GDT: Buffalo Sabres @ SJ Sharks 8:00 PM EST MSG-B, NBCSCA, WGR550

[nfreeman]

It's also worth noting IMHO that their PP, PK and goaltending are all cooking.

And TT is on close to a 60-goal season pace.

[Mustache of God]

3 hours ago, Taro T said:

Expecting @mjd1001 is onto something with the possibility of UPL getting the start tonight.  He had a relatively light work load, has only played twice in the past week, and will have 3 days of rest before the Sabres next game.

Also, would expect Aube-Kubel to be the player coming out of the lineup should Thompson be ready to go; but hopefully we shall see.

Ruff starting UPL vs the frikkin Sharks on a back-to-back would be an indictment against Adam's. Are you telling me the backup you went out and got has that little faith from the coach?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

14 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

Ruff starting UPL vs the frikkin Sharks on a back-to-back would be an indictment against Adam's. Are you telling me the backup you went out and got has that little faith from the coach?

I don't think either of them have that much faith in Reimer.  They brought him in and they waived him.  The team picking him up on waivers ended up waiving him.  The Sabres claimed him off waivers.  There is not much confidence there, but let's all hope Reimer fools everybody - especially the Sharks tonight, if he, indeed, does play.

[Taro T]

19 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

Ruff starting UPL vs the frikkin Sharks on a back-to-back would be an indictment against Adam's. Are you telling me the backup you went out and got has that little faith from the coach?

Maybe.

Any decision on who to start when needs to keep in mind that UPL WANTS to play every game and he plays better when he's getting the bulk of the starts and doesn't have realistic competition for the #1 role.  (Still not sure if that last one is merely correlation or has a causation factor to it.)  

Personally believe getting 2 games above 0.500 IS a big deal and expect the Snarks to be playing hard early to try to not mess up their former C's big night.  Depending upon what UPL's injury last week was, would be seriously considering giving him the start but would let both him and Reimer know before hand that whether he keeps going in this one will be decided at each intermission.

And, yes, this backup that was brought in, twice, probably doesn't have much buy in from the coaches.  He clearly had lost the backup job to the kid in early training camp.  Had Levi's play not slipped from what it was earlier this year when he was getting roughly every other game, Reimer either wouldn't have been brought back or he's be the 3rd goalie waiting out his 30 day stint with the big team to help reduce the likelihood he gets claimed a 3rd time off waivers (because until he's been here a full 30 days, the Ducks can claim him and move him to their farm team).

Remember, though Ruff has had backups like Roloson and Biron, he's also had Essensa.  He's mentioned that he doesn't want to play the #1 on back to back nights.  But just due to the workload before and after this one, could see UPL getting the nod.  Am expecting it'll be Reimer, but wouldn't have any money on it and again, personally would go the other way (dependent of course upon what the injury was).

Edited 8 hours ago by Taro T

[Pimlach]

14 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

I don't think either of them have that much faith in Reimer.  They brought him in and they waived him.  The team picking him up on waivers ended up waiving him.  The Sabres claimed him off waivers.  There is not much confidence there, but let's all hope Reimer fools everybody - especially the Sharks tonight, if he, indeed, does play.

You never know about goalies.   He could get into a zone and give us  great game tonight.  He is a long standing professional and appears to like playing on this team.  Maybe he can give us what he gave Detroit last season (3.11, 0.904).  

[Sabres Fan in NS]

20 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

You never know about goalies.   He could get into a zone and give us  great game tonight.  He is a long standing professional and appears to like playing on this team.  Maybe he can give us what he gave Detroit last season (3.11, 0.904).  

I hope that you are right.

Hey, Punch.  Tell me did you have confidence in your goalies down the stretch and in the playoff in 1975?

[PerreaultForever]

I think this is Joe Thornton jersey retirement night so SJ might be at their best. Their best ain't all that good though so nothing to worry about. One would think Reimer plays . A decent effort should get a win here. 

[Porous Five Hole]

No Tage tonight 

[Stoner]

47 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

I hope that you are right.

