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Buffalo's Attention to Detail a Must in Final Push to the Playoffs - Sabres Semantics · The Armchair GM's Sports Network

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to the Armchair GM Sports Network.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: Time to sharpen those swords. You're listening to Saber Semantics,
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  Speaker 2: a hard hitting interview and discussion show featuring players, alumni,
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  Speaker 2: media and all others who covered the NHL's Buffalo Sabers.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: With interesting stories from the past and current of analysis.
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  Speaker 2: This show is sure to provide an entertaining and unique
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  Speaker 2: perspective for both Sabers and hockey fans alike. Exclusively on
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  Speaker 2: the armchaired GM Sports Network.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: And welcome into another episode of Saber Semantics right here
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: on the Armchair GM Sports Network. Probably you're brought to
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  Speaker 1: buy Global Pet Foods, where pets are uninappily part of
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  Speaker 1: you those that are tuned in on the video version
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  Speaker 1: on YouTube. Make sure to hit like it, subscribe, smash
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  Speaker 1: that bell if you enjoy the video content here on
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  Speaker 1: the network. And thank you to our loyal on demand
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  Speaker 1: audio podcast platform listeners. Please give us some love whatever
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: one you chose to listen to us today. Brandick Uddo
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: and Austin brought of Elite prospects here with you to
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: discuss the Sabers' most recent stretch of games. Obviously with
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  Speaker 1: them being top of the Atlantic Division, we're going to
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  Speaker 1: talk a little bit about that their last ten, a
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  Speaker 1: little bit on the roster as well. In Part two,
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  Speaker 1: go over the fan poles. As always, you can give
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  Speaker 1: us a follow on Exit Saber Semantics. Stay up todate
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  Speaker 1: with all of our fan polls as well, and we'll
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  Speaker 1: touch on the Atlantic Division race for the one seed
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: and as well players away for the Sabers with the
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: well not a way but part of the NCAA Frozen
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  Speaker 1: four tournament that's going on right now as well. So
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  Speaker 1: with that said, Austin, I mean it's been you know,
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  Speaker 1: I know, the last two games, and we have a
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  Speaker 1: Twitter fan poll about that as well. Losing two straight
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  Speaker 1: in overtime is not ideal, especially when they had leads
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  Speaker 1: in both those contests. But where they are right now
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  Speaker 1: in the top of the Atlantic Division, I think it's
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  Speaker 1: like a ninety nine percent chance of making the playoffs.
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  Speaker 1: How do you sort of view what we've seen over
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  Speaker 1: the last little stretch and even what we saw in
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: the four game Western road trip.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's the same old thing that we've
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  Speaker 3: basically been seeing kind of since the Olympic break. I
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: mean the last even the Anaheim game, I mean that
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  Speaker 3: was really more of a special team's kind of debacle
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  Speaker 3: than it was anything else. But the Boston game obviously stunk.
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  Speaker 3: You know, both games. Getting a lead late and losing
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  Speaker 3: on overtime stinks. But it's pretty obvious if you watch
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  Speaker 3: this team all year, they're just not good in three
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: on three hockey, not good. And anything that's not five
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: on five penalty kill is an exception because they oddly
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: produce a lot of offense on the penalty kill. But
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  Speaker 3: I mean two game blip here, but it's it's just
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: the goaltending was gonna come back down to earth a
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: little bit, and I think it. You know, Lion had
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: a bit of an off game in Anaheim, Lucan, and
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  Speaker 3: I think it's fair to say I had a bit
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  Speaker 3: of an off game last night. You can't blame him, obviously,
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  Speaker 3: some stuff happened, but I think, you know, you can
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: you could say the way Lucanan and line had been
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: playing before the last two games, they make saves like
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: in those games, and they didn't make like Lion made
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  Speaker 3: some big saves in the Anaheim game, but some of
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  Speaker 3: those goals were bad Lucan and some made some big
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: saves in the Boston game. But like you'd like that
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  Speaker 3: overtime goal back. But yeah, I mean, all things considered,
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  Speaker 3: we knew, we knew, like mathematically you were going to
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  Speaker 3: lose back to back games. The fact that you were
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  Speaker 3: able to get the overtime for both. I know it
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  Speaker 3: stinks that you got a lead and blew the lead,
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  Speaker 3: but it's very similar to that four game you know,
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  Speaker 3: overtime loss streak that they had earlier in the year
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  Speaker 3: or where it's just you'd like to see them close
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  Speaker 3: this out in overtime, but this team has really not
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  Speaker 3: shown the ability to close things out in overtime. So,
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  Speaker 3: I mean, big game against Detroit tonight. You know, by
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  Speaker 3: the time this is released, it'll be tonight, so you
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  Speaker 3: can correct everything and put everyone in mind that he's
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  Speaker 3: with a nice showing there. But still a lot to
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  Speaker 3: be positive about, right, You're still you know, we've been
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  Speaker 3: first in the Atlantic for almost three weeks now, and
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  Speaker 3: I don't think anyone would have expected that. So a
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  Speaker 3: little bit of worries there, but nothing major to be concerned.
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  Speaker 1: About you want to touch anything on the playoff tickets
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  Speaker 1: being released, What did you think of the pricing and
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  Speaker 1: the I guess the marketing scheme that the Sabers put out.
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  Speaker 1: If you're cheap pricing if you buy season tickets.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, listen, I'm not a season ticket holder,
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  Speaker 3: but this is this is a franchise that should be
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  Speaker 3: rewarding their season ticket holders, and it feels like that's
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  Speaker 3: exactly what they did. I mean, I think I only
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  Speaker 3: saw a couple people, but I don't know if they
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  Speaker 3: even had the prices before fourhand, or maybe if they
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  Speaker 3: just kind of saw you're gonna be charged for every
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  Speaker 3: I don't know what, but I only saw a couple
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  Speaker 3: of people complain. For the most part, it was a
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  Speaker 3: positive message, and that's very good on the Sabers and
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  Speaker 3: very good for the season ticket all this because, let's
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  Speaker 3: be honest, you deserve to be rewarded and this is
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  Speaker 3: a good first step. Might suck for guys like you
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  Speaker 3: and me when we're gonna be on the secondary market
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  Speaker 3: and we're gonna be charged in arm and a leg,
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  Speaker 3: But hopefully that announcement for Party in the Plaza comes
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  Speaker 3: back soon, because I would be fine with going to
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  Speaker 3: that rather as much as I'd want to be in
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  Speaker 3: the building, I'd be fine with going to party in
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  Speaker 3: the plaza.
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  Speaker 1: And I guess it's just surreal that we're seeing the
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  Speaker 1: Sabers put out stuff about playoff tickets, right, I mean, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: then since we've even they've even been able to be
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  Speaker 1: in an opportunity where you can even post something like that.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, I my memory is very foggy, but that
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  Speaker 3: that year we got hot with Gernado and missed by one,
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  Speaker 3: I don't even know if there was I'm sure there
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  Speaker 3: was some mention of, hey, just in case the playoffs happen,
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  Speaker 3: But the fact that you know they're not clinched yet,
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  Speaker 3: but they're pretty much like there. It would take a
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  Speaker 3: monumental historic collapse to not get in. So the fact
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  Speaker 3: that this one actually feels legit and is legit is
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  Speaker 3: pretty crazy. I mean, fifteen years we're talking since, like
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  Speaker 3: it's been. I'm trying to think my whole memory of
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  Speaker 3: the drought is obviously fogging, going back to ten eleven,
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  Speaker 3: but like it's been, I don't think they got close,
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  Speaker 3: remotely close, except for that that Granado year and the
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  Speaker 3: fact that the playoffs. It's not like when the Bills
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  Speaker 3: would be seven and seven during the drought and they're like, hey,
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  Speaker 3: playoff tickets. And I don't think Bill's fans ever actually
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  Speaker 3: thought playoff tickets were gonna be a real thing during
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  Speaker 3: the drought. It's kind of what it feels like now.
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  Speaker 3: But the drought's over and it's it's like I said,
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  Speaker 3: I don't know, shock might not be the right word,
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  Speaker 3: but I was shocked that they hit a home run
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  Speaker 3: with the playoff ticket pricing.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean positive pr is what this team is
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  Speaker 1: needed for a long period of time, right.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, making Pete Welly's job a lot easier when you.
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  Speaker 1: Know we all know what that means. But I just
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: had a quick question where we really get going. What
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  Speaker 1: do you think Kevin Adams is thinking right now?
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  Speaker 3: I know if I was Kevin Adams, the easy thing
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  Speaker 3: is to say, I'd be sick to my stomach. But
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  Speaker 3: I know the people outside of Buffalo like to say, like, oh,
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  Speaker 3: Kevin Adams deserves credit for building this team, and of
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: course he does. Like Kevin Adams made some good moves.
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  Speaker 3: He acquired Josh Done, he acquired McLoud. He's the one
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  Speaker 3: that signed Wyon like he got did the Norris deal,
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  Speaker 3: which has looked good when he's been healthy, you know,
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  Speaker 3: like he's he's done some good things. That the problem
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  Speaker 3: with Adams wasn't that he did he made dumb trades.
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  Speaker 3: He never really did, you know, adding Byron in Greenway
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  Speaker 3: into that mix as well. But the problem with Adams
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  Speaker 3: was he never put the team over the top, and
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  Speaker 3: just his messaging with as the head of this team
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  Speaker 3: was just abysmal. And you know, it's easy, it is
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  Speaker 3: and cliche as it is. Sometimes it's just the right answer.
