GDT / Winnipeg Jets @ Buffalo Sabres Sun. 3/3/24( MSG/ WGR Radio

[Indabuff]

44 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

Let’s pay him to stay home next year and watch on tv.  I'm in for a few bucks a game. 

I thought there was a pattern forming...

[Getpucksdeep]

53 minutes ago, SwampD said:

I never said that. I said he wasn’t as good as he thinks he is.

He’s supposed to be elite,… even generational, to some.

We have yet to see him take over a game, something generational players do.

Tonight, he had the puck along the boards, down by one, his only job is to clear the zone. His lazy play ended up in the net. Game over. Not the play of an elite player.

 

Missed the game but heard same report, he was trash. This take is correct and it's been going on all season.  Next year he's being paid I think 2nd highest D in league. His skills are elite. His drive is great (similar to Peyton Krebs and most who make it to this level).  His understanding of how to win games against the best players in the world is terrible.  Like, it's hard to understand the decisions he makes at times.  

[GoPuckYourself]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Age has nothing to do with it.  The average age difference is probably only 4 years. The players are all in amazing shape.  The Jets are just better.  Look at the team stats. 

I agree that the Jets are better but i don't agree that age doesn't matter. 

[bunomatic]

Thought Dahlin played well. Punished a couple jets with the reverse hit. Made some good plays , made maybe one maybe two bad plays under pressure. The best in the game make some bad plays. These guys aren’t superman. They’re kids for the most part. On to the next one.

[SabreFinn]

I am impressed by the Jets. It seems like they have a huge confidence. Even if they are down by three goals like in the Carolina game, they shift gear and accelerate and force the other team to make mistakes. Impressive. Some lucky goals but good teams get those. Strongest team in the west.

[PerreaultForever]

Funny to read the Dahlin critiques. I'm accused of being the negative one around here but these critiques are way off the mark imo. I was actually thinking during this game that Dahlin, who I have criticized in the past, has really worked on his strength and finally come into his own as a solid NHL defenseman. As to this whole "supposed to be elite" issue, it's not Dahlin imo, it's the team defensive system as a whole. The players on this team still do not cover for each other properly and as such, the last line of defense often looks like it's at fault. 

Third period imo UPL looked burnt out and I think we are clearly over using him. No way should we have had to go back to back with him over this weekend. Very few teams and goalie situations would have even tried that. As a result third period we were behind it. 

I was entertained though. It is an improvement, we just aren't at their level. 

[spndnchz]

Next game. Toronto. Wednesday. TNT. 

[PerreaultForever]

16 minutes ago, spndnchz said:

Next game. Toronto. Wednesday. TNT. 

Definitely a game they can catch the Leafs napping as they play Boston on either side of it. 

[SabreFinn]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Third period imo UPL looked burnt out and I think we are clearly over using him. No way should we have had to go back to back with him over this weekend. Very few teams and goalie situations would have even tried that. As a result third period we were behind it.

This concerns me. If we over use him he might more easily get injured also. The last thing we want is him injured. In worst case an injury would affect on next season.

[Weave]

I feel like the game was lost when Schiffeile (I am not looking up the proper spelling) gave Dahlim that uncalled slash behind the leg near the end of the 2nd.  That slash felt like a challenge that went unanswered.  The Sabres could have come out fired up and let Winnie know that they were going to have their hands full.  Instead the Sabres came out tentative and scared.  The Jets sent a message. And the Sabres responded as usual over the last 13 years.

[bob_sauve28]

7 hours ago, stenbaro said:

Grew tired of watching this team for the past 5 years. I watched them tonight for a bit, reminded me of why I stopped watchin them. 

Mostly just lurking here n there. How have you been?

Been good, thanks! 

[North Buffalo]

I have no comment because I couldnt watch the stinkin game... grrr NHL

[Believer]

54 minutes ago, Weave said:

I feel like the game was lost when Schiffeile (I am not looking up the proper spelling) gave Dahlim that uncalled slash behind the leg near the end of the 2nd.  That slash felt like a challenge that went unanswered.  The Sabres could have come out fired up and let Winnie know that they were going to have their hands full.  Instead the Sabres came out tentative and scared.  The Jets sent a message. And the Sabres responded as usual over the last 13 years.

