GDT: Sabres @ Oilers, 10/18/22, 9pm, tv and wgr

[PromoTheRobot]

1 minute ago, mjd1001 said:

I am wondering how much of it was that it was an ugly win, vs how much of it was the way they decided to play, going into a shell in the 3rd.  It seems the Sabres figured out that by collapsing the D and Forwards toward their own net, the Oilers would control the puck AND they would get off shots but those shots would not be of the extremely dangerous kind.  A lot of Edmonton's goals are of the tick-tac-toe passing variety, but last night they had very little of that puck movement.  1 pass maybe and then a shot that Comrie could see.  

I'm sure they would rather control the puck more than they did in the 3rd, but maybe part of it was a strategy call based on how Edmonton was playing.  Add to that the Libyuskin injury and a shorter bench for the D-men, and that adds to the possibility.

As badly as they were dominated they played strong defense in their end. In past seasons when teams would bottle is up in our end we'd be chasing our tails and give up a goal within a minute. This time EDM was totally frustrated until they pulled their goalie.

 

 

[matter2003]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

A couple of random thoughts

1) Comrie and Anderson through 3 games are giving the Sabres the type of goaltending needed to make and win in the playoffs.  That said, it's 3 games with another 79 to go.  If they can stay healthy and keep this up, this team will have a legit chance to be very good.

2) However, the 3rd period made it clear and to quote Robert Frost, we have "Miles to go before we sleep,"  The Sabres don't have anyone close to as talented as McJesus and Draistaitl.  We have to win through collective will and rolling 4 lines and they all have to contribute.  

3) Nice to see TnT return to form and as I said pregame, I like Asplund, Mitts and VO together and I thought they had a really good game

4) Lyubishkin really stepped up tonight until he got, but Joki's game is still lacking. Dahlin has taken his offense to another level.  Now if he can be a fraction better on D, he'll become a mega star.

5) Rookie Watch:  JJP is making the most of his limited playing time and is getting better and better each shift.  Power was better tonight, but needs to be more assertive.  

6) I love Vinnie's energy, but he does seem to turn the puck over to much.  

I have much more faith in Comrie to continue this than I do Anderson.  Comrie was ranked #2 in the entire NHL in expected goals saved above average per 60 minutes next to Shesterkin last year.

[matter2003]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

As badly as they were dominated they played strong defense in their end. In past seasons when teams would bottle is up in our end we'd be chasing our tails and give up a goal within a minute. This time EDM was totally frustrated until they pulled their goalie.

 

 

The Sabres have looked really good in their defensive zone on balance I think from what I have seen so far.  Very good coverage of the guys without the puck, for the most part do not chase the player with the puck and often times force tough passes to guys who are either covered or tied up or a shot that is relatively easily saved. Light years ahead of any time I can remember over the last decade.

[Drag0nDan]

1 - Happy to see Tuch back on line 1.  Olofsson with Tage and Skinner wasn't working.  They were struggling to zone exit, and didn't feel like they could use the line to match up effectively.

2- Comrie had himself a freakin NIGHT.

3 - Dahlin must've worked on shooting cuz that shot was naaasty. 

4 - The reshuffled 2nd line is interesting.  We really need Mittelstadt to be a Center it seems. 

5 - The only question mark i have on the PP right now is Krebs, he just isn't able to create the same space as Tage on the wall because there is no threat of a shot. 

[klos1963]

15 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I am wondering how much of it was that it was an ugly win, vs how much of it was the way they decided to play, going into a shell in the 3rd.  It seems the Sabres figured out that by collapsing the D and Forwards toward their own net, the Oilers would control the puck AND they would get off shots but those shots would not be of the extremely dangerous kind.  A lot of Edmonton's goals are of the tick-tac-toe passing variety, but last night they had very little of that puck movement.  1 pass maybe and then a shot that Comrie could see.  

I'm sure they would rather control the puck more than they did in the 3rd, but maybe part of it was a strategy call based on how Edmonton was playing.  Add to that the Libyuskin injury and a shorter bench for the D-men, and that adds to the possibility.