Hey, Punch.  Tell me did you have confidence in your goalies down the stretch and in the playoff in 1975?

Punch had bigger problems. Dodo started burning books and making him eat goddamned watercress sandwiches after his heart attack not to mention it was the dawn of nonfat salad dressings that Dodo got turned onto by one of her fellow book burners, and his beaver hats kept molting every spring.

[Dr. Who]

2 minutes ago, Stoner said:

Punch had bigger problems. Dodo started burning books and making him eat goddamned watercress sandwiches after his heart attack not to mention it was the dawn of nonfat salad dressings that Dodo got turned onto by one of her fellow book burners, and his beaver hats kept molting every spring.

Definitely a couple of sentences I didn't expect the universe to ever produce.

[Stoner]

1 minute ago, Dr. Who said:

Definitely a couple of sentences I didn't expect the universe to ever produce.

It didn't. Aripiprazole and Diet Coke did.

[...]

2 hours ago, ska-T Chitown said:

Is no one going to comment on how bad AI is at hockey? The ref has a stick? TF?

I actually let it do that to symbolize the refs influence on certain, not all, games.

[bg17]

2 hours ago, nfreeman said:

Will they be pleased with themselves, take their foot off the gas and reveal themselves again to be not serious people? 

Is that the reason for not winning 8 of 8? Or is it the nature of a long season in professional sports?

Every team loses games they should win. That doesn’t make them unserious people. 

[Bangarang]

35 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

No Tage tonight 

 

Dang. Hopefully we get him and Greenway back next week.

[OverPowerYou]

The Sabres have peaked my interest again, now that I am planning on casually watching expect them to lose

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

You never know about goalies.   He could get into a zone and give us  great game tonight.  He is a long standing professional and appears to like playing on this team.  Maybe he can give us what he gave Detroit last season (3.11, 0.904).  

Not disputing the bolded, but am curious what evidence you've seen to indicate this being the case?  He didn't play at all in the preseason and he also hasn't played at all for the Sabres in the regular season.

[nfreeman]

35 minutes ago, bg17 said:

Is that the reason for not winning 8 of 8? Or is it the nature of a long season in professional sports?

Every team loses games they should win. That doesn’t make them unserious people. 

Well, sure, but this isn’t every team.  This team has richly earned the unserious label.  

[JujuFish]

3 hours ago, nfreeman said:

We all know this, but the Sabres have won 6 out of 8 and are now at DeLuca .500, which is a real and important thing.

Win tonight and they'll be above DeLuca .500 for the first time since missing the playoffs by 1 point two seasons ago.

[Brawndo]

Reimer in net 

[jsb]

3 hours ago, nfreeman said:

We all know this, but the Sabres have won 6 out of 8 and are now at DeLuca .500, which is a real and important thing.

Here comes a test of their mental toughness, as they start another game about 20 hours after the end of their previous game, this one against a team they can beat if they bring it.  Will they be pleased with themselves, take their foot off the gas and reveal themselves again to be not serious people?  Or will they come out like a serious, hungry team?

 

Well this is their 3rd game in 4 days and neither of the first 2 were easy plus an OT yesterday. It will take a herculean effort to win tonight. 

GO SABRES

[Wyldnwoody44]

[Brawndo]

 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

5 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

 

Those lines look interesting

[SABRES 0311]

11 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

 

 

5 minutes ago, WhenWillItEnd66 said:

Those lines look interesting

Wake up call for Cozens. New guy took your job as 2C.

[repster]

Something I posted earlier in the complaint Thursday thread…

At least 7 times, might have actually been 8 as I lost count at the end, but regardless…

This is how often the Sabres play the second half of a back to back game, when the team they are playing isn’t playing the night before and is just resting and waiting for them.

Do you know how often the Sabres are waiting, resting for an opponent to come off the second half of a back to back to play them?  Once.  Once!

NHL scheduling is putting the Sabres at a competitive disadvantage with 10% of their schedule.

No?  Well, they are 0-2 so far in these games.

Tonight @SJ is certainly a decent chance they can overcome this disadvantage.