The Game Discussion Thread! December 7th, 2024--Utah Hockey Team @ Buffalo Sabres! 1 pm Faceoff--TV, Radio, internet :)

[bob_sauve28]

A date which will live in infamy?

 

Pearl Harbor day game!

Win one for the USS Arizona!

 

 

https://www.nhl.com/utah/news/game-preview-12-7-utah-hockey-club-vs-buffalo-sabres

 

WHEN: 11:00 a.m. MT

WHERE: KeyBank Center - Buffalo, New York

TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App

The Utah Hockey Club (10-11-4) heads east to face the Buffalo Sabres (11-12-3) at KeyBank Center Saturday afternoon. Utah is currently six points out of a Wild Card position in the Western Conference while Buffalo is two points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Having last played on Monday in a 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, Utah has had four days in between games- the longest stretch of rest so far this season.

ONE-TIMERS

Captain Clayton Keller leads the team with 22 points (7G, 15A).

Utah ranks seventh in the NHL with a 1.20 five-on-five goals-for/goals-against ratio.

Nick Schmaltz has three goals in his last two games.

Goaltender Karel Vejmelka has allowed over three goals only twice in 11 starts.

Utah Head Coach Andre Tourigny is one win away from reaching 100 NHL coaching wins.

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP

The Sabres look to snap a five-game losing streak tonight after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night. Entering this season, the Sabres were one of just two teams (Montreal) with a younger opening night roster than the Utah Hockey Club. On Thursday against Winnipeg, nine players in Buffalo’s lineup were drafted by the organization. The Sabres are capable of heating up in a hurry as Buffalo has three separate win streaks of three wins this season.

WHO TO WATCH

UTAH: #8 NICK SCHMALTZ - Schmaltz, 28, has three goals in his last two games, including Utah’s only tally against Dallas on Monday. The pride of Madison, Wisconsin is tied for third on the team with 20 points (3G, 17A) and leads the club in assists. Schmaltz has hit the 20-goal plateau in each of his last three seasons.

BUFFALO: 72 TAGE THOMPSON - Thompson, 26, leads Buffalo with 14 goals on the season. Originally acquired via trade from the St. Louis Blues, Thompson has eclipsed the 30-goal mark twice in his career, including a 47-goal season in 2022-23. The Phoenix, Arizona native lit the lamp 29 times last season and is on pace for 51 this season.

LOOK BACK

Utah’s rally came up just short against the Dallas Stars on Monday night at Delta Center in a 2-1 loss. Nick Schmaltz scored for Utah in the third period to cut the Stars’ lead in half, but second period scores from Evgenii Dadonov and Jamie Benn proved too much for Utah when combined with Dallas goaltender Casey DeSmith’s 34 saves. Karel Vejmelka made the start for Utah in net and stopped 19 of 21 Dallas shots.

MÄÄTTÄ AND VÄLIMÄKI NAMED TO TEAM FINLAND

On Wednesday it was announced that Utah Hockey Club defensemen Olli Määttä and Juuso Välimäki were named to Team Finland’s 4 Nations Faceoff roster. Määttä has two assists in 15 games with Utah this season after arriving via trade from the Detroit Red Wings. Välimäki has one assist in 19 games with Utah so far. Määttä represented Finland in the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi where he captured a bronze medal for his country. Both have represented Finland at various IIHF World Junior Championship tournaments.

CLOSE CALLS

The Utah Hockey Club has played in some close finishes as of late with five of the team’s last seven games decided by just one goal. Each of Utah’s last four losses have all been by just one tally. Utah is 4-4-4 in games decided by one goal and is tied for the fifth-most games played decided by one score.

KAREL VEJMELKA

Netminder Karel Vejmelka has had a stellar start to the campaign in between the pipes. So far this season, Vejmelka ranks fourth in goals-against average (2.38) amongst goaltenders who have played as many games as he has (13) and sixth in save percentage (.917). His goals-saved-above-expected per 60 metric (average number of goals he prevents beyond what is normally expected of an NHL goaltender in 60 minutes of action) of 0.52 is 10th amongst all NHL goaltenders according to Sportlogic.

LOOK AHEAD

The Utah Hockey Club turns around and plays the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. MT in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.

[LabattBlue]

Title format sucks! 😂

That is all I’ve got for pregame discussion. 

