GDT: 🏒 Buffalo Sabres @ New Jersey Devils 27 October 2023 7:00 PM MSG

[erickompositör72]

24 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Comrie in net

Comrie will shine without having the pressure of trying to earn the #1 spot.

 

I think he will settle in as an above-average backup, and Levi will be a stud. They will be our tandem, going forward.

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

Your the only person I know who gets joy from the Sabres losing. The opposite  of a fan.

31 other teams are pretty happy about it too.

[LGR4GM]

44 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

PA is one of about 5 people here that actually get mad about the Sabres losing lol

This right here, it's total bull$#!t.

[Stoner]

8 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

This right here, it's total bull$#!t.

Funny. You're the one who can't read the negative posts after a loss and runs off to bed. But not before telling those posters to take a deep breath or take a long walk or whatever.

You're mad at the mad but mad?

[SABRES 0311]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Gotta play fast and hard to win and get some good goaltending. 

You can have one of those. Choose wisely.

[dudacek]

Would be nice if this becomes a thing (Buffalo News):

Through seven games, Thompson’s line with Greenway and Cozens on the wings has controlled 65.57% of the shot attempts and 76.4% of the expected goals share at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. They’ve earned 11 high-danger scoring chances in those situations and, as impressive, they’ve only allowed four while often skating against the other team’s top players.

“You mention top line, and the key is to not have a top line,” Granato explained. “The key is to have top lines. With Mittelstadt, Tuch and Skinner, you have that. I say that because we aren’t the ones to decide who our top line is. It’s the other team and who they are matching against. Are they matching against the Thompson line or are they matching against the Mittelstadt line? Their top defensemen, their top checking line. We’ve seen that alter a bit, which means that you’ve got two top lines – two lines that preoccupy the opponent.

“I’ve talked about the importance of that and the importance of offensive depth for that reason. If we can get that going better, that’s a very, very powerful thing that we have not yet gotten to the point where we can. That’s a bit of an initiative for us, to move in that direction.”

[Randall Flagg]

28 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

This right here, it's total bull$#!t.

A list of people who truly hate that the Sabres lose and regularly exhibit some level of desperation that they fix their problems:
PA
Thorny
Callaway
Sabremike
me

I'm not sure how many more posters I can add to this list, probably a few. Weave is one I missed. That doesn't mean other people like losing, or are fans "the wrong way." It's just silly for that other poster to say that PA wants us to lose when very few hate it more. 

2 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Would be nice if this a thing (Buffalo News):

Through seven games, Thompson’s line with Greenway and Cozens on the wings has controlled 65.57% of the shot attempts and 76.4% of the expected goals share at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. They’ve earned 11 high-danger scoring chances in those situations and, as impressive, they’ve only allowed four while often skating against the other team’s top players.

“You mention top line, and the key is to not have a top line,” Granato explained. “The key is to have top lines. With Mittelstadt, Tuch and Skinner, you have that. I say that because we aren’t the ones to decide who our top line is. It’s the other team and who they are matching against. Are they matching against the Thompson line or are they matching against the Mittelstadt line? Their top defensemen, their top checking line. We’ve seen that alter a bit, which means that you’ve got two top lines – two lines that preoccupy the opponent.

“I’ve talked about the importance of that and the importance of offensive depth for that reason. If we can get that going better, that’s a very, very powerful thing that we have not yet gotten to the point where we can. That’s a bit of an initiative for us, to move in that direction.”

Before last game, Thompson's on-ice PDO was like 91% or something. It's coming.

Edited October 27, 2023 by Randall Flagg

[That Aud Smell]

6 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

It's just silly for that other poster to say that PA wants us to lose when very few hate it more. 

I don't think there's a bigger fan of the team that I've "met," whether virtually or IRL. I've met a few who equal him, but none have exceeded him.

Also, please provide a trigger warning when using that word.

[Weave]

If there was as much drama on the ice over the last decade as is displayed in this forum daily, we would have had at least 1 cup parade downtown.

[BearWithME]

The latest ESPN power rankings have Buf low, but those are irrelevant. What did they mean by this, though:

 

Buffalo is meant to be a playoff contender, but the Sabres haven't consistently lived up to the hype. Goaltender Devon Levi being out with an injury won't help. Buffalo is averaging fewer than three goals per game, which is a baffling development considering its depth of talent. And the Sabres rely too heavily on the top half of the lineup to get by. Is Buffalo still in a growing stage?

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, Cheektorado said:

A WIN gets them out of the cellar.

Let's do it!!! 

[LGR4GM]

17 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

A list of people who truly hate that the Sabres lose and regularly exhibit some level of desperation that they fix their problems:
PA
Thorny
Callaway
Sabremike
me

I'm not sure how many more posters I can add to this list, probably a few. Weave is one I missed. That doesn't mean other people like losing, or are fans "the wrong way." It's just silly for that other poster to say that PA wants us to lose when very few hate it more. 

