GDT 11/22/21 - Columbus Blue Jackets @ Buffalo Sabres 7:00 MSG

[Sabel79]

After innumerable years of the Rolston-Ted Nolan 2.0-Bylsma-Housley-Krueger low-event suckfest, at least this team seems to be making things happen.  Not often good things, but you can see it coming, provided there's no more meltdowns likely to happen in the organization soon.  Not a given.  

[Gatorman0519]

2 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Shut up Rob Ray. I don’t want to hear its a very good game for the Sabres when they lose 7-4. Granted there were some good things happened within the game and it is apparently a learning season in meatballs words but, they lost 7-4. The heartbreak kids just can’t seem to find their groove. Oh well, on to the next one.

If it was Toronto or Tampa losing 7-4 the fan base would be irate. We get moral victories. But… we shouldn’t be surprised we have a tank lineup

[Sabel79]

Having been positive, I would like to lodge one complaint: 

Can we please, for the love of god or whatever, find an NHL-calibre goalie who is relatively unmaimed and not eligible for a senior discount?  

[Bangarang]

This should help change the culture and make players proud to wear a Sabres jersey. Right, Kevyn?

[Scottysabres]

Step right up folks, spin the wheel, which player is next to lose their "love of the game"........step right up, spin the wheel.....

[PerreaultForever]

Well that was a display of some pretty horrific goaltending, both sides actually, but especially Tokharski obviously. Seemed like his glove had lead in it. 

Columbus wasn't particularly good, contrary to Rob Ray etc. there was very little to like in this game. I suppose you could say they didn't quit, and that's good I guess, but the 5 on 3 was just a joke. You don't let that sort of late period gift get away from you that easily if you want to win. 

I see some people are coming around to the realization that this is a tank and has always been a tank, it's just a little smarter this time (so far). 

Don't like Granato's line decisions. Best line to start the year was Olofsson Thompson Asplund and I would have put that back together. Skinner and Olofsson on the same line is redundant and flawed.  I personally would have put Skinner with Zemgus and Kyle . But whatever, it's a tank.  

[Indabuff]

Cozens looks like a young Andrew Peters, no?  

[GASabresIUFAN]

The sad part is Buffalo wins the last two games if it had NHL caliber goaltending. 

It's time for someone (TP?) to put pressure on KA to fix the damn goaltending.

[kas23]

25 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

I wish they had waited on the royal blue until they were not a bottom dweller anymore....tough to watch the nonstop losing in those beautiful unis.

By the time we’re winning again, the white, black, and red will be considered vintage. 

[PromoTheRobot]

36 minutes ago, Slack_in_MA said:

Numb to the losing, which sucks.

At least we're scoring. Scoring is good.

8 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The sad part is Buffalo wins the last two games if it had NHL caliber goaltending. 

It's time for someone (TP?) to put pressure on KA to fix the damn goaltending.

We're also losing because we get tied up in knots in our own end. That has to get fixed as well.

[dudacek]

Another very entertaining game.

They looked like a team out there - playing with and for each other.

You knew the shaky goaltending was coming and it will be hard to keep the spirits up as the losses pile up.

But they worked hard, kept me interested, and I feel like I have been slowly watching Thompson, Dahlin and Cozens blossom into their best selves before my eyes.

We’ve got a long, long way to go, but I can see the foundation being laid.

[sabresouth]

Goaltending, Goaltending, Goaltending.... We are in our seventh season since Miller was traded. We haven't had a true number one goalie since then. That's on management. KA has been derelict on this. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

7 minutes ago, sabresouth said:

Goaltending, Goaltending, Goaltending.... We are in our seventh season since Miller was traded. We haven't had a true number one goalie since then. That's on management. KA has been derelict on this. 

There is no question that goaltending in Buffalo and Rochester is KA’s greatest failure to date.  

[Huckleberry]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The sad part is Buffalo wins the last two games if it had NHL caliber goaltending. 

It's time for someone (TP?) to put pressure on KA to fix the damn goaltending.

Not its not, that is not  the plan.    The plan is to let the young core Mittelstadt - Thompson - Cozens - Dahlin - joker - bryson get experience at the top level.
If we lose games so be it , but the plan is to get a top 3 pick this year.

Putting pressure on KA to trade for some back up is not the right way.

[woods-racer]

1 hour ago, Indabuff said:

Cozens looks like a young Andrew Peters, no?  

Personally I think Cozens's floor is higher than Andrew's ceiling. I like Peters. Liked his game. Love to see him on 3/4 line when he was young on this team. 

[bunomatic]

3 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Not its not, that is not  the plan.    The plan is to let the young core Mittelstadt - Thompson - Cozens - Dahlin - joker - bryson get experience at the top level.
If we lose games so be it , but the plan is to get a top 3 pick this year.

Putting pressure on KA to trade for some back up is not the right way.

