GDT - Sabres @ Capitals - January 3, 2023 - 7:00 PM (EST) - MSG and WGR

[bob_sauve28]

1 minute ago, nfreeman said:

   I still think DG needs to separate Mitts and VO though.

  

For the love of God make that happen! VO deserves a better center. Just give him a chance with Krebs or Dylan. 

[Broken Ankles]

2 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

One more thing on Power: At least we've moved past the era where they'd have to stop the game to search for a player's hard contact lenses. Good God. Remember that? (I don't think anyone actually has to wear hard contact lenses anymore (?).)

[Pimlach]

5 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Well, after going a long stretch without beating any good teams, they’ve now beaten Vegas, Colorado, Boston and the Caps in the last couple of weeks, and have won 7 out of 8.

Separately, I was mentally composing another “Mitts stinks” post last night, as I thought his line got caved in on every shift yet again, and then he made a nice play on the GTG with 8 or 9 min left.  I still think DG needs to separate Mitts and VO though.

Also, I’m sure it’s happened, but I can’t recall the last time a Sabre was as hot as TT is right now.  

Mitts is just not consistent and he seems to have low hockey IQ at times.  VO can shoot but there is not much else to the game.   Still, in crunch time DG prefers these two guys over Quinn and Peterka.   At some point he will stop sheltering the rookies but he is trying to get everything he can out of 37 and 71.  This at least helps their trade value.   If we trade one or both they cannot say they didn't get a fair look.   

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

He was never a bust.  He was a young prospect that was rushed into a line up with limited talent, and poor leadership, and bad coaching.  He needed more time in Rochester and he had a few injuries to deal with.  Don’t forget the Covid year and the position change. 
 

Brett Hull was a player that went from “fat and lazy potential beer league guy” to a star player and leading scorer. 

Lafleur was feared to never live up to his lofty draft status through 3 seasons as well and was viewed as a potential bust.  And that back from the era when the entry draft selected 20 year olds.  Followed that up w/ 6 consecutive 50+ goal seasons.  And his 21 goal 3rd season was the only 1 he didn't pot at least 27 in a full year until his 1st retirement.

Reggie Leach went from 20 goal scorer to 40 & 60 w/ a change of scenery.

Briere had only 1 good year in Phoenix & was back in the dumper before Buffalo grabbed him.  There's a few others like St. Louis in that late bloomer category.

Don't know that what Thompson is doing is completely unprecedented, but it is truly rare.

[Taro T]

20 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I wouldn't be so sure.

You'd think Mogilny in '93 must have done something like this. Maybe Gare or Martin did in the '70s?

Tage has 29 goals in has last 29 games.

Remember a Sabre has scored 40 only 25 times in a full season. Only 4 guys have ever scored 45.

Mogilny had 50 in his 1st 50 games that year, but it wasn't recognized by the league as a 50 in 50 because he'd missed IIRC 2 games at that point.

He nearly kept that pace the full year netting 76 in 77 games played.

[onthewarpath]

17 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

Man they look defeated  hopefully they have a good game and dont get upset if they lose i couldn't play that takes lots of heart 

 

This one aged well.

[Pimlach]

20 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Lafleur was feared to never live up to his lofty draft status through 3 seasons as well and was viewed as a potential bust.  And that back from the era when the entry draft selected 20 year olds.  Followed that up w/ 6 consecutive 50+ goal seasons.  And his 21 goal 3rd season was the only 1 he didn't pot at least 27 in a full year until his 1st retirement.

Reggie Leach went from 20 goal scorer to 40 & 60 w/ a change of scenery.

Briere had only 1 good year in Phoenix & was back in the dumper before Buffalo grabbed him.  There's a few others like St. Louis in that late bloomer category.

Don't know that what Thompson is doing is completely unprecedented, but it is truly rare.

Agree, it is rare.  

Before he broke out under DG I has hearing from Sabres insiders about his incredible work ethic and his skills.  They expected him to break out and be a good player.  

In 2019-20 he played just one game for Buffalo and got hurt, and then Covid it.  In 2020-21 he was restricted by Covid and by RK's system.  Thankfully DG took over.  

