GDT: Buffalo Sabres @ les Canadiens de Montréal 12/17/24 - 7:00 PM EST - TSN2, RDS, MSG-B, WGR550

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Tonight's Battle on Ice:

Buffalo Sabres Face Off Against les Canadiens de Montréal

 

Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST (or whenever the Sabres decide to stop curling into a fetal position on the ice).

Watch Live: On TSN2 or RDS for the Canadiens' faithful, hoping to see their team not accidentally score on themselves, or MSG Buffalo for Sabres fans who might be tuning in just to see how many new ways their team can lose. Streaming available on ESPN+, RDS, TSN+ - perfect for fans who enjoy watching their hopes slowly drain away in HD.

Where: Bell Centre in Montreal, where the Canadiens host the Sabres in what might be less of a hockey game and more of a comedy of errors.

Current Standings: Canadiens 11-16-3, Sabres 11-16-4 – a matchup to see who can make their fans question their life choices faster. The Sabres are on a 10-game losing streak that's so bad, they might need to start issuing refunds for therapy sessions. The Canadiens, not ones to be outdone in mediocrity, are just trying to keep their heads above water in this sea of despair.

 

After a promising start, the Sabres have turned into a team so directionless they might need GPS to find their own net. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are no strangers to struggle, but tonight they're the slightly less lost ship in this stormy sea of hockey ineptitude. Owner Terry Pegula's recent pep talk to his plummeting Sabres was essentially, "Keep doing what you're doing... but better?"

Tonight's game promises to be a defensive clinic... if by "clinic" you mean a place where you go to get your hockey heart broken. Both teams are sporting young defenses that might be better suited for a game of pinball with their penchant for giving up chances. And with goaltending that's about as reliable as a chocolate teapot, expect plenty of goals - most of which will probably be scored into their own nets out of sheer confusion.

The Sabres' power play is so ineffective, it's likely they'll score more goals by accident than by design. Meanwhile, the Canadiens' penalty kill has been about as successful as trying to stop a tsunami with a sponge.

So, grab your popcorn and settle in for what could be a historic night - not for hockey prowess, but for how many new ways a team can lose.

 

Edited December 17 by ...
Le hockey américain, c'est comme une baguette sans croûte, ça manque de punch.

[Weave]

4 minutes ago, ... said:

Tonight's Battle on Ice:

Buffalo Sabres Face Off Against the Montréal Canadiens

 

WORKING ON IT

Nah, this is good.

[Pimlach]

So Santa came to visit the team and said he believes in them, but he has no new toys for them.  There will be nothing under the tree, but he believes in them.    The elves were just too busy with football matters I guess?  

No practice needed, they could just hang out all day instead.  Go check out the city and have a little fun.  
 

Predicting another soft game, a blown lead, and a new place in the Eastern Conference basement.  

Edited December 17 by Pimlach

[bunomatic]

The Habs suk but don’t kid yourself if the Sabres can screw up they will. A little pressure applied at the right moment and the cookie will crumble. Its who they are. We’ve seen this version of the team in different forms over a decade of craptastic development with little to no growth from the team in the process. We are run by morons so getting moronic results shouldn’t surprise. Throw in the towel. Terrys speech is just window dressing. That being said

Go Sabres !😵‍💫

Edited December 17 by bunomatic

[HumanSlinky39]

Terry's vote of confidence was surely the one thing they've been lacking and will spur them on to an easy 7-1 win!

 

 

 

 

 

** Kidding, they're gonna get boat raced. **

[Mustache of God]

BATTLE FOR THE BASEMENT. TWO TEAMS ENTER ONE STAYS DOWNSTAIRS.

[JohnC]

6 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

So Santa came to visit the team and said he believes in them, but he has no new toys for them.  There will be nothing under the tree, but he believes in them.    The elves were just too busy with football matters I guess?  

No practice needed, they could just hang out all day instead.  Go check out the city and have a little fun.  
 

Predicting another soft game, a blown lead, and a new place in the Eastern Conference basement.  

