GDT: 1/24/21 3pm ET, Buffalo at Washington, MSG & ESPN 1520

[JoeSchmoe]

I hope he gets a decent look. Some of our vets just aren't good enough to put us over the top.

Mitts might not be good enough either, but at least there could be some upside. 

[SABRES 0311]

I think KO had a good game especially since it’s his first one back.  He’s a steady player that gives 100 percent.

Eichel’s line is usually fun to watch.  I felt like he was trying to force it a couple times.  Once the flood gates open watch out.

Our bottom six try and Skinner in particular is trying to make lemonade with lemons.  Sheehan actually looks competent and I can’t complain about Lazar or Eakin.

Ullmark is a good goalie IMO.  I think he’s ready to start.  Definitely not top ten but he’s maturing.

Our second line sucks.  I know Staal got two but outside of one game that line just kinda eats minutes.  Insert Skinner to play with Olofsson and I think you see a noticeable difference.  

Although he didn’t play I want Cozens in the lineup.  He got his first early in the season and I want to see how far he can go.  Between him and Mitts I choose Cozens.

[MODO Hockey]

3 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I didn't get a chance to watch. How did Mittelstadt look? 

With consistent ice, does he have any potential as an upgrade over any of our mediocre journeymen vets with long histories of low production (i.e. Reider, Sheahan, Lazar)?

He looked slimmer, word on the street is that momma took his fortnite station away. Other than that, same as usual, he was terrible to say the least.

[MODO Hockey]

@Brawndo posted this in Ullmark thread but think it derserves to be posted in here to

 

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by MODO Hockey

[jsb]

Thoughts on the game and team in general:

1. They just played 4 away games against the Flyers and Capitals and took 5 out of 8 points from it, who wouldn't have taken that at almost any part of last year
2. I thought we played pretty well so far this year discounting the 1st game with the caveat that except for the short period of time Jack-Sam and Victor were together yesterday none of these forward lines are the same as last year. You can tell that the other teams were a more cohesive unit mainly because the Sabres as a team haven't been together much more than 3 weeks yet. They're still in training camp mode in a regular year after not playing in 10 months
3. You can complain about their cohesiveness but you can't complain about their competitiveness 
4. Jack and Hall are in a different stratosphere as far as being dynamic players. At times they are just flying around the ice. Having said that they are pretty much the same player and I wonder if splitting them up so they can control play on 2 different lines may or may not be best for the team other than the PP
5. I think Reinhart is under rated on this board and nationally, he's tougher on the boards, is responsible defensively, scores and you basically never see this guy make a major mistake that kills the team. 
6. For the Risto haters, he leads the team in TOI, Hits by over double than the next highest guy, Blocked shots, has the best +/- on the team and is 5th in scoring. Oh yeah lets trade this guy because he stinks, I'm looking at you @Brawndo, I'm looking at you 😀
7. Stall is not the dynamic 2C you think of but I think he and Okposo are great mentors for the younger guys in particular in subtle ways of playing the game, positionally, controlling the puck in the corners, etc..... And if the young guys are watching they'll learn a lot
8. The defense is playing at a higher level overall and if Dahlin is their biggest problem they'll only get better. He looked more confident yesterday
9. Great win for Ullmark, that has to help him mentally although that 3rd goal, yikes. Can he or this team have worst puck luck than they already have had

[Taro T]

35 minutes ago, jsb said:

Thoughts on the game and team in general:

1. They just played 4 away games against the Flyers and Capitals and took 5 out of 8 points from it, who wouldn't have taken that at almost any part of last year
2. I thought we played pretty well so far this year discounting the 1st game with the caveat that except for the short period of time Jack-Sam and Victor were together yesterday none of these forward lines are the same as last year. You can tell that the other teams were a more cohesive unit mainly because the Sabres as a team haven't been together much more than 3 weeks yet. They're still in training camp mode in a regular year after not playing in 10 months
3. You can complain about their cohesiveness but you can't complain about their competitiveness 
4. Jack and Hall are in a different stratosphere as far as being dynamic players. At times they are just flying around the ice. Having said that they are pretty much the same player and I wonder if splitting them up so they can control play on 2 different lines may or may not be best for the team other than the PP
5. I think Reinhart is under rated on this board and nationally, he's tougher on the boards, is responsible defensively, scores and you basically never see this guy make a major mistake that kills the team. 
6. For the Risto haters, he leads the team in TOI, Hits by over double than the next highest guy, Blocked shots, has the best +/- on the team and is 5th in scoring. Oh yeah lets trade this guy because he stinks, I'm looking at you @Brawndo, I'm looking at you 😀
7. Stall is not the dynamic 2C you think of but I think he and Okposo are great mentors for the younger guys in particular in subtle ways of playing the game, positionally, controlling the puck in the corners, etc..... And if the young guys are watching they'll learn a lot
8. The defense is playing at a higher level overall and if Dahlin is their biggest problem they'll only get better. He looked more confident yesterday
9. Great win for Ullmark, that has to help him mentally although that 3rd goal, yikes. Can he or this team have worst puck luck than they already have had

Overall, very good post.  But to the bolded, yes, yes they could've had worse luck and a single goal in regulation in each of the last 2 games would've had the Sabres sitting on 2 points for the season.  