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  Speaker 3: Is the messaging with Yarmo since he took over has
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  Speaker 3: been so much more professional and so much more competent
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  Speaker 3: compared to what it was with Adams. And I don't
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  Speaker 3: know if it's just it he grew tired of it
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  Speaker 3: near the end, but you know, looking at the difference
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  Speaker 3: between Adams in the beginning and Adams at the end,
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  Speaker 3: it was a completely different person. And I don't know
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  Speaker 3: what happens if he's not fired, but there's no way
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  Speaker 3: that this team goes on this stretch of Kevin Adams
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  Speaker 3: is still the GM of this hockey.
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  Speaker 1: Team, even though he's not on the ice.
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  Speaker 3: It seems like it was.
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  Speaker 1: It was more of a mentality and an off ice
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  Speaker 1: just culture change.
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  Speaker 3: Not only a culture change, but just like, hey, we
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  Speaker 3: have a guy who's gonna command respect around the league
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  Speaker 3: and at the very very least command respect from the players,
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  Speaker 3: because I just don't think the players respected Adams at
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  Speaker 3: the end, Like how could they. The dude had been
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  Speaker 3: there for six years and sniff the playoffs one time,
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  Speaker 3: so he's got to feel some sense of accomplishment. Like
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: put like this, and I don't mean this, like even
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: in a facetious way. If I am a team, Adams
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  Speaker 3: did some good things. He built up the prospect pool
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  Speaker 3: and made some good moves. At the very least, this
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  Speaker 3: has probably earned Adams another shot at a job at
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  Speaker 3: some point, which I don't think anyone would believe that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Friedman threw his name around in the hat for
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: the Nashville job a few weeks ago.
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  Speaker 3: I think you have to like, he started out competent,
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  Speaker 3: and he started out being very well spoken to the
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: media and like inspired some things. But it just went
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  Speaker 3: downhill at the end, and he deserves blame for that.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: But you know, revisionist history or you know recency bias.
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: The team playing well does reflect well on him. We
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: as the Sabers fans, know it was he needed to
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: be fired and he was just a miserable prick at
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: the end. So it's the best of both worlds. We
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: got him fired, not we, but they got him fired
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: and the team is playing well. And then best case
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  Speaker 3: scenario for Adams is the team he built is playing
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: well after he's gone, so at least it kind of
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: shows he can do his job. So I mean, he's
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: got to be annoyed, But also how can he How
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: can he not take responsibility because he did build this team,
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: But how can he take responsibility because the team played
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: nowhere near this effective when he was in charge, even
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: this year while they were he was in charge, the
• 10:20
  Speaker 3: team was not good. So little of this, little of that.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, he got really defensive at the end too, and
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: that probably didn't help him any with some of those
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: quotes that he just gave ye to be able to
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: run with. So yeah, I mean, you know, double edged
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  Speaker 1: sword with Kevin Adams pun intended. But but yeah, obviously
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: teams played a lot better under your arm Keka line
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: and one of the best records in all the NHL,
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: since I think they do have the best record in
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: the NHL since early January, so still on on quite
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: the point streak here, and I think that they have
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: now led in like twenty eight straight games, which is
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: a wild from TNT last night. I think they needed
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: to come back in that game against Boston they did
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: take that lead. So obviously they've now led in twenty
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: eight straight games, which is something crazy that never thought
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: would happen here in Buffalo. But yeah, so with that,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: we'll move on here to our prospect updates sort of
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: brought to you by the Niagridentri Clinic creating natural smiles
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: in the Naga region for over twenty five years. Austin's
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: gonna give us a quick update on the Sabers prospects
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  Speaker 1: that are playing in the Frozen four NCAA tournament that
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: got underway yesterday. If you're watching this, so here's just
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: the quick bracket of what it looks like before the tournament.
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: There were some games earlier today, Austin, but I'll let
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: you have the floor with this and I'll try to
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: put the guys up on the screen that you're talking about.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so, at the time of this recording, Wisconsin and
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: Dartmouth played Wisconsin won that five to one. Michigan State.
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: Ukon kicked off the tournament Michigan State the number three
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: overall seed day one. Obviously, those two games we're the
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: only two games played today, but they also have a
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: lot of interest for Sabers fans. Is all the Sabers
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: prospects in the tournament aside from Adam Kleeber, we're in
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  Speaker 3: this game. Drake Richard, who has been you know, kind
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: of shot up everyone's prospect board last year for the
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: Sabers because he had an unreal year for Yukon. Took
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: a little bit of a step back in terms of production,
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: but still a really talented player. They lost two to one.
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: Richard had a point blank chance stopped by Trey Augustine
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: to tie the game up late. Really tough for him
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  Speaker 3: to end this season like that, but still had a
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: pretty solid year. You know, Maxim Stirback and Patrick Geary,
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  Speaker 3: two guys from Michigan State to the backbone defenders on
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: a loaded Michigan State team. Uh, they're advancing on and are,
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  Speaker 3: like I said, the number three seed in the tournament.
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  Speaker 3: So that would be a shock if their season ended
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  Speaker 3: anytime soon. Wisconsin Dartmouth Wisconsin just dominated that game. Luke
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: Osburn played, you know, in the World Juniors, and the
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: Zeleayn obviously pretty much been the third line center for
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: Wisconsin all year. They handled Dartmouth relatively easily. You know,
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: it was it was one to one early than to one,
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: and then they kind of just took over in the
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: third period there. And then tomorrow night Minnesota Duluth playing
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: Gavin McKenna and Penn State. Adam Klaber, one of the
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: best defensive defensemen in all of the NCAA. Minnesota Duluth
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: a really experienced team there, relying on Clayber to be
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: that shutdown guy. We'll see how they go against Penn State,
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: who at times looks like a dominant force and then
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: at times they've been really bad this year. So it'll
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: be very interesting to see you see how Klaber handles McKenna,
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: because I assume that will be the matchup because Clayber
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: is the top pair defenseman for Duluth. Zeemer and you know,
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: Gavin McCarthy were the two other notable ones. Obviously, bu
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: season ended early Minnesota they lost in the first round
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: of the Big Ten Tournament. Zeemer was an interesting one
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: because I think we all assume he's going back to Minnesota,
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: but they did fire their coach, so it'll be interesting
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: to see if that changes his mind on whether to
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: turn pro or not. McCarthy already signed his ATO for
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: Rochester and his entry level deal will kick in next year.
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: The Sabers announced that the other week already made his
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: AHL debut, so good to see that. Really not a
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: whole lot. Jake Richard's an interesting one because I do
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: think he would if he does turn pro. We should
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: find out relatively soon. I thought there was a good
• 14:18
  Speaker 3: chance he'd turned pro last year chose to go back
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: to Yukon. I would imagine after a bit of a
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: down year, he'd probably look to go pro rather than
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: try to return to school again, if he's even eligible anymore.
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: But he would be the guy that I'm looking forward to,
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: especially if you're a Rochester Americans fan. We know the
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: trade deadline was a little bit detrimental to them with
• 14:39
  Speaker 3: Easak Rose and going to Winnipeg. Noah Oceland is now
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: in It's been in Buffalo the whole year and things
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: like that, So Rochester's gonna need all the reinforces they
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: can get, so it'd be interesting to see if Rashard
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: joins them, But that's kind of the NCAA update the
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: other big prospects. Like I said, it'll be interesting. I
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: do think there's a chance that Clayver, Geary and Stirback
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: all could turn pro But that being said, all those
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: are all defensemen, and we do know, you know, while
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: Rochester does need help, the organization is loaded with d
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: at this point in time, so it'll be interesting to
• 15:12
  Speaker 3: see what what happens there. But if you're looking for Stirback,
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: I think is probably the one that most people will
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: be interested in because he is that right shot, smooth skating,
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: offensive style defenseman. I expect Michigan State to go on
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: a deep run here and challenge for, you know, a championship,
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: so don't I wouldn't expect that to happen anytime too,
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: But that's kind of the update to where we're at now.
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: And I strongly recommend if you can to watch the
• 15:31
  Speaker 3: Frozen Four because the NCAA Hockey tournament is always very
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: very high quality hockey and it's always a lot of fun.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Rashards specifically, you've got him up on the screen.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: A twenty twenty two draft pick. So is this the
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: last chance that he has to be drafted with the
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: rights I'd have to look signed, I mean with the
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: rights sixth round pick back in twenty twenty two. As
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: you said, playing at Yukon the last three years former
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: alma mater of Tate Thompson as well.
• 15:56
  Speaker 3: So yeah, he could return for his senior year. He's
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: only used up three years ago ability. But I would
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: imagine he would probably look to turn pro this year.
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: But who knows. You never know what these college kids
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: now with nil and things like that. But right he's
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: won to monitor over the next probably twenty four to
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: forty eight hours out of him out maybe a little
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: bit longer, but I don't we'll see. These kids obviously
• 16:17
  Speaker 3: have all the thing they could take their time. But
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: it would be cool to see a guy like Richard
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: sign sign up and help Rochester down the stretch here
• 16:24
  Speaker 3: if he could do that.