Before last game, Thompson's on-ice PDO was like 91% or something. It's coming.

I think there's many ppl who hate or are mad at the losing. We don't control the team though. 

[BearWithME]

5 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Programing note: We are still in last place 

 

That is all 

Washington is in last place, with 5 points to Buffalo's 6.

[dudacek]

Did we know that Comrie has allowed 3 or less in 7 of his last nine, going 6/2/1 in the process?

He stats over that stretch aren’t terrific largely because one of the 2 losses was the 10-4 Dallas debacle.

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, BearWithME said:

The latest ESPN power rankings have Buf low, but those are irrelevant. What did they mean by this, though:

 

Buffalo is meant to be a playoff contender, but the Sabres haven't consistently lived up to the hype. Goaltender Devon Levi being out with an injury won't help. Buffalo is averaging fewer than three goals per game, which is a baffling development considering its depth of talent. And the Sabres rely too heavily on the top half of the lineup to get by. Is Buffalo still in a growing stage?

They view Comrie and UPL as below Levi level which will result in more losses. I don't think that is accurate. 

[bob_sauve28]

1 minute ago, BearWithME said:

Washington is in last place, with 5 points to Buffalo's 6.

Washington isn't in the Atlantic division, but ok 

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

Did we know that Comrie has allowed 3 or less in 7 of his last nine, going 6/2/1 in the process?

He stats over that stretch aren’t terrific largely because one of the 2 losses was the 10-4 Dallas debacle.

Don't tell anyone but he's probably decent when not injured 

[BearWithME]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

They view Comrie and UPL as below Levi level which will result in more losses. I don't think that is accurate. 

Thanks, that's what I figured.

Also--does anyone know if the broadcast schedule is "rolling" in nature?

Everyt game until Nov 25 on ESPN is listed as being broadcast by either the NHL Network or ESPN+, but after that there is nothing. Last season I watched pretty much every game in March and April on ESPN+, and same thing with the first 7 this year. Do they update that as the season goes on, or does ESPN+ lose broadcasting rights at Thanksgiving?

[bob_sauve28]

4 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

They view Comrie and UPL as below Levi level which will result in more losses. I don't think that is accurate. 

Not yet anyway. Levi I hope has more upside 

[BearWithME]

5 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Washington isn't in the Atlantic division, but ok 

It's a significant consideration, as the Atlantic Division is significantly tougher than any other division. 

By total points among member franchises, the Atlantic Division has 71 total points; the Metro 60; the Central 59, and the Pacific 50.

The 6 points that Buffalo has would not be last in any other division, and would be good for 4th in the Pacific.

Divisional standing is relatively meaningless outside of the first 3 slots, so chiding them for their standing in the toughest division in the sport should be done with context, in my opinion.

[shrader]

32 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Would be nice if this becomes a thing (Buffalo News):

Through seven games, Thompson’s line with Greenway and Cozens on the wings has controlled 65.57% of the shot attempts and 76.4% of the expected goals share at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. They’ve earned 11 high-danger scoring chances in those situations and, as impressive, they’ve only allowed four while often skating against the other team’s top players.

 

I apologize for injecting a little science into the discussion, but did you know that the combined wingspan of that line can circle the globe twice?

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, BearWithME said:

Thanks, that's what I figured.

Also--does anyone know if the broadcast schedule is "rolling" in nature?

Everyt game until Nov 25 on ESPN is listed as being broadcast by either the NHL Network or ESPN+, but after that there is nothing. Last season I watched pretty much every game in March and April on ESPN+, and same thing with the first 7 this year. Do they update that as the season goes on, or does ESPN+ lose broadcasting rights at Thanksgiving?

If you live outside Buffalo espn+ has almost every game with only a couple of exceptions. Fairly certain the Sabres release a broadcast schedule at the beginning of the year. 

Every msg+ game also an espn+ out of market from my understanding. I think tnt games are the exception. 

https://www.nhltraderumor.com/nhl-tv-schedules/buffalo-sabres-tv-schedule/

[erickompositör72]

11 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

They view Comrie and UPL as below Levi level which will result in more losses. I don't think that is accurate. 

 

6 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Not yet anyway. Levi I hope has more upside 

 

I'm just curious: are you mainly referring to their stats?

 

When watching Levi's movement, recovery, reflexes, awareness, puck-tracking, etc., Levi is way beyond UPL & Comrie

[K-9]

1 hour ago, erickompositör72 said:

Comrie will shine without having the pressure of trying to earn the #1 spot.

 

I think he will settle in as an above-average backup, and Levi will be a stud. They will be our tandem, going forward.

Can they use the same tandem that Eichel and Reinhardt used?

 

[That Aud Smell]

25 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I think there's many ppl who hate or are mad at the losing. We don't control the team though. 

Sometimes @PASabreFan makes me think that, if enough of us cared enough, we would.