GDT: Blackhawks @ Sabres, Dec 27, 2024 - 7:00PM, ESPN2 📺, WGR550 📻 🎙

[Big Guava]

51 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Dump lafferty then, but besides being a goon I don't know what he can bring.

I mean he seemed to bring enough to win Stanley Cups 3 consecutive seasons with 2 different teams(Blues and then Lightning twice), but what do they know?

Edited December 28, 2024 by Big Guava

[Indabuff]

I would love to see nothing more than (well a cup) Lindy turn this sorry team/franchise around.  

[LGR4GM]

Remember,  Zach Benson could be at the WJC right now because he's still eligible. He's just warming up. 

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Tuch with a Hattie. 

And the hats rain down

[ExWNYer]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

And the hats rain down

The arena needs more nights like that for the home team.

[mjd1001]

28 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

I have no doubt they are winning 8 more in a row. Playoffs, here we come!

If they DID win the next 8 in a row, that would give them 46 points in 44 games.  .522 point percentage.  8th place (last playoff spot) in the east is currently at .559. So, they would likely still be 3-4 points out of 8th even with 8 more in a row after tonight.

[Flashsabre]

16 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Remember,  Zach Benson could be at the WJC right now because he's still eligible. He's just warming up. 

They could have used him tonight😳

[LabattBlue]

 2 in a row?  Bizarro world?

[LGR4GM]

21 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

They could have used him tonight😳

Lol.  They certainly could have used OHL goal scoring leader Michael Misa. 

But... they left him home. 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, ... said:

 

It helps to play trash teams. 

Not to be negative after a win but this team still shows signs of not being in sync. It didn't hurt them much tonight because Chicago isn't going to make you pay.

Did anyone catch that moment in the 3rd where the puck is floating to the blue line and Dahlin was going to play it but laid off thinking the other Sabre (name escapes me) was going to take it. Trouble was the other guy thought Dahlin was going to play it, and the Chicago guy takes it, and it could have been trouble if that guy was going full speed. That's the stupid stuff they still do. They aren't on the same page with their linemates.

 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Doohicksie said:

Ultimately I think Benson will be captain of this team.  As a second year guy he already brings it.

If everyone on this team played with the energy and intensity Benson does, we'd be dangerous.

[thewookie1]

On the whole Tuch captaincy thing; Tuch is the team's heart while Dahlin is the brain.

The 13 game losing streak had plenty of effort but far too much stupidity.

When Tuch is out they look listless more often than not.

Ironically they are very akin to our old Co-captain set up with Drury and Briere

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, ska-T Palmtown said:

 😄I got to see the 5-min NHL.com package ... and I gotta say - I resented the ESPN guys for the "uh-oh here we go again" tone they took after the Hawks made it 4-2. Glad Tuchy shut them up. Hard. Fight, boys! Fight!

Not gonna lie, thought entered my mind too. They hadn't scored on the replacement goalie yet. That goal #5 was a major flub by the Hawks goalie.

[Derrico]

That was easily the most fun I’ve had at a Sabres game all season. 

[repster]

Quick question.  Bar Bill North or Bar Bill East Aurora for wings?

Any difference?  Going to try one of them for the first time tomorrow.

Nice win tonight.

[Indabuff]

2 minutes ago, repster said:

Quick question.  Bar Bill North or Bar Bill East Aurora for wings?

Any difference?  Going to try one of them for the first time tomorrow.

Nice win tonight.

My understanding is Bar Bill in E. Aurora is still the go to.     

[HumanSlinky39]

39 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

It helps to play trash teams. 

Not to be negative after a win but this team still shows signs of not being in sync. It didn't hurt them much tonight because Chicago isn't going to make you pay.

Did anyone catch that moment in the 3rd where the puck is floating to the blue line and Dahlin was going to play it but laid off thinking the other Sabre (name escapes me) was going to take it. Trouble was the other guy thought Dahlin was going to play it, and the Chicago guy takes it, and it could have been trouble if that guy was going full speed. That's the stupid stuff they still do. They aren't on the same page with their linemates.

 

If we're thinking of the same play, I think it was Tage. I blurted "oh *****."

[SabresVet]

59 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

It helps to play trash teams. 

Not to be negative after a win but this team still shows signs of not being in sync. It didn't hurt them much tonight because Chicago isn't going to make you pay.

Yeah.  NYI and CHI aren't an indicator they've suddenly upped their game.   

Because I still saw a team which struggles to maintain puck possession and has too many defensive lapses.  Still miles to go.  

