GDT: Flames @ Sabres, Oct. 19, 2023 - 7pm EDT, MSG 📺 WGR 📻

[Buffalonill]

4-0 flames 

Be ready for the worst game of the year

[That Aud Smell]

10 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

His nickname is "Yonni"

Laurel?

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

9 minutes ago, LETSTUCHINGO said:

If Levi is going to be "The Man" he has to get used to stretches of consecutive starts as he is being given. That to me is the "see what you have" going on right now. I think you see Comrie or UPL in Ottawa. I do though like the idea of resting Levi against Montreal and having him play against a tougher Senator team! 

He’s from Montreal.  Odds are he’ll play there.  Calg is playing their backup.  Might as well use one of ours.  

[Sabres Fan in NS]

6 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

GO SABRES !!

MUST WIN !!

I expect to see Levi in net again.  Bryson will play and not stand out in a bad way.

Quoting myself ..

Interesting story of this band.  Punk era band in England.

The singer is Edward Tudor-Pole.  A direct decendant (the story goes) of Henry The VIII - Henry Tudor.

Edited October 19, 2023 by Sabres Fan in NS

[LETSTUCHINGO]

10 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

He’s from Montreal.  Odds are he’ll play there.  Calg is playing their backup.  Might as well use one of ours.  

The game against Montreal is home.

[Jävə Keith]

Boo Atlanta Flames flickering now in Alberta.

Yay Swordsmen!

My Weapon.

[French Collection]

11 minutes ago, LETSTUCHINGO said:

The game against Montreal is home.

Yeah, that’s the game I would give to Comrie and have UPL back him up.

[Doohicksie]

Minutes when my window makes water more wet may work more when moving within my work mood winces.

[pi2000]

8 minutes ago, French Collection said:

Yeah, that’s the game I would give to Comrie and have UPL back him up.

It's a joke they're carrying 3 goalies.    FITFO Kevyn.

[BearWithME]

3 hours ago, SabresBaltimore said:

I don't expect Mule to play, but I don't expect him to be out long enough to call up Ryan Johnson. That means we're stuck with Bryson.

Based on how the numbers looked last year I'd do these pairs until Mule returns:

Dahlin/Joker

Power/Clifton

Bryson/EJohnson

 

Clifton is still acclimating and making some noticeable mistakes, but I'd like to see how he pairs with Power. Hopefully the veteran play Johnson bring keeps Bryson from being too much of a liability (and hopefully his "improved" play in pre-season actually translates to decent 3rd pair play but I'm not holding my breath). I didn't really remember Joker playing with Dahlin last year, which probably means Joker wasn't messing up too bad. Apparently their stats for last year are really good. That's been brought up on both Maintenance Day and Expected Buffalo.

 

Last game he had both Johnson and Clifton playing with Dahlin. Then late in the game it was Power. We'll see what the pairs look like at morning skate though

 

I'm embarrassed to ask this, but I legitimately have no idea:
What goes into your (or anyone's) preferences for "pairs"(?)

Are these guys that you feel have good chemistry together?

Are pairings how guys go onto the ice? Is it only in groups of 2? Do they ever switch out 3 at a time?

Edit to say: a pregame discussion seems like as good a place as any to ask this!

Edited October 19, 2023 by BearWithME

[Zamboni]

Mattias Samuelsson will be in the lineup for the Buffalo Sabres against the Calgary Flames at KeyBank Center on Thursday.

Samuelsson left Buffalo’s win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday following his first shift of the third period due to an upper-body injury. He was on the ice for the team’s morning skate Thursday.

Devon Levi was the first goaltender off the ice following the morning skate and is expected to start for the fourth straight game.

The Flames are 1-1-1 coming off an overtime loss in Washington on Monday. Defenseman Noah Hanifin enters Thursday on a three-game point streak and leads the team with four assists.

Calgary is 10-for-10 on the penalty kill to open the season and 59-for-65 (90.8 percent) dating back to March 1, which leads the NHL in that span.

“When you look at that lineup, it’s deep and strong,” Granato said. “… Heck of a group of defensemen, very talented and very competitive, and likewise up front.”

