GDT: Blue Jackets @ Sabres Feb 4, 2025 - 7:00PM, MSG 📺, WGR550 📻 🎙

[LGR4GM]

Sabres could have drafted both Mateychuk and Del Bel Belluz

[LGR4GM]

Good win, had fun at the game. Benson is a pest, he does a not of stick work and talks a ton of *****. Was fun to watch fun all night. 

Jack Quinn, I just... he's just too passive and honestly his speed isn't were it needs to be. 

McLeod was good tonight, lots of plays from him. Same with Kulich. Tuch stayed engaged all night. 

Power... I just, guy never wins a battle it seems. Cozens... kinda the same thing although he was solid tonight. 

Good for Reimer.

[GASabresIUFAN]

The Sabres dominate the 2nd period, but then in the 3rd period crawl into a ball again and hope to hang on.  Why?

In the 3rd period, CBJ had a 8-1 shot advantage, a  7-2 scoring chance advantage and 5-0 HD chance advantage.  That's not how to protect a lead.

Nice game by Tuch and Reimer.  Power stinks.  

[7+6=13]

11 hours ago, Big Guava said:

Placing a bet of $100 on them to lose today

Ouch

[PromoTheRobot]

5 hours ago, inkman said:

Let’s just fantasize they actually do what you are laying out.  This team gets smoked like a brisket at inkman’s house in the first round.  I guess we can all celebrate ending the drought but they’ll be gassed by then and their roster is exactly opposite of a playoff team.  A third of our players won’t even be able to finish the series as they’ll get physically abused right out of the playoffs. 

Seriously????? You're going to move the goal post? 13-year playoff drought and you're sad about losing in the first round???

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, CallawaySabres said:

It’s gonna be hilarious when Columbus ties it up with an empty netter

Better luck next time.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Doohicksie said:

The bane of the Sabres existence are tight checking, high pressure teams.  And yet here they are, winning games against tight checking, high pressure teams, partly with offensive creativity and partly with being hard to play against themselves.  It seemed like there were very few uncontested pucks either way tonight.  Wherever there was a puck, there was a player from each team striving to get it.  The Sabres played a fairly tenacious game.  I think if they get comfortable playing that style, the consistency will come.

As usual I was seeing a different game than the board.

This was one of the best efforts by the Sabres I've seen. The two goals by CBS were awesome plays but overall the Jackets got nothing going because the Sabres were in their crap all night. Effort level 100% all night. I love it. Get #5 Saturday.

[inkman]

16 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Seriously????? You're going to move the goal post? 13-year playoff drought and you're sad about losing in the first round???

I said I’d celebrate the end of the drouht.  Immediately followed by the realization this team still needs a lot of work.  

[PromoTheRobot]

I just did some mathin'

I took the remaining games and applied the team's current point % to predict their final point total:

WC#1 Tampa 95
WC#2 Detroit 91
Boston & Columbus 89
Islanders 88
Rangers 85
Montreal 84
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia 79

Sabres are at 49 with 58 available points remaining. 91 might be WC#2. They need 42 out of 58. .724 That's 21-8-0 from here on out.

 

Edited 2 hours ago by PromoTheRobot

[shrader]

4 down. 26 to go. 

[Broken Ankles]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Good win, had fun at the game. Benson is a pest, he does a not of stick work and talks a ton of *****. Was fun to watch fun all night. 

Jack Quinn, I just... he's just too passive and honestly his speed isn't were it needs to be. 

McLeod was good tonight, lots of plays from him. Same with Kulich. Tuch stayed engaged all night. 

Power... I just, guy never wins a battle it seems. Cozens... kinda the same thing although he was solid tonight. 

Good for Reimer.

Agree with all of it.  On Quinn, I saw him make a play I have not seen all season.  I think Buffalo was on the power play, loose puck in the O-zone  and Quinn put an open ice hit on a Blue Jacket player.  Now it lead to a contested 2-1 the other way and Reiner was true.  Had they scored it might have been perceived differently- like he should have been passive and abandoned the play to get back on D.  But he didn’t.  My initial thought was that he had to put something on tape for Ruff to see, showing aggression and not passivity, which is what we see all too often.  In my opinion, he is the biggest disappointment on this roster.  Even more so than Power.  