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: Great stuff there for Austin and the he's got his
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: pulse on the NCAA stuff I will mention from my
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: neck of the woods from what I kind of watch
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: on a day to day basis the Ohl stuff. Two
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: Sabers prospects to look for Sabers seventh round pick. Ryerson
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: Leanders is the one A or one B goaltender for
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: the top seed of Branford Bulldogs and the OHL as
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: well as David Benkowski their third round pick last season.
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: And if you want to, we did a prospect update
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: with Bed Keowski here on the channel. You can go
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: check that out on our on the Archer GM Sports
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: Network YouTube channel. He's on the third seeded Ottawa sixty seven,
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: so former alma mater of Jack Quinn. So two Sabers
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: prospects in the on two of the top three teams
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: as well, So a lot to look forward to as
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: far as the Sabers prospects going forward into too big,
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: notable tournaments and things like that. I guess, Austin, who's
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: the one prospect you're looking forward to watching the most
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: that's playing at the Frozen four?
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: Now that obviously it would have been Jake Richard because
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: I've grown very into him, But it's it's it's got
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: to be stir Back or Klaver. Stirback is probably the
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: most exciting, but I've watched Claver a couple of times
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: this year and he is no obviously not the most
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: exciting hockey When you're talking about a defensive defenseman. But
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: watching him, you know, with his size, his skating ability
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: and his ability to shut down and the fact that
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: he's going to up against Gavin McKenna in the first round.
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: He that is a game that I would It's on
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: tomorrow night at nine o'clock and I plan on watching
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: the entire game tomorrow night.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: So and he's a second round pick. So they got
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: they obviously got to have high hopes from I know Adams.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: I mean, I'm sure a lot of the the scouting
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: staff is still around from when he was drafted.
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: So as far as I know, all of them are.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: I know, you know, Forton and his assistant gms are
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: all still around two.
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: So yeah, other than me, and that's it.
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean just six foot six, right shot defense,
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: been two hundred and twenty five pounds, Like he's he's
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: fitting the he's like this. Not only is he that
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: scouting staffs player, but look at the additions that Yarmo
• 18:24
  Speaker 3: has made on the blue line. He seems like he
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: is right up Yarmo kakalin In Saley too.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: So as long as he can skape better than Luke Schen.
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: Well, yeah, I mean at this point. Yeah, well you
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: you can.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: We'll touch on that a little later when we get
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: to the third pair defensive defenseman on one of the
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: polls we have. But anything else you want to mention
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: about the prospect stuff.
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: No, I think you know, as crazy as it sounds,
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: people still enjoy the prospect stuff. But now that the
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: team's good, it's probably not the forefront of all of
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: our minds. I know it's not at the forefront of
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: my mind anymore. And I am a scout that says
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: a lot about how we're the Savers are.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: It's been fourteen years of a lot of deep scouting.
• 19:05
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Jake Richard's rights expire August fifteen to twenty twenty
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: seven according to punk Pedia. So there's he's still got
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: one more year of eligibility if he decides to go back.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: Okay, so they've got some leeway before being able to
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: sign him. Yep, Okay, awesome. Well, then let's move on
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: here to the Atlantic Division race and race for the
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: one seed. Austin at the time recording this again, there
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: are some games going on, but in generality the Sabers
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: top of the Atlantic, you know, tied with Carolina there,
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: even though Carolina has the game in hand, so you know,
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: we all know how important it is to get home
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: ice in the playoffs and for the Sabers to be
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: that one seed in the Atlantic but also have home
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: mice if they were to make the conference finals as
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: well over that team from the Metropolitan Division.
• 19:48
  Speaker 3: We're where do you?
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: I mean, obviously we want them to finish first, but
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: what are your realistic expectations of what we're going to
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: see here for their last ten games of the season.
• 19:57
  Speaker 3: Well, I mean, at realist is you need home ice
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: at least in the first round. So we're talking about
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: winning the division or the second seed. The reason that
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: I say the division should still be the expectation. Right
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: ten games left, Tampa has twelve, you have a three
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: point lead, and you play them once. So like the
• 20:16
  Speaker 3: division is still very very very much in play and
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: should be at the fourfront of everyone's mind. It's at
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: the forefront of my mind. But I think at bare minimum,
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: you need that two seed and you need to secure
• 20:25
  Speaker 3: home ice for the first round. You have a Again,
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: Montreal has two games in a hand on you as well.
• 20:30
  Speaker 3: At the time of this recording, they're playing, so it'll
• 20:35
  Speaker 3: be down to one, but then we play tomorrow night,
• 20:37
  Speaker 3: so it'll be back up to two. But I think
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: that should be the expectation. One seed in the entire
• 20:45
  Speaker 3: East is obviously important, less important to me obviously, but
• 20:48
  Speaker 3: if you found a way to win the East, win
• 20:51
  Speaker 3: the regular season Eastern Conference, and get home mise advantage
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: all throughout the playoffs, that would be a huge accomplishment.
• 20:58
  Speaker 3: But at this point, it's just one day at a time,
• 21:02
  Speaker 3: right clinch the playoffs, then go for the division, then
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: maybe trying to get the one seed. It's just in
• 21:06
  Speaker 3: a weird spot where I'm I'm still not at a
• 21:15
  Speaker 3: point where I've allowed my brain to be like, no,
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: the division is absolutely one the expectation. I think depending
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: on how this weekend goes, I can get there. If
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: they find a way to get four out of four
• 21:25
  Speaker 3: and we're sitting at one hundred points so eight games left,
• 21:27
  Speaker 3: I'll probably be in the spot where the division should
• 21:30
  Speaker 3: be the goal, and not not only the goal of
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: the division's the goal. Right now, the division should be
• 21:34
  Speaker 3: the expectation. But right now I'm at a there's no
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: way you can let Montreal or Boston catch you. For
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: in Tampa, for that matter, for two in the East,
• 21:42
  Speaker 3: like or two in the conference. You need home ice
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: in the first round, opening up game, one first playoff
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: game in fifteen years, being at home, I think we'll
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: do wonders for this team and anything. You know, if
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: you're sitting here third in the East come playoff time,
• 21:57
  Speaker 3: that means we sputter down the stretch and probably aren't
• 21:59
  Speaker 3: feeling too great going in the playoffs.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: And also because of the way the format is right like,
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: there's always going to be a really good team within
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: the division. We look at what's going on in the
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: Central right now between Dallas, Minnesota, and Colorado. One of
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: those teams, unfortunately, with the way that the playoff structure is,
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: is going to be out in the first round. And
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: to me, I think those are three of the top
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: four teams in all the Western Conference, let alone within
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: their own division. So just like you said, making sure
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: you get that two seed to have whole mice advantage
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: over a good third team within your division, especially if
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: you're looking at it from the Atlantic Division perspective. Other
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: than Carolina, the top five teams in the East are
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: all from the Atlantic.
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: So yeah, and like obviously this goes without saying because
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: once you make the playoffs, every team is realistically a
• 22:41
  Speaker 3: good team. But with the way the Eastern Conference is
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: this year, every team you're playing is a good team,
• 22:47
  Speaker 3: so securing home ice is even more vital. Like no
• 22:49
  Speaker 3: offense to the Western Conference, but if we're sitting here,
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: if we were sitting here in the Pacific Division, not
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: only obviously goes to that say we'd be running away
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: with that division. But like you're probably like, yeah, one
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: seed is a reward because we're gonna play a really
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: weak playoff team. There's no weak playoff teams in the East,
• 23:11
  Speaker 3: so getting that home my advantage is even more important.
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: And I feel pretty confident that the Sabers. Obviously, again
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: nothing is clintchet like we haven't even clinched a playoff
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: spy yet, but I feel pretty confident in saying like
• 23:24
  Speaker 3: they're gonna start at home, Like you have eight point
• 23:27
  Speaker 3: cushion on Montreal and Boston with ten games to go,
• 23:31
  Speaker 3: you should, like I said, that's where I'm at. The
• 23:33
  Speaker 3: expectation is you're opening at home and your bare minimum
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: the two seed. Anything less than that I think is
• 23:41
  Speaker 3: catastrophic for the Sabers. With the way that this first
• 23:43
  Speaker 3: seventy two games has gone.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you really have to just look at it. Obviously,
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: making the playoffs now is not only the expectation, but
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: it's you know, if they were to fall out of
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: a playoff spot right now, you'd call that a catastrophic
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: just collapse at this point because they would need to
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: fall what is that underneath Columbus, So that would take
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: them nine points out of the last ten they'd have
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: to not pick up at least nine points out of
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: their last eighteen available twenty available, So I mean that
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: that we're not even talking about that discussion anymore. So
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: it's they could really put they could really take Detroit
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: out of it tonight if they were to beat them.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: So I mean, Detroit's gonna be playing with a lot
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: of desperation because there are.
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: They are they though, because they didn't play with a
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: lot of desperation the other night against Ottawa.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: They didn't, But I mean they should be.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, no, like so what I mean, like, I obviously
• 24:30
  Speaker 3: am not taking Detroit lightly at all, but my expectation
• 24:33
  Speaker 3: for tonight's Sabers get back on track and handle Detroit.
