GDT:Sabres at Vancouver 10/22/22 10pm MSG, CBC, WGR 550

[triumph_communes]

Finally stayed up to watch a full game.  Life man.

 

Quinn was completely invisible to me. Seemed to struggle with the pace. At least it’s not mistakes?

Bryson/Fitz kept getting hemmed. If we are playing well this year defensive depth is going to be our downfall. That being said I always felt positive with 45 handling the puck, it felt frequent. Curious to see Pilut, I had always liked him he was just getting out muscled, but he’s grown a bit. 
 

Power was noticeably better. Much less silly giveaways.
 

Oloffson did stuff at the end, but I still think he’s one of our weakest links. He at least spared himself from getting into the rookie bench situation.
 

Hinostroza deserves to keep playing.
 

Mittelstadt is a disappointment for his draft position, but when he takes an extra step he makes magic happen.  Going to be interesting to see how he plays out.

 

Peterka came down to earth tonight. I’m sure he wants his missed empty net and frustration penalty back. Still playing well though.
 

Anderson played really well, Sabres goalies in the past let 3-4 in that game.  
 

Have to keep Thompson/Tuch together. Those two alone can make a lot happen, which is important because of how streaky Skinner is. Then on days Skinner wakes up the line is unstoppable. 
 

1st period was fast, and the Sabres surprised me and matched it. 2nd period effort was bad. They came out right away in the 3rd and closed the game out though. Much prefer that to the 3rd period collapse, which is apparently something this Vancouver team is struggling hard with this season. 
 

Hockey is fun to watch!  Hope to see the home seats fill up. These aren’t flukey wins .  Hope Muel is okay, Lyub is going to have a lot of missed games the way he plays and we are lacking the depth behind them for next man up. 

Edited October 23, 2022 by triumph_communes

[bob_sauve28]

6 hours ago, K-9 said:

Don’t look now, but that’s five straight games with high quality NHL goaltending. The old man was stellar between the pipes tonight. 

Makes all the difference in the world 

[Brawndo]

 

[SwampD]

7 hours ago, K-9 said:

That desperation can often work against you. 

Good god the Canucks look awful. They use sooo much energy to accomplish nothing. Maybe it’s chemistry,… or maybe it’s time for a new coach.

Edited October 23, 2022 by SwampD

[Eleven]

2 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Good god the Canucks look awful. They use sooo much energy to accomplish nothing. Maybe it’s chemistry,… or maybe it’s time for a new coach.

Maybe they're born with it, or maybe it's Maybelline.

[bob_sauve28]

 

[FrenchConnection44]

Great start, again. I’ve said this already. Really like the young players and their potential. I am bullish on them the next 2-4 years. 
 

That said, we have seen fast starts before fizzle out. 

2019-20: 9-2-1

2020-21: 4-3-1

2021-22: 5-1-1

They really need to demonstrate mental and physical toughness. First, to not fall prey to youthful complacency. But especially when they start to lose a few games. Can they quickly right the ship? 
 

I do like a lot of what they do. They skate fast. They back check pretty well (it’s really about effort; fighting for the whole ice). They have talent who have potential to score. And goaltending so far has been great. Have to remain healthy there and overall.

I don’t like that we take a lot more hits than our opponents. Out hit every game: 

18-9; 12-11; 28-16; 29-11; 40-17  

We are not a big physical team and even some of our bigger players are not the dominant physical types so we aren’t going to outhit teams. But still need to maintain physical play and try to avoid hits when we can. It’s one reason I really want to see several of these players do more in the weight room in the off season. Add 5-10 LBs of muscle without losing speed and we can be an even tougher out.  Plus that will give us more endurance. That really needs to be an emphasis team wide this off-season, imo. Maybe add another physical enforcer in the off season. Depending on how the season goes overall  

 

 

[JustOneParade]

How much of this surge in Dahlin's game be traced back to his switching sides and being paired with Muel mid-season last year?

[bob_sauve28]

 

[LGR4GM]

23 minutes ago, JustOneParade said:

How much of this surge in Dahlin's game be traced back to his switching sides and being paired with Muel mid-season last year?

The Krueger cooties finally got out of his system by mid season. 

[Buffalonill]

I love alex tuch 

[LGR4GM]

39 minutes ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

Great start, again. I’ve said this already. Really like the young players and their potential. I am bullish on them the next 2-4 years. 
 

That said, we have seen fast starts before fizzle out. 

2019-20: 9-2-1

2020-21: 4-3-1

2021-22: 5-1-1

They really need to demonstrate mental and physical toughness. First, to not fall prey to youthful complacency. But especially when they start to lose a few games. Can they quickly right the ship? 
 