[mjd1001]

4 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

These announcers are wacked! Palm trees? Lol, 

Well, the ECHL affiliate of the Sabres actually has palm trees on the jerseys they wore tonight...

 

[LTS]

5 hours ago, Bangarang said:

Samuelson went to the Tuch school of ***** accuracy 

I love wading through a GDT after the fact. This is true... but then if you look at the results tonight you might be inclined to think it's not true.

5 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

These announcers are wacked! Palm trees? Lol, 

Hah. it was a great comment. Bucci actually loves Buffalo and Callahan is from Rochester and lives there at present. He's the Sabres personal analyst for ESPN games.

5 hours ago, Night Train said:

Bucci is 1000 times better calling the game than Dan D. 

Yes. But Bucci is not as good as Gord Miller which is painfully obvious when switching between the Sabres and the Canada/Latvia game tonight.

4 hours ago, eman said:

Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! This is the Hawks! Read some of the posts here tonight. Sure its nice to get a win but look where this team stands. Yes, there are posters on here who believe this club (after tonight's victory, should they hold on) can get right back into the thick of contending for a playoff spot. 

They COULD do it. It's a possibility, not a probability. That said, what's the point in crapping on everyone's parade? Let people be happy during the game. The team played well and they won. That's the point of every game. Dissect it after the fact sure. I didn't read the GDT as people thinking the Sabres were suddenly the best team in the NHL. I did however see a lot of people who thought the Sabres would collapse in this game be pleasantly surprised that they were not collapsing and indeed were beating a team they should beat.

3 hours ago, JP51 said:

Quite honestly I was thinking Tuch would get the C. I understand why Dahlin has it but Tuch seems the more obvious leader maybe Dahlin grows into it i think he tries I think Tuch is more natural

Tuch the enigma. He has a game like tonight and people love him. However, you could look at his game tonight and find a lot mistakes, including the penalty he took just before he scored the last two goals. He tends to pass to no one. He and Thompson do not appear to be on the same page. He doesn't (usually) hit people with his 6'4 frame. He often misses the net with his shots.

Then.. he has a game like tonight.

Dahlin is still prone to some boneheaded mistakes too as we saw very early in the game. Tuch and Dahlin are very different people. So I think what people expect from leadership might be influenced by what kind of leader would appeal more to them. What none of us see is the day to day, locker room level stuff.

---------

Bottom line tonight: They won. They did not collapse even though it looked dicey at certain points. I think we saw some of what a confident Sabres team can do and while it was against Chicago I think it still translates. This team needs to believe in itself first and foremost.

On to the next game.

[spndnchz]

I got a kick out of him saying the fans. Are great. “Bills play Saturday”

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, repster said:

Quick question.  Bar Bill North or Bar Bill East Aurora for wings?

Any difference?  Going to try one of them for the first time tomorrow.

Nice win tonight.

I'd go to whichever is closer. I've been to both in the last 6 months and didn't notice a difference. They worked pretty hard to make their wings the same. 

Personally, if you want to do other things like drink or hangout, east aurora. If you just want wings, I think North has a better setup. 

They get busy though. Be prepared to wait 30 mins or more if you get there at a peak time. 

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

On the whole Tuch captaincy thing; Tuch is the team's heart while Dahlin is the brain.

The 13 game losing streak had plenty of effort but far too much stupidity.

When Tuch is out they look listless more often than not.

Ironically they are very akin to our old Co-captain set up with Drury and Briere

Did you see what happened when Dahlin went out? Team played some of its worst hockey of the year. Where was Tuch?

I really like Alex Tuch, I bet ppl think I don't. 

[FrenchConnection44]

9 hours ago, eman said:

Hopefully he gets some real hockey people in to run the club. That would certainly get my respect that he's looking to right the ship. I actually believe Kevyn's hands are tied now with the no movement clauses for a lot of vets. Very hard to get what your club needs when you have the pieces to deal but you can't get the return. 

Agreed. Feels like an NHL problem. The NHL will struggle in allowing bad teams to improve with that kind of restriction. They might need to limit those in their CBA (maybe let a player pick 3-5 places he won’t go to). 

[Wyldnwoody44]

I had the game on at work in the background. And yay, they won. 

For a minute there it looked like the lowly hawks turned it on and we legit couldn't handle them, until we got the 5th, then they packed it in. 

I'm happy for 2 wins, but against better competition, we get smoked. 

This team, is still a failure, GM still failed us. Talk to me again if we go on a 13 game winning streak to save our season, until then, sabres are built to fail in crunch time, only start playing when it's off the table and are led by the worst GM in the NHL.