Buffalo Sabres 23/24 Season Official Thread

[Alaska Darin]

4 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

Ugh.  One more goal and I might have to flip over to the Kelce spank-fest.

They haven't had much juice so far tonight.

[KD in CA]

8 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

They haven't had much juice so far tonight.

I missed most of the first period, and it seemed like they barely touched the puck for most of the second. Big goal at the end though..….let’s go!!

[snafu]

So many blocked shots by the Rangers!

Clean looks have been tough to come by.

 

[B-Man]

 

 

C'mon boys !

 

Comeback !

 

 

[snafu]

Woah.  Needed that OT winner!

Hate giving up that point to TB.

 

 

[bdutton]

3rd period was disgusting.  Just dumping the puck out of the defensive zone and not making any attempt to carry it forward.  FFS take the game to the other team... don't sit back and wait for them to score!

[Jabba The Hutt]

Does Levi start my Birthday game tomorrow?!?! SOMEBODY TELL COACH HE NEEDS TO!

[Taro T]

19 hours ago, Jabba The Hutt said:

Does Levi start my Birthday game tomorrow?!?! SOMEBODY TELL COACH HE NEEDS TO!

 

If that is the Calgary game, yes he does.  No changes to the lines nor pairings either.

[MothersMilk]

28 minutes ago, Taro T said:

 

If that is the Calgary game, yes he does.  No changes to the lines nor pairings either.

And he just let a softie in...

[Jabba The Hutt]

6 hours ago, MothersMilk said:

And he just let a softie in...

Had some easy goals scored on him also made some great saves.. Levi kept coming up to us and smiled when we screamed we love him. Same with Power and Krebs

Edited October 20, 2023 by Jabba The Hutt

[Taro T]

Apparently both Levi and Benson are dtd w/ lower body injuries.  No idea what the issue is with either.

[Chandemonium]

Two solid periods so far tonight. 

[KD in CA]

23 minutes ago, Chandemonium said:

Two solid periods so far tonight. 

They are buzzing all over in the offensive end.  Fun to watch.

[Jabba The Hutt]

9 hours ago, Taro T said:

Apparently both Levi and Benson are dtd w/ lower body injuries.  No idea what the issue is with either.

Benson probably got injured on that nasty cross check that turned the puck over and led to an immediate goal on the rush

[ComradeKayAdams]

Eek! So quiet around here…

 

So the Sabres badly need a win tonight in Ottawa to restore fan confidence and to get started on a points-per-game playoff pace. Six games into the season, it already looks like Ottawa and Detroit may have leapfrogged us in their rebuilding efforts. Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Florida look too far ahead of us. Even Montreal beat us last night…

 

Look for Thompson and Tuch to finally wake up tonight and start producing offense. UPL will need to justify his presence as a third goalie on the 23-man roster, while Okposo and Olofsson need to show that they deserve to still play in the NHL. Coach Granato also needs to move beyond sports platitudes and get these players properly motivated. It shouldn’t take an organization newcomer like Erik Johnson to politely call out this team for their various defensive dysfunctions.

 

Oh yeah, and people among the outside hockey world need to shut their collective mouths about Buffalo’s early attendance woes. I can’t stand this nonsense! No one outside Canada or Minnesota (I’m also cool with Colorado) has the right to question the hockey passion in upstate NY. Let’s see where Boston and Detroit fans are after a 12-year playoff drought! The Rangers, Islanders, Devils, and Blackhawks play in markets many times larger and with way more disposable income than do the Sabres. I don’t even want to hear from fanbases who don’t see large bodies of water frozen during the winter. You even ice skate, bro?! Ugh.