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: We'll see obviously though, but yeah, this is a chance
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: to not only bury Detroit, but put yourself even closer
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: to clinching because at the time of recording, Pittsburgh's beating Ottawa,
• 24:49
  Speaker 3: Montreal is beating Columbus, Seattle and Tampa are tied, and
• 24:55
  Speaker 3: the Islanders are beating Dallas. So like every night, the
• 24:59
  Speaker 3: teams below you are going to keep winning. So in
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: order for you to make it, to make that magic
• 25:04
  Speaker 3: number for you to clinch a playoff spots smaller, you're
• 25:06
  Speaker 3: going to have to keep pace with the rest of
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: the East because it does not seem like the playoff
• 25:09
  Speaker 3: teams in the East lose. Like every team except for
• 25:14
  Speaker 3: Carolina and Pittsburgh is on a winning streak currently in
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: the Eastern Conference, the Sabers included obviously, but every team
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: below Buffalo is what I was referring to there.
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: And there's your last ten. I mean, you've only got
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: two Western Conference opponents Seattle this Saturday and then Dallas
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: the last game of the season.
• 25:33
  Speaker 3: Got Chicago too.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, three of the last ten are our Western Conference,
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: but then seven of the last ten are within weird ending.
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: Weird ending for the Sabers closing with two non conference.
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: Opponents, Yeah, Dallas and Chicago coming in for the only
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: times of the season, right at the end of the year.
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: That just seems odd. But yeah, I mean it's right
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: in front of them, right Detroit, Ottawa, the Islanders, all
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: big games, and Tampa obviously is like, you know, playoff
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: game in and of itself, but like those, you secure
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: wins in those games. I think, I think you've got
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: the at least the Atlantic Division number one seed locked up,
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: if not, you know, chasing Carolina for the number one
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: seed in the whole conference.
• 26:13
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Like I said, it's it's crazy that the one
• 26:19
  Speaker 3: seed in the East is in play considering how the
• 26:22
  Speaker 3: season started. It's crazy that the divisions in play considering
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: how the season started. It's crazy how the playoffs are
• 26:26
  Speaker 3: in play considering how the season started. But setting your
• 26:31
  Speaker 3: setting the expectations high. But I think this team is
• 26:35
  Speaker 3: one earned those higher expectations with the way that they've played.
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: And two, I think this team has shown for the
• 26:42
  Speaker 3: most part, these high expectations aren't scaring them this year,
• 26:47
  Speaker 3: which I don't think we could have said over the
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: last couple of years because the last you know, the
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: whole moral of the story of the last three years
• 26:53
  Speaker 3: is anytime this team got remotely close to getting themselves
• 26:56
  Speaker 3: over five hundred, we would talk about how they would crumble,
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: and this last forty three forty four game stretch, they
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: haven't crumbled. And you know, it's ten games to go,
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: so we can't get too cocky here yet. But like
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: at some point obviously this they're not the historic you know,
• 27:12
  Speaker 3: we're gonna win thirty five out of forty games that
• 27:14
  Speaker 3: they were on. But this team is just flat out good,
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: like even on that, not to hash it out, but like,
• 27:20
  Speaker 3: you know, the last two games, you could sit here
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: and say they didn't play well, and they didn't, but
• 27:25
  Speaker 3: they were also leading late in the third period in
• 27:27
  Speaker 3: both these games. Now it's on them to not blow it,
• 27:30
  Speaker 3: which is a whole nother thing that we'll talk about later.
• 27:33
  Speaker 3: But the fact that we can sit here and say
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: this team has not played that well and they were
• 27:36
  Speaker 3: still leading with under five minutes ago in back to
• 27:42
  Speaker 3: back games, I mean, how many times like the Sabers
• 27:47
  Speaker 3: don't play well and still have the lead. That's something
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: that we're we haven't said ever over the strout.
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: Absolutely it those are those are awards we never thought
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: we'd say back in November, that's for sure. Yeah, So
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: take a break on Toda's show. We're to come back
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: or to get our fan polls, get your guys' reaction
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: to the Savers as of late. We're going to talk
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: about maybe what concerns you for them going to the playoffs,
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: what they need to rectify, and just general thoughts on
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: the roster outlook ands maybe some of the roster decisions,
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: some of the lineup decisions that Lindy Roff might have
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: to make over the last ten games or so. So
• 28:19
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  Speaker 2: You're listening to the Armchair GM Sports Network.
• 31:49
  Speaker 3: Here we talking Died and Bok.
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: Here we call the boys, and welcome back to part
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: two of today's Saber Semantics episode. Right here on the
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: arm Share GM Sports Network. Brandon Putto and Austin Broad
• 32:18
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• 32:36
  Speaker 1: here on the network and exciting Sabers run to the
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: playoffs as well as ohl playoff coverage as well here
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: on the network. So, Austin, let's let's start off with
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: our our Twitter poll here going over segment two, get
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: you guys involved here on the show again at Saber
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: Semantics if you want to get in on our fan
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: polls that we post for all of our episodes here
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: every single week here. So let's start off with this
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: will sort of eat into our discussion to start segment two,
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: is are you at all concerned with the way the
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: Sabers have played in the back to back overtime losses?
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: The results or the options were not concerned at all,
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: a little concerned, definitely concerned, or very concerned. The pole
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: winner was a little concerned at fifty percent and then
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: not concerned at all and definitely concerned or at twenty
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: five percent. Austin, you kind of touched on it before
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: the break there about those Anaheim and Boston games. I
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: know in the Anaheim game they came back, or they
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: scored three unanswered in the third, and then obviously Anaheim
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: tied it late with the goalie pulled, and then won
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: it in overtime. So how do you evaluate what you've
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: seen over the last two games, and obviously you know
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: the big game against Boston last night at home as well.
• 33:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, yeah, you've got to be at least
• 33:49
  Speaker 3: a little bit concerned. I think long term, no reason
• 33:52
  Speaker 3: to be. You know, doom and gloom, a couple of
• 33:55
  Speaker 3: things we can nitpick, and I think you know, that's
• 33:57
  Speaker 3: what happens now when you're in a race like this,
• 33:59
  Speaker 3: you have to pick the fact that they were able
• 34:02
  Speaker 3: to take the lead in both games but not hold
• 34:04
  Speaker 3: on to the lead. That is concerning because that has
• 34:06
  Speaker 3: kind of been this team's calling card going in, you know,
• 34:09
  Speaker 3: especially before the Olympic break. They held onto leads, They
• 34:12
  Speaker 3: held leads in the third period in one, but we've
• 34:16
  Speaker 3: now seen three times since the Olympic break where they've
• 34:20
  Speaker 3: given up a late goal. The Washington game ended up
• 34:23
  Speaker 3: costing them the game their only regulation loss since the break,
• 34:27
  Speaker 3: and then the last two games got them to it
• 34:31
  Speaker 3: cost them the extra point basically because they had a
• 34:33
  Speaker 3: chance to hold on for the two points, and they
• 34:35
  Speaker 3: did it. You know. Overall, like I said, Lion and
• 34:43
  Speaker 3: Lukenan had two of their worst performances these last two
• 34:47
  Speaker 3: games since the Olympic break, and they were still able
• 34:51
  Speaker 3: to get a point out of each. So I feel
• 34:52
  Speaker 3: a little bit of solace in there. But yeah, the
• 34:56
  Speaker 3: thing that and honestly is most concerning, especially particularly ABO game,
• 35:01
  Speaker 3: is just a slow start against the team who played
• 35:03
  Speaker 3: the night before.
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: And lost to Toronto.
• 35:06
  Speaker 3: Yeah, like that is kind of where I'm like, ah,
• 35:09
  Speaker 3: I would have liked to see you jump on them
• 35:10
  Speaker 3: early and start strong. You know. Even the Anaheim game
• 35:14
  Speaker 3: they got out to the one goal lead, but it's
• 35:15
  Speaker 3: not like it was the best thirty first thirty minutes
• 35:18
  Speaker 3: that they played. But this team does show that they
• 35:22
  Speaker 3: can flip the switch and start to dominate. And while
• 35:24
  Speaker 3: it didn't really happen for like a long stretch of
• 35:26
  Speaker 3: time against the Bruins, that five to seven minute stretch
• 35:29
  Speaker 3: in the third period where they just took it to
• 35:31
  Speaker 3: the Bruins and they scored twice in a minute thirty
• 35:33
  Speaker 3: seconds to take the lead. Like Joe Dbiassi said it
• 35:37
  Speaker 3: best on WGR on Thursday morning, was like you took
• 35:41
  Speaker 3: the Bruins' best shot and they had to beat you
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: in overtime in a game where you didn't play good
• 35:48
  Speaker 3: for forty.
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: Minutes and got a lucky bounce in the middle stat
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: time goal.
• 35:51
  Speaker 3: Right, So it's like weird, weird to say, but like,
• 35:57
  Speaker 3: the Sabers are just better than the Bruins, and the
• 35:59
  Speaker 3: fact that it took a bad forty minutes and the
• 36:03
  Speaker 3: Bruins one of the Bruns' best efforts to beat the
• 36:05
  Speaker 3: Sabers in overtime. While concerning, is also a little bit
• 36:09
  Speaker 3: relieving because the easiest way to say this is normally
• 36:14
  Speaker 3: the Sabers are dominant or you know, very good at
• 36:17
  Speaker 3: five on five, will come playoff time. Everything is five
• 36:20
  Speaker 3: on five, like there's no three on three overtime and
• 36:22
  Speaker 3: things like that. So yeah, obviously concerned a little bit,
• 36:28
  Speaker 3: but they can wipe that concern away by this simply
• 36:32
  Speaker 3: handling Detroit tonight, and if they do that, we're back,
• 36:36
  Speaker 3: like everything's fine.
