GDT Montreal at Buffalo, January 30, 2020, 7 o'clock post meridiem, MSG Network, WGR 550 amplitude modulation frequency.

[Broken Ankles]

1 minute ago, Zamboni said:

 

JD was not winning any Oscars, unless there was the award for "best use of Latin in a comedy or musical".  

1 minute ago, spndnchz said:

What about the Hundredth Meridian?

thats where I rememember every single f*$&-ing thing I know.  

[DarthEbriate]

Or the Hamburglar's run in 2014-15 Ottawa. (He's in ROC.) He went 20-1-2 that regular season to get the Sens into the playoffs.

That's the run we need from Hutton/Johansson. Legendarily hot goaltending. Sub 1.90 GAA, .94+ sv %, and win every OT/SO except 1.

[Eleven]

26 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

The current pace in the East is right about 98-100 points as the playoff threshold. We would need to average 15 points in every 10 games from here on out to hit that (7-1-2) in our remaining 32 games. The playoffs are beautiful place, and there's always hope...  Sometimes you blow up the Death Star and sometimes there's another Death Star or fleet of Death Stars and your doomed.

(We're currently on pace for 83 points)

Edit: Adding Binnington

Last season in 32 regular season games (the same as we have remaining right now) Binnington went 24-5-1. We need that. If Johansson is Binnington (and we have STL's defensive structure)....  That's the type of run we're looking at.

Yep.  I understand.  Either the Sabres run Montreal into the walls a hundred times, win 5-2, and learn to believe in themselves tonight, or it's done.

And starting Hutton is about the dumbest thing ever.  I don't care if he posts a shutout tonight.  In foresight, it's just stupid.

17 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Or the Hamburglar's run in 2014-15 Ottawa. (He's in ROC.) He went 20-1-2 that regular season to get the Sens into the playoffs.

That's the run we need from Hutton/Johansson. Legendarily hot goaltending. Sub 1.90 GAA, .94+ sv %, and win every OT/SO except 1.

Note that in both of those cases, the team turned to the AHLer to save the season.

[DarthEbriate]

15 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Note that in both of those cases, the team turned to the AHLer to save the season.

No scouting report on him; the guy is riding an emotional high --- and the team can buy into him with one big game or save, as well as believe they both have to play better because he's an AHL guy, and have the confidence that he's got their back. It's a fairy tale story. I like space fairy tales.

[Gatorman0519]

Ready to watch Habs fans take over the arena and we lose 4-2 

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

If they lose tonight Saturday's GDT should read:

Columbus @ Buffalo 1 O'clock Postmortem.

[WildCard]

31 minutes ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

If they lose tonight Saturday's GDT should read:

Columbus @ Buffalo 1 O'clock Postmortem.

I was thinking:

Blue Jackets @ A Bunch of *****, 1pm EDT

[Zamboni]

10 minutes ago, WildCard said:

I was thinking:

Blue Jackets @ A Bunch of *****, 1pm EDT

Bunch of Jerks? Carolina style? 

[Randall Flagg]

Anyone watch MTL this year? Are they good but with goalie issues? Or do they suck but Price is fine? A mix?

[pi2000]

2 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

Or the Hamburglar's run in 2014-15 Ottawa. (He's in ROC.) He went 20-1-2 that regular season to get the Sens into the playoffs.

That's the run we need from Hutton/Johansson. Legendarily hot goaltending. Sub 1.90 GAA, .94+ sv %, and win every OT/SO except 1.

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, Eleven said:

Your wish is my command.

Now you be trollin'.

[Eleven]

45 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

It could happen with Johansson.  We don't know, and it seems likely that we won't find out.

[Getpucksdeep]

45 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Anyone watch MTL this year? Are they good but with goalie issues? Or do they suck but Price is fine? A mix?

I watched some of their game Monday vs Caps. They looked messy, especially Kovalchuk.  He looks like he doesn't know their system, running into his own guys, etc.  Domi looked fast.  Armia is back from injury and looks like a legit good player.  

Specific to Price - they posted his stats by month Nov, Dec, Jan, big upward trends in save %.

