GDT: Rangers @ Sabres, Feb 22, 2025 - 5:30PM, MSG 📺, WGR550 📻 🎙

[Broken Ankles]

6 hours ago, Big Guava said:

Just crazy teams like the Canadiens and Bruins who have dreadful goals differentials of -26 and -28 are ahead of the Sabres and so are the Red Wings who are 11 points clear of us with a -12 differential.

 

The Sabres have a -8 and are dead last in the Eastern Conference...makes no sense. 

Makes some sense.  The lack of leadership and maturity has caused this team to lose many close games that could have (should have) been won.  Their goals for (179) is third in the Atlantic and is representative of the offensive talent on the teams.  But poor play by UPL and defensive breakdowns have allowed way too many goals against.  The observation on goal differential gives me hope that while their record shows DFL, maybe a new GM can tweak the roster and they can compete sooner than later. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Well, that was fun.

[Pimlach]

19 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Disagree. He played better last year. He has a allowed a LOT more garbage goals this year than last. To me that is 100% true.

The numbers show that.

Earlier in the year, some of us, including myself commented directly on it. When they were still in a playoff spot before the losing streak, I said in the GDT's over and over, those are goals I NEED upl to stop from going in. Much more than last year.

You may want to put none of the blame on UPL, that is up to you, but he HAS allowed more soft goals than last year and that, FOR SURE, has impacted the number of wins this team has.  I do not know how someone can watch his play, watch the replays of his goals, and not think he has let in more soft goals than last year. 

Its not all his fault. To me it is more the fault of the how the forward group helps out in their own zone, it is mostly on them, with the Defense pairings and UPL having some responsiblity to. But if he played the way he did last year, even behind the group in front of them, they would be better/higher in the standings.

I do not see a big increase in garbage goals allowed.   He has played slightly worse than last season for a few stretches, but overall he has been good.  The poor team play in front of him, and the 3rd period Alamo Ruff hockey, is a bigger factor towards his lower sv% and GAA.   

I am not saying UPL gets none of the blame for any loss, I’m saying he is not the problem.  He is not the reason they are out of the playoffs again.   

[mjd1001]

3 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I do not see a big increase in garbage goals allowed.   He has played slightly worse than last season for a few stretches, but overall he has been good.  The poor team play in front of him, and the 3rd period Alamo Ruff hockey, is a bigger factor towards his lower sv% and GAA.   

I am not saying UPL gets none of the blame for any loss, I’m saying he is not the problem.  He is not the reason they are out of the playoffs again.   

That is where we disagee I guess.  I don't do it anymore, but during the game day threads I would watch the replays of the goals and see if I could see where the breakdown was.  At least through the first month of this season, I found a lot more on UPL this year than last.  

Ultimately I do not disagree with you. I don't think he is THE problem. If he continued to play the way he is this year, but the other issues were improved, this team would likely be in the playoffs.  He is playing 'good enough'.  I would put the defensive play/support of the forwards in their own end as being multiple times more of an issue than UPL.  I was just saying if he played at a VERY high level like he did the 2nd half of last year (and some of us expected that to continue for some reason), the team would be in a better situation. Thats all.