GDT: 3/30/2022: Winnipeg at Buffalo 7:00PM ET MSG-B WGR

[inkman]

This team fought the puck right from the opening faceoff. Just always seemed half a stride off.  Still came away with a point and a hard fought effort. 

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, nucci said:

Wheeler stopped skating forward on his shootout goal. Should have been called off

I rewatched the video... it was essentially a "rolling stop" at a Stop sign.  Never quite came to stop but came very close.

I think Anderson told the ref what he thought of it as he skated off.

1 hour ago, North Buffalo said:

Yeh and on slow motion even stick handled backwards

Not what I saw. 

If this were a playoff game, that would have been the equivalent of the Music City Miracle "lateral."  Simply too close to take it away.

[Flashsabre]

9 hours ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

Honestly, I feel like our goaltending the last month has been pretty solid. And just so happens we're winning a lot and (minus EDM) competitive when we don't. Anderson let a couple of "eh" goals in in regulation, but also saved a handful of others that could've easily gone in. Played well enough to get the W in regulation, we just couldn't stop body shotting Hellebuyck. He was brutal in the shootout, though. 

Will be an interesting offseason. A solid vet goalie needs to be priority 1, but boy howdy, that's gonna be a crowded market. I've loved what Andy has brought to the team, but depending on a 40 year old goalie again is playing with fire.

Anderson is at 3.07 gaa and .902 sv%. That is not good. Tokarski is a tire fire.

Anderson is a great guy and good story but there should be no talk of bringing him back. They have to improve in net if they want to take the next step.

[nucci]

9 minutes ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

I rewatched the video... it was essentially a "rolling stop" at a Stop sign.  Never quite came to stop but came very close.

I think Anderson told the ref what he thought of it as he skated off.

 

yep, noticed that

[Skibum]

Two points to Winnipeg pushes them closer to contention for Vegas' playoff spot...

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

This team fought the puck right from the opening faceoff. Just always seemed half a stride off. 

I feel like you misspelled "played with energy and largely dominated the run of play."

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

Take Hellebuyck off Winnipeg and they are not near the playoffs. Put him on the Sabres and they are ... 20 points better in the standings. Near playoff contention.

I agree. However, we don't have that caliber of goalie right now. The reality is 90% of the teams don't have that caliber of goalie. And let's not forget that Anderson played very well for us during the game. His brutal shootout performance shouldn't cloud how well he actually played in this game. The problem with Anderson is that he is a 40 yr old goalie who is not capable of being a workhorse goalie. 

I believe (opinion)  if Anderson were able to be a workhorse goalie for us this season and play most of the games assigned to Tokarski, this team would have garnered at least 12 more points. That wouldn't put us in the playoff picture but it sure would put this team and season in a much better light, and a more promising light for the near future.  

Recognizing that some of the young prospects in our pipeline are near ready to move up, you can see the roster pieces falling into place. The challenge is addressing the goalie position. At a minimum the GM has to bring in another goalie, even if only as a stopgap player, in order to allow this team to be consistently competitive. That's one of the biggest challenges for the GM this offseason. 

[That Aud Smell]

42 minutes ago, JohnC said:

if Anderson were able to be a workhorse goalie for us this season and play most of the games assigned to Tokarski, this team would have garnered at least 12 more points. That wouldn't put us in the playoff picture but it sure would put this team and season in a much better light, and a more promising light for the near future.  

as arbitrary as this sort of thing is (or maybe not, if you have data, i guess), i feel like consistently average NHL goaltending would have yielded this team a bit more than 12 points - maybe closer to 20?

[Mustache of God]

14 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

as arbitrary as this sort of thing is (or maybe not, if you have data, i guess), i feel like consistently average NHL goaltending would have yielded this team a bit more than 12 points - maybe closer to 20?

That's what happens when you sign two goalies on league minimum deals, you get league minimum results. The season was unfortunately over before it started. I am happy with the direction the team is trending and this off-season is pivotal for KA to get our gaping holes filled in. 

This game ended in a perfect fashion, Sabres extending their point streak and WPG keeping pace with Vegas for that last playoff spot.