That purposeful slash (couldn’t see who did it) was intended to intimidate or hurt Dahlin… It happened a couple minutes before the period ended… Have to believe Dahlin mentioned on the bench or in the locker room between periods… Yet, there was no retaliation by any Sabre at the start of the next period… If Dahlin told his teammates what happened a Sabre should have taken the guy out and dropped gloves…

Sure it was a close game, but you have to respond to that kind of cheap shot on a key player.

We need a few grown men with  stand up courage on this team. It can’t always be let go or fall to Clifton or a kid to respond.

If Dahlin said nothing and the team was unaware, I take back everything but the previous paragraph.

Do your job, Adams.

[North Buffalo]

5 minutes ago, Believer said:

That purposeful slash (couldn’t see who did it) was intended to intimidate or hurt Dahlin… It happened a couple minutes before the period ended… Have to believe Dahlin mentioned on the bench or in the locker room between periods… Yet, there was no retaliation by any Sabre at the start of the next period… If Dahlin told his teammates what happened a Sabre should have taken the guy out and dropped gloves…

Sure it was a close game, but you have to respond to that kind of cheap shot on a key player.

We need a few grown men with  stand up courage on this team. It can’t always be let go or fall to Clifton or a kid to respond.

If Dahlin said nothing and the team was unaware, I take back everything but the previous paragraph.

Do your job, Adams.

Which is why Sabres need to draft Lingren

[Huckleberry]

17 minutes ago, Believer said:

That purposeful slash (couldn’t see who did it) was intended to intimidate or hurt Dahlin… It happened a couple minutes before the period ended… Have to believe Dahlin mentioned on the bench or in the locker room between periods… Yet, there was no retaliation by any Sabre at the start of the next period… If Dahlin told his teammates what happened a Sabre should have taken the guy out and dropped gloves…

Sure it was a close game, but you have to respond to that kind of cheap shot on a key player.

We need a few grown men with  stand up courage on this team. It can’t always be let go or fall to Clifton or a kid to respond.

If Dahlin said nothing and the team was unaware, I take back everything but the previous paragraph.

Do your job, Adams.

I could see granato say, lets not retaliate and take stupid penalties guys 😄

[Night Train]

So this current roster has basically peaked at .500.

Non-physical. Wildly inconsistent. Turnover prone. Has some talent but the prime scoring players scored half the expected rate. Needs a major shakeup. 

With UPL and Levi, they have the G position solidified. After that, the D corp needs a couple more solid players. Power and Samuelsson need a major kick in the can. The Forward group has been puzzling. They were no-shows for such long stretches. Float back on D far too often. Just not rugged at all. 

Coach and GM are past their expiration date but the owner is AWOL with family and other business concerns. I sensed this was not going well when his wife sent out that bad letter to ticket holders, basically stating their lifestyle came first. 

Love hockey...but this hockey plan doesn't work. I'll watch to see if changes come before next October but running it back looks like the current thought. They seem so disconnected from reality. 

Can't blame the fans for taking a pass on tickets. 13 years of April golf. 

[North Buffalo]

Team doesnt know how to retaliate smartly and get away with it or make sure other team is drawn into taking one too

[Buffalo Super Fan]

This was a terrible loss by the Buffalo Sabres who had a chance to gain ground in the NHL standings. I think for Sabres fans being overly optimistic about the Sabres future. The question I would ask that Sabres fan in that camp is how come the Detroit Red Wings are going to most likely break there seven year playoff drought and the Sabres aren’t? Even though the Red Wings started their rebuild after the Sabres? I think that is a far comparison two historical hockey cities that the modern day NHL players aren’t wild about signing and playing in according to the NHL PA players surveys. I mention that point to show that Detroit isn’t a destination signing for free agents anymore like Buffalo. But the Red Wings are getting done and the Sabres are circling the bottom of the NHL standings again? Major changes need to be made to the Sabres coaching staff and the roster construction of the top 6 Sabres forwards for ready now NHL players not more draft picks. The Sabres aren’t 60 minute hockey players and that is a huge problem. It doesn’t matter if all the Sabres players and the Sabres coaches like each other and are great friends. This isn’t little league hockey this is major league NHL hockey and the Sabres presently have players that can’t play consistently for 60 minutes for more than two games at a time and coaches that can’t get out of the Sabres players that needs to change. Keeping Don Granato and staying the course is only going to bring us to the present situation right now next season at this time in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[JohnC]

8 hours ago, SwampD said:

I never said that. I said he wasn’t as good as he thinks he is.

