GDT / Islanders @ Sabres, Thurs 3/14, 7pm MSG, ESPN+ & WGR Radio

[PromoTheRobot]

14 minutes ago, ... said:

Just in case a geek with a clipboard comes by telling you otherwise. 

You're asking a lot to maintain puck possession for 6 minutes straight. Just saying

[Doohicksie]

Just now, Weave said:

Make it make sense.

When they squeak into 8th place at the end, it will make sense.

[North Buffalo]

Good effort, not a lot of Isles chances and second period was the difference.  Keep it going need 4 in a row.

[Doohicksie]

3 minutes ago, Sidc3000 said:

I hate how ESPN shuts off the feed instead of keeping it for the post game. I wonder if that is a Sabres thing or a MSG thing 

It's an MSG thing.  Bally and Root allow the pre-post games to be shone.  It's probably something in the contract between the feed provider and ESPN.

[Thorner]

1 minute ago, Flashsabre said:

That was an absolute hell of an effort from puck drop to end of game.

The last two games this team has played has been tremendous.

This team can defend. The positioning and backchecking has been great.

The frustrating part is Buffalo is a better team than all the teams around them.

Keep it rolling Saturday guys!

Looking at goal differential, at +2 Sabres are closer to Detroit (+5) and Tampa (+6) than the islanders (-16) caps (-32) and devils (-15)

Realistically Pittsburgh (-5) might be the best team also chasing aside from Tampa and Detroit. They dealt Guentzel so maybe not now but I think they probably were the best. We have to be careful as they are still ahead of us in the race technically, by points%.

But imo it’s getting to the point where the math is going to look poor, but only because we are “even odds” with like 5 other teams. But I think we take that smiling 

[PromoTheRobot]

Wings lose 4-1. Pens, Lightning winning.

This is our second 3 game win streak. Beat Detroit and it will be our first 4-game streak.

[Doohicksie]

2 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Tuch was off and on

Tage was both good and made some terribly lazy passes, but he certainly was hustling which is good to see.

I still think Tage has a problem with his wheels.  It's not major but it hurts his burst.

[mjd1001]

After 67 games, the Sabres have 69 points this season. Last year after 67 games, they had 72 points.

Last year starting at game 68, the Sabres went on a 3 game losing streak, losing those 3 games by a total score of 19-5.

IF the Sabres get 3 points in the next 3 games, they will have the exact same number of points after 70 game as they did last year (and actually be better in terms of tie-breakers due to more regulation wins)

 

Last season, the Sabres got 19 points in the final 12 games.

They are now also a positive in goal differential. The last time an eastern conference team finished with a positive goal differential and did NOT make the playoffs (pre-covid, traditional playoff format) was in the 2018-2019 season.

Edited March 15 by mjd1001

[hockey]

2 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

One of the finest albums ever.

(Tea for the Tillerman references here also)

4 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

One of the finest albums ever.

I wish you glad tidings, Doohickie.

[Second Line Center]

It’s looking like 8 seed or bust.  Tampa is so frustrating.  

Isles 2 games in hand but tough schedule.   I feel like they peaked already under Roy.  

[nfreeman]

10 minutes ago, Claude Balls said:

I honestly believe this team would already be in the playoffs if UPL was named the #1 goalie back in October. Thanks Adams.

You may be right, but I think it was DG's call.

[kas23]

4 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I agree with most of this post but emphatically not the bolded.  Please do not shout down hockey opinions that you disagree with.  No player on this misbegotten team is immune from criticism.

It I “shouted it down”, I would’ve bolded it or maybe used the word “emphatically”. Trust me, the irony is not lost on me. But, sorry for having an opinion differing from another opinion. What was I thinking?

[Brawndo]

[Scottysabres]

8 minutes ago, Sabres73 said:

Detroit now losing 4-1 with 3 minutes to go.

Detroit has straight out fallen apart. I credit some of that to Larkins absence, but over all it really looks like they just ran out of gas here in the final stretch.

[Sidc3000]

Scoreboard didn’t help much 

[LGR4GM]

10 minutes ago, Sidc3000 said:

I agree although he probably sounds be. 