[That Aud Smell]

6 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

This game ended in a perfect fashion, Sabres extending their point streak and WPG keeping pace with Vegas for that last playoff spot.

[Pimlach]

16 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Anderson is at 3.07 gaa and .902 sv%. That is not good. Tokarski is a tire fire.

Anderson is a great guy and good story but there should be no talk of bringing him back. They have to improve in net if they want to take the next step.

Statistically Anderson’s numbers reflect who he is at 40 years old.  Great vet presence but he is a #3. 
 

They need to upgrade the goaltending next season and bring in a proven goalie on a decent contract.  Give UPL his shot.  Don’t force Levi or Portillo into action too soon.  How KA handles this is critical to next season’s success.  
 

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Pimlach

[sabresouth]

I don't get some posters who aren't willing to pay for a good goalie or want to rely on " hoping" our yong goalies can step up. This strategy will get us exactly what we got this season. We have to upgrade the goalie duo and be willing to pay for it if we want the playoffs. You get what you pay for.

[inkman]

11 minutes ago, sabresouth said:

I don't get some posters who aren't willing to pay for a good goalie or want to rely on " hoping" our yong goalies can step up. This strategy will get us exactly what we got this season. We have to upgrade the goalie duo and be willing to pay for it if we want the playoffs. You get what you pay for.

In free agency, you rarely get what you pay for.  Goalies probably being the only position close to not holding true. 

[French Collection]

9 minutes ago, inkman said:

In free agency, you rarely get what you pay for.  Goalies probably being the only position close to not holding true. 

Yeah, how many guys have a career year the season before UFA status? UFAs are also 27+ so at their peak or starting the downhill side of their careers.

UFA is a decent place to look for complimentary pieces but not your go to guys.

[dudacek]

8 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Doubt it. They don't cross ice pass enough or work low to middle 

We watched different games last night

 

6 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

 

What a game 37 had.

Yeah, I’m not sure where the Casey bashing is coming from.

Definitely among our most effective forwards last night. His tracking in the O-zone and the backcheck was excellent, as was his puckhandling in the O-zone. He was hard on the puck on offence and defence. 🤷

[That Aud Smell]

4 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

Yeah, I’m not sure where the Casey bashing is coming from.

Definitely among our most effective forwards last night. His tracking in the O-zone and the backcheck was excellent, as was his puckhandling in the O-zone. He was hard on the puck on offence and defence. 🤷

I appreciate your putting a label on this -- it's what I noticed most of all. Dude was frequently a terror in the O-zone.

[nfreeman]

FWIW, I thought Casey was up-and-down last night.  He made some nice plays, and his line was pretty effective, but I also thought he made a number of poor passes that became turnovers.  I also thought he was pretty ineffective on the PP, which is really in a rut, and that VO should reclaim that right faceoff circle spot from Casey.

[jsb]

4 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

as arbitrary as this sort of thing is (or maybe not, if you have data, i guess), i feel like consistently average NHL goaltending would have yielded this team a bit more than 12 points - maybe closer to 20?

The GK issue was just one of the problems, fact is with all the injuries and missed games by both our forward and backline, I don't think a GK would have made much of a difference. Now with most healthy and playing better, it might have but that wasn't the case earlier in the season.

19 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

Yeah, I’m not sure where the Casey bashing is coming from.

Definitely among our most effective forwards last night. His tracking in the O-zone and the backcheck was excellent, as was his puckhandling in the O-zone. He was hard on the puck on offence and defence. 🤷

I can't agree with the both of you more. I thought he may have been our best forward discounting Girgensons 2 goals. He's been playing well for about a month now so it isn't just a 1 game thing either. In the 1st period I believe someone ( @Brawndo ??) posted that while he was on the ice the shots were 10-0 in our favor. His Corsi for the game was thru the roof also. 

As for the PP, they had 4 SOG in the OT, their GK stole that game from us.

Edited March 31, 2022 by jsb

[dudacek]

5 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

FWIW, I thought Casey was up-and-down last night.  He made some nice plays, and his line was pretty effective, but I also thought he made a number of poor passes that became turnovers.  I also thought he was pretty ineffective on the PP, which is really in a rut, and that VO should reclaim that right faceoff circle spot from Casey.

Hard judge.