[Stoner]

The decision to start Hutton is a sound one. The optics of putting in Johansson are not good. It would look like the hockey braintrust (teehee) think the season is over. It could infuriate the lockerroom — Hutton is by all accounts a liked and respected veteran. Hutton et. al have earned (teehee) the right to take one last stab at a run. If things go off the rails in the next several games, then, sure, let's see what the kid can do

[nucci]

3 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

The decision to start Hutton is a sound one. The optics of putting in Johansson are not good. It would look like the hockey braintrust (teehee) think the season is over. It could infuriate the lockerroom — Hutton is by all accounts a liked and respected veteran. Hutton et. al have earned (teehee) the right to take one last stab at a run. If things go off the rails in the next several games, then, sure, let's see what the kid can do

Don Edwards in place of Al Smith

[Mustache of God]

5 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

The decision to start Hutton is a sound one. The optics of putting in Johansson are not good. It would look like the hockey braintrust (teehee) think the season is over. It could infuriate the lockerroom — Hutton is by all accounts a liked and respected veteran. Hutton et. al have earned (teehee) the right to take one last stab at a run. If things go off the rails in the next several games, then, sure, let's see what the kid can do

I disagree, start the youngin' and try to catch fire a la binnington / hamburgler. This also puts Hutton on formal notice to get this ***** together and stop sucking so much.

[SDS]

4 hours ago, Eleven said:

Your wish is my command.

modulation. not modification.

[Taro T]

40 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

The decision to start Hutton is a sound one. The optics of putting in Johansson are not good. It would look like the hockey braintrust (teehee) think the season is over. It could infuriate the lockerroom — Hutton is by all accounts a liked and respected veteran. Hutton et. al have earned (teehee) the right to take one last stab at a run. If things go off the rails in the next several games, then, sure, let's see what the kid can do

Disagree.  Putting Hutton in signifies that this squad isn't close enough to risk seeing whether the kid can cut it.  Making that move would lose Hutton, but might save the season.

Pressure is squarely on Hutton because if (hopefully not when) he flames out tonight, he will have forced management's hand on Saturday.  (Unless of course they really are viewing this season as another expendable one and want another top 10 pick in the pipeline.  A Hutton blow out followed by a Saturday start will give the cynics a TON of ammunition.  It will also make it nearly impossible to GIVE tickets away this year.)

Here's to hoping Bales is correct (but wouldn't bet on it).

Edited January 30, 2020 by Taro T

[In The Buff]

Starting Hutton is the only choice coach could make. But if he gets lit up then it won't be long before we see Johansson. Coach also has the added benefit of seeing how Johansson looks in practice too. So if he feels he gives the team the better chance to win, then he'll get the nod. But theres no way he would get the start over Hutton. It'd just be horrible optics & would adversely effect the locker room imo. It'd send the message that you have no faith in Hutton or the teams chances with him at all.

Lets save that for if/when Hutton plays poorly. It'd be easier to go from Hutton to Johansson than the other way around.

[Eleven]

5 minutes ago, MillerVaive said:

Starting Hutton is the only choice coach could make.

Why?  If that's what affects the dressing room adversely, then the Sabres are a bunch of babies.  One would think the players want to win.

10 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Making that move would lose Hutton, but might save the season.

Yes.  And Hutton already is lost anyway.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Eleven

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

<giggling Jordan>

Never said it was likely, just that that's the kind of play we need now to have a chance.

But it didn't have to be that way. What's the most disappointing in all of this is that we've seen good stretches. A quick start, a few five-game stretches where we compete shift in and shift out (and sometimes win and sometime lose, just like other teams). That sickly stretch by the GLO line. And we got to see MVP-caliber play from Eichel, where if we were in the playoff race, then he'd be a Hart contender.

But we also lost 10 of 11 in November and 7 of 8 to close out 2019. And we weren't picking up a bunch of OT/SO loser points during those time either. Those more than undid any consistently good stretches we've had.

A 2C (which we needed going into the season) and a backup goalie (which we could've found as early as November) would've gone a long way to keeping those good stretches more consistent.

[Pimlach]

I was just thinking that tonight could be very painful with Habs fans in the majority.  

This is the kind of game the Sabres win.  

[tom webster]

Would Hutton pull an Al Smith? Would he be able to find JBOT to “wave” goodbye?

[Stoner]

3 minutes ago, tom webster said:

Would Hutton pull an Al Smith? Would he be able to find JBOT to “wave” goodbye?

Good question. How great was it that Punch and the Knoxes would sit in the crowd?

[sabremike]

All I want is that the second the puck drops the crowd starts a huge anti Botts/anti Pegula chant that is louder than a Motorhead concert that forces everyone in the sport to take notice of what a cesspool this organization is.