GDT: 1/14/21 7pm ET Washington at Buffalo, MSG, ESPN+, WGR

[Scottysabres]

GO SABRES!!!!!!!

[Curt]

3 hours ago, WildCard said:

Honestly I haven't been paying attention to the Sabres at all...Quinn made the roster, and not the taxi squad? Is he playing? What does that do for this ELC?

I’m not sure he is going to play any games.  They put their largest contracts on the active roster so that their cap hit was as high as possible on opening day, for cap/LTIR reasons.  Quinn had a higher cap hit that some of the other taxi guys.  That’s all.

[Curt]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Ralph’s he makes the lineup.  As I predicted days ago all 5 of the 4th line players are in the lineup.  Garbage bottom 6.

No.  It looks like only 4 of them are.

[dudacek]

Not seeing a lot of anticipation on here about:

• Bulked up Rasmus Dahlin
• Bulked up Tage Thompson
• Eric Staal's first game as a Sabre
• Dylan Cozens first game in the NHL
• Taylor Freaking Hall

Let's go!

[I-90 W]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

Not seeing a lot of anticipation on here about:

• Bulked up Rasmus Dahlin
• Bulked up Tage Thompson
• Eric Staal's first game as a Sabre
• Dylan Cozens first game in the NHL
• Taylor Freaking Hall

Let's go!

Yeah it’s a lot, like sensory overload a lot. Haven’t been looking forward to a reg season game as much as this in a long time. 

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, jsb said:

Not sure how it works this year but it used to be that NHL-TV still worked with ESPN+ doing the game

Yeah?  I really can't remember.

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, WildCard said:

I never like the coach that tries to break a player and make them okay a grinding game just out of principal.

I remember when Scotty Bowman made Federov play defense for, like, half a season.  That was after Federov won the Hart Trophy.

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Not seeing a lot of anticipation on here about:

• Bulked up Rasmus Dahlin
• Bulked up Tage Thompson
• Eric Staal's first game as a Sabre
• Dylan Cozens first game in the NHL
• Taylor Freaking Hall

Let's go!

Very excited for these, especially Dahlin. He needs to be told to take over games. 

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, SwampD said:

Not sure what all this talk is of ESPN+ only. I see all thre options listed:MSG, NBCSWA, and ESPN+.

I’m in the NYC area. I have NHL.TV. I’ll be watching the MSG feed from Buffalo and listening to RJ.

That was me.  I was wrong.  I changed the post where I said ESPN+ only, but it got quoted and is getting propagated.

[erickompositör72]

29 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Not seeing a lot of anticipation on here about:

• Bulked up Rasmus Dahlin
• Bulked up Tage Thompson
• Eric Staal's first game as a Sabre
• Dylan Cozens first game in the NHL
• Taylor Freaking Hall

Let's go!

Somehow, half the forum seems to find the bottom 6 more interesting than any of this, which is bizarre to me.

[Mustache of God]

51 minutes ago, Curt said:

I’m not sure he is going to play any games.  They put their largest contracts on the active roster so that their cap hit was as high as possible on opening day, for cap/LTIR reasons.  Quinn had a higher cap hit that some of the other taxi guys.  That’s all.

I'm seeing that Quinn has already been sent to the Taxi squad: 

 

3 minutes ago, erickompositör72 said:

Somehow, half the forum seems to find the bottom 6 more interesting than any of this, which is bizarre to me.

There's nothing to complain about in the top 6. Skinner on the 4th line generates all the buzz. In my mind there's very little room for improvement in the top 6, where the bottom 6 makes both my head and ass itch.

[erickompositör72]

2 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

There's nothing to complain about in the top 6. Skinner on the 4th line generates all the buzz. In my mind there's very little room for improvement in the top 6, where the bottom 6 makes both my head and ass itch.

If this coach/GM duo was able to create this top 6, I'm confident they'll be able to figure out the bottom 6.

 

I just feel like the focus on the bottom 6 is like winning the lottery but only mentioning/complaining about how you have to pay taxes on it.

[SwampD]

13 minutes ago, erickompositör72 said:

Somehow, half the forum seems to find the bottom 6 more interesting than any of this, which is bizarre to me.