They'll come together & start to get some pucks bouncing their way soon.  Starts w/ the Rags at home.

[JohnC]

14 hours ago, SDS said:

1.  Regarding the last game, as with today, I don’t get how a couple 1v0 plays at the end of the game changes how people think about the previous 65 minutes.

2. I’m normally not the negative one, but I thought the Sabres look like garbage out there. Unforced turnovers on a slew of passes, passes deflecting off of sticks everywhere, they really look like they had little skill compared to the caps.

It's interesting to observe how two people can watch the same game and have different takeaways. I'm not saying your view is wrong because it is as valid as mine is. What you see is what you see; and what I see is what I see. In this game we played a team that played a tight game and whose goalie played at a high level. We had more than a few quality chances that he stopped. On balance I thought we were slightly the better team but if someone took the opposite view I would have to acknowledge that it is also a creditable view. 

As I stated before (apologize for the repetition) in every game but the sloppy first game the games were played evenly. (My opinion.) The difference between winning and losing is miniscule. What is encouraging is that for the most part our big guns have had opportunities to score but they have been stymied. If they can get untracked that will give us a bigger margin to succeed. 

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I didn't get a chance to watch. How did Mittelstadt look? 

With consistent ice, does he have any potential as an upgrade over any of our mediocre journeymen vets with long histories of low production (i.e. Reider, Sheahan, Lazar)?

Bland. Right now he is an inconsequential player. At best he is a fill in player. He needs a change of scenario and a fresh start somewhere else. 

[LGR4GM]

Well we are all over here excited we got 3/4 points... so did Washington. 

[SwampD]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Well we are all over here excited we got 3/4 points... so did Washington. 

At least they didn’t gain any ground on us.

 

Baby steps.

[inkman]

1 hour ago, jsb said:

Thoughts on the game and team in general:

1. They just played 4 away games against the Flyers and Capitals and took 5 out of 8 points from it, who wouldn't have taken that at almost any part of last year
2. I thought we played pretty well so far this year discounting the 1st game with the caveat that except for the short period of time Jack-Sam and Victor were together yesterday none of these forward lines are the same as last year. You can tell that the other teams were a more cohesive unit mainly because the Sabres as a team haven't been together much more than 3 weeks yet. They're still in training camp mode in a regular year after not playing in 10 months
3. You can complain about their cohesiveness but you can't complain about their competitiveness 
4. Jack and Hall are in a different stratosphere as far as being dynamic players. At times they are just flying around the ice. Having said that they are pretty much the same player and I wonder if splitting them up so they can control play on 2 different lines may or may not be best for the team other than the PP
5. I think Reinhart is under rated on this board and nationally, he's tougher on the boards, is responsible defensively, scores and you basically never see this guy make a major mistake that kills the team. 
6. For the Risto haters, he leads the team in TOI, Hits by over double than the next highest guy, Blocked shots, has the best +/- on the team and is 5th in scoring. Oh yeah lets trade this guy because he stinks, I'm looking at you @Brawndo, I'm looking at you 😀
7. Stall is not the dynamic 2C you think of but I think he and Okposo are great mentors for the younger guys in particular in subtle ways of playing the game, positionally, controlling the puck in the corners, etc..... And if the young guys are watching they'll learn a lot
8. The defense is playing at a higher level overall and if Dahlin is their biggest problem they'll only get better. He looked more confident yesterday
9. Great win for Ullmark, that has to help him mentally although that 3rd goal, yikes. Can he or this team have worst puck luck than they already have had

None of the stats you listed for Risto have been the problem with him, well minus ice time of course.  Maybe he is making a Josh Allen like ascension and is suddenly a better player.  I’m still seeing signs of the old Risto.  Drastically out of position, flinging the puck up the boards (gotta think coaching owns this prob) etc.  Time will tell but he’s looked decent so far this season.  

[JohnC]

9 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Well we are all over here excited we got 3/4 points... so did Washington. 

For a team that has struggled to earn points coming out of the gate I'll take three out of four points on the road any time and any place. Over the past couple of years this team has proven to be fragile after being faced with obstacles. It's important for this team to stay in the mix and not get too far back from the pack.  

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

For a team that has struggled to earn points coming out of the gate I'll take three out of four points on the road any time and any place. Over the past couple of years this team has proven to be fragile after being faced with obstacles. It's important for this team to stay in the mix and not get too far back from the pack.  

The point is that in a zero sum year, we just treaded water. 

[dudacek]

I anyone here excited?

The reaction to this season so far ranges from "c'mon, it's not that bad" to "they're trash again, I give up"

[nfreeman]

My 2 cents:

- I thought that was another entertaining and hard-fought hockey game.  The Sabres are flawed, to be sure, but I think the complaints that have been voiced here recently about not playing hard are way off base.

- I'm happy for Linus that he played great in OT and the SO and got the W, but the Sabres need an upgrade in net.  They just do.

- Mitts looked better yesterday than he did at any point last season.

- Hall was with Staal and KO in the 3rd period, while VO was with Jack and Sam.  Interesting.