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: My other gripe was that it was Corpusalo and not
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: Swimming that they lost to as well. But if we're
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: really gonna nitpick things, I.
• 36:44
  Speaker 3: Think they if lost to Corpusalo, twice. At least this
• 36:48
  Speaker 3: year the Bruins won. The Bruins won the season series,
• 36:51
  Speaker 3: which is funny to say because but again, earlier in
• 36:54
  Speaker 3: the year, the Sabers were atrocious like that.
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, anything pre November was almost just like a right off.
• 37:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Buffalo's second game of the year. I don't know
• 37:02
  Speaker 3: if it was the Bruins first game of the year,
• 37:04
  Speaker 3: but that was the game where like the Savers had
• 37:05
  Speaker 3: one shot through like thirty minutes to play.
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: I know Lindy said that that forty minutes they played
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: the other night against Boston was their worst forty minutes
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: in probably three months. So sure it was like at
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: least he admits that, you know what I mean, like
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: he saw it too, and I almost give them more
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: of a pass. In the Anaheim game, and again like
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: it's not an excuse, but they're at the end of
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: a Western road trip. They scored three goals in the
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: third period to take the lead Anaheim. You know, the
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: puck almost came out, the Savers almost had an empty
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: net or to steal that one. Anaheim kept it into
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: the line, got the game tied, and then you know,
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: won it in that breakaway overtime with Tage kind of
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: confident up there. But I almost give them more of
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: a pass on that one than I do the Boston
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: game because they've had they had two full days off
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: coming back home, so they didn't use it as an
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: excuse in the postgame interviews, and I'm sure that nobody
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: else is going to give them a pass on the
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: excuse as well, especially to a lesser team like Boston
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: when you had the lead. But I don't know, like
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: even though they like they lost both games, they got
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: points in both games. That how many times have we
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: seen over the last fourteen years of sabers to find
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: a way to not gain a point in either of
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: those games.
• 38:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, And like I I guess this could be the
• 38:15
  Speaker 3: other main concern, and it can even date back just
• 38:19
  Speaker 3: before the break, and I guess it's kind of been
• 38:23
  Speaker 3: a problem all year, but these four games, like the
• 38:25
  Speaker 3: last two games, the Washington game and then the Tampa
• 38:27
  Speaker 3: Bay game before the break, kind of highlight this team
• 38:31
  Speaker 3: does have a tendency to give up goals six on
• 38:34
  Speaker 3: five late or six on four if you do the
• 38:38
  Speaker 3: Anaheim game. Not saying this is going to happen a
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: lot in the playoffs, but how many times are games
• 38:43
  Speaker 3: close in the playoffs, the team pulls the goalie. These
• 38:47
  Speaker 3: are situations where again not to like focus all of
• 38:49
  Speaker 3: your time and energy on it, but like, these are
• 38:51
  Speaker 3: situations where it's like, yeah, you gotta close those out.
• 38:55
  Speaker 3: And like you said, even that four game overtime stretch
• 39:00
  Speaker 3: early in the season where they lost four in a
• 39:01
  Speaker 3: row in overtime, I think three, at least three out
• 39:03
  Speaker 3: of those four they were leading and weren't able to
• 39:07
  Speaker 3: close it out and then lost in overtime. It's like,
• 39:09
  Speaker 3: that's the one thing I think you can nitpick, and
• 39:11
  Speaker 3: that's the one thing where I think it's okay to
• 39:13
  Speaker 3: be like, this is a little bit of a concern,
• 39:16
  Speaker 3: but I mean it's got to say something. I guess
• 39:19
  Speaker 3: that in both the last two games they were able
• 39:23
  Speaker 3: to come back and get the lead. But it's the
• 39:25
  Speaker 3: good with the bad.
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: So that'll lead into our second poll for our second
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: discussion here. Oh, I guess that's the same poll. Let
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: me let me pull up the other one. Good job, Brandon.
• 39:35
  Speaker 3: So here we go.
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: Which of the Sabers What is the Sabers' biggest concern
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: heading into the NHL playoffs? Goaltending, special teams, or third
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: defensive pair. Special teams won this poll pretty handily seventy
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: one percent. Goaltending and third defensive pair were at tied
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: at fourteen point three percent. What are your thoughts on it?
• 39:54
  Speaker 3: I think that's totally fair. I mean, I know the
• 39:57
  Speaker 3: national media over here in can at least has talked
• 40:02
  Speaker 3: about the goaltending, so that's kind of why I thought
• 40:04
  Speaker 3: it was an option. But I think I'm not expecting
• 40:08
  Speaker 3: Lying and Lucan into both play like to their nine
• 40:10
  Speaker 3: sixties eight percentage that they have been the last you know,
• 40:12
  Speaker 3: fifteen to twenty games that each of them has played.
• 40:15
  Speaker 3: But I understand the point of can Lucanan and Lion
• 40:18
  Speaker 3: get get this done into playoffs.
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: Fair point or how or how Lindy decides to rotate that.
• 40:25
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that'll be another topic that you and I can
• 40:27
  Speaker 3: probably do a podcast for, like once the playoffs yep
• 40:30
  Speaker 3: are about to start, because that'll be an interesting situation
• 40:32
  Speaker 3: on how he handles that. But I think we've gone
• 40:34
  Speaker 3: to a point this year where at the very least
• 40:36
  Speaker 3: Lucanan and Lion are average, Like you know what I mean, Like,
• 40:39
  Speaker 3: I don't expect us to get to the playoffs and
• 40:42
  Speaker 3: then all of a sudden whoever's starting, it just sucks.
• 40:45
  Speaker 3: Is there could there be a game or two where
• 40:46
  Speaker 3: they look bad potentially, But I think there's enough track
• 40:49
  Speaker 3: record this year where like they're just solid goalies this
• 40:52
  Speaker 3: year and that's fine. It's like goaltending. I get why
• 40:55
  Speaker 3: people may be highlighted as a potential area for concern
• 40:59
  Speaker 3: in the third I understand. I obviously throw that in
• 41:01
  Speaker 3: there because that's a hot topic now, especially with METSA
• 41:03
  Speaker 3: going down uh Thursday. But it's special teams, right, Like
• 41:10
  Speaker 3: we all know how things are in the playoffs. Things
• 41:14
  Speaker 3: tighten up. Things are not called this frequently, and blah
• 41:17
  Speaker 3: blah blah. That highlights how important special teams is. And
• 41:21
  Speaker 3: I have said this multiple times, and I know you know.
• 41:25
  Speaker 3: Against the Bruins, power play looked a lot better. Tage
• 41:28
  Speaker 3: took over and made two great plays to set up Zucker.
• 41:30
  Speaker 3: If that's the power play we get going forward, will
• 41:34
  Speaker 3: be a lot easier to believe in that power play.
• 41:36
  Speaker 3: But the way the power play has been for ninety
• 41:38
  Speaker 3: five percent of this year so far, it's terrifying. And
• 41:43
  Speaker 3: a power play or a penalty kill can make or
• 41:45
  Speaker 3: break a playoff series, especially when things are so close, right, Obviously,
• 41:49
  Speaker 3: the power plays highlighted more than the penalty kill, especially
• 41:53
  Speaker 3: with Timmins coming back. You know, people don't want to
• 41:56
  Speaker 3: hear it. I don't even want to hear it, but
• 41:57
  Speaker 3: like I can get there with Timmins plays on the
• 41:59
  Speaker 3: penalty kill because us a shot blocking machine is good
• 42:01
  Speaker 3: on the penalty kill. But it's to me, it's the
• 42:04
  Speaker 3: power play like special teams get. If we get above
• 42:08
  Speaker 3: average special teams early in the playoffs, that'll set up
• 42:11
  Speaker 3: the Sabers for a nice run here. Unfortunately, the power
• 42:14
  Speaker 3: play up to this point has not been able to
• 42:17
  Speaker 3: consistently show they can be above average. So to me
• 42:20
  Speaker 3: that right there, more specifically than special teams, it's the
• 42:22
  Speaker 3: power play. But come playoff time, both units are so important.
• 42:26
  Speaker 3: And yeah, it remains to be seen if this power
• 42:30
  Speaker 3: play can can get it going and if this penalty
• 42:31
  Speaker 3: kill can kind of still operate at a top seven
• 42:34
  Speaker 3: level that they have been for all year.
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: I know we've talked about the scheme on the power
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: play and how they sort of operate that and seth
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: Abbert obviously has been scrutinized for that this season. But
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: for you, is it more so a personnel thing. We know,
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: Alex tucks off the top unit, Jack wins on the
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: top unit. Now with Norris, since he's been back in
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: the lineup, has been sort of being the center on
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: that first unit. We've seen the second unit score as well. So, like,
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: do you think it's more so just putting the right
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: guys on the top unit or is it more so
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: just what they're doing.
• 43:03
  Speaker 3: I I don't know, because I like to, like everyone else,
• 43:08
  Speaker 3: put the blame on seth Apper, and he is not blameless.