Oilers had numerous great scoring opportunities in the 3rd, Kane had a bunch in close, McDavid had a few, Draisatl had one pretty much on the goalline.  If that was the strategy is was a bad decision.

[klos1963]

15 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

As badly as they were dominated they played strong defense in their end. In past seasons when teams would bottle is up in our end we'd be chasing our tails and give up a goal within a minute. This time EDM was totally frustrated until they pulled their goalie.

 

 

Other than Comrie, not sure how you paint a good picture on the defensive play in the 3rd period. We have up 23? shots, McDavid missed the net many times in close, which was lucky for us, we couldn't do much at all the entire 3rd period. It's surprising that we held on.

[SwampD]

10 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

Thank you!. I did not want to lose sleep for nothing. That was just a terrible third period though.

I want to see any team against Edmonton when the shorten the bench. It was not terrible.

10 hours ago, Mustache of God said:

That's what it looks like when goaltending wins you a game.

I don’t agree with this. He did what he had to do (which we sabres fans aren’t really accustomed to), but other than the left pad save on RNH, it was pretty much all in front of him.

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

That was an ugly win. There is a lot to clean up in the defensive zone and if we want to win often this season we need to find ways to control the puck better. A bit of a dumpster fire but low and behold, Eric Comrie was lights out. I also think you can see the Sabres have added a lot of shooting talent to this team over the last couple years and that helps as well. I have no idea when Rasmus Dahlin learned to do powerful accurate wrist shots but I want to live in that world forever. 

They need to figure out some of the defensive misques and they still aren't firing on all cylinders which actually gives me more hope for this season... and yes that seems odd. In the previous years when they started hot they were firing on all cylinders for the most part and then once that wasn't the case anymore, the season went to *****. This year, I would hope we see continued improvement from such a young lineup. I do think they need to seriously explore trading someone (prospect wise) to LA for one of their 27 RHDs... Helga Grans for example. 

Whatever. It was a great win against a really good team. That third was pretty much what we would expect, and it wasn’t even as bad as one would believe reading this board. Just look at how the Oilers last two opponents fared in the third. It wasn’t all Oilers (oh, it was a lot), but we had some zone time and some chances, and even drew a penalty because of it.

That was awesome! Great win. JJP looks amazing! On his goal, I don’t think he looked at the puck from about the red line in.

I also thought VO had a pretty decent game, at both ends of the ice.

Edited October 19, 2022 by SwampD

[JustOneParade]

Managed to stay awake for the entire game. The two FA additions? Comrie was a stud. And Boosh? I can see why he didn't 'fit' in TO. 

[Drag0nDan]

4 minutes ago, SwampD said:

I want to see any team against Edmonton when the shorten the bench. It was not terrible.

I don’t agree with this. He did what he had to do (which we sabres fans aren’t really accustomed to), but other than the left pad save on RNH, it was pretty much all in front of him.

Just. No. It was a great win against a really good team. That third was pretty much what we would expect, and it wasn’t even as bad as one would believe reading this board. Just look at how the Oilers last two opponents fared in the third. It wasn’t all Oilers (oh, it was a lot), but we had some zone time and some chances, and even drew a penalty because of it.

That was awesome! Great win. JJP looks amazing! On his goal, I don’t think he looked at the puck from about the red line in.

I also thought VO had a pretty decent game, at both ends of the ice.

They run that mcdavid draisaitl combo at the end of the game for long stretches and its just exhausting.  

[Drag0nDan]

20 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

Oilers had numerous great scoring opportunities in the 3rd, Kane had a bunch in close, McDavid had a few, Draisatl had one pretty much on the goalline.  If that was the strategy is was a bad decision.

They just kept getting caught on long shifts, the zone exits were either when they were gassed so theyd change or iced it.  

[nfreeman]

My game notes:

- What a great game by Comrie.  Good for him for producing that gem in his hometown.  More like that, please.

- Getting dominated for 65% of the 1st period and 97% of the 3rd period is not a sustainable model for producing wins.  They did have the better of the play in the 2nd period though, which was encouraging.

