GDT: Wild @ Sabres - Nov 10, 2023 - 7:00pm, MSG-B/ESPN+📺WGR📻

[Doohicksie]

53 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Big Johnson probably. Maybe rotate him with Joker and little Johnson if needed. I don't know how you send Ryan Johnson away after how he plays. 

I think you rotate sitting all the Dmen not named Power or Dahlin.  They're all playing well but using RyJo to let everyone sit every fifth game will keep the corps fresher.

[Slack_in_MA]

47 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

I thought the penalty on Greenway was the correct call, Bogo never had the puck… that said there were more than a few egregious infractions which were not called, overall an inconsistent night for the refs which can be maddening as a player.

Levi was great, stole them at least a point.

Something looks off with Thompson, he’s not moving as well as he was last season…. seems a bit stiff legged, not as smooth on his edges, been that way all season, maybe he should go back to he old skates.

Peterka just seems be getting better and better, was dangerous just about every shift.

 

 

JJ is the guy with the most consistent jump in his step, IMO.

[Wyldnwoody44]

48 minutes ago, Mr. Allen said:

I live in Canton and hate that I can’t listen to the game. 

I was reading that there is an Ogdensburg station that plays the games! 

 

I'm staying in Canton this weekend, I always stay at the Marriott and use that as my base for the hospitals I cover 

29 minutes ago, Believer said:

Sirius XM Radio

Ch. 923 Sabres, Ch. 803 Bills, Ch. 91 NHL

 

 

 

I let my Sirius lapse, I found out tonight 😂😂😂

[Pimlach]

 

[Slack_in_MA]

6 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

 

It may be the Devil or it may be the Lord…

[Mango]

55 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

If Tuch is back, Krebs must be the healthy scratch tomorrow.  A message has to be sent immediately. Cozens drops to center FWL#3. 

With the way Cozens played tonight he shouldn’t be in the top 6 with or without Tuch. He’s been a third line player all year unfortunately. I would maybe consider giving Kulich a call? What’s Bensons status?

Savoie was hectic tonight. Not a huge deal, he’s young, but with the way Benson came out, and the hype around Savoie, it was a little bit of a let down. 

 

[Zamboni]

Taking everything into consideration… I wasn’t let down at all by Savoie in this game.

[Pimlach]

Adam’s needs to bring in a good veteran forward that can add quality 2 way minutes. Not a JAG. 
 

Savoie played 3:55, Krebs 6:05, Jost 10:29, Rousek 13:14.  
 

We need help.  

[Taro T]

Didn't read through the thread, apologies for comments that are redundant to what's already been posted.

Once again they did a very good job on the HFC Night IMHO.  One thing they might want to rethink though for next season is not taping the placards for people to show support for particular cancer survivors to the seats.  The reason being, it was VERY obvious which seats in the building weren't filled.  The 300's were nearly completely full, the 100's about 80-85% full.  But the 200's were well under 50%.  

Still believe Levi's bad game against Calgary was due to him playing through whatever injury it was that kept him out for a week or so.  He was lights out tonight.  And this time (unlike the Loafs game that he played very well in too) the numbers align with the eye test.  He was chosen as the 1st star and it was very well deserved.  There were several "we're not worthy" moments.

The other 2 stars were Skinner and Peterka.  Believe Skinner deserved the 2nd star and based upon the way the media chooses the stars, yes JJ deserved the 3rd star.  But holy cow, even though he didn't have any points, Mittelstadt was very good.  And that play in the 1st where he skated around/through all the Wild then drove to the net will probably end up being the best play the Sabres have this season that DOESN'T result in a goal.  And in the 3rd he was toying with the Wild.  The puck was on a string for him tonight.  Too bad Greenway's hands were absolute granite tonight because he could've had probably 4 goals off just feeds from Mitts alone.  And Mitts wasn't the only one trying to feed him.

Did like JJ's game, not implying he didn't play well and the play that sprung Skinner's breakaway was excellent.

Was hoping after the 1st period that Cozens would drop the fishbowl and go with a full cage.  It was clearly affecting his play.  The puck was finding him all night but his hands were off.

Girgensons had a strong game too.  Not sure why he didn't get a call when his leg was taken out from under him after the shorthanded breakaway he got stoned on.

Jost is playing effectively in his role.

Liked Dahlin's game and both Johnsons too.  Glad the dirty hit from Bogosian on the Big Johnson didn't do any real damage.  Also still not sure why Foligno didn't get called for interference on that same sequence when he took Peterka out.

Savoie got very little ice time, but didn't do much with what he got either.  A lot of his passes got picked off, but at least he was getting the puck.  When he gets another opportunity, hopefully he's settled down better.  If not, he might not make it to game 9.  Have been more impressed with Benson to date.  But in fairness, it's too small a sample to really know what Savoie might be able to do.