I do like a lot of what they do. They skate fast. They back check pretty well (it’s really about effort; fighting for the whole ice). They have talent who have potential to score. And goaltending so far has been great. Have to remain healthy there and overall.

I don’t like that we take a lot more hits than our opponents. Out hit every game: 

18-9; 12-11; 28-16; 29-11; 40-17  

We are not a big physical team and even some of our bigger players are not the dominant physical types so we aren’t going to outhit teams. But still need to maintain physical play and try to avoid hits when we can. It’s one reason I really want to see several of these players do more in the weight room in the off season. Add 5-10 LBs of muscle without losing speed and we can be an even tougher out.  Plus that will give us more endurance. That really needs to be an emphasis team wide this off-season, imo. Maybe add another physical enforcer in the off season. Depending on how the season goes overall  

 

 

I'm wondering if last year's start wasn't a mirage but injuries and a very very shallow team made it unsustainable. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I watched most of the third on the small screen.  The Sabres looked really good.  They played with a lot of intensity and never in Alamo mode.  That is not going to be a thing this year.  They kept coming even after the Hiney-Stroka no goal that would have deflated them in other years.

[Brawndo]

[kas23]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

 

Didn’t we cause the Winnipeg implosion last year too? 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I'm wondering if last year's start wasn't a mirage but injuries and a very very shallow team made it unsustainable. 

I think there's truth to that.

[Pimlach]

I am ecstatic by the goaltending thus far.  Yes, it’s early but if we learned anything the past few years it’s celebrate when you can and build off the good. 
 

Fitz filling in for Joker has been fine.  Pilut in for Muel, next man up. Let’s see if we are 8 deep with NHL defensemen.  
 

Dahlin has been our best player so far.  Tuch not far behind him. 
 

It’s time to beat the Kracken and keep it going 

[JohnC]

In contrast to the other west games I watched the full game so I'm more comfortable commenting on the game. 

My first star goes to the goalie. Especially when the game first started, he withstood the Vancouver offensive onslaught and frustrated them. This allowed the Sabres to hang on until they were more in control. 

I really liked the two-way play of Mitts in this game. What impresses me about his game this season is that he works just as hard on defense as he does on offense.  The combination of Cozens and Mitts stepping up their games this season has created a more balanced team. Internal improvement more than anything else has elevated this team. 

Although Skinner hasn't scored a goal yet he grinds hard to keep the puck in his zone and give his line more chances. He not only got the assist in Tuch's goal but he was instrumental in winning the battle for the puck in which Tuch scored. In contrast to last year Tuch is finishing plays. As he stated in interviews before the season being healthy in the offseason helped him better prepare for the upcoming season. 

You don't have to be a hockey guru to recognize that Dahlin is one of the best players on the ice. He's exuding confidence and seems to enjoy being chippy and creating fracases with the opposition. That's a side of him that I didn't see from him in prior seasons. 

I hope Samuelsson can quickly return to action. He's an anchor defenseman for us. Watching Power play you can see that he will comfortably handle the opportunity to have more responsibility placed on him. 

There is nothing flashy about Lybushkin's game. He's tough and good. What a tremendous addition!

The thing that impressed me the most about this game was that this young team, with the stellar play of their goalie, withstood the onslaught of a desperate team in the beginning of the game, and then outplayed Vancouver for most of the game. While Vancouver seemed to play a scrambled game, Buffalo was the more composed and unified team. 

This coach knows how to develop and handle young talent. He's uncanny in putting together lines that fit well together. How can you not be impressed by him?!

 

 

Edited October 23, 2022 by JohnC

[inkman]

17 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I think there's truth to that.

I had a lot of trepidation shoveling dirt into the Bs with their injuries.  Turns out that caution was warranted as they are still the Bs.  Sigh.  

[Derrico]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I'm wondering if last year's start wasn't a mirage but injuries and a very very shallow team made it unsustainable. 

Agreed.  Although another year under Donny, another year experience for the Bryson’s and cozens of the world, adding power, JJP, Boosh and Comery sure don’t hurt either. 

 

The amazing thing is the core is so young and doesn’t yet include any of our first rounders from last draft we were drooling over in the summer.  Fun time to be a Sabres fan. 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I'm wondering if last year's start wasn't a mirage but injuries and a very very shallow team made it unsustainable. 

Is there a difference?

BTW, your question highlights why those of us that continually harp on getting NHL caliber goaltending keep harping on how important it is.  Good NHL level goaltending last year allowed a team w/ a lot of tweeners not just compete but win very early last year & the team fell off the map as the goaltending faltered and the roster got populated w/ AHLers.