- Edmonton is pretty good but flawed IMHO.  Florida is a better team, especially defensively. 

- McD is freaking terrifying.

- I thought TT's line, with the addition of Tuch, improved from a D to a B-minus, and Mitts' line, with his new wingers, improved from a D to a C-plus.  There is still a lot of room for improvement for both lines.

- JJP continues to play like he's been shot out of a cannon.

- Cozens was pretty good, and the combo of him and JJP was good again.  I'm not sure Vinnie is the right 3rd guy on that line, but he did fine.

- Dahlin was again the Sabres' best skater, although Comrie was their best player.

- Boosh was a difference-maker until he got hurt.  Let's hope it's not a serious injury.  Fitzie will provide some of the violence that Boosh brings, but there will be a significant dropoff.

- Mule was quite good again, and Power and Joki were OK.  Dropping down to 5 D against that team, combined with the Alamo mode they deployed in the 3rd, contributed to the one-sided play in the 3rd.

On to Cal-gary.

[JohnC]

I watched the first period and saw the scoring clips of the game this morning. Thanks to great goaltending we won a game where we were dominated much of the game. As others have said McDavid is King, he is a generational player!

Adams brought in two players this offseason for reasonable prices: Lybushkin and Comrie. As demonstrated in this game they were terrific additions. Lybushkin is a rugged player. What makes him even better is his consistency. There were many times where Comie was under siege. He remained calm in the net. 

The young players will get better and the lines will get more cohesive. It's early in the season but if the goalie play remains at this level, I will expect this team to be in the playoff hunt up to the end of the season. What the Florida and Edmonton games demonstrated is that good goaltending will compensate for the talent disparity. 

[bob_sauve28]

13 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I watched the first period and saw the scoring clips of the game this morning. Thanks to great goaltending we won a game where we were dominated much of the game. As others have said McDavid is King, he is a generational player!

Adams brought in two players this offseason for reasonable prices: Lybushkin and Comrie. As demonstrated in this game they were terrific additions. Lybushkin is a rugged player. What makes him even better is his consistency. There were many times where Comie was under siege. He remained calm in the net. 

The young players will get better and the lines will get more cohesive. It's early in the season but if the goalie play remains at this level, I will expect this team to be in the playoff hunt up to the end of the season. What the Florida and Edmonton games demonstrated is that good goaltending will compensate for the talent disparity. 

Opportunistic scoring is kind of nice too 

[JohnC]

14 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Opportunistic scoring is kind of nice too 

In the long haul better play against an opponent results in more wins. Don't get me wrong, I'll take a win when outplayed. But counting on good luck is not a recipe for sustained success. 

[bob_sauve28]

Just now, JohnC said:

In the long haul better play against an opponent results in more wins. Don't get me wrong, I'll take a win when outplayed. But counting on good luck is not a recipe for sustained success. 

Skilled scoring when opportunities present themselves is not luck. I remember hard working, low scoring Sabres teams of the past. Gotta have those finishers

[French Collection]

Young teams need to learn how to win. That was not a pretty third period but they pulled it out. DG can build on this and explain how they need to breakout and possess the puck to kill the clock.

The goaltending has been really good and this breeds confidence all through the lineup.

Dahlin was as intense as I’ve seen him when McDavid was coming in on him, total focus. His puck handling was great again and his wrist shot is how he scored a lot of his goals in the SHL.

[Crusader1969]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

That was an ugly win. There is a lot to clean up in the defensive zone and if we want to win often this season we need to find ways to control the puck better. A bit of a dumpster fire but low and behold, Eric Comrie was lights out. I also think you can see the Sabres have added a lot of shooting talent to this team over the last couple years and that helps as well. I have no idea when Rasmus Dahlin learned to do powerful accurate wrist shots but I want to live in that world forever. 

They need to figure out some of the defensive misques and they still aren't firing on all cylinders which actually gives me more hope for this season... and yes that seems odd. In the previous years when they started hot they were firing on all cylinders for the most part and then once that wasn't the case anymore, the season went to *****. This year, I would hope we see continued improvement from such a young lineup. I do think they need to seriously explore trading someone (prospect wise) to LA for one of their 27 RHDs... Helga Grans for example. 