[mjd1001]

Who is the #1 center on this team at the moment?

Tonight's game:

Cozens 15:15 ice time

Kulich 17:31 ice time

McLeod:  22:19 ice time

It'll be interesting to see if this trend continues on Saturday.

3 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

Agree with all of it.  On Quinn, I saw him make a play I have not seen all season.  I think Buffalo was on the power play, loose puck in the O-zone  and Quinn put an open ice hit on a Blue Jacket player.  Now it lead to a contested 2-1 the other way and Reiner was true.  Had they scored it might have been perceived differently- like he should have been passive and abandoned the play to get back on D.  But he didn’t.  My initial thought was that he had to put something on tape for Ruff to see, showing aggression and not passivity, which is what we see all too often.  In my opinion, he is the biggest disappointment on this roster.  Even more so than Power.  

I still rank Cozens ahead of Quinn. (they were supposed to be part of a dangerous 2nd line, right?)

Biggest issues/reasons why this team is out of the playoffs?  Cozens #1, Quinn #2.  Everything/everyone else (Power included), way down the list.

[EM88]

Its a win.  If they do win their last game before the break, it will be interesting to see the mood around the team by the fans.

[mjd1001]

3 hours ago, Archie Lee said:

You have won me over (wore me out? 😀) on the Cozens is not a centre argument. Honest question though. In 2-3 seasons when the cap is $105-$113 million, could a 20-25 goal, 45-50 point, Cozens on the wing, work for $7.1 million?  It seems that 2-3 years from now, that won’t be out of line. He still could be a physical presence as a winger in a playoff lineup. 

I think Cozens CAN work at wing. I'd be very happy to see them try it. The issue is, they don't want to do it. Its been through 2 different coaches, several different assistants, they just keep putting him out there at center on this roster. Is the order coming from above? Adams? Pegula? I don't know

My guess is that Cozens, in the long run, is about a 10% shooter. He might have a year slightly above or slightly below that, but hes going to average close to 10%. He also shows an ability to go to slot to get shots off, to the tune of about 200 shots per year.  10% of 200 shots gives you 20 goals.

From what I see of his game, 2 things would turn Cozens from a negative player that hurts this team into, as you said, possibly a positive one.  Move him to wing (2nd or 3rd line, not first).  Get rid of his D-zone and neutral zone responsibilities in the center of the ice, and let him go deep into the corners or bang on the walls/chase pucks in the offensive zone. That is what he wants to do. He doesn't want to hang around the slot and play 'zone' defense in the D-zone so he just doesn't do it. Put him at a position where he doesn't have to.

2nd, take him off the Power play. I don't care if you don't think you have a more skilled option, all the stats, the regular stats, the advance stats, they all point to him not only being a non-factor producing on the powerplay, the the powerplay functions BETTER and is more productive when he isn't out there.

If the Sabres do move him and the acquiring team puts him at wing, I think he will succeed there. I'd like to see it done here, but they just won't do it.  As you know, I have said that I think the Sabres with Thompson/Kulich, Krebs, McLeod at center are not ideal for a contending team, but that makes them better than having Cozens out there at Center.

Edited 1 hour ago by mjd1001

[Broken Ankles]

7 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Who is the #1 center on this team at the moment?

Tonight's game:

Cozens 15:15 ice time

Kulich 17:31 ice time

McLeod:  22:19 ice time

It'll be interesting to see if this trend continues on Saturday.

Interesting lines this evening.  Ruff gave Krebs and Cozens equal time with Zucker and Tuch.   Playing 7 D-men throws a wrench in your lines but interesting nonetheless. And surprisingly the line was better with Cozens.  Broken clock?

When Tage is back, I’d like to see him go back to 1C with JJP and Tuch. McCleod given a shot at 2C (not just in minutes) - with Zuck and Kulich. Cozens with Benson and Quinn, and Krebs back on the 4th.