GDT/ Buffalo Sabres @ Seattle Kraken Monday 3-18 / 10pm ESPN+ MSG & WGR Radio

[Flashsabre]

UPL has settled in to where you might get two on him but rarely more. It has allowed Buffalo to be in almost every game since the New Year. And credit also goes to their defensive structure which has improved greatly.

Hope Levi has a big night tonight. What a concept, quality goaltending😃

Edited March 19 by Flashsabre

[Doohicksie]

3 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

6-2 sounds like we shut them down.

If getting outshot 18-8 in the third period is shutting them down then yes, that's exactly what the Sabres did.  Once again UPL earned a star.  I will say, though, that the Kraken effort in the third was typical of post-tank Sabres:  Lots of shots from the outside; Oopie only had to make a couple tough ones.

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, Believer said:

Yep… Watched it all… Now waiting for cataract surgery on my right eye… Will watch the Vancouver game with my left eye 👀

Good for you!! I was out by 10:30 

[PromoTheRobot]

11 hours ago, nfreeman said:

FTR, I don’t know @PromoTheRobot gets his info, but espn says the Sabres are 5-4-1 in their last 10.  Unless there’s some kind of clever NHL standings joke that I’m missing.  

6-3-1 now. How the turn tables.

 

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, sabrefanday1 said:

Same old "boy the other team sure played bad"...I suppose some think that is the only way the Sabres can win a game apparently. Funny never heard a thing when the Sabres played absolutely horrible and that was the only reason Detroit beat us. I like to think that when this team is playing they make the other team look bad. They have proven they are a very good team when they are on. I love when they just steamroll over teams. They do have that abiility and have even done it to good teams such as Vegas and hav ebeaten Colorado and Oilers so it is no fluke. Sometines it is hard to know which team will show up mind you but they are still a young team and learning to win.

Sometimes you make the other team look bad by playing better.

[LTS]

Last night, as the game started, I sat on my couch with the game on mute while talking to my wife who had just returned home.  I saw the Eberle goal and told her that I guess I won't stay up tonight.  I even mentioned that I might stop down to my PC and see how SS was doing.

Then Thompson scored... and then another and another and then I knew I was going to stay up.  Sadly I could not stop down last night but on night's like this the GDTs are the best to read.

It did not disappoint. 

I'm not going to critique the game... they won, that's what matters to me.  For at least one night... or at least early morning, I can be happy.

[Pimlach]

4 hours ago, Doohickie said:

If getting outshot 18-8 in the third period is shutting them down then yes, that's exactly what the Sabres did.  Once again UPL earned a star.  I will say, though, that the Kraken effort in the third was typical of post-tank Sabres:  Lots of shots from the outside; Oopie only had to make a couple tough ones.

I was sleeping.
 

 I Saw the shots totals but if kept them away from UPL that is good.  Especially since we won the 3rd period 1-0.  I’ll take it. 
 

On to Vancouver …

[msw2112]

The Sabres did some good things last night.  After giving up a goal before the anthem signer was done, they responded right away to tie it up, then took the lead shortly after that.  They played very well the rest of the first period.  During the course of the game, they took a lot of shots at the net versus skating around and trying to make the perfect pass, and they created some traffic/crashed the net.  Power's goal was the perfect example of one player taking a good shot at the net (whether it goes in or not) and the next guy crashing towards then net hard to get the rebound.  They were just OK in the 2nd and not very good in the 3rd, but UPL stepped up, as he usually does these days, and preserved the lead.

Did anyone else notice that Seattle looks like a very fast team?  It seemed like their speed gave the Sabres some problems, but UPL stood tall and fended off the chances that their speed created.  This was the type of game that, in the not so distant past, the Sabres would have blown a huge lead and lost in OT.  With UPL standing tall, however, they cruised to an easy win.  What a difference it makes to have great goaltending! 

One thing to add - I noticed that the Sabres cleared the front of the net much better than they have been and they kept guys away from UPL.  I'm thinking that they've responded after doing this very poorly in the 1st Detroit game. (I didn't see the 2nd Detroit game, so I can't comment on that one).

Edited March 19 by msw2112

[SwampD]

4 hours ago, Doohickie said:

If getting outshot 18-8 in the third period is shutting them down then yes, that's exactly what the Sabres did.  Once again UPL earned a star.  I will say, though, that the Kraken effort in the third was typical of post-tank Sabres:  Lots of shots from the outside; Oopie only had to make a couple tough ones.