Once the goaltending came back (though not to the same level) & the AHLers went back home, the maturation of the youth & a few key additions showed us what the team could be through the last 1/3 of the year.

And this is why, IF Comrie is an actual good goalie (& it appears he very well could be) & he & the team can stay healthy the playoffs aren't out of the question.  If he settles back to league average or Anderson breaks early, then playoffs is probably a bridge too far but they should still stay fun and avoid last year's November & December.  (Not that January & February got results, but we could see what the team could be w/ competent goaltending (the March & April Sabres).)

The tweeners are gone.  Yeah, the Krebs/Quinn slot is currently filled w/ a tweener (and quite possibly the Peterka slot too) but the play of those guys will improve w/ experience so really consider them developers, not tweeners.

Edited October 23, 2022 by Taro T

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I'm wondering if last year's start wasn't a mirage but injuries and a very very shallow team made it unsustainable. 

Last year on WGR Granato was asked what was the primary reason why the team finished the season on a high note? Without hesitation he said the team got healthy. As you noted, the Sabres were a shallow team that couldn't afford injuries to a roster that had little depth. When the inevitable injuries occurred, the floor collapsed. Steadily due to the development of the young players this team has more depth to better absorb the injuries that happen during a bruising season. 

The issue that I was uncertain about was whether the success in the last third of last year had any meaning for this upcoming season. I still can't say for sure, but I'm now more inclined to believe after the start of this season is that the play at the end of last year did augur well for how this season will unfold, of course much of it dependent on the play of our goalies.

[grinreaper]

2 hours ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

Great start, again. I’ve said this already. Really like the young players and their potential. I am bullish on them the next 2-4 years. 
 

That said, we have seen fast starts before fizzle out. 

2019-20: 9-2-1

2020-21: 4-3-1

2021-22: 5-1-1

They really need to demonstrate mental and physical toughness. First, to not fall prey to youthful complacency. But especially when they start to lose a few games. Can they quickly right the ship? 
 

I do like a lot of what they do. They skate fast. They back check pretty well (it’s really about effort; fighting for the whole ice). They have talent who have potential to score. And goaltending so far has been great. Have to remain healthy there and overall.

I don’t like that we take a lot more hits than our opponents. Out hit every game: 

18-9; 12-11; 28-16; 29-11; 40-17  

We are not a big physical team and even some of our bigger players are not the dominant physical types so we aren’t going to outhit teams. But still need to maintain physical play and try to avoid hits when we can. It’s one reason I really want to see several of these players do more in the weight room in the off season. Add 5-10 LBs of muscle without losing speed and we can be an even tougher out.  Plus that will give us more endurance. That really needs to be an emphasis team wide this off-season, imo. Maybe add another physical enforcer in the off season. Depending on how the season goes overall  

 

 

In order to legally hit a member of the other team it is necessary that the player has the puck. The Sabres are winning, not because they are out hitting the other team or doing anything else but for the sole reason that they are out scoring them. 

[JohnC]

25 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Is there a difference?

BTW, your question highlights why those of us that continually harp on getting NHL caliber goaltending keep harping on how important it is.  Good NHL level goaltending last year allowed a team w/ a lot of tweeners not just compete but win very early last year & the team fell off the map as the goaltending faltered and the roster got populated w/ AHLers.

Once the goaltending came back (though not to the same level) & the AHLers went back home, the maturation of the youth & a few key additions showed us what the team could be through the last 1/3 of the year.

And this is why, IF Comrie is an actual good goalie (& it appears he very well could be) & he & the team can stay healthy the playoffs aren't out of the question.  If he settles back to league average or Anderson breaks early, then playoffs is probably a bridge too far but they should still stay fun and avoid last year's November & December.  (Not that January & February got results, but we could see what the team could be w/ competent goaltending (the March & April Sabres).)

The tweeners are gone.  Yeah, the Krebs/Quinn slot is currently filled w/ a tweener (and quite possibly the Peterka slot too) but the play of those guys will improve w/ experience so really consider them developers, not tweeners.

You properly/smartly categorized the caliber of players those young players you listed in your last sentence as developing players in contrast to being merely tweeners. Just as it took some time for players such as Mitts and Cozens to reach a more established level, the hope is that players such as Krebs, Quinn and Peterka will also follow that uneven grooming process. What's most encouraging is that we have a HC who knows how to handle that challenging and exasperating process. That's why I'm so upbeat about this team now and in the near future. 

As you and others have noted for a long time you can't overstate the importance of goaltending in this team building process. The issue for me this season is whether Comrie can handle being the primary netminder with Anderson filling in for a segment of games. If Comrie can't handle the heavy load, and Anderson is given too much of the load, then much of the good work in developing this roster will be undercut.