Yep. Isn't is a good thing that we finally have enough good players to actually push Skinner down to the 3rd or 4th line?!

[MODO Hockey]

Imagine beeing skinner, waking up and seeing this spreading in social media. 

 

LoL

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

 

Pretty big mistake from Ralph with the bottom 6 configuration here. 

3 hours ago, inkman said:

Is it Ralph’s doing or Jeff’s?  Did you listen to the audit I posted in the Skinner thread?  The Instigators gave a pretty good case for both sides.   

I don't really trust anything the Instigators says when they utter gems such as "Skinner has played with top line talent his entire career". They don't know what they are talking about. 

[Zamboni]

Where is Okposo?

I bet at game time it’s a little different.

[Mustache of God]

22 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Yep. Isn't is a good thing that we finally have enough good players to actually push Skinner down to the 3rd or 4th line?!

It's a great thing. In reality I'm in a "wait and see how this plays out" camp before being actually upset about it. I've never seen Eakin, Reider, Cozens, or Sheahan ever play before so I have no idea what to expect from them. With the exception of Cozens they all seem like JAGs who get signed by the Sabres and underperform. If I were the coach my 3rd line would be Skinner - Mitts - Cozens fueled by nothing but hope that they wouldn't get caved in defensively. That would at least give us the expectation of offense from the bottom six. Right now the way they're put together the message seems to be "don't get scored on."

[tom webster]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Only got to see the 2nd scrimmage.  Hutton was his 2nd 1/2 self in that.  1 really bad goal to kick things off, only made 1 difficult save all game (maybe he had additional, only saw 1), and ended up giving up a ton in total without having faced Eichel, Hall, Dahlin, nor Skinner.

FTR, I haven’t seen any of it. Just what I was told last night. There were drinks involved so who knows. I saw today Vogl agreed, though, so there’s that.

[That Aud Smell]

It is fairly eye popping to see Skinner on the 4th line.

Onward!!

[Taro T]

44 minutes ago, MODO Hockey said:

Imagine beeing skinner, waking up and seeing this spreading in social media. 

 

LoL

Isn't that him waving the glove behind Hall?  😉

 

 

(OK, maybe he's not that short.)

20 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

It is fairly eye popping to see Skinner on the 4th line.

Onward!!

Think of it as leading the offensive bottom 6 line and it isn't as off-putting.  😉

[LaPerreausek]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

I remember when Scotty Bowman made Federov play defense for, like, half a season.  That was after Federov won the Hart Trophy.

Jeff Skinner for Selke 😄

[steveoath]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Not seeing a lot of anticipation on here about:

• Bulked up Rasmus Dahlin
• Bulked up Tage Thompson
• Eric Staal's first game as a Sabre
• Dylan Cozens first game in the NHL
• Taylor Freaking Hall

Let's go!

Is it wrong that I'm getting excited to see hugetage? If he gets it together he could be a really good player this season.

[LabattBlue]

  Not sure if this was posted, but for comparisons sake, here is last years opening night lineup...

 

Eichel
Girgensons
Johansson
Larsson
Mittelstadt
Okposo
Olofsson
Reinhart
Sheary
Sobotka
Skinner
Vesey

Dahlin
Jokiharju
McCabe
Risto
Miller
Scandella

Ullmark
Hutton



 

 

 

[erickompositör72]

2 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

  Not sure if this was posted, but for comparisons sake, here is last years opening night lineup...

 

Eichel
Girgensons
Johansson
Larsson
Mittelstadt
Okposo
Olofsson
Reinhart
Sheary
Sobotka
Skinner
Vesey

Dahlin
Jokiharju
McCabe
Risto
Miller
Scandella

Ullmark
Hutton



 

 

 

And they were on fire. I watched all September '19 highlights the other day.

[Mustache of God]

9 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Is it wrong that I'm getting excited to see hugetage? If he gets it together he could be a really good player this season.

I've been telling all my non-Buffalo friends who play fantasy hockey to drop their last draft pick for Tage. He'll rack up points simply by being on the ice and breathing.