Sabres Goaltending, Saving Us Early

[LGR4GM]

Ullmark: .922%

Hutton: .917%

Our GT has been holding us in some of these games early until the mid 2nd when we apparently wake up and storm back. How important has it been to have drastically more reliable GT this season? I feel like Hutton in particular has been solid and a leader. Thoughts? 

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Ullmark: .922%

Hutton: .917%

Our GT has been holding us in some of these games early until the mid 2nd when we apparently wake up and storm back. How important has it been to have drastically more reliable GT this season? I feel like Hutton in particular has been solid and a leader. Thoughts? 

Umm, is the answer, how important was starting the year with 26 points through 20 games vs 14?

[darksabre]

Both of these guys are known for having great attitudes, and I think it's showing in the way they battle back when they have rough starts to games. They are mentally tough and they are great at shaking off the goals. Not as frustratingly aloof as a guy like Bryz, but it's the same general idea. Is only game, why you heff to be mad?

It also reflects the never say die attitude of the rest of the team. "I missed that one but I'll make the next one" is very similar to "we gave up the lead but we can get it back". 

[LGR4GM]

I think Hutton is a leader in that room. 

[Gatorman0519]

There is no question the past 3 wins were clearly as a result of timely saves to keep us in it.  Last night I think Hutton faced a half dozen breakaway's or odd man rushes.

[Samson's Flow]

I think it's part of the maturation process of the team as a whole.

At the beginning of the year we all talked about how young this roster was going to be. As they get more consistent, they will (hopefully) start playing a full 60 minute game but for now the slow starts or mental mistakes have not crippled them because the goaltending has generally bailed the team out. That is huge for the confidence of the young players to be able to play this aggressive, high risk brand of hockey. If every time they tried something that didn't work ended up in a goal against, the players would shift back to conservative play which would kill our offensive development. Hutton and Ullmark have been huge in allowing the team as a whole to push the pace and attack as a five man unit.

[Marions Piazza]

Did you guys see Hutton in the last game during a timeout? he skated to the bench and gave some heated encouragement to the team, they listened

[msw2112]

It's still early, but based on returns so far, my hat is off to JBotts.  Not only did he bring in talent, he also brought in the right type of character guys to help with the psyche of the team.  He also was bold in moving out guys that may not have been good for the psyche of team.  Hutton is a huge plus in the character department.  I read that O'Reilly is having a good statistical year in St. Louis, but they are near last place and just fired their coach.  I don't have time to do the research, but I think that he had good stats in Colorado, but the teams he was on were terrible and improved dramatically after he was dealt to the Sabres.  Perhaps it isn't a coincidence.  But back to the original premise of the thread, the Goalies this season are definitely contributing from both a talent standpoint and a psychological & chemistry standpoint.

[SwampD]

We have been hearing this more and more these past few weeks, but is it really that much more reliable than last year?

Our goaltending kept us in plenty of games last year, we just scored at an historically low rate and could never come back in games. We lost a ton of one goal games last year.

I like our goaltending. I really like watching Hutton play, but I really think the biggest difference this year is the play of our D and scoring (and those two things are most likely linked.)

[LGR4GM]

Lehner's sv% last was .908 so we are doing better there. 

[msw2112]

Some of our recent wins were in OT or shootouts, where our goalies last year, particularly Lehner, were terrible, so yes, I do think that our goaltending is much more reliable than last year.  Also, despite decent statistics, Lehner tended to let in really bad goals, or goals at the worst possible times, which was really demoralizing to the team.  This year, it's the opposite.  The goals that our goalies give up tend to be earlier in the game, when we still have a chance to come back and not back breakers late in the game or in OT/SO.

[Samson's Flow]

3 minutes ago, SwampD said:

We have been hearing this more and more these past few weeks, but is it really that much more reliable than last year?

Our goaltending kept us in plenty of games last year, we just scored at an historically low rate and could never come back in games. We lost a ton of one goal games last year.

I like our goaltending. I really like watching Hutton play, but I really think the biggest difference this year is the play of our D and scoring (and those two things are most likely linked.)

I think the difference between Lehner and Hutton has less to do with their actual goaltender skill and more to do with the team believing in their goaltender and wanting to respond after hanging them out to dry. Last year I had the sense that a lot of the team had a "#### that guy" mindset towards Lehner, and everyone was kind of in it for themselves.

Just now, msw2112 said:

Some of our recent wins were in OT or shootouts, where our goalies last year, particularly Lehner, were terrible, so yes, I do think that our goaltending is much more reliable than last year.  Also, despite decent statistics, Lehner tended to let in really bad goals, or goals at the worst possible times, which was really demoralizing to the team.  This year, it's the opposite.  The goals that our goalies give up tend to be earlier in the game, when we still have a chance to come back and not back breakers late in the game or in OT/SO.

