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

[LGR4GM]

The 12-21-2 Chicago Blackhawks, take on the equally bad 12-19-4 Buffalo Sabres in the Hagens/Misa/Martone/Schaefer Cup. 

Tune in, have fun and listen to a bunch of clichés if they win or lose. 

Edited 9 hours ago by LGR4GM

[SABRES 0311]

The battle of the greats. Can’t wait. 

[Pimlach]

Pretty rough to be among the bottom feeders in the NHL again.  

Even worse is managements solution is to do nothing.  

I was going to attend a few more home games, and a few road games.  Now I’ve decided not to.  I’ll watch on tv until spring.  

[Stoner]

I'm going to work on my Herman yeast starter and try and finish my 3D Shroud of Turin puzzle. It might also be time to address that patch of hair at the base of my back again.

[inkman]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

The 12-21-2 Chicago Blackhawks, take on the equally bad 12-19-4 Buffalo Sabres in the Hagens/Misa/Martone/Schaefer Cup. 

Tune in, have fun and listen to a bunch of clichés if they win or lose. 

The Sabres are going to play themselves out of a top 5 pick. 

[HOUSE]

Oh no, another last place team the Sabres should beat.

I am not betting 5 cents on the Sabres tonight. 

 

[Weave]

24 minutes ago, Stoner said:

I'm going to work on my Herman yeast starter and try and finish my 3D Shroud of Turin puzzle. It might also be time to address that patch of hair at the base of my back again.

[bob_sauve28]

https://fieldlevelmedia.com/news/sabres-riding-rare-momentum-into-battle-with-blackhawks/After ending a 13-game winless drought, the Buffalo Sabres will look to start stringing some victories together when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

Buffalo’s nightmarish 0-10-3 streak was snapped in emphatic fashion in Monday’s 7-1 win over the New York Islanders. All of the Sabres’ frustration over the previous four weeks seemed to be channeled into Monday’s rout, sending the team into the Christmas break on a high note.

“Great morale in the room right now heading into … a much-needed break for us,” forward Tage Thompson said. “Mentally, physically (we will) just now regroup … and reset for the second half of the season with a win under our belt and some good mojo.”

The 13-game slide dropped the Sabres almost to the bottom of the league standings. With 28 points, they are ahead of only the 26-point Blackhawks in the overall NHL table.

Chicago is on a two-game losing streak, including a 4-3 setback to the Minnesota Wild on Monday. The Blackhawks gave up a lead in each of the first two periods, then fell behind in the third frame in another late breakdown.

The Blackhawks have been outscored 49-32 in third periods, and they share the NHL lead for most goals conceded in third periods this season.

“I thought it was (a) little bit the same story,” Chicago interim coach Anders Sorensen said. “The biggest thing I think is when the game is on the line. … (We’ve) got to be willing to go and play offensively at the same time. I thought we got sat back a little bit too much there.”

As much as the Blackhawks have struggled in most facets of the game, killing penalties is a clear strength. Chicago’s 85.3 penalty-kill percentage is the fourth-best in the NHL, and opponents are just 1-for-37 on power plays in the Blackhawks’ last 13 games.

By contrast, the Sabres have scored on just 14.7 percent of their power plays, the fourth-lowest clip in the league. The power-play unit has shown some signs of life, however, by going 1-for-3 in each of the Sabres’ last two games.

Thompson leads Buffalo with 26 points (17 goals, nine assists). Forward JJ Peterka has seven points (two goals, five assists) over a five-game points streak.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was 0-7-2 with an .864 save percentage in nine games before stopping 27 of 28 shots against New York. He probably will start again for Buffalo on Friday now that he seemingly has broken out of his slump.

Chicago’s Petr Mrazek missed two weeks with a groin injury before facing the Calgary Flames on Dec. 21. Arvid Soderblom started against the Wild on Monday because the team is easing Mrazek back into action, but Mrazek probably is the more likely candidate to start after the three-day Christmas break.

