GDT Buffalo Sabres @ Detroit Red Wings Sat. 3-16, 12:30 pm NHLN, MSG & WGR Radio

[bunomatic]

Its been a slice. 

[pastajoe]

They are likely to go 1-3 on the road trip so it was inevitable that we’d come back to mediocrity.

[jad1]

Sabres 22nd overall in the league.  They might have some good players on the roster, but they are a bad team.

[Doohicksie]

[Stoner]

I love when Brian starts out appropriately somber.

Wait for it...

[inkman]

1 minute ago, jad1 said:

Sabres 22nd overall in the league.  They might have some good players on the roster, but they are a bad team.

[WhenWillItEnd66]

5 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

They got dominated

 

We are back!!! Here comes the 3-4 game losing streak!!!! Lol Kill any playoff talk.

[CallawaySabres]

I kind of wish they had never made the final push to begin with. It was really just a masquerade.

[Big Guava]

This is where those 3 unacceptable losses to Columbus and Anaheim twice killed us...we have no margin for error anymore.

[CallawaySabres]

Time to root for Pittsburgh and New Jersey

[Believer]

Hamilton’s inane question to Dahlin… Dahlin’s innane answers to his question.

Dahlin is not ready to be Captain.

Edited March 16 by Believer

[Cityo'Rasmii]

Outcoached

[Crusader1969]

5 minutes ago, WhenWillItEnd66 said:

We are back!!! Here comes the 3-4 game losing streak!!!! Lol Kill any playoff talk.

It's almost like you want it.  No wonder people are asking how to mute you 

Thanks Ottawa. I glimmer of hope. 

hopefully the rest of the weekend matchups go in our favour 

[Believer]

1 minute ago, Cityo'Rasmii said:

Outcoached

And Outplayed the last 40 minutes.

[WhenWillItEnd66]

I want a cup..... but then there is reality......

[Believer]

1 minute ago, Crusader1969 said:

It's almost like you want it.  No wonder people are asking how to mute you 

Thanks Ottawa. I glimmer of hope. 

hopefully the rest of the weekend matchups go in our favour 

Board troll. Already put him on Ignore.

[Archie Lee]

Tough loss. I thought the turning point was the Charoit and Rasmussen mild-goonery in the 2nd. We didn’t respond or capitalize on the PP and it seemed that gave Detroit a jump. We had chances to clear the puck on the two 2nd period goals that followed and that’s the game. 
We have a 5 game home stand after the road trip. The cut-off is still 90.5. We need to keep our head above water on the west coast road trip (2-1-1) and then hold serve on home ice. Long shot to be sure, but not done yet either. 

[Scottysabres]

20 minutes ago, Sidc3000 said:

Just stop. I bet they lose majority of the last set of games

 

[Mango]

14 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

I kind of wish they had never made the final push to begin with. It was really just a masquerade.

This was a Sabres game we knew well. Strong forecheck, defend the blue line, dare the Sabres to adjust. 

In the Sabres defense they couldn’t hold onto the puck all day. A lot of weird hops and bad passes. Curious if the talk in the first intermission was “take a minute to control and deliver a crisp accurate pass” and that’s why that period went the way it did. 

[PerreaultForever]

and that's how you burst a bubble and don't make the playoffs.

A lot of old issues came back to the surface in this one and the flaws are more than evident. 

On the first Detroit goal, the forwards are too high, waiting for the quick outlet and counter attack. Nobody comes back. Dahlin chases, goes around the net and isn't strong enough to box out on his own. When he chases, the forward has to be back to force that guy outside. It's just basic defensive hockey and it's on Granato not Dahlin.

On the second Detroit goal, Skinner is just floating in no man's land accomplishing nothing. The D chases again, and Skinner has to pick up Kane on that play. He's wide, he's outside, it's an easy play and Skinner is just too damn lazy to make it. Skinner has to go. We will never win with that guy. (The other forwards are again, too high and that's our style and one of our flaws. )

The third goal was an early season UPL special. Poor positioning, he does that. I'm not going to fault the goalie since h also makes big saves, but it is a recurrent weakness and he already looks like he's getting tired. 

We can't win a face off if our life depended on it, especially in that final 3-4 minutes but of course I know, "they don't matter." Except they do. 

Lastly, on the new guy BB. He lacks physicality. Fast, very fast, and very skilled, but he gets hit and knocked off the puck. I can see why he had concussion issues and I can see him getting targeted and crunched by a team like Florida if we ever met in the playoffs. We need some more bigger bodies on the team to keep that from happening as much as it will. 

Not a lot of positives from a deadly loss like this but I will say I am liking Greenway a whole lot lately. He's becoming a major irritant to other teams and he seems to relish the role. He won't be a fighter and he doesn't have to be but he fills a valuable role.  I like him with Cozens.

imo for next year we have two pairs we need to keep and build around. Tage/Tuch and Cozens/Greenway. I would keep those together as pairs and add the appropriate winger to them be it Quinn or Benson or Peterka or whoever fits best but the duos should hold and grow together. That's my view anyway. 

We can only hope that Seattle no longer cares as they are all but out for the next one, but Islanders get a loser point today as well so I think the dream is over just that easily.

 

[Thorner]

Tough result. If you are going to be upset, id lean towards the macro result and not specifically today: we’ve been good of late but even the best teams lose a fair bit and we aren’t one of the best teams.

Ottawa did us a reasonable solid, can’t really ask them for more than keeping Islanders to 1 point (story of their season) which keeps things, while quite unlikely, still alive for us

41 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I tried being optimistic. Where did it get me?

Sample size 

[CTJoe]

17 minutes ago, Cityo'Rasmii said:

Outcoached

22 or so sOG is a poor effort in a must win game.  The 3rd UPL goal was weak, but, Dahin screened him for no reason.  Same Sabres to a certain point, getting hopes up high then failing. BUT this team is much better with Bo on it.  The fact Granato had Robinson, Jist, oloffson, and Krebs playing meaningful minutes is ridiculous.  Maybe the GM will realize this offseason that it's not acceptable to have another offseason with the UFa signings being Clifton, Johnson, Jost, Girgensons and Okposo.  Absolutely terrible GMing last offseason.

[HumanSlinky39]

Can't lose games like this. Sleepwalking through 2/3 of the season has left the margin for error almost non-existent. The Wings haven't just been getting beat, they've been getting dominated. The Coyotes are in a death spiral and dominated the Wings in Little Caesars the other night. Cannot lose games like this, and CBJ, and Anaheim multiple times. Once again, we get teased with what they're capable of, then they regress back to the mean. Hopefully we get a new coaching staff and some more toughness on the roster for next season. We're just playing out the string in a disappointing season at this point. I want to believe they can make an improbable push for the playoffs, but they've been unable to put anything significant together all year, why think they can start now?

[OverPowerYou]

27 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

I kind of wish they had never made the final push to begin with. It was really just a masquerade.

It is better have loved and lost than never to have loved at all

[hockey]

43 minutes ago, Believer said:

Hamilton’s innane question to Dahlin… Dahlin’s innane answers to his question.

Dahlin is not ready to be Captain.

But I bet you they both know how to spell inane.