at all. He's rising to meet the challenge in the NHL and I'm willing to continue letting him do that. I think he's a few weeks away from breaking out.  

Agreed, and agreed. 

I'm not sure what Casey's #fancystats say, but, man, he's passing the eye test more and more. 

I trust that Thompson will go to Roch when one of the high-performing Amerks are recalled.

 

[LGR4GM]

The Ducks should always wear those jerseys. Maybe lighten the purple a couple shades but they are way better looking than their regular jerseys. 

Edited October 22, 2018 by LGR4GM

[LTS]

8 hours ago, pi2000 said:

That happened just about right in front of me.   Elite level awareness to recognize where his teammates were, combined with elite level skill to execute the play.   

He's still growing as a player, I'm not [ ??? ] he makes that play 2 years ago.

Knowing the way the board filters words now, when I read a statement like this I am left wondering.. what did pi say that was so bad there?  ?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

We may look back at the end of the season and remember this game as the character defining win by the Sabres.

They played hard and came back from 2 goals down.  The end barage was amazing with Hutton standing tall.  There is no problem with the goalies, at least for the moment.  Larry saving the game was especially awesome considering the beating he takes around here.

Edited October 22, 2018 by N S
fingers that are fat ...

[LGR4GM]

The nice thing is also they outplayed a team and actually got rewarded. 

[WildCard]

When's the last time we won 3 in a row? Asking for a friend...

[Doohicksie]

4 minutes ago, N S said:

Larry saving the game was especially awesome considering the beating he takes around here.

I wouldn't shed a tear if he was gone, but the last two games he's made some good plays.  He nearly scored on a wraparound yesterday.  He's a good example of every player doing what they need to do to contribute to a win.

[Stoner]

8 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

A schlimazel is a Yiddish word for an unlucky person.  The schlemiel is the fool.  The old joke is the schlemiel spills the soup and the schlimazel is the guy he spills it on.

I don't remember him saying it during the broadcast, but the terms are in pretty common usage so much so they found their way into the intro to the old sitcom Laverne and Shirley.

Now you know.

I think I led you astray. I looked it up right after my post, and schmozzle (schmozzel, shmozzel?) is another Yiddish word. A state of chaos and confusion. A hockey schmozzle. See also: the end of the Ducks game.

50 minutes ago, darksabre said:

I see no reason to send Mittelstadt down. He's so close. Give him some time and make sure he's in a good headspace (which I think he is) and the hard work he's putting in right now is going to start really showing up on the score sheet. The NHL is where he belongs. 

I liked the exchange of smiles between him and Reinhart when Casey drew a suspicious penalty there in the third, after Reinhart did the same earlier. I was a little worried the ref had seen it and might have felt played.

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

I wouldn't shed a tear if he was gone, but the last two games he's made some good plays.  He nearly scored on a wraparound yesterday.  He's a good example of every player doing what they need to do to contribute to a win.

I'll continue to defend Larsson as a very valuable piece on a good, deep team. On a 31st place team, being asked to do a little too much, not so much.

[Stoner]

10 hours ago, SDS said:

Do we need an official “days since we had a winning record” counter, so that we can keep resetting it?

I'm not sure that's worded right.

[Doohicksie]

Just now, PASabreFan said:

I liked the exchange of smiles between him and Reinhart when Casey drew a suspicious penalty there in the third, after Reinhart did the same earlier. I was a little worried the ref had seen it and might have felt played.

I had the same thought, although Casey's looked a little more valid.

Speaking of Reino, he hasn't scored a goal yet, but his setups from the goal mouth (thinking about one or two to Sheary, and last night's to Okposo) have been top-flight passes.  He's not scoring goals, but he's contributing to the scoresheet.

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I'll continue to defend Larsson as a very valuable piece on a good, deep team. On a 31st place team, being asked to do a little too much, not so much.

I'll also say he played his best hockey before his injury.  If he can get back to that level I think he's an asset to the team.

[Stoner]

11 hours ago, ... said:

The drama, the narrative, the emotion.  The visceral part of the game.  Why do you watch sports?

I keep thinking about it and studying the still image. Eichel's expression and the juxtaposition of Pominville, a former captain, helmet off, the past and the future, make it. I'm not sure how Pommers digging out ear taters plays into it, but I'll think of something. That clip and the "painted" photo of the play around the Sabres net from a few games ago are the iconic images of the season so far.

[Doohicksie]

8 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

the "painted" photo of the play around the Sabres net from a few games ago

I've got that as my FB cover page at the moment.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but the Sabres rained on the Ducks parade for one of their best ever players and one of the best to ever play the game.

I liked Paul as a player and hated the way his career ended, but I am glad that if any team was going to ruin his night it was the Sabres.