Maybe just giving the players more down time will help the players get their minds off this losing streak. Players, especially Cozens, are too tensed up and tight. They seem to be worrying too much about making mistakes and waiting for the inevitable tide to turn against them. This is a fragile team that can't handle adversity. The players need to just play the game with less anxiety. 

There are many who would rather see the coach have some rugged practices as punishment for their less than stellar play. What would that prove and do at this point? Having the team enter the game with heavy legs so that they will skate as if they were stuck in cement won't help the cause. I have no problem with the staff giving this mentally weak and anxiety wrecked team a little off time to refresh. 

I predict the Sabres will win tonight. As a note of caution, I have been wrong on six consecutive times during my prediction slump. For the bettors out there, bet the opposite and your pockets will be bulging with cash. Do you hear me @Wyldnwoody44?

[DarthEbriate]

58 minutes ago, ... said:

This looks right. It's easy to give up 3 goals in 3 minutes when you've got all those pucks in play.

[North Buffalo]

only 4 point out of last place... do Sabres break 50 points this year?

[mjd1001]

30 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Maybe just giving the players more down time will help the players get their minds off this losing streak. Players, especially Cozens, are too tensed up and tight. They seem to be worrying too much about making mistakes and waiting for the inevitable tide to turn against them. This is a fragile team that can't handle adversity. The players need to just play the game with less anxiety. 

There are many who would rather see the coach have some rugged practices as punishment for their less than stellar play. What would that prove and do at this point? Having the team enter the game with heavy legs so that they will skate as if they were stuck in cement won't help the cause. I have no problem with the staff giving this mentally weak and anxiety wrecked team a little off time to refresh. 

I predict the Sabres will win tonight. As a note of caution, I have been wrong on six consecutive times during my prediction slump. For the bettors out there, bet the opposite and your pockets will be bulging with cash. Do you hear me @Wyldnwoody44?

Maybe

But with above bolded, I think the main issue with Cozen's game is he doesn't worry enough about making mistakes.  He seems to be all over the ice all the time. He has no regard for positioning of the other team, no regard for making the correct decision on whether to pass or shoot. He reacts.  

I'd LIKE him to start worrying about those things and I think if he started to 'overthink' it would be better than his 'all gas-no brakes, react without reading the ice' style of play.

[Pimlach]

18 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Maybe just giving the players more down time will help the players get their minds off this losing streak. Players, especially Cozens, are too tensed up and tight. They seem to be worrying too much about making mistakes and waiting for the inevitable tide to turn against them. This is a fragile team that can't handle adversity. The players need to just play the game with less anxiety. 

There are many who would rather see the coach have some rugged practices as punishment for their less than stellar play. What would that prove and do at this point? Having the team enter the game with heavy legs so that they will skate as if they were stuck in cement won't help the cause. I have no problem with the staff giving this mentally weak and anxiety wrecked team a little off time to refresh. 

I predict the Sabres will win tonight. As a note of caution, I have been wrong on six consecutive times during my prediction slump. For the bettors out there, bet the opposite and your pockets will be bulging with cash. Do you hear me @Wyldnwoody44?

Please recall that Lindy gave this team a day off last week, the day before the Ranger game, when they were home.   The result was dead legs for the first two periods, another one goal loss, and the crowd booing when they still had a chance with the extra attacker to tie the game.  This embarrassing moment was highlighted by the TNT crew.  

If Cozens is "too tense" they should bench him and play Kulich in his spot.  

Practice is not punishment.   Practice is what professional athletes do all the time.  The better ones like to practice and they get others to like it too.  

They need work.  Even a light practice, or special teams, something?  Here they are already in the Bell Center, they have ice reserved, they have equipment, the video shows they were obviously dressed for a practice.  Terry shows up with his words of encouragement and then they decide to skip practice.   I find this disturbing.  What messages are they sending?  

No practice - then skate them, no skate - then look at film.  Instead, lets go out into the town, hit a few titty bars and slug down some beers.  

How about they EARN the time off?  