DG and KA knew he was a good player, maybe not to the level we are now seeing, but they knew he had something.  

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Pimlach

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Usually.  And not everyone is a candidate for LASIK ?  And maybe contacts bother him so he only wears them during a game?
 

I don’t care if he wears glasses.  He looks fine in them.  Whatever works for him is best. 

Contacts changed my life as a beer league goalie. I didn't realize my vision was going bad. I thought my reflexes were slowing down. As soon as I started wearing contacts while playing I was a new goalie.

[Pimlach]

2 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Contacts changed my life as a beer league goalie. I didn't realize my vision was going bad. I thought my reflexes were slowing down. As soon as I started wearing contacts while playing I was a new goalie.

Nice.  In past decades you also credited the invention of the mask for helping your game, no?  

Edited January 4, 2023 by Pimlach

[OverPowerYou]

For the first time since probably 2016, I’m actually going to try and watch every Sabres game this year. Such a strange concept. I’m actually bummed out that I have to wait till Saturday 

Edited January 4, 2023 by OverPowerYou

[That Aud Smell]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

What Thompson is doing in the NHL is unprecedented.  I’m not sure there is another case in NHL history of a player of his age going from bust, to 30 goal scorer to NHL Superstar in 2 years.  Think about it this way.  He had 18 goals in his first 145 games, 38 in his next 78, and 30 in 36 games this season.  That means for the 2nd year in a row he is on pace to double his career goal production in a season.  Crazy.  

It is equally bizarre that the big picture parallels with Josh Allen's unprecedented development have continued to track.

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

They should be adding a dman & two forwards (to take 37 & 71s spots).  Every time they are on the ice, it’s a liability for the Sabres.  They had a better game last night and have been better overall with Jost but if Adams is serious about the playoffs (nothing I’ve heard says he is), he’ll make moves prior to the deadline to give this team reinforcements. 

Could add Vrana and trade Olofsson

[Stoner]

23 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Nice.  In past decades you also credited the invention of the mask for helping your game, no?  

If they ever open up PTR's back panel and realize the wires are corroding, well, we have our franchise goalie.

[bob_sauve28]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Could add Vrana and trade Olofsson

Wouldn't it make more sense to play VO with a good center to increase his trade value? 

[GASabresIUFAN]

38 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Could add Vrana and trade Olofsson

Why?  He costs more and gets hurt more.  I’m also not sure how he’d fit into KA’s plan.  I think he has VO’s slot going to Savoie as early as next season.  

Edited January 4, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Taro T]

23 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Mitts is just not consistent and he seems to have low hockey IQ at times.  VO can shoot but there is not much else to the game.   Still, in crunch time DG prefers these two guys over Quinn and Peterka.   At some point he will stop sheltering the rookies but he is trying to get everything he can out of 37 and 71.  This at least helps their trade value.   If we trade one or both they cannot say they didn't get a fair look.   

Until this season Mittelstadt has been handled roughly as well as Thompson was prior to Granato moving him to C from the poor usage right up to the accompanying the accompanying injury bad luck until this year.  He also started this year as the 2C, almost always w/ Olofsson, and quite often Asplund; so this 2C/3C tweener was getting hard usage w/ other linemates also being asked to punch above their weight class.  He watched Granato's system implemented last year but didn't get to actually participate for long stretches & then when he could his skating was affected by his injury.  This season he pretty much avoided moving the puck to the middle of the ice (likely from years of Taylor & Krueger hammering into his head that moving the puck into a phonebpoth in the center of the ice was a very poor decision) unless he was almost at the opponent's goal line and other teams saw that & took an easy path up the boards away from him resulting in a frustratingly large # of turnovers.  But he was typically positionally sound in his own end, tended to stay high in the opponent's zone avoiding odd man rushes not the direct result of him getting forced into a turnover & he was pretty good at getting the puck from an opponent in a 1 on 1 battle but then typically would lose the puck back before he could move it to a teammate.  He was clearly thinking rather than doing.