 

Let’s think positive thoughts. “No pain, no gain” is what they say. We have endured our fair share of suffering over the past 12 seasons (well…16 if you factor in playoff series wins…or 52 if you factor in Stanley Cups). What is the legacy of bad hockey seasons? High first round draft picks! Here’s a list of all the amazing hockey talent we’ve accumulated just from those 12 first round picks…the rewards for putting up with half a generation’s worth of terrible hockey:

 

G Devon Levi (2014 first round, via the Reinhart trade)

LD Owen Power (2021 first round)

LD Ryan Johnson (2012 first round, via the Grigorenko trade)

RD Rasmus Dahlin (2018 first round)

RD Henri Jokiharju (2016 first round, via the Nylander trade)

C Tage Thompson (2012 first round, via the Grigorenko trade)

C Dylan Cozens (2019 first round)

C Casey Mittelstadt (2017 first round)

C Peyton Krebs (2015 first round, via the Eichel trade)

C Noah Ostlund (2015 first round, via the Eichel trade)

LW Zach Benson (2023 first round)

LW Jiri Kulich (2014 first round, via the Reinhart trade)

LW Jordan Greenway (2015 first round, via the Eichel trade)

LW Anton Wahlberg (2013 first round, via the Ristolainen trade)

RW Alex Tuch (2015 first round, via the Eichel trade)

RW Jack Quinn (2020 first round)

RW Matthew Savoie (2022 first round)

RW Isak Rosen (2013 first round, via the Ristolainen trade)

 

This is practically an entire active roster of high-end hockey talent between the ages of 18 and 27!

[B-Man]

3 hours ago, ComradeKayAdams said:

Eek! So quiet around here…

 

So the Sabres badly need a win tonight in Ottawa to restore fan confidence and to get started on a points-per-game playoff pace. Six games into the season, it already looks like Ottawa and Detroit may have leapfrogged us in their rebuilding efforts. Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Florida look too far ahead of us. Even Montreal beat us last night…

 

Look for Thompson and Tuch to finally wake up tonight and start producing offense. UPL will need to justify his presence as a third goalie on the 23-man roster, while Okposo and Olofsson need to show that they deserve to still play in the NHL. Coach Granato also needs to move beyond sports platitudes and get these players properly motivated. It shouldn’t take an organization newcomer like Erik Johnson to politely call out this team for their various defensive dysfunctions.

 

Oh yeah, and people among the outside hockey world need to shut their collective mouths about Buffalo’s early attendance woes. I can’t stand this nonsense! No one outside Canada or Minnesota (I’m also cool with Colorado) has the right to question the hockey passion in upstate NY. Let’s see where Boston and Detroit fans are after a 12-year playoff drought! The Rangers, Islanders, Devils, and Blackhawks play in markets many times larger and with way more disposable income than do the Sabres. I don’t even want to hear from fanbases who don’t see large bodies of water frozen during the winter. You even ice skate, bro?! Ugh.

 

Let’s think positive thoughts. “No pain, no gain” is what they say. We have endured our fair share of suffering over the past 12 seasons (well…16 if you factor in playoff series wins…or 52 if you factor in Stanley Cups). What is the legacy of bad hockey seasons? High first round draft picks! Here’s a list of all the amazing hockey talent we’ve accumulated just from those 12 first round picks…the rewards for putting up with half a generation’s worth of terrible hockey:

 

 

 

 

 

Well so far Kay, you have been clairvoyant.

 

5 - 1 good guys after  2 periods.

 

 

[Chandemonium]

9 hours ago, B-Man said:

 

 

Well so far Kay, you have been clairvoyant.

 

5 - 1 good guys after  2 periods.

 

 

Had a bit of a scare at the end there.

[bdutton]

UPL with the shut-out!

[KD in CA]

Just caught the last few minutes tonight;  any win against the Flyers is a great win.

[snafu]

17 hours ago, KD in CA said:

Just caught the last few minutes tonight;  any win against the Flyers is a great win.

 

I really think the Sabres stole those two points last night. Then again, I think Montreal stole two points from the Sabres a few games back, so things average out.  They looked like they couldn't put together three passes in a row.  Philly clogged up the middle of the rink and wouldn't let the puck past mid-ice.  Luukonen played well.  I'd like to see a better effort and another win tomorrow night.  Can't beat Philly enough!