GDT: Lightning @ Sabres, April 5, 2025 - 7:00PM, MSG 📺, WGR550 📻 🎙

[SABRES 0311]

1 minute ago, Thorner said:

Reimer is a wall. I think we have our starter for next year 

I don’t about that. I like him for another year as a backup though. Ideally we get a late 20 something veteran with proven success as a starter.

[clink]

2 minutes ago, Sidc3000 said:

Just imagine if they pulled UPL earlier in the season. 

Biggest hope for the off-season 

Not sure how he can do it (more so, not sure IF he's capable of doing it) but GM Kevyn has to find a legit #1 

 

UPL isn't it IMO 

[Doohickie]

54 minutes ago, Believer said:

Pat’s Hot Dogs & Ted’s were across from each other at Sheridan & Parker when I was a kid. Great dogs.

When I was a kid, the best nearby dogs were Ja Fa Fa Hots on... Harlem and Wherle maybe?  I was a Cheekowaga boy.

[LGR4GM]

They signed upl to 5yrs... he's your starter. 

[Doohickie]

This is for Shoot Out Reimer

 

[Thorny]

This team is indisputably back 

 

[Pimlach]

Just now, GoPuckYourself said:

If our HC would have put reimer in when the team was struggling we could be in the playoff race for once which makes this even more incredibly frustrating.

If only.

Reimer wasn’t playing like this earlier in the season.  When the team first started struggling, right after thanksgiving, it was not only because of UPL.  I think UPL has PTSD from how bad they played, especially when Dahlin was hurt and out.  
 

How Adams handles goaltending for next season will make or break their chances.  His track record with goaltending is an F so far.   

 

[eman]

"OPTIMUS-REIM!". Just needed some consistent playing time was all. The guy was a good goalie in T.O.

[Flashsabre]

Optimus Reim keeps rolling

Quinn seems to be shaking off whatever that was he was going through.

JJ was a menace.

Liked Östlund on the PP

Bernard Docker is quietly effective

I feel like Benson’s Offence is going to explode one day soon. He does everything you want a forward to do.

 

[pastajoe]

The Sabres play great when there’s no pressure to win. They still have to figure it out when the games mean something.

[Pimlach]

8 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

When I was a kid, the best nearby dogs were Ja Fa Fa Hots on... Harlem and Wherle maybe?  I was a Cheekowaga boy.

I knew that place. Dated a Depew girl for a little while.  
 

[eman]

1 minute ago, pastajoe said:

The Sabres play great when there’s no pressure to win. They still have to figure it out when the games mean something.

And to have a decent November!

[North Buffalo]

2 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Optimus Reim keeps rolling

Quinn seems to be shaking off whatever that was he was going through.

JJ was a menace.

Liked Östlund on the PP

Bernard Docker is quietly effective

I feel like Benson’s Offence is going to explode one day soon. He does everything you want a forward to do.

 

Östlund needs better O guys setting up Mal and Laf with great passes is almost futile... still great passing.

[LGR4GM]

They need to break up the McLeod,  Peterka,  Quinn line. 

I'm honestly starting to wonder if moving on from Quinn this summer is worth the risk. 

[North Buffalo]

Just now, LGR4GM said:

They need to break up the McLeod,  Peterka,  Quinn line. 

I'm honestly starting to wonder if moving on from Quinn this summer is worth the risk. 

Not sure but gotta be the right price

[JohnC]

Some immediate thoughts on this game. Reimer gets the first star, a big star. What a qualitative difference when you get excellent goaltending. 

From an overall standpoint, I thought we outplayed Tampa. What was encouraging is not so much how an individual player stood out as to how collectively well and responsibly the Sabres played a two-way game. Another thing about this game is that the effort never lapsed. It was consistent throughout. 

Tage is our most offensive threat. He's adding more dimension to his offense by not simply shooting but taking the puck to the open area and releasing a shot. 

JJP made a number of high-end offensive moves that didn't translate into goals but resulted in good scoring chances. 

This may have been our best two-way game of the season. Tampa is a good team and we played as if we were the same strata of team. 

Both Quinn and Tuch are prime time players in the shootout. 

This was not an important game from a standings standpoint. However, it was an important game in that it showed what type of team it can be when it plays the right way and gets good goaltending. 

Overall, the Sabres played a hard and tough game. There was nothing soft and loose to their game tonight. 

I believe that we have won our last 6 out of 7 games. This is encouraging for me although I recognize for a lot of people it means little.  