- Excellent bounceback game from Dahlin, who looked very poised, assertive and confident.

- Miller is low-key coming on as a real contributor.

- There was a point in the 1st period when the Caps were blasting the Sabres repeatedly with huge bodychecks -- Hall and Staal each caught a couple, and Montour got checked from behind hard into the boards.  The Sabres didn't fight, but Staal went looking for payback and got a little and more importantly the Sabres didn't wilt under pressure.

- Eichel is finding his stride.  He's playing with more speed and intensity and looking more dominant.  The goals will start to come soon.

[JohnC]

12 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The point is that in a zero sum year, we just treaded water. 

The point is that in a zero sum year treading water keeps you floating in the same water with the opposition. That's certainly better than sinking while the opposition is racing away from you in their lanes. 

Edited January 25, 2021 by JohnC

[Eleven]

9 minutes ago, inkman said:

None of the stats you listed for Risto have been the problem with him, well minus ice time of course.  Maybe he is making a Josh Allen like ascension and is suddenly a better player.  I’m still seeing signs of the old Risto.  Drastically out of position, flinging the puck up the boards (gotta think coaching owns this prob) etc.  Time will tell but he’s looked decent so far this season.  

That "pass" at the blue line yesterday.  Just what are we doing here?

2 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I anyone here excited?

The reaction to this season so far ranges from "c'mon, it's not that bad" to "they're trash again, I give up"

They're trash again and I haven't given up.

[bob_sauve28]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The point is that in a zero sum year, we just treaded water. 

By getting 3 out of 4 points from Washington? Umm...we are not trying to pass Washington in the standings, we won't. But doing this allows us to catch the other teams we can pass to make the playoffs 

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I anyone here excited?

The reaction to this season so far ranges from "c'mon, it's not that bad" to "they're trash again, I give up"

It's tough breaking through the psychology of losing. It's akin to the battered wife/husband syndrome. It's difficult to get beyond your sordid history when you are in a new year. 

I'm not getting carried away and over evaluating this team. It's certainly not a top tier team. However, I do see it as a legitimate lower qualifying playoff team. What I don't understand is the advocacy of some people to explode the roster and start rebuilding the roster form scratch. That makes no sense. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

8 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I anyone here excited?

The reaction to this season so far ranges from "c'mon, it's not that bad" to "they're trash again, I give up"

@jsb had a great take on it a few posts above this one.

I am pretty darn excited.  Mostly because overall the Sabres are playing exciting hockey.  I think this will be a good season for them and I am excited to see how it all plays out.

[Mustache of God]

In my eyes, the biggest issue with the team right now is lack of finish. It definitely felt like the Sabres had so many more quality scoring chances than the Caps in the past two games. Yesterday Ullmark let in a softy and then a fluky goal (which was a result of poor positioning/ also a softy) , the game prior Dahlin blew coverage on two goals that could have easily been prevented. If we can tighten up a little bit defensively and once we start burying a few chances I think this team can start to string some wins together. 

[Radar]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

It's tough breaking through the psychology of losing. It's akin to the battered wife/husband syndrome. It's difficult to get beyond your sordid history when you are in a new year. 

I'm not getting carried away and over evaluating this team. It's certainly not a top tier team. However, I do see it as a legitimate lower qualifying playoff team. What I don't understand is the advocacy of some people to explode the roster and start rebuilding the roster form scratch. That makes no sense. 

Agree. We're not in a rebuild mode. My gut feeling is we're still getting our cohesiveness down with our forwards. Hopefully those lines will be established. I am concerned with our goalkeepers. Although Ulmark redeemed himself in the other/shootout he still caused the overtime with two very suspect goals in regulation. I don't agree with many posts about lack of effort. For the most part the effort has been there. Coaching? Still not sure we have the right guy but we've got to only hope. Can a green GM get this team it's needs? I think the next week to two weeks will show us a lot.

[dudacek]

5 minutes ago, JohnC said:

It's tough breaking through the psychology of losing. It's akin to the battered wife/husband syndrome. It's difficult to get beyond your sordid history when you are in a new year. 

I'm not getting carried away and over evaluating this team. It's certainly not a top tier team. However, I do see it as a legitimate lower qualifying playoff team. What I don't understand is the advocacy of some people to explode the roster and start rebuilding the roster form scratch. That makes no sense. 

I think I'm with you on this. The Bills just wrapped up their third playoff year of the past four and some people were still calling them bad heading toward the mid-point of this season. And yes, a lot of it is message board hyperbole.

By the eye test, the Sabres have looked like the bubble team a lot of us thought they were, and by the fancy stats they've been better than that. By the Sabrespace gameday threads we are a bottom-feeder.

I've watched pretty much every game the Sabres played in the past decade. I know what trash looks like. And so far the 20-21 Sabres aren't it.

[Curt]

58 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I anyone here excited?

The reaction to this season so far ranges from "c'mon, it's not that bad" to "they're trash again, I give up"

Agreed.  I don’t see anyone excited by the Sabres season so far.

[erickompositör72]

Me! I'm excited. I'm actually very excited to see what Hall/Staal/KO can do together. I think our bottom 6 are fine, as well.