So its a tank

[woods-racer]

5 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

There is no question that goaltending in Buffalo and Rochester is KA’s greatest failure to date.  

There was no goaltending when he took over. We had an oft injured semi starter at best. The covid ordeal took any chance of getting a top 64 goalie by trade. There is no magic ju-ju juice that's going to get us one with out major compensation. That's not going to happen. One has to come up through the ranks. 

2 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

So its a tank

As much as the one Montreal is in right now.

[Broken Ankles]

This time last season (after 18 games) the Sabres had just begun an unmentionable streak and was about to embark on the worst stretch of games most of us have ever seen.  Their record was 6-9-3 and Ulmark started in 11 of these games. Jack, Sam and T Hall playing in most.  Yet scoring 12 goals less than this team through the same 18.  Goals against worse, but not by much.  And as stated, a legit starter unlike what Donny’s had to work with the last 8.  Baby steps….

[Doohicksie]

40 minutes ago, sabresouth said:

Goaltending, Goaltending, Goaltending.... We are in our seventh season since Miller was traded. We haven't had a true number one goalie since then. That's on management. KA has been derelict on this. 

 

31 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

There is no question that goaltending in Buffalo and Rochester is KA’s greatest failure to date.  

Overall I'm pretty happy with what Adams is doing and I think his plan is to take one more shot at an early 1st round pick, but yeah, he's totally screwed the pooch in goal.

[Hoss]

I think the goaltending situation is the failsafe for the tank. It's like a "well, if the young guys develop faster or better than we think and this team meshes we can count on terrible goaltending to bail out the tank."

[GASabresIUFAN]

35 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Not its not, that is not  the plan.    The plan is to let the young core Mittelstadt - Thompson - Cozens - Dahlin - joker - bryson get experience at the top level.
If we lose games so be it , but the plan is to get a top 3 pick this year.

Putting pressure on KA to trade for some back up is not the right way.

These kids have already seen enough of a losing culture. The goal is to build a cohesive team that learns to play as a team and win as a team.  If you want the players to learn how to win you have to give them the tools that give them a chance to win.  We have all talked about how great it would be for our stud prospects to get playoff experience in Rochester this season.  However KA’s goaltending decisions are keeping the Sabres from winning close games and are now significantly hindering Roch’s playoff chance.  

29 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

There was no goaltending when he took over. We had an oft injured semi starter at best. The covid ordeal took any chance of getting a top 64 goalie by trade. There is no magic ju-ju juice that's going to get us one with out major compensation. That's not going to happen. One has to come up through the ranks. 

As much as the one Montreal is in right now.

This is simply untrue.  Yes Ullmark was often injured, but when he played the Sabres were a playoff caliber team over RK’s seasons.  As mentioned many times in other threads Car put Nedeljkovic on waivers prior to last season and we had the first claim slot.  This season Vanacek was exposed in the expansion draft.  Wash re-acquired him from the Kraken for a 2nd.  My guess is Wash might have traded him to us for a 3rd prior to expansion draft, especially when you consider that we had a open goalie protection slot in expansion because Ullmark was a UFA. These are just two recent examples and both are top 30 goalies.  We also stupidly let Petersen get away.

Edited November 23, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[Kristian]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The sad part is Buffalo wins the last two games if it had NHL caliber goaltending. 

It's time for someone (TP?) to put pressure on KA to fix the damn goaltending.

I’ll take sucktitude goaltending all season over Kim and Terry meddling again.

Every hockey decision they make, turns into a disaster.

[Stoner]

T.A.T! Good call or no? That one-timer was something else.

The flashes are there. The finish isn't. I feel like this team is a gathering storm. They're still rumbling in the distance, but they're coming.

How do y'all feel about that writer in the postgame calling Thompson Tommers and Dahlin Dahls?

What did we learn about time last night? The clock on the screen seemed to be at .1 when the puck went in. The inset of the scoreboard clock was .4.

I thought Dan's "time is on their side" line was great.

Insomnia sucks.

[Thorner]

Something’s happenin’ here...something just like last time! More losses. 

Maybe I’m grumpy because I have to stay up so late (re my work schedule) to watch the games, but I don’t have the ability to pretend that past Sabres teams wouldn’t also sometimes score 2 goals once already 3 down, and claim “excitement” and “moral victories”. 

They aren’t better yet. Maybe it’ll come. 

[Kristian]

34 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Something’s happenin’ here...something just like last time! More losses. 

Maybe I’m grumpy because I have to stay up so late (re my work schedule) to watch the games, but I don’t have the ability to pretend that past Sabres teams wouldn’t also sometimes score 2 goals once already 3 down, and claim “excitement” and “moral victories”. 

They aren’t better yet. Maybe it’ll come. 

Goaltending has been awful the past three games, that really overexposes some of this teams shortcomings.

At least we’re scoring goals.