This better articulates what I was trying to get at. Back breaking goals where the team thinks "are you kidding me?!?"

[SwampD]

3 minutes ago, Samson's Flow said:

I think the difference between Lehner and Hutton has less to do with their actual goaltender skill and more to do with the team believing in their goaltender and wanting to respond after hanging them out to dry. Last year I had the sense that a lot of the team had a "#### that guy" mindset towards Lehner, and everyone was kind of in it for themselves.

This better articulates what I was trying to get at. Back breaking goals where the team thinks "are you kidding me?!?"

All fair points.

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Ullmark: .922%

Hutton: .917%

Our GT has been holding us in some of these games early until the mid 2nd when we apparently wake up and storm back. How important has it been to have drastically more reliable GT this season? I feel like Hutton in particular has been solid and a leader. Thoughts? 

Do you have save% by period handy?

[Samson's Flow]

7 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

Some of our recent wins were in OT or shootouts, where our goalies last year, particularly Lehner, were terrible, so yes, I do think that our goaltending is much more reliable than last year.  Also, despite decent statistics, Lehner tended to let in really bad goals, or goals at the worst possible times, which was really demoralizing to the team.  This year, it's the opposite.  The goals that our goalies give up tend to be earlier in the game, when we still have a chance to come back and not back breakers late in the game or in OT/SO.

Also, good to see the recent success brings out some new voices. I know you joined well over a year ago, but have been far more active in the last week. A belated welcome!!

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Do you have save% by period handy?

I do not. Give me a minute and I will get the average for this year for Gt with 6 or more games played. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by LGR4GM

[Stoner]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

I do not. 

You will go make me a frittata.

[Taro T]

9 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

Some of our recent wins were in OT or shootouts, where our goalies last year, particularly Lehner, were terrible, so yes, I do think that our goaltending is much more reliable than last year.  Also, despite decent statistics, Lehner tended to let in really bad goals, or goals at the worst possible times, which was really demoralizing to the team.  This year, it's the opposite.  The goals that our goalies give up tend to be earlier in the game, when we still have a chance to come back and not back breakers late in the game or in OT/SO.

Yep.  Never knowing when Lehner nor Johnson were going to give up that backbreaking goal, but fully expecting it, had to weigh on their psyches.  Anybody who's been saddled with a bad goalie knows how demoralizing that is and how it DOES effect everybody else's play.

The Sabres activated the D in the opener vs Moe-ray-all and blew a lead in a winnable game & the season snowballed from there. 

Hutton stole the Rags game after the Sabres were crushed by the Bruins.  That has allowed them to stick with what they've been trying to do.  As Billy Fuscillo says "HUGE."

[LGR4GM]

61 goalies have played 6 or more games this season. Their average Sv% is 0.910

Last year, 71 goalies played 10 or more games. Their average Sv% was 0.908

[LGR4GM]

Top sv% last year... Curtis McElhinney in the 18games he played for the leafs: 0.934sv% and Carter Hutton with 0.932 and 0.931sv% for Blues and Kings

[Taro T]

And giving up that backbreaker is far more demoralizing than stealing one on occasion is uplifting.

That Hutton and Ullmann have rarely given up the truly bad goal has had a tremendous effect on the results.

[GASabresIUFAN]

During the post game show they said Hutton’s save% on shots near the crease was .940 which is an incredible number.  No wonder we are winning close games.

[msw2112]

8 hours ago, Samson's Flow said:

Also, good to see the recent success brings out some new voices. I know you joined well over a year ago, but have been far more active in the last week. A belated welcome!!

Thanks!  I have been a little more active on the Bills board the last couple of years, but now that the Sabres are competitive again, I am spending a little bit more time on this board.  I have been a fan since the early 70's when my Dad had season tickets and I went to games as a young kid sitting on his lap.  I don't live in Buffalo anymore, so I don't get to see as many games as others that are posting, but I keep up as I can and I might, after a hiatus of many years, purchase the last 2 months of NHL Center Ice after the Super Bowl so I can enjoy the playoff run!  The wife doesn't go for me having the NFL and NHL packages simultaneously and frankly, that's probably a good thing because I would be a neglectful husband and father if I did that.  Go Sabres!

[dudacek]

Do the right thing and drop the Bills.

(That’s what I did)

[IKnowPhysics]

Big picture: this team was going to have some growing pains this season, and if anyone was going to save us, it wasn't going to be the blueline.

If you told me in August that we won six straight before Christmas, I would have given even odds that Hutton had a GAA of <1.00 or Eichel/Skinner combined for 24 goals in that stretch.