[mjd1001]

Early look at the advanced stats for the forward lines:

 

Kulich-Benson-Thompson. Great: +8 differential on Corsi, +7 Fenwick, +7 shots (7 for, 0 allowed), +3 scoring chances, +2 high danger chances.

Malenstyne-Östlund-Lafferty:  Pretty good: +2 Corsi, +2 Fenwick, +2 shots, +2 scoring chances, even high danger chances.

Zucker-Krebs-Tuch. "OK": even Corsi, +2 Fenwick, +1 shots, -3 scoring chances, -1 high danger chances.

Peterka-McLeod-Quinn. Pretty bad: -7 Corsi, -5 Fenwick, -4 shots, -4 scoring chances, -5 high danger chances (zero high danger for, 5 against, that is bad)

 

On Defense, Bernard-Docker has his best analytical game of the season for Buffalo: +8 Corsi, +7 Fenwick, +6 shots, +2 scoring chances, -1 high danger chances.

 

[Thorny]

6 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Optimus Reim keeps rolling

Quinn seems to be shaking off whatever that was he was going through.

JJ was a menace.

Liked Östlund on the PP

Bernard Docker is quietly effective

I feel like Benson’s Offence is going to explode one day soon. He does everything you want a forward to do.

 

Adams will have a hard time finding anything to do this summer, tbh 

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

They need to break up the McLeod,  Peterka,  Quinn line. 

I'm honestly starting to wonder if moving on from Quinn this summer is worth the risk. 

They are forcing Adams to stay his hand 

There’s not much he can do imo 

[JohnC]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

They need to break up the McLeod,  Peterka,  Quinn line. 

I'm honestly starting to wonder if moving on from Quinn this summer is worth the risk. 

I know that a lot of people are negative toward Quinn. I'm not one of them. He's got good offensive talent, especially his shot. Although he didn't score a goal in regulation he showed that he's a threat in the o-zone. In my view it would be a mistake to get too impatient with his game. 

[pastajoe]

17 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

When I was a kid, the best nearby dogs were Ja Fa Fa Hots on... Harlem and Wherle maybe?  I was a Cheekowaga boy.

They were a chain. There was another one on Bailey Ave near Delivan Ave.

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, RangerDave said:

What do you think UPL is thinking with management playing Reimer as much as they have, knowing the season is over?  How will he respond next year, knowing that they didn't want to play him at all the last few weeks of the seaon (and with Reimer playing so well)?  That has to affect his psyche and his relationship with management, no?

Last time he was looked past for a "playoff race" was the year we fell 1 short and Levi stole the show. UPL did however come back gangbusters the following year.

[Night Train]

3 minutes ago, Thorner said:

Adams will have a hard time finding anything to do this summer, 

Reading GM For Dummies would be wise..

[K-9]

18 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

When I was a kid, the best nearby dogs were Ja Fa Fa Hots on... Harlem and Wherle maybe?  I was a Cheekowaga boy.

Harlem and Maryvale I believe. I was a north Buffalo boy, but it was worth the ride for some Ja Fa Fa Hots.

[mjd1001]

13 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

They need to break up the McLeod,  Peterka,  Quinn line. 

I'm honestly starting to wonder if moving on from Quinn this summer is worth the risk. 

They were the worst line analytically this game, as I posted above.

Postionally for the year, that line is AWFUL in only 90 minutes together as a line:

-Corsi -56 (61 for, 117 against)

-Fenwick -34 (50 for, 84 against)

-Shots -22 (30 for, 52 against)

-scoring chances -36 (26 for 62 against)  For only playing together for 90 minutes, this number is HISTORICALLY bad

-High danger chances -23 (7 for, 30 allowed), see above, this is beyond bad, this is monumentally bad.

 

Quinn is the factor there. Without Quinn, Peterk and Mcleod together have decent numbers. When you add Quinn to them, they numbers nose dive.

If Quinn isn't scoring, he's a problem.  His numbers playing with Cozens were near the bottom of the league in terms of chances allowed against when he was on the ice.  Now Cozens is gone and he's dragging down McLeod.  He really needs to work on his game outside of when puck is on his stick if he is going to stick around.

Edited April 6 by mjd1001

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I know that a lot of people are negative toward Quinn. I'm not one of them. He's got good offensive talent, especially his shot. Although he didn't score a goal in regulation he showed that he's a threat in the o-zone. In my view it would be a mistake to get too impatient with his game. 

THE most important trait we need the GM to be focusing on this summer is patience