Mildly surprised at how much ice time Rousek got; particularly because he was taking time that Krebs had been getting in games like this earlier this year.  Wouldn't be surprised if Krebs was around 6-7 minutes tonight.  Rousek seemed to be playing responsibly but wasn't going to be generating any offense tonight.  Could see him being groomed to take Okposo's spot next year.

That 2nd period was the opposite of what seems to be the way things have gone for the Sabres the past couple of seasons.  They were dominated for long stretches of that period, but courtesy of the Peterka intercept that he chipped up to Skinner who did not disappoint, they came out of the period up by a goal.

This was a game they probably deserved to lose, but Levi didn't let it happen.  And, it's good to see them come out on the good end of one of these.  Go win in Pittsburgh and start moving up into a playoff position.

[Sabres73]

4 hours ago, SabresBillsFan said:

Our faceoffs suck, our puck possession game sucks, our team defense sucks.

Honestly, your constant, non-stop always negative posts suck.

[SabresBillsFan]

4 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

How many plays does Mitts have to make before someone cashes one in?

I thought Mitts has been great. 

[SabresBillsFan]

1 hour ago, Mango said:

With the way Cozens played tonight he shouldn’t be in the top 6 with or without Tuch. He’s been a third line player all year unfortunately. I would maybe consider giving Kulich a call? What’s Bensons status?

Savoie was hectic tonight. Not a huge deal, he’s young, but with the way Benson came out, and the hype around Savoie, it was a little bit of a let down. 

 

^This is spot on. To me Cozens doesn’t look like he should have played. 

[triumph_communes]

Levi won the game. He’s a good goalie. His bad game must’ve been an injury fluke

 

Cliffton is an absolute tire fire. He just eats up space and does nothing useful. Both goals were his man who drifted away from him and he was too dumb to move over. Don’t tell me he is playing position on the PK, each time they made no front presence, Cliffton should’ve cheated over. On the second goal he repeatedly looked and saw the guy but didn’t do anything to move over. This guy almost lost the game by himself out there. He’s not even serviceable as a 7D. If he didn’t hit people once in a while I’d say he’s worse than Bryson. 
 

Power and Joki are looking much better than start of season, to the teams benefit. 
 

Really wish Stillman was brought back up. While in Buffalo he never looked bad. 
 

Savoie invisible, I don’t think he has the talent to overcome not being strong enough yet, but he has a few more games of rope before judgements should be made. Really glad we have Bensen because he’s different. 
 

Mittelstadt is finally good. Thompson is carrying this team. Peterka deserves those first line minutes and dare I say a good compliment for Skinner (keep them together either with Thompson or Mittelstadt). Cozens is still lost, trending towards a Girgensons and not the Drury we know he can be, not sure what to do (probably mental).   

Edited November 11, 2023 by triumph_communes

[FrenchConnection44]

I am a biased observer, but still I thought the officiating was horrible. So many penalties they didn’t call. Bogosian cross checked Greenway about 4 times in a row with all no calls. And Power totally got tripped behind his net late in the 3rd. 

I hope Granato is sending those and other to the league for review. 
 

Ryan Johnson is light years better than Bryson was last year. He’s a really good skater. Needs to add some muscle (that’s true for about half the team!) but I think he’s going to be a really solid blue liner. Plays with really good poise and the game doesn’t seem too big for him. He’s a pro! 
 

I liked Peterka with Tage and Skinner.

Greenway is an important player for us but he just not a scorer. That really limits his game  

Was expecting to see Savoie a bit more. Says he got 3:55 in ice time but I only noticed him once for a short moment. 

Levi with a great game. 

That was a must win. So glad we got out of that with a W. But we need to build on it and also play better.

Still feel we play a bit too passive on D in our own zone. 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by FrenchConnection44

[Believer]

50 minutes ago, FrenchConnection44 said:

Still feel we play a bit too passive on D in our own zone. 

After the opposing team has control in our zone, couldn’t agree more… Reactive… Don’t appear to be coached to attack the puck… especially on the PK… Stand around moving the box… waiting for a shot or rush or pass near the net…  Rarely do our skaters at the top of the box challenge their QB or the puck above the circles.

[RochesterExpat]

7 hours ago, SabresBillsFan said:

I thought Mitts has been great. 

I think he was saying that Mitts set so many of his teammates up, how many times does he need to do it before one of them can bury it?

I read it as a positive for Mitts and a negative for his line mates. 

[mjd1001]

Looked back at the goals allowed last night.

-First goal allowed on the PK:  Girgs and Okposo never get set up and are chasing the puck.  I think we have more than enough examples that when this team PK's....when they hold their positions, maintain the defensive box, they are very effective. When they start chasing the puck and cause their own confusion and over or under rotation, the opposing team finds the vacated areas and takes advantage.  

I have no idea who was supposed to be where, but on that goal, both Girgeonsons AND Okposo are chasing the puck not in any kind of position, and the D-men then get out of sorts also. The only explanation could be it was right off of the faceoff and they made a calculated decision by not playing positionally they had a chance of getting the puck out of the zone.