No he shouldn't. Nothing about Zach Benson's play indicates he should be in Rochester. 

[Second Line Center]

Just now, Scottysabres said:

Detroit has straight out fallen apart. I credit some of that to Larkins absence, but over all it really looks like they just ran out of gas here in the final stretch.

 

They had a fight at practice yesterday?

[PerreaultForever]

Well, that was just an outstanding hockey game. No but's, no qualifiers, no other factors, they simply outplayed the opposition. You could see early, although they pressured, Isles kept most of it outside and they took plays away but the speed wore them down and the Isles had no answer for it. They got worn down big time. Sabres handled the physical side, even dished a little out and just played a solid game top to bottom. 

We can ponder where this has been all year I guess. I'm sticking with the belief in the goalie idea. When you believe your goalie will keep you in it you elevate your play much like many Sabres teams did in the Hasek era. Maybe that's it, maybe it's something else, but whatever it is they have elevated their play and this is the hockey we were all hoping we'd see at the beginning of the year after last year's late surge finish. I still think it's too late, but you never know. It's no longer impossible. 

The only negative, if you want one, a minor one, is Benson is still taking too many stick fouls and that might cost us against a good PP team. Yes, Barzal dove on the second one, but that's what some good players do. You feel that stick on your skates and ooops, you let yourself fall. Benson's NHL timing is still way off but that's rookie stuff and it's just a pity we aren't deep enough to address that. 

Next season we need to hire an assistant coach who is a PP expert. I see they are experimenting now that they have Byram on the roster but it's a mess and they really don't know what they are doing. With this level of speed and skill the PP should be a LOT better than it is. 

If we miss, it's on Adams imo. Should not have signed KO. Should not have signed Girgs. Should have signed a goalie instead of Comrie and games were wasted on pacifying Levi's demands as well. We still need additions if we want to be legit next season, but it's very doable. 

Finally, I had fun watching Sabres hockey. That hasn't happened much in a long time.

[RochesterExpat]

I hate the fact a part of me still getting my hopes up for the playoffs.

[matter2003]

4 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

After 67 games, the Sabres have 69 points this season. Last year after 67 games, they had 72 points.

Last year starting at game 68, the Sabres went on a 3 game losing streak, losing those 3 games by a total score of 19-5.

IF the Sabres get 3 points in the next 3 games, they will have the exact same number of points after 70 game as they did last year (and actually be better in terms of tie-breakers due to more regulation wins)

 

Last season, the Sabres got 19 points in the final 12 games.

They are now also a positive in goal differential. The last time an eastern conference team finished with a positive goal differential and did NOT make the playoffs (pre-covid, traditional playoff format) was in the 2018-2019 season.

Sad we are tied in points with the Caps right now with 69 even tho they have 2 games in hand, but have a dreadful -32 goal differential.

[Doohicksie]

3 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

You may be right, but I think it was DG's call.

Kevyn gave Donny three goalies to juggle.  Bad move.

[Claude Balls]

6 minutes ago, OverPowerYou said:

So if we never signed Okposo we would’ve won like 4 Stanley Cups by now, right? 😆

Sabres would be a dynasty if they never traded for ROR or drafted Eichel. These damn cancers they keep bringing in. 

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, Scottysabres said:

Not sure what to think to be honest. Removed Okposo, E. Johnson and Mitts? Out of all moved I would think Okposo was here the longest out of those moved.

Did he do something back in NYC to a Haitian Witch Doctor and got a chicken bone curse put on him?

3 Minnesotans.

[Scottysabres]

1 minute ago, Second Line Center said:

 

They had a fight at practice yesterday?

I don't know, I'm just assessing based on the outcomes of their games.

[nfreeman]

3 minutes ago, kas23 said:

It I “shouted it down”, I would’ve bolded it or maybe used the word “emphatically”. Trust me, the irony is not lost on me. But, sorry for having an opinion differing from another opinion. What was I thinking?

What?

You quoted an opinion you disagreed with and said "it needs to stop."

That is the freaking definition of shouting something down.

No one said you can't have a an opinion that differs from someone else's opinion.  You just can't tell that person they aren't allowed to express his/her opinion.