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Please recall that Lindy gave this team a day off last week, the day before the Ranger game, when they were home.   The result was dead legs for the first two periods, another one goal loss, and the crowd booing when they still had a chance with the extra attacker to tie the game.  This embarrassing moment was highlighted by the TNT crew.  

If Cozens is "too tense" they should bench him and play Kulich in his spot.  

Practice is not punishment.   Practice is what professional athletes do all the time.  The better ones like to practice and they get others to like it too.  

They need work.  Even a light practice, or special teams, something?  Here they are already in the Bell Center, they have ice reserved, they have equipment, the video shows they were obviously dressed for a practice.  Terry shows up with his words of encouragement and then they decide to skip practice.   I find this disturbing.  What messages are they sending?  

No practice - then skate them, no skate - then look at film.  Instead, lets go out into the town, hit a few titty bars and slug down some beers.  

How about they EARN the time off?  

The coach is already limiting playing time during games and sitting players out because of poor play.

Maybe seeing and touching some robust titties can re-energize some players who are in a fog. Let's see if it works. 

[JohnC]

18 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Maybe

But with above bolded, I think the main issue with Cozen's game is he doesn't worry enough about making mistakes.  He seems to be all over the ice all the time. He has no regard for positioning of the other team, no regard for making the correct decision on whether to pass or shoot. He reacts.  

I'd LIKE him to start worrying about those things and I think if he started to 'overthink' it would be better than his 'all gas-no brakes, react without reading the ice' style of play.

I've said this before as have others, especially @LGR4GM  :Cozens is better suited to be a winger than a center. Reading plays is not his strong suit (as you noted). When he plays in the international tournaments at wing, he usually thrives. He's simply miscast. That's what happens when you traded away a potential 2C and don't have an option to fill the hole you created.  

[Ogelthorpe]

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, we want 11! 

[K-9]

The St. Louis Blues were dead last in league standings on January 2, 2019. They went on to win the cup months later.

Brace yourselves for the epic run we are about to take. 

[inkman]

27 minutes ago, Ogelthorpe said:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, we want 11! 

No. We don’t. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

Can i get a win please. That is all. We proved we can lose 10 in a row, how about we try doing that in the Win column!! 

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

[Doohicksie]

22 minutes ago, K-9 said:

St. Louis Blues... went on to win the cup

The exception that proves the rule.

[Palm Trees And Taxes]

Habs 5 Sabres 4. Sabres up 4-0 and lose in regulation.

[Doohicksie]

14 minutes ago, inkman said:

No. We don’t. 

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3.  Testing.  Can you see this, inky, or do you still have me on ignore?

Just now, Ruff Around The Edges said:

Habs 5 Sabres 4. Sabres up 4-0 and lose in regulation.

Eh.  It's been done before.

[HumanSlinky39]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Please recall that Lindy gave this team a day off last week, the day before the Ranger game, when they were home.   The result was dead legs for the first two periods, another one goal loss, and the crowd booing when they still had a chance with the extra attacker to tie the game.  This embarrassing moment was highlighted by the TNT crew.  

If Cozens is "too tense" they should bench him and play Kulich in his spot.  

Practice is not punishment.   Practice is what professional athletes do all the time.  The better ones like to practice and they get others to like it too.  

They need work.  Even a light practice, or special teams, something?  Here they are already in the Bell Center, they have ice reserved, they have equipment, the video shows they were obviously dressed for a practice.  Terry shows up with his words of encouragement and then they decide to skip practice.   I find this disturbing.  What messages are they sending?  

No practice - then skate them, no skate - then look at film.  Instead, lets go out into the town, hit a few titty bars and slug down some beers.  

How about they EARN the time off?  

All that told me was that this is not a serious hockey organization that actually cares about winning.

[Stads]

[LTS]

Ahhh the kid has a school concert tonight.. I won't be able to see the game.

[pi2000]

It's always darkest before the dawn.

Today is the day.

Mark this date in Sabres history as the day the franchise resurrected itself from the depths of hockey hell, and began it's march to Stanley Cup glory.