Dan Vladar will make his first start of the season in goal for Calgary.

[Taro T]

5 minutes ago, BearWithME said:

 

I'm embarrassed to ask this, but I legitimately have no idea:
What goes into your (or anyone's) preferences for "pairs"(?)

Are these guys that you feel have good chemistry together?

Are pairings how guys go onto the ice? Is it only in groups of 2? Do they ever switch out 3 at a time?

Edit to say: a pregame discussion seems like as good a place as any to ask this!

D-men play in pairs.  A team typically dresses 6 D-men and they get deployed as a pair for the most part.  HOW they get deployed can vary, but typically teams will play their best 2 D-men on the top pairing, their next best on the 2nd pairing, and the guys they are looking to shelter on the 3rd pairing.

And yes, chemistry can be and usually is more important than getting the 2 guys that are the best 2 players in a vacuum on the ice together.

Coaches will generally try to have the pairs set up with a lefty and a righty and each predominantly playing that side of the pairing.  But, that isn't always the case, and the Sabres best D-man, Rasmus Dahlin who is a lefty shot seems to prefer to play on the right side.

They do not switch out 3 at a time.  The forwards get deployed in 3 man lines.

[Zamboni]

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

.....and the goalie is ??????  Levi? or is DG going to give someone else some PT?  Obviously, Levi was excellent against TB, but isn't time to see what, if anything, we have in Comrie or UPL?

They KNOW what they have in Comrie and UPL.  They also know what they have in Levi.  And they know that they need to get beyond whatever mental block they had at home last year.  They've played 2 home games and haven't won in regulation yet.  Best to get that monkey off their back against Calgary's backup goalie than to worry about optimizing Comrie's performance.  He can work on that against the Habs.  And Levi can get his 6th start the next night against the Otters.

[Taro T]

And not that it factors into what the Sabres do tonight lineup wise, but Calgary got to Buffalo on Tuesday.  So they will have fresh legs tonight and the Sabres will need to be ready to come out like they did against Tampa.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Buffalonill said:

4-0 flames 

Be ready for the worst game of the year

[Mustache of God]

49 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

It's a joke they're carrying 3 goalies.    FITFO Kevyn.

Seriously. I'm happy they're riding Levi to start the season, the pucks getting past him have largely not being his fault. I think he's only been beat clean by Panarin who was in the slot and put a really nice shot on net. 

When they announced they were rolling with 3 goalies I expected them to have more of a rotation, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Whichever goalie is "3rd" on our depth chart would be served so much better racking up starts in Rochester opposed to sitting on a cold bench here. 

If we continue to have 3 goalies, I wonder how many games into the season before all 3 have at least 1 game.

[Broken Ankles]

1 hour ago, RochesterExpat said:

His nickname is "Yonni"

 

Or is it Yanni? Great flow.  
“You can him Ray, or you can call him Jay.  You can call him anything, but you duzzint have to call him Johnson”.

 

[PromoTheRobot]

Going to have to watch this later. Going to Boston to see Genesis Owusu tonight.

[RochesterExpat]

The game strategy:

[steveoath]

Let’s Hockey

[Mustache of God]

Sabres are due for an offensive explosion.

[Doohicksie]

28 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

The game strategy:

Sadly I suppose this was an actual Keys to the Game.

[matter2003]

2 hours ago, pi2000 said:

It's a joke they're carrying 3 goalies.    FITFO Kevyn.

I would dump UPL in a heartbeat.  I don't think this dude has it...at no level has he ever really performed well enough to make you think he is a #1 goalie other than a 9 game stretch in 2021-22 when he got hot for 4 games and had great numbers due to only allowing 2 goals in each of those games on lots of shots against. The other 5 games he was below average to abysmal.  

His rebound control is among the worst in the NHL. The only thing he is consistent at is being inconsistent. Literally you don't know if you are getting a brick wall or a turnstile in goal that night with him.

If he wasn't 6'5" would the Sabres still be carrying him?  They seem obsessed with big goalies...if he was 6'0 like Levi, dude would have been sent packing a long time ago.

Edited October 19, 2023 by matter2003

[Night Train]

Uh oh ...I heard the pre-game meal is Mexican !