I agree. Need another big time RHD.  Either include Joker in the trade or make him the 7th Dman 

they have enough picks , prospects  and cap space to get someone of high quality back 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, klos1963 said:

Other than Comrie, not sure how you paint a good picture on the defensive play in the 3rd period. We have up 23? shots, McDavid missed the net many times in close, which was lucky for us, we couldn't do much at all the entire 3rd period. It's surprising that we held on.

How do I paint a good picture? EDM didn't score until late. Comrie was outstanding but the rest of the Sabres weren't standing around with their thumbs in their butts. They were clearing pucks from the crease, clogging passing lanes and being physical with players. 

Edited October 19, 2022 by PromoTheRobot

[Ducky]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

There were many times where Comie was under siege. He remained calm in the net. 

The young players will get better and the lines will get more cohesive. It's early in the season but if the goalie play remains at this level, I will expect this team to be in the playoff hunt up to the end of the season. What the Florida and Edmonton games demonstrated is that good goaltending will compensate for the talent disparity. 

He had lots of practice last year.

Great to see he is doing well, he deserves it.

I'd love to see Calgary get shut out, can't stand that team.

[mjd1001]

8 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

How do I paint a good picture? EDM didn't score until late. Comrie was outstanding but the rest of the Sabres weren't standing around with their thumbs in their butts. They were clearing pucks from the crease, clogging passing lanes and being physical with players. 

I agree with you.  I don't want to say the Sabres played GREAT overall in the 3rd, but they did what they had to do. It wasn't all Comrie, as you said the D-unit did what the needed to do.  Complaining about the number of shots given up in the 3rd is somewhat justified, but also somewhat like saying in the NFL your Defense gave up too many passing yards in the 4th quarter when you played strictly prevent up by 10 points and the opposing offense was running a no-huddle the entire quarter.

[PromoTheRobot]

Just now, mjd1001 said:

I agree with you.  I don't want to say the Sabres played GREAT overall in the 3rd, but they did what they had to do. It wasn't all Comrie, as you said the D-unit did what the needed to do.  Complaining about the number of shots given up in the 3rd is somewhat justified, but also somewhat like saying in the NFL your Defense gave up too many passing yards in the 4th quarter when you played strictly prevent up by 10 points and the opposing offense was running a no-huddle the entire quarter.

Believe me I was holding my breath in the 3rd. As well as the Sabres D and Comrie were playing I didn't know how long they could hold out. That's not you you usually win games.

[Thorner]

12 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

This ain't figure skating.

Apologies, I’ll try and keep in mind the proper Promo-approved way of being a fan.

The right way.

Edited October 19, 2022 by Thorny

[LabattBlue]

There is no place for a hard hitting no offense guy like Boosh on this team.  If you aren’t a soft PMD, GET OUT!!!!

/sarcasm off

[Norcal]

Good game all the way through imo.

Third got a little sideways a couple times but they didn't turtle completely (a little) and although the Sabres only had a few chances, they were quality ones.

Ultimately the only thing that matters is the score and it was 1-1 in the third on their way to a 4-2 win. 

Comrie was outstanding

Dahlin is starting to assert himself on every shift.

Boosh is a different kind of player, much needed. Hope he's ok.

TNT looks better with Tuch and vice versa.

Meatballs, whether we like it or not, is putting Mittlestadt in alot of key positions on the ice.

He handles the puck on the PP, although not the best results yet, and is on the main PK foursome.

He was out there preserving the lead in the final minutes as well. 

He's handling all of that pretty well so far, not perfect imo but these key minutes now will help the team later on.

JJ is just fun to watch.

I hope he continues to show the knack for driving offense on his shifts and his defense has been fine so far.

Fun team! Good team?

 

[PromoTheRobot]

6 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Apologies, I’ll try and keep in mind the proper Promo-approved way of being a fan.

The right way.