[North Buffalo]

Sabres suck, that is all I've got for pregame discussion. 😪

[SABRES 0311]

How many are secretly hoping the Sabres get destroyed 😂 

[SwampD]

Changing Club to Team is pretty funny.

They have a good goalie. We usually don’t fare te well against starting goalies.

This really feels like a make or break game. 

Go Sabres. I guess.

[#freejame]

I thought it was the sixth today. Apparently I’m a day off on my advent calendar. 

[bob_sauve28]

24 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Changing Club to Team is pretty funny.

 

That was a mistake, actually. I'll leave it unless there are complaints

[Indabuff]

[ska-T Palmtown]

11 am MT got me laughing pretty hard. Go Sabres.

[Carmel Corn]

I wonder how well the Utah hockey club can play….after all, they moved away from the palm trees of Phoenix.

[EM88]

1 hour ago, SABRES 0311 said:

How many are secretly hoping the Sabres get destroyed 😂 

Not me.

I do not tune into a game to watch to see the team lose.

[Weave]

2 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

How many are secretly hoping the Sabres get destroyed 😂 

I might just have to quit this place if we go back to rooting for losing again.

[Wyldnwoody44]

All I see is buffalo losing 5-1 and showing Adams up in the box like Dr. I Evil from Austin Powers smirking. 

Instead of a bald cat, he has a tiny palm tree he's just stroking in his lap 

[sabremike]

[SwampD]

I’m going full IdemoBot.

String a few wins together and get back into the playoff race.

The last two games were against the current number 1 and 2 teams in the league, with a pretty decent effort. I think today proves an easier opponent.

There have been many others (too many), but I’m hoping that soon, we’l be able to view that press conference as the true low point.

LFG!!!!

 

 

[OverPowerYou]

16 minutes ago, sabremike said:

This is me whenever I see a game on the schedule 

 

 

[Stoner]

2 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

How many are secretly hoping the Sabres get destroyed 😂 

Not secretly. Openly. I pray for it and I never pray. It would be a means to an end, and Terry taught us the value of that. Hell, based off yesterday's presser, we are STILL accepting and justifying losing as a pre-req to future success.

Now I'm just like you, Ter.

 

[DarthEbriate]

A game at 10 AM? But I was going into the Freddy Station to pick up some power converters mozzarella to make a veggie lasagna.

[LTS]

3 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

How many are secretly hoping the Sabres get destroyed 😂 

Nah, I want them to win. I just don't expect them to win.

 

 

[Mango]

Honestly, my biggest hope this afternoon is that they pepper Lindy with questions about Adams comments about not being a destination, roster composition, hold his feet to the fire about his assistants, and comparisons between other orgs he worked with and the Sabres in terms of backend support. 
 

Not exactly fair to Ruff but it’s time to push the clown out of Buffalo. Let Lindy pick his own GM. 
 

Ruff has made Buffalo his home for longer than Adams has been alive. The destination comments have to really grind his gears 

[ska-T Palmtown]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

I’m going full IdemoBot.

String a few wins together and get back into the playoff race.

The last two games were against the current number 1 and 2 teams in the league, with a pretty decent effort. I think today proves an easier opponent.

There have been many others (too many), but I’m hoping that soon, we’l be able to view that press conference as the true low point.

LFG!!!!

 

 

I mean, two weeks ago the Pens were like "make us an offer for anyone - 'cept Sid" They are 5-4-1 in their last 10. Not lighting up the league by any means, but better than 4-4-2. What TF is your point? you are probably asking ... seaons. ebbs. flows. streaks. hot. cold. Current pace ... 79 points. After two wins - 85 point pace. The season is not young, but it is not old. I waited until my mid-30's to reach my true potential ... maybe the Sabres are waiting until game 35 to really bring it all together? Who knows. Points %-wise, we have 3 pretty mediocre teams to leap from for 8th ... No president's trophy for us, but 16th best team in the league? Possibly!

[Big Guava]

First time in Utah!

Toss these Mo's in the Great Salt Lake

[Kristian]

Newly moved team who are historically as bad as us comes to town, for afternoon matinee…. What could possibly go wrong?

[Stoner]

I can hear it now.

Sabres down by three looking to get one here and cut the lead to two!

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

All I see is buffalo losing 5-1 and showing Adams up in the box like Dr. I Evil from Austin Powers smirking. 

Instead of a bald cat, he has a tiny palm tree he's just stroking in his lap 

Funnier - How about Adams is sitting up high in the 300's, in a broken seat, with missing cup holder.