It wasn't until the Joisey game that he was bumped down to 3rd line usage.  He was still mainly playing C then until Jost was finally added to his line.  He was still keeping the puck to the boards & seemed to be playing slower than he is.  But, that's been changing since that 3 ppint game he had.  He has started actually moving the puck towards the middle of the ice and his passing has improved.  He also is playing quicker.  Last night, except for the play that turned into the 1st Caps goal where he & Samuelsson were not on the same page & he then got interfered w/ trying to back check & the 1st 6 or so minutes of the 3rd where he was playing slower again (IMHO he wasn't dogging it, he was trying to figure out how yo adjust to the Caps surge; YMMV & likely will 😉) he was having a very solid game & arguably his best.  He even set Olofsson up for a couple of nice opportunities - that hadn't been happening in ages.  Getting to play W along w/ the easier usage that comes w/ playing on the 3rd line rather than the 2nd or checking line has IMHO helped him simplify and get what Granato wants him & the rest doing.  He has been better in the last 6 or so games, finally; and though his line only finally scored again last night they've actually been generating chances.  Something else that wasn't happening in ages.

Personally don't believe Granato is giving him opportunities to boost his trade value, though that might be the LT result.  Believe Granato's rationale is twofold.  1.  He continually talks about Mitts skill level & believes he can once again be the underperformed player whisperer & get him to bring it in games which would significantly help the team if that line could start scoring even every other game at ES.  He's been a pretty good judge of talent so far & will personally give Don the benefit of the doubt as he's brought more out of several players than it seemed they had.

And 2.  Granato WANTS to be able to use the Cozens line as the 3rd line.  Not to shelter Cozens, he clearly doesn't need to be sheltered, but to get the other 2 kids back to favorable matchups.  Which would get them thriving again.  They were going great w/ 3rd line usage & even bumped up a little when 1st getting 2nd line usage.  But that line, while still generating chances, isn't generating nearly as many (some of the advanced stats people could say just how much their chances & more critically their high danger chances are down, but would eyeball them at about 60% of what they'd been getting) and they aren't scoring at ES as a line.  Getting them back to 3rd line usage will get them back to looking like the 2nd coming of the RAV line.  And, while they will get back to finishing playing through the 2nd line usage, it'll be more dramatic an increase getting back to the easier usage.  And to get the Kid Line back to 3rd line matchups means either the Jost or Krebs line needs to take that 2nd line usage.  And the Jost line can't do that w/out Mitts playing better than he did at ES throughout the 1st 2+ months.

Personally, expect Mitts to continue to gel w/ Jost and continue to look more like a driver than a passenger throughout this month. And hopefully well enough that the Kid Line can go back to getting really favorable matchups. Wouldn't put money on it, but do believe (hope?) it is likely.

Expect that Mitts improvement will help Olofsson too.  But VO's issue is he isn't a play driver & never will be.  But if Jost & Mitts can make stuff happen, maybe he can get some confidence as well.

[PromoTheRobot]

36 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Nice.  In past decades you also credited the invention of the mask for helping your game, no?  

Masks are for wusses.

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

@Taro T

I agree with your long post.  Mitts has been significantly better since moving to wing.  I like the chemistry developing between him and Jost. 

DG mentioned a few weeks ago that part of that lines problem is that he has given them significantly more PT with Bryson, Bush and other depth D.  It's hard to create offense when the D can't even get the puck up to the forwards.  

[Doohicksie]

15 hours ago, JohninMinn. said:

15 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

I cant understand why a team would ever trade a player like Tuch away. That’s crazy, he’s just so hockey good in so many ways 

To get the once in a generation Jack.😅

You mean Fragile Jack?

 

2 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

For the love of God make that happen! VO deserves a better center. Just give him a chance with Krebs or Dylan. 

With a few days off it would be a good time to try some other things.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Wouldn't it make more sense to play VO with a good center to increase his trade value? 

No, it makes more sense to try and win hockey games. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

On 1/3/2023 at 11:13 AM, onthewarpath said:

One Buffalo.  Dahlin and Sammy have a big job...as always.  This Sabre team will show big time.  

And they did!!! 

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Masks are for wusses.

 

The Gumper.   

[bob_sauve28]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

No, it makes more sense to try and win hockey games. 

Exactly, a good reason to set him free to score goals again