GDT: 12/31/2022, 1:00 PM ET: 🏒 Buffalo Sabres @ Boston Bruins; MSG, WGR

[Doohicksie]

Okay, tomorrow is the second game of a back to back.  I suggest the following (are you paying attention, Donny?)

Bring in the well rested forwards.  Switch from this

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Peterka - Cozens - Quinn
Mittelstadt - Jost - Olofsson
Girgensons - Krebs - Okposo

to this

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Peterka - Cozens - Quinn
Asplund - Jost - Okposo
Girgensons - Krebs - Hinostroza

The idea is not putting two new guys with Jost, but spreading them around, with the goal of giving the bottom six some fresh legs.

I don't think Donny will do it though; I expect him to ice the roster than won today.

Edited December 31, 2022 by Doohickie

[Digger]

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

Okay, tomorrow is the second game of a back to back.  I suggest the following (are you paying attention, Donny?)

Bring in the well rested forwards.  Switch from this

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Peterka - Cozens - Quinn
Mittelstadt - Jost - Olofsson
Girgensons - Krebs - Okposo

to this

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Peterka - Cozens - Quinn
Asplund - Jost - Okposo
Girgensons - Krebs - Hinostroza

The idea is not putting two new guys with Jost, but spreading them around, with the goal of giving the bottoms six some fresh legs.

I don't think Donny will do it though; I expect him to keep ice the roster than won today.

Absolutely agree with this strategy for fresh legs but we generally seem to get the exact same lineup after a win unless injuries dictate a change.  I suppose that the coach hates to sit anyone after a big win.

[SABRES 0311]

2 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Okay, tomorrow is the second game of a back to back.  I suggest the following (are you paying attention, Donny?)

Bring in the well rested forwards.  Switch from this

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Peterka - Cozens - Quinn
Mittelstadt - Jost - Olofsson
Girgensons - Krebs - Okposo

to this

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Peterka - Cozens - Quinn
Asplund - Jost - Okposo
Girgensons - Krebs - Hinostroza

The idea is not putting two new guys with Jost, but spreading them around, with the goal of giving the bottoms six some fresh legs.

I don't think Donny will do it though; I expect him to ice the roster than won today.

All for replacing Olof and Mitts for tomorrow. Something has gotta change for that line. It’s missing a spark. The fourth line got it when Krebs joined. The second line is all spark. The first line is controlled explosions.

[PromoTheRobot]

Pity Tage couldn't get two points today. He's earned 99 in calendar 2022. Only 5 Sabres earned 100 or more points in a calendar year.

[K-9]

5 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Refs missed that? Gee.

 

Can teams bring this crap to the league’s attention like they do in the NFL? Are NHL refs graded on a game by game basis also like the NFL? 

[SABRES 0311]

3 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Can teams bring this crap to the league’s attention like they do in the NFL? Are NHL refs graded on a game by game basis also like the NFL? 

I know MLB has a stat for home plate umpires accuracy in calling balls and strikes. Accuracy for fir correct and incorrect penalty calls in hockey would highlight the problem.

Edited December 31, 2022 by SABRES 0311

[Doohicksie]

You mean MLB?

[Pimlach]

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Okay, tomorrow is the second game of a back to back.  I suggest the following (are you paying attention, Donny?)

Bring in the well rested forwards.  Switch from this

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Peterka - Cozens - Quinn
Mittelstadt - Jost - Olofsson
Girgensons - Krebs - Okposo

to this

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Peterka - Cozens - Quinn
Asplund - Jost - Okposo
Girgensons - Krebs - Hinostroza

The idea is not putting two new guys with Jost, but spreading them around, with the goal of giving the bottoms six some fresh legs.

I don't think Donny will do it though; I expect him to ice the roster than won today.

Maybe.  But VO and Mitts are on PP 2 so he might only sit one of them.  

 

[Doohicksie]

Just now, Pimlach said:

Maybe.  But VO and Mitts are on PP 2 so he might only sit one of them. 

It would be a start.

[nfreeman]

2 hours ago, Zamboni said:

13 months ago … a poster said this ….

 

“And UPL is hardly the number 1 priority. He’s never going to amount to anything. The priority, from a development perspective, is developing Quinn, Peterka and Krebs”

 

🤔

So this is how you celebrate that win?  By digging up a year-old post so you can mock the poster?  Why don't you do this with your own posts?

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

Can teams bring this crap to the league’s attention like they do in the NFL? Are NHL refs graded on a game by game basis also like the NFL? 

Clearly way too many on the ice (7).  Oh well.  It made for some drama.  

 

I liked coming from behind, winning in OT with Bergeron and Marchand on the ice and sucking wind.  

Edited January 1, 2023 by Pimlach

[Norcal]

28 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Refs missed that? Gee.

 

I mean, he had the puck on his stick over the Sabres line before the guy was even at the bench. 