• 43:10
  Speaker 3: He deserves eighty five percent of this blame. But like
• 43:13
  Speaker 3: it is pretty ironic that watching the second unit on
• 43:16
  Speaker 3: most nights, you're like, oh, the second unit look kind
• 43:18
  Speaker 3: of dangerous, right, And I mean, listen, your your second
• 43:23
  Speaker 3: unit's being run by Bowen Byram, who is a very
• 43:25
  Speaker 3: good quarterback in power play, and your other option would
• 43:28
  Speaker 3: be to have own power run that Unit's like, your
• 43:29
  Speaker 3: second unit has some great options. I liked this strategy
• 43:34
  Speaker 3: that they've kind of employed, you know, especially in that
• 43:37
  Speaker 3: Boston game where it was like Tage is gonna move
• 43:41
  Speaker 3: up and down. But like then you also look at
• 43:42
  Speaker 3: some of the plays, like that first goal that Tage
• 43:44
  Speaker 3: set up was just that was an instructure of a
• 43:47
  Speaker 3: power play that was Tage saying I'm gonna make a
• 43:48
  Speaker 3: play now. The second one, same type of deal. I mean,
• 43:53
  Speaker 3: Tage was lower in the offensive zone, which is good
• 43:55
  Speaker 3: to see them moving him around. But like those are
• 43:57
  Speaker 3: the plays where it's like the power play scored, but
• 43:59
  Speaker 3: that is more of your players operating out of structure.
• 44:02
  Speaker 3: I don't like the Sabers power play structure, especially on
• 44:05
  Speaker 3: the zone entries. That's where they kind of struggle. Once
• 44:08
  Speaker 3: the power play is set up, it looks a little
• 44:10
  Speaker 3: bit better, but they just they struggle to enter the
• 44:13
  Speaker 3: zone and set up, and with his team's bad face offs,
• 44:16
  Speaker 3: they they don't win the offensive own face off all
• 44:21
  Speaker 3: that often where they can just start operating from their unit.
• 44:23
  Speaker 3: So obviously it's mostly on the structure to me. But
• 44:27
  Speaker 3: I mean, it looks good against Boston. If it can
• 44:29
  Speaker 3: keep looking good, it'll obviously go a long way. But
• 44:32
  Speaker 3: I'd like to see even Quinn on the first unit,
• 44:36
  Speaker 3: Like it looks a lot better, but he's hurt now,
• 44:39
  Speaker 3: But I'd love to see Oceland get a shot on
• 44:40
  Speaker 3: that top unit, just he is so dangerous on the
• 44:43
  Speaker 3: power play. He's such a talented playmaker things like that.
• 44:47
  Speaker 3: But I mean, we'll see, we'll see how it goes.
• 44:49
  Speaker 3: I mean, I can't harp on him too much, like
• 44:51
  Speaker 3: in the recent recency bias, because they just scored two
• 44:54
  Speaker 3: goals against Boston, but then the game before that Nannaheim,
• 44:56
  Speaker 3: they went over and cost the team of the game.
• 44:58
  Speaker 3: So it's just gonna be one of those things where
• 45:01
  Speaker 3: when it's clicking, it's really good, and when it's it's bad,
• 45:05
  Speaker 3: it's it looks like novice level hockey. And I guess
• 45:10
  Speaker 3: just hope it's clicking when the playoffs.
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: Start and they do that drop pass thing in the
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: neutral zone a lot. Dallene usually is the puck carrier
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: into the zone, and like you said, they have hard
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: time being able to kind of get that thing set up.
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: Sometimes it almost looks like guys are running over each other.
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: Like I know, Zucker's mostly the NetFront guy, but other
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: than that, sometimes I kind of I'm scrambling to understand
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: where the other guys are supposed to be on the
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: power play. We know, you know, Tage and Dollene are
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: sort of at the points, but I feel like Norris
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: and Quinn sometimes I kind of lost of what they're
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: actually doing on the power Play because we know Zucker
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: just goes and you know, stays right in front of
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: the net most of the time, which is why he's
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: the one that's potting in more power Play goals lately.
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: He's just kind of the guy around the net front.
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: Even when we saw Josh doone on there, he was
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: doing a good job of that, just being being able
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: to create havoc, you know, beside the net and things
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: like that. Now that he's off the unit, I don't know,
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: I just I think it's to me. I would like
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: to see it just switched up a little bit. Maybe
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: put some of those guys that were on power Play
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: two up the power Play one and just see where
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: it goes. We know Thompson and Dolleen aren't going anywhere,
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: but or even Zucker, but maybe if we tried something,
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: you know, maybe you see Don and Tuck come up
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: to the first unit. I don't know, I just I
• 46:18
  Speaker 1: want to see something different.
• 46:19
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean the move in the Boston GA it
• 46:21
  Speaker 3: was they took done off of it, uh for Quinn
• 46:25
  Speaker 3: and you said Tage and Dolleen aren't going anywhere. Zucker
• 46:28
  Speaker 3: is really good in the bumper spot. If you, there's
• 46:31
  Speaker 3: no reason to replace Zucker. He's one of their best
• 46:35
  Speaker 3: power play goal scorers too. Ironically, Tage not very good
• 46:38
  Speaker 3: at scoring on the power play. I think it's just yeah,
• 46:42
  Speaker 3: it's just it's like I said, it's one of those
• 46:44
  Speaker 3: things where when it's clicking, it's actually pretty good. But
• 46:46
  Speaker 3: it's just it's rarely ever clicking. And like I said,
• 46:49
  Speaker 3: when it's it's not clicking, it's not it's not even average.
• 46:53
  Speaker 3: Like when it's not clicking, it's like, this is the
• 46:55
  Speaker 3: worst power play I think I've seen in history. So
• 46:58
  Speaker 3: it's just it. Hopefully they keep tinkering around like this
• 47:01
  Speaker 3: is the one good thing. Obviously they still have a
• 47:04
  Speaker 3: division to try and go for and things like that,
• 47:06
  Speaker 3: but like if they clinch a playoff spot soon or whatever,
• 47:09
  Speaker 3: as they keep winning more games here and get closer
• 47:11
  Speaker 3: to ultimately clinching, like a power play is something you
• 47:14
  Speaker 3: can kind of tinker around with here of the last
• 47:16
  Speaker 3: ten games and get something that works. That's what I
• 47:18
  Speaker 3: would be doing, and they probably are going to do
• 47:20
  Speaker 3: it going forward. So hopefully that's kind of what we
• 47:22
  Speaker 3: can see. But yeah, one hundred percent, special teams should
• 47:27
  Speaker 3: be the main concern with this team because I could
• 47:29
  Speaker 3: see like a series where the power play goes like
• 47:32
  Speaker 3: over eight. I can also see a series of the
• 47:34
  Speaker 3: power plays clicking out like a five or eight pace,
• 47:36
  Speaker 3: because they do have the talent to do it. But
• 47:39
  Speaker 3: power play is my main concern, and I don't I
• 47:41
  Speaker 3: don't know if it's even close to anything else with
• 47:43
  Speaker 3: this roster.
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: And I guess the third defensive pair will sort of
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: lead into our discussion on the roster here. So the
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: other option, the third defensive pair. Put that in there
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: because obviously kessel Ring hasn't been playing. If he's not
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: one hundred percent, if it's a healthy scratch, we aren't
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: really too sure as to which side is more so
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: than not. And then you've got you sent Zach Metza
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: down to Rochester, as you mentioned yesterday, and as well
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: like that, you've you brought in Stanley, you brought in
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: shen Thank god, we hopefully never have to see that
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: pairing again. But regardless of that, like you know, Samuelson
• 48:18
  Speaker 1: came back in the lineup. Connor Timmins is also back,
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: which is a big one, coming back from his you know,
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: leg injury that kept him out for three quarters of
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: the season. So what are you sort of looking at
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: from that from that defensive corps about what the best
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: lineup will be for Game one of the playoffs here.
• 48:36
  Speaker 3: I think on paper everyone one hundred percent. I think
• 48:43
  Speaker 3: Stanley kessel Ring is who I would like to see
• 48:45
  Speaker 3: start this series. But given that we don't live in
• 48:48
  Speaker 3: a world or everything's on paper everything's one hundred percent,
• 48:50
  Speaker 3: it just well, like I said, I don't know for sure,
• 48:53
  Speaker 3: but let's just operate under the fact where kessel Ring
• 48:55
  Speaker 3: hasn't been one hundred percent all year and it doesn't
• 48:57
  Speaker 3: seem like he's going to get back to one hundred percent.
• 49:00
  Speaker 3: Stanley and Metzo looked very good when they were playing together,
• 49:04
  Speaker 3: and that's a get sent down. One game isn't enough
• 49:08
  Speaker 3: to kind of properly evaluate Stanley and Timmins. I think
• 49:11
  Speaker 3: they had some good and I think they had some bad.
• 49:13
  Speaker 3: Looks Like, we're gonna probably get a run of that
• 49:15
  Speaker 3: going forward and we'll see how that shapes out. But yeah,
• 49:21
  Speaker 3: what's clear to me is Stanley is not coming out
• 49:26
  Speaker 3: of the lineup and fair you traded you know, a
• 49:29
  Speaker 3: second round pick was basically what you gave up for him.
• 49:31
  Speaker 3: Don't expect him to come out of the lineup. He
• 49:34
  Speaker 3: started to acclimate a little bit more. He's looking more comfortable,
• 49:37
  Speaker 3: which is good. I still think he needs to be
• 49:40
  Speaker 3: on a pair where he's not expected. He still looks
• 49:44
  Speaker 3: like again, if he played with Shen most of the
• 49:46
  Speaker 3: year and winn Peg, I get he when he was
• 49:48
  Speaker 3: on the ice, he was the offensive driver on that pair.