He’s supposed to be elite,… even generational, to some.

We have yet to see him take over a game, something generational players do.

Tonight, he had the puck along the boards, down by one, his only job is to clear the zone. His lazy play ended up in the net. Game over. Not the play of an elite player.

 

Who has said that he is a generational player? Maybe some fanatic fan who is a delusional partisan has made that ridiculous claim?  The vast majority of normal fans have never categorized him as a player at a historical level. Let's just stop with making up stuff. Dahlin is arguably our best player who gets an overload of minutes. He is an all-star caliber of player. But trying to make an argument that he is a failure/disappointment because he hasn't attained the historical pinnacle of his profession is a manufactured and wasteful position to take. 

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I didn’t see it.  Listening is not satisfying with the ineffective play by play.  
 

Sounds like they ran out of gas against a better team. 
 

Like after any loss it’s sucks, but this season is nit going to be special. 

I watched the game. Winnipeg is an impressive team. They are not dazzling or provide scintillating plays. They played a tough two-way team defense. There was no distinction in how they played when they were down and when they caught up. It was a full throttle effort from start to finish. They don't give the opposition much room to maneuver. If you try to get cute and dangle with them, they will quickly pounce on you. 

I'm not making any excuses. But especially as the game went on, it was apparent to me that they were the fresher team. They never lost their steam while our engine did. (My opinion and observation.) One positive note is that UPL played well again. He kept us in the game. 

[SwampD]

5 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Who has said that he is a generational player? Maybe some fanatic fan who is a delusional partisan has made that ridiculous claim?  The vast majority of normal fans have never categorized him as a player at a historical level. Let's just stop with making up stuff. Dahlin is arguably our best player who gets an overload of minutes. He is an all-star caliber of player. But trying to make an argument that he is a failure/disappointment because he hasn't attained the historical pinnacle of his profession is a manufactured and wasteful position to take. 

Scotty Bowman.

“This is one of those years where there’s a generational-type defenseman available and that’s not always the case,” Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman said. “Everybody says this Dahlin is the best in a while on defense.”

Not manufactured and not a waste.

I’m not disappointed because he’s not generational. I’m disappointed because he is outright bad and lazy, often. If he’s tired, he should get off the ice.

[Pimlach]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Funny to read the Dahlin critiques. I'm accused of being the negative one around here but these critiques are way off the mark imo. I was actually thinking during this game that Dahlin, who I have criticized in the past, has really worked on his strength and finally come into his own as a solid NHL defenseman. As to this whole "supposed to be elite" issue, it's not Dahlin imo, it's the team defensive system as a whole. The players on this team still do not cover for each other properly and as such, the last line of defense often looks like it's at fault. 

Third period imo UPL looked burnt out and I think we are clearly over using him. No way should we have had to go back to back with him over this weekend. Very few teams and goalie situations would have even tried that. As a result third period we were behind it. 

I was entertained though. It is an improvement, we just aren't at their level. 

Exactly. 

Dahlin is the best defenseman and best player on this team.  The minutes he is getting are not sustainable though. He is going to be put there for goals against if he is playing almost half the minutes. 

Power has been better since he sat out a week.  Watching games, film study, and some rest and he is now more steady back there, less rushed leads to less errors.  

Team defense has improved, but a lot of it is because of UPL,  team defense still needs work.   

2-1 lead going into the 3rd.  We needed to score first and clamp down but we didn't and the Jets were just better last night.  ?I understanf they played the same schedule on the road, but the veteran team outlasted us and they used their backup and played extra hard for him.   

UPL played fine, the 3rd period was tough for all of them.  The Jets went with their backup and they found some extra juice to get him goals. We should have done the same, sometimes your scorers come through big when the backup is in the net.  

On to the next one.   I like that this team is still working hard and I hope they can climb a few notches in the standings.   They need to look like a team that is rising if they want to get good players here.  No more losing for better draft position - it doesn't work.   Last year Benson fell to us.  