 

-2nd goal allowed:  PK/PP goal again.  This one if you have to place blame you put on Thompson, but it wasn't a huge error, but again the case of 'fading/favoring' toward the puck carrier when you already had teammates there.

The puck enters the zone and Johnson takes the puck carrier forcing a pass, good move. The next puck carrier cuts to the middle, Johnson is already recovering taking the puck carriers left, and Clifton is taking the passing lane (kind of).  You HOPE Clifton could block that pass, but I don't put it on him, he was where he should have been. Seeing Clifton is in front of the net there was no reason why Tage should have approached the puck carrier leaving the back door open for the eventual goal scorer to come in. 

Not a huge error, but yet another case of if the Sabres play their zones..hold their ground and fight the urge on the PK to help out near the puck when you have guys there already, they would be even better.  

 

On the PK, this team had to fight the urge to go to where the puck is when they already have coverage there. You are on the PK, you are going to be outnumbered. There have been a lot of PK goals allowed this year because they left a position open and the other team found it.  They seem to want to enter puck battles with their teammates instead. They seem to want to play the PK the same way they do in their own end when they are at even strength. You are going to be outnumbered on the PK, they have to learn to live with that and just play their position more.  D-men are pretty good at that, forward on the PK, not so much.

Edited November 11, 2023 by mjd1001

[LTS]

7 hours ago, SabresBillsFan said:

^This is spot on. To me Cozens doesn’t look like he should have played. 

For the most part Cozens has not looked like he should have played most of the season.  He's not performing to the level that justifies his contract, not even close at the moment.  For the love of god the kid needs to learn how to take a face-off without falling down.

The Sabres were completely lucky to win last night.  Officiating sure as hell didn't help them but the Wild studied the book on how to play the Sabres (and they are able to execute it).  Buffalo needs to figure this crap out and I don't think the solution is under contract with this team right now.

I am impressed with Ryan Johnson, he'll make someone expendable and that's a good thing.

I'm not confident in trying to identify the overall fix for this team, but they are not where they need to be.  Not yet. I don't have confidence in playoffs right now. Something needs to change, certainly they need another impact veteran inserted into their bottom 6.  I hope that's all it is... but I'm not certain it is, yet.

[Spoonman]

19 hours ago, Doohickie said:

He practiced with Tage.  I expect Tuch to sit and Savioe to skate in his place.  If Tuch goes, I see him on the third line, in place of VO.

I thought we drank all the VO and threw out that bottle! 😝

[Spoonman]

13 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Clifton is playing much better lately.

(Hope I don’t jinx him)

@Pimlach we said when he was suspended, that he just needed time in the system.

[French Collection]

9 hours ago, Zamboni said:

Taking everything into consideration… I wasn’t let down at all by Savoie in this game.

I was unable to watch the game so I can’t comment on his play.

R.Johnson was eased in for 8 minutes in his first game.
DG may increase Savoie’s ice time vs different opponents and when he has better linemates.

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

John, you are absolutely wrong on this one. Go look at both Minn goals tonight and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.  Goalies can stop nearly all shots they see, but a goaltender setting up for a shot from TNT is not in a good position to stop a pass going wide of the net for a tip from a winger crashing to the net.    

I agree with you that two exquisite passes set up the Minnesota goals. That doesn't mean that getting shots off when players are in front of the net isn't another way of scoring on the power play. There will be more opportunities to score with numerous shots when there is a congestion in front of the goalie. The Joki shot from the point is an example of that. When in doubt: Shoot the dam puck!

[Night Train]

11 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Can't agree that Power is hurting the team. 

 Not so much hurting...but he's slow to process the speed around him quite often when the opposition attacks. I like his size and he makes some good passes. Yet he's got a ton to improve on and I'm still quite surprised they gave him the larger deal instead of a bridge contract. That was way too soon but here we are. 

I laughed when someone posted Joker has the privledge of playing with him. Holy deity. He's not there yet. Not even close. 

[Pimlach]

12 hours ago, SabresBillsFan said:

Our faceoffs suck, our puck possession game sucks, our team defense sucks.

Face-offs have been inconsistent so far.  Some nights we do much better, last night we got beat on the dot all night. 
 

Puck possession against heavy teams is something that needs to improve. 
 

Team defense was good last night, and improving so far this season, lots of metrics to back this up.   
 

We won a game because our goalie was excellent.   How many times had the opposite been true?   Enjoy it.  

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, K-9 said:

Please let it be Conner Clifton. Please.

Clifton seemed out of sync in his first few games. It seems to me that he is getting more comfortable and more effective. Playing on the third pair with the older Johnson is the right role for him. I liked his play in this game. 

It appears that our eyes are watching the same game and seeing different things. On the other hand, I do like the play of Eric Johnson. He is a stabilizer.