UPL- Part of the Problem

[LGR4GM]

9 hours ago, Taro T said:

When has UPL ever played better when being pushed?  Last year he was so bad in the preseason that he entered the year a distant 3rd on the depth chart which is right where he's ended the previous season.  If not for injuries, he might never have gotten a chance.  He didn't take his game to the level that got him his recent contract until Levi had become an after thought.  And then at the end of the year when Levi was back in the mix again, his play fell off.  Not claiming it was causation, but there was definitely correlation.

And as alluded to above, in the season prior, after Levi was signed, UPL played his way into the 3rd goalie role.

When there's been legit competition for the starter's job, UPL has tended to spit the bit.  It's when the net is his and there is no competition for the role that he's played his best in past seasons.

This year he didn't really start to play well until after Levi had the really bad game (against the BJ's IIRC).  He played his best 2 games of the year right after that and continued to play well enough after that that with the sparse game schedule he never really had to miss a start until the crease was his.  And by then Levi was playing maybe 1 game every 2 weeks and was no competition.  UPL's worst early season game came against Moe-ray-all when Levi had finally gotten some regular usage again and then when Levi got sent down, UPL's game picked up again. 

UPL seemed to go into his slump not when he didn't have competition any longer, but when Dahlin was out for an extended period.

 

And Adams still gave him a freaking 5 year deal. 

[nucci]

they're all part of the problem

[Archie Lee]

10 hours ago, Taro T said:

When has UPL ever played better when being pushed?  Last year he was so bad in the preseason that he entered the year a distant 3rd on the depth chart which is right where he's ended the previous season.  If not for injuries, he might never have gotten a chance.  He didn't take his game to the level that got him his recent contract until Levi had become an after thought.  And then at the end of the year when Levi was back in the mix again, his play fell off.  Not claiming it was causation, but there was definitely correlation.

And as alluded to above, in the season prior, after Levi was signed, UPL played his way into the 3rd goalie role.

When there's been legit competition for the starter's job, UPL has tended to spit the bit.  It's when the net is his and there is no competition for the role that he's played his best in past seasons.

This year he didn't really start to play well until after Levi had the really bad game (against the BJ's IIRC).  He played his best 2 games of the year right after that and continued to play well enough after that that with the sparse game schedule he never really had to miss a start until the crease was his.  And by then Levi was playing maybe 1 game every 2 weeks and was no competition.  UPL's worst early season game came against Moe-ray-all when Levi had finally gotten some regular usage again and then when Levi got sent down, UPL's game picked up again. 

UPL seemed to go into his slump not when he didn't have competition any longer, but when Dahlin was out for an extended period.

 

My opinion is that your view of the pressure that a young goalie might, or might not, experience based on circumstance and personality, is faulty. The idea that the pressure comes off when the net is empty is flawed I think. But who knows what an individual player experiences. 

I recall, not from you, many “good riddance” posts when Ullmark left. 

UPL is tied with Ville Husso as the 20th highest paid goalie. 2-3 years from now I think his deal will be a bargain, whether for us or for the team we trade him to. His save % on the year is in the same zip code of Bobrovsky, Swayman, and Binnington. The Sabres are awful. Terribly managed. Too young. Poorly constructed. Below average coaching. UPL is not above criticism. But there is so much wrong with this organization before we get to UPL. 

[Pimlach]

UPL is the least of the problems with this roster.  His worst games have been same games when the five players in front of him get dominated.  

Watched Levi versus the Kraken on Monday and he did not look NHL ready.  Poor rebound control, net front traffic forces him deep into the crease leaving open spots to shoot at given small size.  

[Archie Lee]

18 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

UPL is the least of the problems with this roster.  His worst games have been same games when the five players in front of him get dominated.  

Watched Levi versus the Kraken on Monday and he did not look NHL ready.  Poor rebound control, net front traffic forces him deep into the crease leaving open spots to shoot at given small size.  

Agreed on Levi. I’m not out on him by any means. There is still some runway. I hope he goes back to Rochester and takes them on a long playoff run. In the off-season, hopefully a new GM gets a chance to objectively evaluate our goalie depth and make a determination on whether a vet needs to be brought in to challenge for one of the spots on the NHL roster. The environment in Buffalo has not been great for a goalie, let alone a young one.

Right now, the goalie from our recent past that Levi most closely resembles (to me), is Carter Hutton. His size forces him to be active. Being active can take him out of position. As you state, traffic pushes him deep, makes him small and susceptible to screens and deflections. I’m not sure he has the raw athleticism of a Saros, that will allow him to overcome this. I think he plays in the NHL. I don’t think he is the answer as a longterm #1. 

[PromoTheRobot]

On 1/18/2025 at 12:12 PM, JoeSchmoe said:

Among goalies that have played at least 25 games... Presumably all starting goalies, UPL is 19th out of 25 in goals saved above expected per 60. The team however is 15th in the league in goals for. 

I feel like he's played better when he's had a legit backup pushing him. 

This season is lost, but I feel like it needs to be made known that the net is anybody's next year.

 

Stats, shmats. The problem are the guys playing in front of UPL. They don't know how to defend their zone. Look at any replay of an opposing goal and some guy, if not multiple guys, get behind our defense and are all alone on our goalies. Sure they form a defensive box in front of the crease but they are just standing there watching other teams skate around them. It's hilarious.

The Sabres look EXACTLY like this in their end. 

 

 

Edited 17 hours ago by PromoTheRobot

[PromoTheRobot]

The reason they called up Levi was to have a different goalie get shelled for once.

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

The reason they called up Levi was to have a different goalie get shelled for once.

Or Levi could have made a save.

[mjd1001]

38 minutes ago, Stoner said:

Or Levi could have made a save.

Yep.

UPL has been worse than last year. The team in front of him is bad, but to me he clearly is not playing as well as last year and letting in more bad goals.

[JoeSchmoe]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Stats, shmats. The problem are the guys playing in front of UPL. They don't know how to defend their zone. Look at any replay of an opposing goal and some guy, if not multiple guys, get behind our defense and are all alone on our goalies. Sure they form a defensive box in front of the crease but they are just standing there watching other teams skate around them. It's hilarious.

The Sabres look EXACTLY like this in their end. 

 

 

If his guys stink in front of him he'll have a lot of expected goals and that will be reflected in the stats. 

Logan Thompson has saved 23.8 goals above expected. So when his D let's him down, he bailed the caps out almost 24 times (not exactly how the stat works but for illustrative purposes we can say this). UPL has let in all those goals, plus let in another one he should have had since he's a -1.1.

Right now UPL is 22 out of 28 in this stat (per 60min) for any goalie that's played 25 games or more. 

He's not the only problem, but as the thread title says... He's part of it.

Edited 14 hours ago by JoeSchmoe