• 49:51
  Speaker 3: I still would like to see him in the more
• 49:52
  Speaker 3: shutdown role. His foot speed is not very good, but
• 49:56
  Speaker 3: he can make up for that with his six seven frame.
• 49:59
  Speaker 3: Like he's a big boy, so make up for his
• 50:00
  Speaker 3: lack of foot speed. He does make a solid first
• 50:03
  Speaker 3: breakout pass. So I think getting him on a pair
• 50:06
  Speaker 3: where he can kind of be the more simplified player
• 50:09
  Speaker 3: is best for him, and I think kessel Ring or
• 50:12
  Speaker 3: Mets to offer that. Him and Timmins feel like a
• 50:16
  Speaker 3: more traditional, straight up defensive pair. Like I said, as
• 50:20
  Speaker 3: we get more games and watch how they kind of
• 50:23
  Speaker 3: operate together, we'll kind of see how that shakes out.
• 50:25
  Speaker 3: My fear with him playing with Timmins is the same
• 50:27
  Speaker 3: as him playing with shn is Stanley's gonna try and
• 50:28
  Speaker 3: take more of an offensive load, and I just no
• 50:30
  Speaker 3: offense to Stanley. I'm you don't need to be offensive
• 50:33
  Speaker 3: here our top that's what our top four is for.
• 50:36
  Speaker 3: So we'll see how it shapes out. Like I said,
• 50:39
  Speaker 3: my best best best is him and kessel Ring, and
• 50:42
  Speaker 3: we only got one game of that and they kind
• 50:44
  Speaker 3: of looked pretty good. Me's a. He has brought the
• 50:51
  Speaker 3: best out of Stanley in their limited action. But I
• 50:54
  Speaker 3: don't know what the plan for him is. I'm still
• 50:56
  Speaker 3: into the assumption that Mesa is going to come back
• 50:57
  Speaker 3: up here come playoff time, but that's just my personal opinion.
• 51:00
  Speaker 3: Obviously that might not happen. So I guess we're gonna
• 51:05
  Speaker 3: get a little run of Timmins and Stanley here and
• 51:07
  Speaker 3: we'll see how that shapes out.
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: I think they want to see what they have in
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: Timmins because he hasn't played in so long, right, Like,
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: they're probably gonna give him a couple game runway here
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: to be like, okay, is this guy gonna be our
• 51:16
  Speaker 1: sixth defenseman?
• 51:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: Or with Stanley, you know, just to kind of see
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: what they have in him. If kessel Rings not one
• 51:21
  Speaker 1: hundred percent is he the guy is Metsa gonna get
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: called back up? As you mentioned from Rochester. I just
• 51:26
  Speaker 1: think like you said, if Stanley is with a puck
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: moving defenseman or a guy that you know is the
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: is the guy that to move the puck up the ice,
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: I think he's better served in that role than playing
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: with Luke Sheen, where he has to overcompensate and then
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: his mobility issues really start to become more of an
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: eyesore than if he's playing with somebody maybe in that
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: top four. So I just I think it's all a
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: matchup based thing. And you know, I have also heard,
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: you know, if they play Tampa or somebody that's a
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: heavy team, maybe Luke Shan will get in the lineup.
• 51:54
  Speaker 1: And I don't know, I think that's all we're playing
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: semantics here on the show up pun intended, but it's
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: it's all gonna be matchup based depending on who they
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: play in that first round, who comes in the lineup,
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: I think, or at some point throughout the series knock
• 52:07
  Speaker 1: on wood, no injuries happened, because you know Samusin and
• 52:10
  Speaker 1: Timmins didn't play the other night, will look a lot different.
• 52:13
  Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, And like I don't know how to word
• 52:20
  Speaker 3: this without just sounding straight up to me, and so
• 52:21
  Speaker 3: I'm just gonna whatever it is, what it is I
• 52:25
  Speaker 3: I don't need If you have Timmins and kessel Ring,
• 52:27
  Speaker 3: I don't need to see Luke Sheen. Ever, again, no
• 52:30
  Speaker 3: offense to Lucen veteran, all that stuff, good locker room guy,
• 52:35
  Speaker 3: playoff experience, blah blah blah, all that jazz. If you're
• 52:40
  Speaker 3: playing Tampa and you want a heavier set, well, kessel
• 52:43
  Speaker 3: Ring's a big boy, Timmins is a big boy, and
• 52:46
  Speaker 3: both of them are miles better than Chen. So I
• 52:49
  Speaker 3: don't need to see Luke Shen no matter what happens.
• 52:51
  Speaker 3: I understand if you want a heavier back like third pairing,
• 52:54
  Speaker 3: you're gonna remove Metsa. I don't get me wrong. I
• 52:56
  Speaker 3: get that. And I also understand the run that Metsa
• 52:59
  Speaker 3: is on where he just doesn't get scored on at
• 53:00
  Speaker 3: five on five is lucky. But you know what, at
• 53:05
  Speaker 3: some point, it's a skill to be lucky for thirty
• 53:07
  Speaker 3: five plus games. Now, obviously Lindy only plays Metsa at
• 53:13
  Speaker 3: five on five. He doesn't have him on the penalty kill.
• 53:15
  Speaker 3: So like, I understand the logic of getting getting a
• 53:17
  Speaker 3: guy like Timmins in there who is effective on the
• 53:19
  Speaker 3: penalty kill, but it really just comes down to man
• 53:23
  Speaker 3: what like Again, this is a conversation for another day,
• 53:26
  Speaker 3: But like I would like to see Kessel rank him
• 53:28
  Speaker 3: back in too, because he was a big part of
• 53:31
  Speaker 3: that J. J. Perturk trade when it happened. Never been healthy,
• 53:34
  Speaker 3: hasn't played good when he has been healthy, But he's
• 53:39
  Speaker 3: the type of guy I can see excelling in a
• 53:40
  Speaker 3: playoff when he's on his game. Now, obviously the argument
• 53:43
  Speaker 3: there is he just hasn't been on his game, and
• 53:45
  Speaker 3: that's fair. But I don't think he's worse than Connor Timmins.
• 53:48
  Speaker 3: I know he's not worse than Luke Chen.
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: And if they didn't send Metsa down, they would have
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: nine NHL defenseman right.
• 53:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and no offense Metsa. Mets has been there fifth
• 54:00
  Speaker 3: best defenseman. That's why it's crazy to me that he
• 54:02
  Speaker 3: got sent down.
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: But I don't know. I think they're they're really gonna
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: go with the approach of as long as nobody gets hurt,
• 54:15
  Speaker 1: this is what their top six is gonna be. That
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: I heard reports of like Kessel ring like lost his
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: spot in the locker room. Do you hear anything like
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: that that he was like sitting in a chair in
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: the locker room because they had his sight seat taken
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: or something like that.
• 54:28
  Speaker 3: No, I didn't hear any of that. And you know,
• 54:30
  Speaker 3: like I said, it's a conversation for a different day
• 54:33
  Speaker 3: where we talk about his future here, because like you
• 54:35
  Speaker 3: could tell me he's good to be traded, and I'm like, yeah,
• 54:38
  Speaker 3: that makes sense. You can tell me he's gonna get
• 54:40
  Speaker 3: a I don't know, but I don't know. I can't
• 54:43
  Speaker 3: see that happening.
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: Just thank god Josh don't worked out. Yeah, yeah, as
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: the extra piece in that trade.
• 54:50
  Speaker 3: But I still genuinely think kessel Ring can suit up
• 54:54
  Speaker 3: alongside Stanley and be extremely effective. But I agree, don't
• 54:59
  Speaker 3: make for not helping him. Yeah, But see, the thing
• 55:02
  Speaker 3: is is is he not healthy? Or is that just
• 55:03
  Speaker 3: again in this conspiracy brain? But is that or is
• 55:05
  Speaker 3: that just what they're saying? Right?
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: And that's sort of like you know, is it? Yeah?
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: Is it? Is it a culture thing? Is it a fit?
• 55:12
  Speaker 1: Who knows? But I guess we're we will never know
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: in that sense. But anybody else you want to mention, that's, uh,
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: obviously we know who leaches out for the year with
• 55:21
  Speaker 1: the blood clot and forth. Still a while away, Greenway
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: has been practicing.
• 55:25
  Speaker 3: You know, don't need to see him. I'll say that,
• 55:28
  Speaker 3: don't need to see him. No offense to mister Greenway,
• 55:31
  Speaker 3: But I in the where would Greenway slott into this lineup? Right?
• 55:39
  Speaker 2: Like?
• 55:40
  Speaker 3: No offense to I don't think Zach Benson is a
• 55:42
  Speaker 3: fourth line player, but the fact that Zach Benson is
• 55:46
  Speaker 3: Beck Mallenstein and Sam Carrick are not only a great
• 55:49
  Speaker 3: fourth line, but like Zach Benson is getting production while
• 55:53
  Speaker 3: on that fourth line, Like right now, that's a line
• 55:55
  Speaker 3: you can't break up. So I don't need Jordan Greenway
• 55:57
  Speaker 3: in there. I do not I need Jordan Greenway slotting
• 56:01
  Speaker 3: in beside Tage Thompson, which I know Lindy Ruff has
• 56:03
  Speaker 3: tried to do in the past. Please Dear God, know
• 56:07
  Speaker 3: Oaceland's out, sort of be curious or not out. He's hurt.