Score effects.

The Sabres shut them down.

[Night Train]

Watched the replay. Dahlin coughs it up early for the Seattle goal and Power almost gives away another in the first 30 seconds. Then those 3 quick goals. Excellent response. 

[JohnC]

I only watched the first period so I'm not going to comment on the game. My biggest takeaway from that first period was unless a team gets a basic level of netminding, your team doesn't stand a chance. Their starting goalie was atrocious, and deservedly got yanked in the first period. Under UPL's recent play this franchise has gone from being subjected to erratic goaltending to consistent quality goaltending. (Fingers crossed.) What a dramatic change of fortune!

From what I witnessed in that first period and from the goal clips, I thought Greenway played well. He's not going to make eye popping plays on offense or defense, but he on offense he is going to do the grunt work to put his mates in a good position to score. Getting him from Minnesota for a second-round pick that was in the Jack trade was a solid deal for us, as was the Clifton signing. Not big-time deals but solid deals that made this roster better and more well rounded. We need a couple more of these type deals this offseason. 

[msw2112]

9 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I only watched the first period so I'm not going to comment on the game. My biggest takeaway from that first period was unless a team gets a basic level of netminding, your team doesn't stand a chance. Their starting goalie was atrocious, and deservedly got yanked in the first period. Under UPL's recent play this franchise has gone from being subjected to erratic goaltending to consistent quality goaltending. (Fingers crossed.) What a dramatic change of fortune!

From what I witnessed in that first period and from the goal clips, I thought Greenway played well. He's not going to make eye popping plays on offense or defense, but he on offense he is going to do the grunt work to put his mates in a good position to score. Getting him from Minnesota for a second-round pick that was in the Jack trade was a solid deal for us, as was the Clifton signing. Not big-time deals but solid deals that made this roster better and more well rounded. We need a couple more of these type deals this offseason. 

Since you only saw the first period, you'll appreciate this highlight from the 3rd period.  On Skinner's 3rd goal, Greenway made a great offensive play to retain the puck in traffic, then made a perfect, spinning, behind the back pass right on the tape to Skinner for the shot and goal.   Check it out at 1:43 of this video:  

 

By the way, I agree with you about Greenway.  An excellent acquisition and easily worth the 2nd round pick they sent to Minnesota to get him.  He's not a superstar, but he positively impacts the game in so many ways.

Edited March 19 by msw2112

[Doohicksie]

58 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I was sleeping.
 

 I Saw the shots totals but if kept them away from UPL that is good.  Especially since we won the 3rd period 1-0.  I’ll take it. 
 

On to Vancouver …

At the end they were protecting a 4 goal lead.  I don't mind if they Alamo'ed a bit, especially since they didn't allow any goals.

13 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

He's not a superstar, but he positively impacts the game in so many ways.

Mike Grier, perhaps?

[thewookie1]

15 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

At the end they were protecting a 4 goal lead.  I don't mind if they Alamo'ed a bit, especially since they didn't allow any goals.

Mike Grier, perhaps?

Very similar outside his skating which Greenway traded for size and bit more physicality. I’d also say Grier was slightly better offensively in terms of hands but in regards to be a solid defensively responsible forward that PKs like a madman; then yes.

Worst part about Greenway is that he was hurt when we got him last year or else we likely make the playoffs with this year’s Greenway.

[PromoTheRobot]

3 hours ago, LTS said:

Last night, as the game started, I sat on my couch with the game on mute while talking to my wife who had just returned home.  I saw the Eberle goal and told her that I guess I won't stay up tonight.  I even mentioned that I might stop down to my PC and see how SS was doing.

Then Thompson scored... and then another and another and then I knew I was going to stay up.  Sadly I could not stop down last night but on night's like this the GDTs are the best to read.

It did not disappoint. 

I'm not going to critique the game... they won, that's what matters to me.  For at least one night... or at least early morning, I can be happy.

First SEA goal caught the Sabres napping. Buffalo roared back. SEA gets a stupid fluky pinball goal that bounced off three players and a post on the power play. Then all Sabres the rest of the night. And don't read too much into getting outshot in the third. The Sabres let the Kraken shoot from outside.

[Crusader1969]

On 3/18/2024 at 5:10 PM, OverPowerYou said:

Part of me is glad I won’t be watching these next four games. I can at least wake up and look at my phone and see the losses.

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