Pretty sure Mitts first game replacing Krebs on the top PP was Friday against Washington.

PP has gone 3/7 since.

[K-9]

5 hours ago, JohnC said:

I agree. However, we don't have that caliber of goalie right now. The reality is 90% of the teams don't have that caliber of goalie. And let's not forget that Anderson played very well for us during the game. His brutal shootout performance shouldn't cloud how well he actually played in this game. The problem with Anderson is that he is a 40 yr old goalie who is not capable of being a workhorse goalie. 

I believe (opinion)  if Anderson were able to be a workhorse goalie for us this season and play most of the games assigned to Tokarski, this team would have garnered at least 12 more points. That wouldn't put us in the playoff picture but it sure would put this team and season in a much better light, and a more promising light for the near future.  

Recognizing that some of the young prospects in our pipeline are near ready to move up, you can see the roster pieces falling into place. The challenge is addressing the goalie position. At a minimum the GM has to bring in another goalie, even if only as a stopgap player, in order to allow this team to be consistently competitive. That's one of the biggest challenges for the GM this offseason. 

I like Anderson, but I just can’t agree that his brutal overtime performance doesn’t cloud the rest of his game last night. Not only does it cloud it, the overtime whiff completely erases it. It was a terrible display of goaltending that underscored once again our ineptitude at the position. 

[nfreeman]

6 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Hard judge.

Pretty sure Mitts first game replacing Krebs on the top PP was Friday against Washington.

PP has gone 3/7 since.

I beg to differ.

Mitts moved up to the top PP unit vs Pittsburgh, in which they went 0-3.  Then 0-1 vs the Caps, 1-1 vs the Rangers, 2-3 vs Chicago (one of which was VO's goal, so not the top PP unit, and the other of which was TT's freaky broken-stick GWG) and 0-2 vs Winnipeg.

I'm not seeing Mitts make any plays from that spot -- he either plays catch with Dahlin or he takes an unscreened shot into the goalie's chest.

As I said, his line has been effective, for which he deserves some credit, and having a 3rd scoring line has made a big difference in the team's overall performance.  But with VO slowly but surely returning to form, I think Mitts need to do more to keep that spot on the PP.

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

They need to upgrade the goaltending next season and bring in a proven goalie on a decent contract.  Give UPL his shot.  Don’t force Levi or Portillo into action too soon.  How KA handles this is critical to next season’s success.  

I'm telling ya, it's gonna be Anderson, UPL, and when Anderson inevitably gets hurt it will be one of the kids.

If it works, Kevyn will be a genius.  If not it will MOAR SUFFERING.

[dudacek]

35 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I'm not seeing Mitts make any plays from that spot -- he either plays catch with Dahlin or he takes an unscreened shot into the goalie's chest.  But with VO slowly but surely returning to form, I think Mitts need to do more to keep that spot on the PP.

I’d say this is fair.

It is interesting how much more often Ras moves the puck to Casey then he did to Krebs. Seems like there is a greater trust factor there.

But the threat of a healthy Vic complementing Tage, and Dahlin getting to choose when and how seems like the best option.

Edited March 31, 2022 by dudacek

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Yeah, I’m not sure where the Casey bashing is coming from.

Definitely among our most effective forwards last night. His tracking in the O-zone and the backcheck was excellent, as was his puckhandling in the O-zone. He was hard on the puck on offence and defence. 🤷

If anything I think he held onto the puck a bit too long.  In a game like last night's, though, with a lot of scrambly play, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

I like Anderson, but I just can’t agree that his brutal overtime performance doesn’t cloud the rest of his game last night. Not only does it cloud it, the overtime whiff completely erases it. It was a terrible display of goaltending that underscored once again our ineptitude at the position. 

Right now, he is by far the best goalie at our disposal. As I said in the prior post if Tokarski would have played in yesterday's game the Sabres would have been overwhelmed. We both agree on the need for an upgrade at that critical position.

Looking back, I don't understand the GM's reluctance to re-sign Ullmakr, even if it wasn't at the GM's preferred price. The Sabres were dramatically under the cap to the point that it took on an expensive contract for a player that it had no interest in bringing in other than to use the contract to meet the cap floor.