[SabresVet]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Funny to read the Dahlin critiques. I'm accused of being the negative one around here but these critiques are way off the mark imo. I was actually thinking during this game that Dahlin, who I have criticized in the past, has really worked on his strength and finally come into his own as a solid NHL defenseman. As to this whole "supposed to be elite" issue, it's not Dahlin imo, it's the team defensive system as a whole. The players on this team still do not cover for each other properly and as such, the last line of defense often looks like it's at fault. 

Third period imo UPL looked burnt out and I think we are clearly over using him. No way should we have had to go back to back with him over this weekend. Very few teams and goalie situations would have even tried that. As a result third period we were behind it. 

The time these guys are on ice indicates Granato knows they're under some pressure to win now, albeit 50+ games into the season.  If they'd have played better in November and December they wouldn't be running Dahlin out there 28+ minutes per or playing a now-dependable UPL on back to back nights.  

This also hits at something I've had an issue with Adams about how he's rebuilt this roster.  They lack depth and 1 injury hurts them more than it should. 

Sure, Samuelsson is out, but it hurts more because recent signings like Clifton and E. Johnson (prior to his injury/sitting) weren't as reliable.  The guys who perform, like in job environments, get more work. 

Same goes for the goaltending.  Not entirely bad to have a guy (UPL) separate from the group, but the position has a lack of depth if they can't play the backup more.  

Not a long-term solution and points to them still needing better depth.    

[Pimlach]

31 minutes ago, Buffalo Super Fan said:

This was a terrible loss by the Buffalo Sabres who had a chance to gain ground in the NHL standings. I think for Sabres fans being overly optimistic about the Sabres future. The question I would ask that Sabres fan in that camp is how come the Detroit Red Wings are going to most likely break there seven year playoff drought and the Sabres aren’t? Even though the Red Wings started their rebuild after the Sabres? I think that is a far comparison two historical hockey cities that the modern day NHL players aren’t wild about signing and playing in according to the NHL PA players surveys. I mention that point to show that Detroit isn’t a destination signing for free agents anymore like Buffalo. But the Red Wings are getting done and the Sabres are circling the bottom of the NHL standings again? Major changes need to be made to the Sabres coaching staff and the roster construction of the top 6 Sabres forwards for ready now NHL players not more draft picks. The Sabres aren’t 60 minute hockey players and that is a huge problem. It doesn’t matter if all the Sabres players and the Sabres coaches like each other and are great friends. This isn’t little league hockey this is major league NHL hockey and the Sabres presently have players that can’t play consistently for 60 minutes for more than two games at a time and coaches that can’t get out of the Sabres players that needs to change. Keeping Don Granato and staying the course is only going to bring us to the present situation right now next season at this time in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Well your Buddy from Buffalo, Patrick Kane, picked Detroit over Buffalo because they are further along on the rebuild this season. 

Why are they further?   Lots of experts think Buffalo has the better young players and the better prospect pool?  Detroit is further along this season because Yzerman has done this rebuild thing before - he has spent the last two seasons bringing in good veterans that have won before and want to win again.  He did this same thing in Tampa were he built a very strong team, and that core is still going today. 

Detroit is an original 6 team, their arena is loaded with Stanley Cup Banners, many of the greatest players ever have played there.  They are more of a destination than many teams in the league, especially now that they are rising again. 

Adams claims he has trouble getting UFAs and trading for players with NMCs.  Yzerman does not seem to have that problem, despite your claims.  

The only thing you said that I can agree with is the Sabres coaching staff has to be improved. 

[JohnC]

23 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Scotty Bowman.

“This is one of those years where there’s a generational-type defenseman available and that’s not always the case,” Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman said. “Everybody says this Dahlin is the best in a while on defense.”

Not manufactured and not a waste.

I’m not disappointed because he’s not generational. I’m disappointed because he is outright bad and lazy, often. If he’s tired, he should get off the ice.

Bowman may have made a prediction on him before he played in the league or just started off in the league. So what! Would the distinguished Bowman say that now? Of course not. You created a standard that no current analyst in the league would now say. Dahlin is an all-star caliber defenseman. He's not the best but he certainly is in the upper echelon. Your argument is a manufactured argument that no one other than the partisan fanatic would make. 

Edited March 4 by JohnC