Connor Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists). After something of a slow start to his second NHL season, Bedard has started to heat up, tallying four goals and seven assists over his last nine games.

Buffalo is 6-0-1 against the Blackhawks since the start of the 2021-22 season. The seven-game points streak includes the Sabres’ 4-2 win in Chicago on Oct. 19 in the first meeting this season.

–Field Level Media

[Stads]

25 minutes ago, inkman said:

The Sabres are going to play themselves out of a top 5 pick. 

They'll make a late season surge for 12th place in the conference

Edited 14 hours ago by Stads

[Pimlach]

55 minutes ago, Stoner said:

I'm going to work on my Herman yeast starter and try and finish my 3D Shroud of Turin puzzle. It might also be time to address that patch of hair at the base of my back again.

If only you can get on Jeopardy.  Ok lets play, and the categories are:  Bread Making, Famous Catholic Works of Art, Body hair, and Losing NHL Franchises .... 

[LGR4GM]

Lines: courtesy of Lance

Zucker-Thompson-Tuch
Peterka-Cozens-Quinn
Benson-Kulich-Krebs
Malenstyn-McLeod-Lafferty
NAK is the extra

Dahlin-Byram
Samuelsson-Power
Bryson-Clifton
Gilbert-Jokiharju

Edited 14 hours ago by LGR4GM

[Pimlach]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Lines: courtesy of Lance

Zucker-Thompson-Tuch
Peterka-Cozens-Quinn
Benson-Kulich-Krebs
Malenstyn-McLeod-Lafferty
NAK is the extra

Dahlin-Byram
Samuelsson-Power
Bryson-Clifton
Gilbert-Jokiharju

Joker will be moved at the deadline, if not sooner. 

[HumanSlinky39]

The resistible force vs. the moveable object. Should be a real slobber knocker.

Edited 13 hours ago by HumanSlinky39

[bob_sauve28]

 

[SwampD]

[Dreams Burn Down]

I hope that we suck less tonight.

[LGR4GM]

Mrazek v. Ukko Pekka Luukkonen 

[LGR4GM]

45 minutes ago, SwampD said:

 

 

[Archie Lee]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Lines: courtesy of Lance

Zucker-Thompson-Tuch
Peterka-Cozens-Quinn
Benson-Kulich-Krebs
Malenstyn-McLeod-Lafferty
NAK is the extra

Dahlin-Byram
Samuelsson-Power
Bryson-Clifton
Gilbert-Jokiharju

We started the year with four forwards under 24 years-old in the top-6 and a fifth, Krebs, as the 13th forward. Benson is now on line 3 and Krebs and Kulich have been promoted to line 3. So we now have six of our top-nine forwards under 24. Add in two under 24 D in our top-4 and that’s 9 of our most important 13 skaters who are under 24.

The Adams-plan is starting to come into focus. There will be no more talk of playoffs this year (why would there be?). The focus will shift back to how young we are and that we are building for long-term sustainable success. Trust the process. 

If we aren’t trying to win, nobody will be fired for losing. 

[LTS]

Yeah.. they need to just stop talking about playoffs before the seasons starts. It's two years in a row where they set the expectations, not the fans. The fans have wanted the playoffs for a lot longer.

Meh. I'll likely be watching.. because I'll be stuck at home having to keep an eye on a dog who had surgery recently. (all going well there).

 

[Carmel Corn]

Curse of the Cookie Cutter begins tonight….need a new successor to the curse of the gravy boat.

[Scottysabres]

Just got a call, apparently the wife and I are going to this game.

[bob_sauve28]

7 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

The 12-21-2 Chicago Blackhawks, take on the equally bad 12-19-4 Buffalo Sabres in the Hagens/Misa/Martone/Schaefer Cup. 

Tune in, have fun and listen to a bunch of clichés if they win or lose. 

Games is not on MSG, its on ESPN2 

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Games is not on MSG, its on ESPN2 

Fixed

[K-9]

"It's f*ckin hockey! You go til you can't go no more!" - Shoresey