[Derrico]

4 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Why don't you do this with your own posts?

[Derrico]

 

[matter2003]

Sabres are about to send shockwaves through the NHL.

[...]

Late to the thread and I'm sure to say nothing new but this was a statement game. The 5 on 3 aside, the refs in the third were definitely homers. UPL gets better every game. It's great that scoring can come from anywhere in any given game.

The increase in their confidence was notable at the beginning of the second; as if they shed their "respect" for Boston and decided they were an equally competent team. 

On the Boston feed one of the talking heads said maybe toward the end of the first if the Sabres could learn to play defense they'd be scary good. I think this is the wrong take - I think it's not so much learning to play defense as it is gaining more experience.

Great game!

[grinreaper]

Watched the last half of the 3rd period over again on MSG replay. I specifically wanted to see the penalty kills after the Bruins took the lead. They skipped over that and went to the Cozens tying goal and then played the OT. Hell, two happy endings within a couple of hours for me is more than I expected on New Years Eve. 

[grinreaper]

6 minutes ago, Derrico said:

 

Let's stretch that to 11 games for both teams.

[Huckleberry]

 

[...]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Also and I'm nitpicking, Tuch is a Syracuse boy. 

I don't think this is nitpicking at all. AFAIC even calling a Rochester guy "local" is a stretch. I have no idea what it's like to live in Rochester.

[DarthEbriate]

Live, I thought the Sabres got caught in a bad line change. But catching the highlights... no... it was simply Marchand jumping on the ice without a change at all. It was 6 on 5 for over three seconds and allowed a breakaway.

I don't care for the offsides replay, but if you're going to have replay in hockey, then too many men has to be reviewable in an instance like this. Can you imagine if this were a playoff game and the Cup was awarded on a goal where the skaters were 7 on 5 (excluding goalies) while the puck was being carried across the blue line?

The refs decided not to call anything but high sticks (except Jost) (or probably delay of game too) because those are the easy ones to see. But this was ridiculous. And I'm glad the Sabres won anyway.

[DarthEbriate]

Just now, ... said:

I don't think this is nitpicking at all. AFAIC even calling a Rochester guy "local" is a stretch. I have no idea what it's like to live in Rochester.

Local is true. From a certain point of view. From where I live, everyone in southern Ontario, Ohio, and New York state is local to Buffalo. It's one of the biggest markets in the U.S. 😇

[Pimlach]

17 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

 

That was great.   Sure, he "lost" to some.   He got two punches in - one to the visor, one to the helmet - then he smartly lost the desire to throw more. 

Great hit on Slacker Hall, Clifton came in and so what, he had to fight the fight.  Loved seeing him pump up the bench and go get repaired.  Stitches of honor to his teammates. 

Fighting with a visor on is not very smart.  Clifton knows this and he took Krebs' lid off.  He should have taken his own off as well.   

I liked KO there keeping an eye on things and supporting him. 

I looked closely at the players on the bench.  No one is afraid of Boston.  They are young but they are not playing in fear.  

Edited January 1, 2023 by Pimlach

[grinreaper]

7 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Live, I thought the Sabres got caught in a bad line change. But catching the highlights... no... it was simply Marchand jumping on the ice without a change at all. It was 6 on 5 for over three seconds and allowed a breakaway.

I don't care for the offsides replay, but if you're going to have replay in hockey, then too many men has to be reviewable in an instance like this. Can you imagine if this were a playoff game and the Cup was awarded on a goal where the skaters were 7 on 5 (excluding goalies) while the puck was being carried across the blue line?

The refs decided not to call anything but high sticks (except Jost) (or probably delay of game too) because those are the easy ones to see. But this was ridiculous. And I'm glad the Sabres won anyway.

The makings of a good team includes winning in spite of bad calls against them. 

[DarthEbriate]

2 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I looked closely at the players on the bench.  No one is afraid of Boston.  They are young but they are not playing in fear.  

If there's fear in either of those locker rooms after the game, it's Boston knowing that they had to do everything in their power (including having refs use their playoff whistles) to earn a point in today's match. And they know the Sabres will only get better, and will soon learn to clutch and hold and get away with all the sneaky stuff, too, while the Bruins are relying on 1) an old guy who is fantastic but very close to retirement, 2) another old guy who already left the NHL for a season and is also close to retirement, 3) another old guy who is fantastic and also plays a ratty game and really needs 1 on his line whether for Boston or Team Canada, 4) a great D-man in McAvoy, and 5) a guy who is going to either get paid $10M+ or leave in UFA this summer. 1 and 2 are playing for a combined $3.5M this year on "one last ride" deals. That's noble of them and they're both great players, but this is a team that is "built" on Coyle, Marchand, and Taylor Hall next year up front. Fear is a great motivator. (It also leads to suffering.)