• 56:10
  Speaker 3: We'll get an evaluation today. But you know how Lindy
• 56:13
  Speaker 3: Ruff is with injury, So say you guys day to
• 56:14
  Speaker 3: day and then he's out for six months. So I
• 56:18
  Speaker 3: guess maybe if he's ready, they put him in there.
• 56:20
  Speaker 3: But like, I don't want to see Jordan Greenway play.
• 56:26
  Speaker 3: Maybe that I don't know. Am I crazy to say?
• 56:28
  Speaker 3: I don't think I'm crazy to say that at all.
• 56:29
  Speaker 3: I think I'm actually really smart to say that. I
• 56:31
  Speaker 3: think most people would agree with me.
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: I just don't know where to put him, like realistically,
• 56:35
  Speaker 1: and he's where he needs to be. And Karrick and
• 56:39
  Speaker 1: Malenstein have been incredible, like and whoever they've put on
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: there has sort of as.
• 56:42
  Speaker 3: I will, Kerrick and Malenstein have been really good and
• 56:46
  Speaker 3: all that stuff, but putting Zach Benson on that line.
• 56:48
  Speaker 3: I hate Zach Benson on the fourth line, but playing
• 56:50
  Speaker 3: with those two that line is just insane. He's done
• 56:53
  Speaker 3: something that you know, we talked about Payton Crebs being
• 56:56
  Speaker 3: a good fourth liner. Zach Benson is much more than
• 56:59
  Speaker 3: a fourth liner. But Zach Benson has done the impossible
• 57:01
  Speaker 3: where he's turned the fourth line into a line that
• 57:03
  Speaker 3: can produce offense regularly. It's a weird career dynamic where
• 57:07
  Speaker 3: Benson actually looks the most comfortable playing on that fourth line.
• 57:13
  Speaker 3: So I think he needs to stay there for now.
• 57:16
  Speaker 3: But I think Zach Benson is a guy you need
• 57:17
  Speaker 3: to work in to the lineup, not in the lineup.
• 57:19
  Speaker 3: He's in the lineup. But I think Zach Benson is
• 57:21
  Speaker 3: a guy you need to work in to getting more
• 57:23
  Speaker 3: ice time, like he's a player should playing more than
• 57:25
  Speaker 3: twelve minutes a night.
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: In my pick, thirty five points and fifty five games
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: and limited opportunities. He's a plus twenty five as well
• 57:31
  Speaker 1: this year, thirteenth overall pick for the Savers back in
• 57:33
  Speaker 1: twenty two to three. Like he's he's almost the meats
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: Scott Wheeler tweet hitting in with like the Peyton Krebbs.
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: We can remember when Crebs was drafted for a Vegas
• 57:43
  Speaker 1: he was a top end point producer type guy and
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: then he sort of had to change his game into
• 57:47
  Speaker 1: being more of a complimentary bottom six player. But I
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: do think Benson has the ability to move up when
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: he needs to. You saw what he did in the
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: game against against Boston, Like he was he created a
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: lot of plays and it just seems like you getting better.
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: But it seems like he can play up and down
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: the lineup. He's a great utility player and he'll fit
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: in and sort of adapt to whatever role they ask
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: of him.
• 58:07
  Speaker 3: Well, I was just gonna say Benson hasn't had to
• 58:09
  Speaker 3: change his game. This has always been Benson's game, even
• 58:11
  Speaker 3: at the junior level. He's an Elite four checker. He's
• 58:14
  Speaker 3: a rat. He's a great playmaker. You're seeing that doesn't
• 58:17
  Speaker 3: have the best shot, and I know that's what everyone
• 58:18
  Speaker 3: likes to make fun of him for. But this is
• 58:20
  Speaker 3: also a kid who has been eighteen, nineteen to twenty
• 58:22
  Speaker 3: and has hit double digit goals every year playing in
• 58:24
  Speaker 3: a limited role. But the Scott Wheeler tweet from today,
• 58:28
  Speaker 3: which just highlights Zach Benson is there have been nearly
• 58:31
  Speaker 3: fifty under twenty one skaters in the NHL this season.
• 58:34
  Speaker 3: Most of them have been caved in their minutes. This
• 58:36
  Speaker 3: is word for word. By the way, only two have
• 58:38
  Speaker 3: massive positive gold differentials. One Matthew Schaeffer. I mean, duh.
• 58:46
  Speaker 3: The only other player is Zach Benson. He is plus
• 58:51
  Speaker 3: twenty five goal differential this year. Shaffer is plus seventeen. Obviously,
• 58:55
  Speaker 3: Shaff' is a not only defenseman, he's only eighteen years old.
• 58:57
  Speaker 3: But the tide for third is Demidov and Otto Stenberg
• 59:02
  Speaker 3: at plus four. So like it's Benson, Schaeffer and then
• 59:06
  Speaker 3: a huge gap to these other U twenty one skaters
• 59:09
  Speaker 3: who don't get caved in. Zach Benson does not get
• 59:13
  Speaker 3: caved in when he's on the ice, he caves the
• 59:15
  Speaker 3: other team in and now points are starting to come
• 59:17
  Speaker 3: for him while playing on the fourth line. It's just
• 59:20
  Speaker 3: it's a crazy thing. That line is gonna be huge
• 59:23
  Speaker 3: for the Sabers down the stretch and a big reason
• 59:25
  Speaker 3: why the Sabers go on a run if they do,
• 59:27
  Speaker 3: because Kerk has been an awesome addition, and Zach Beck's
• 59:32
  Speaker 3: balance sign has been awesome down the stretch, and then
• 59:33
  Speaker 3: just throwing Benson down there has unlocked something in that
• 59:35
  Speaker 3: line that I something that Peyton Crabs could never do.
• 59:39
  Speaker 3: And you know me, I'm the big Peyton Crebs fan.
• 59:40
  Speaker 3: But it's very funny that Benson didn't struggle to produce,
• 59:46
  Speaker 3: but like wasn't like the elite producer we thought he
• 59:49
  Speaker 3: would be right away, which is fine, he's likely twenty
• 59:51
  Speaker 3: years old. But the second you put him on a
• 59:52
  Speaker 3: four checking line full of I hate saying this, but
• 59:56
  Speaker 3: full of dogs, it brings out the best in that
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 3: player and brings out the best of his linemates and
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 3: Peyton Crabs. Again, I love Peyton Grebs, but he goes
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 3: up to that line with Page and has some flashes,
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 3: but still does not produce nearly at the level you
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 3: would expect him to playing on the top line, so
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 3: that'll kind of be like I said, Benson's a player
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 3: that you don't want to take him off that FOURF
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 3: line because they work so well together. But he's a
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 3: player I'd like to see get upwards fifteen sixteen minutes
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 3: a night. Hopefully Lindy can do that down the stretch
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 3: because he has been on.
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 1: A heater so more of the story. Don't take him
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 1: out for Jordan Greenway. Oh no, no.
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 3: You want to. I mean you're already gonna have a
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 3: ride on your hands because they send down Zach mets
• 1:00:39
  Speaker 3: it because we know how our Sabers fans get about
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 3: our niche Buffalo Sabers. Could you imagine the backlash if
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 3: Jeorde Greenway replaces Zach Benson in the lineup.
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 1: I don't even want to think about it because it
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 1: would not be It would not be a good look.
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 1: So any final thoughts for you wrap up today?
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 3: No, I mean I don't have a ton of final thoughts.
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 3: I mean, like I said, this game today against Detroit
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 3: is one where I'm fully expecting the Savers get to
• 1:01:05
  Speaker 3: get back to their winning ways and look good doing it.
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 3: No real like understanding that you know, blowing back to
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 3: back game sucks and is not good, but you know,
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 3: losing back to back was gonna happen. Reasons to be concerned,
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 3: but no reasons to panic. I guess it's the best
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 3: way I would I would say that's how I feel
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 3: right now. My my simple brain will literally be like,
• 1:01:33
  Speaker 3: if they hammer Detroit tonight, I'd be like, all right,
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 3: nothing to worry about now. If they come out and
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 3: struggle against Detroit and it looks the same as the
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 3: last two games, maybe start to have a little bit
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 3: of concerns. But I don't expect that to happen. I
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 3: mean nothing against the Detroit Red Wings, but I just
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 3: think the Savers are just better than them top.
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 1: To bottom, or even Seattle tomorrow.
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, but Seattle's a your team. For Buffalo, I think
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 3: we beat We have only beaten them, what once since
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 3: their existence, wasn't it this season exactly?
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, ja OTTs, Yeah, but yeah, the expectations have changed,
• 1:02:13
  Speaker 1: and now we're we're in a weird, weird scenario that
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 1: we haven't felt in a very long time. Having a
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 1: nitpick some of these things.
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 3: And of course we read a year where the last
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 3: playoff team in the East could very well finish with
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 3: one hundred.
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 1: Points wild just a crazy discrepancy between the two conferences.
• 1:02:31
  Speaker 1: But that's going to wrap it up for today's Saber
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 1: Semantics episode. Right here on the Armchair GM Sports Network
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