Latest / The Armchair GM's Sports Network / Buffalo searching for consistency through the first two weeks of 2026-27 season: Sabres Semantics

Transcript

Buffalo searching for consistency through the first two weeks of 2026-27 season: Sabres Semantics · The Armchair GM's Sports Network

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You're listening to the Armchair GM Sports Network.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: This is Saber Semantics, covering all things Buffalo Sabers, exclusively
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: on the Armchair GM Sports Network.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: And welcome into another episode of Saber Semantics, live here
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: on the Armchair GM Sports Network. As always, proudly brought
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: to you by Global Pet Foods, where pets are undeniably
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: part of the family. Visit them in-store today at 3643
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Portage Road in Niagara Falls or 400 Scott Street in St.
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: Catherine.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: To place your online order today, go to globalpetfoods.com. Brandon
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Quito and Austin Broad of Elite Prospects are with you
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: to discuss the Saber's mixed bag of results, as you
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: see on the thumbnail. 3-3-1 so far to start the
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: 26-27 regular season. We're going to get into all that.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: We're going to talk about fan polls, recent player updates, injuries,
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: general thoughts, and takeaways from the first two weeks of
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: the NHL regular season. Thank you to everybody, again, tuned
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: in live here on the video version on YouTube. Make
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: sure to hit like and subscribe. Smash that bell to
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: stay updated with all of our video coverage and our
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: post-game shows here on the network for the Sabre side.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: And as well, thank you to those listening on your
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: favorite on-demand audio podcast platform. Make sure to give us
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: a five-star rating, whatever one you chose to listen to
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: us on. You can also check out our merch store
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: there on the QR code, On the video version, scan that.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: Get you all the way to our Armchair merch store.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Get all of your Saber Semantics gear there. And again,
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: you can give us a follow on X at Saber Semantics,
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok by searching
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: the Armchair GM Sports Network. Austin, we're back again. I
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: think this is your first time on since the season started.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: So again, 3-3-1, you know, some good performances, some bad performances,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: and some in between. But we're going to break it
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: all down. But just, I guess, your general synopsis of
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: what you've seen so far through two weeks.
• 2:35
  Speaker 4: They look like a team that is young, again, and
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: they look like a team that has a really bad
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: power play and inconsistent goaltending, which I think if anyone
• 2:48
  Speaker 4: has heard anyone talk about the Sabres, all kind of expected.
• 2:53
  Speaker 4: But on the flip side, you know, for the couple
• 2:56
  Speaker 4: games aside, you know, Utah, Dallas, and last night. Last night? Yes,
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: last night. For the most part, were not good. But
• 3:04
  Speaker 4: I feel like the other four games, aside from whether
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: it was goaltending or the power play letting them down,
• 3:10
  Speaker 4: for the most part at 5-on-5, they've been the better
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: team this year. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean that you
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: win all the time in the NHL, but it's usually
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: a pretty good formula if you're the better team at
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: 5-on-5 for most of the game. On more nights than not,
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: it's going to bounce your way. Obviously, 3-3-1 isn't great,
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: but it's also not bad. A couple big games coming
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: up this week. But I do think there is a
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: lot to like from what we've seen through the first
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: seven games. And also, like I said, there are obviously
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: we've talked about it. There's a lot of concerns, too.
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: But I will say I personally think more good than
• 3:42
  Speaker 4: bad up until this point. It just feels like the
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: bad has been highlighted because the things that have been
• 3:46
  Speaker 4: bad have maybe been things that we knew they needed
• 3:50
  Speaker 4: to improve on and didn't necessarily do something to improve
• 3:53
  Speaker 4: on those areas.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: And we'll look at the again, what they've done so far.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: they opened up in Columbus with that six, three loss.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: And then they rattled off two victories against Western conference
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: opponents in Chicago and Minnesota, the comeback victory against Minnesota.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: And then they lost, you know, the, the two bad
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: games to Dallas and Utah where they scored one combined
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: goal over those two contests. Again, they had four straight
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: Western conference opponents there. So those aren't going to kill
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: you in the standings at the end of the year.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: But again, when you've got a stretch like this, where
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: they're playing in four straight divisional games, uh, you want
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: to be playing good hockey for a stretch like this,
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: because this could really, you know, at the end of
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: the season, you know, if you're battling teams like Montreal, Florida,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: or even Toronto for playoff positioning, you might look back
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: at this stretch in early or mid October and say,
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: this is where the Sabres could have really, you know,
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: picked up points or one or lost the division with
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: a stretch like this.
• 4:47
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 4:48
  Speaker 4: I mean, on the same side of that coin, or
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: I guess the other side of that coin last year,
• 4:53
  Speaker 4: early on in the season, they, was it four in
• 4:56
  Speaker 4: a row they lost in overtime? They went on a
• 4:59
  Speaker 4: stretch where they got the game to overtime and couldn't
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: get it done, but they got four straight loser points.
• 5:03
  Speaker 4: And we were saying the same thing, like, oh, is
• 5:05
  Speaker 4: this a stretch where you probably could have used the
• 5:07
  Speaker 4: extra one of them points? And then, you know, they
• 5:10
  Speaker 4: ultimately went on to still win the division. So on
• 5:12
  Speaker 4: the flip side of, you know, this is a stretch
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: that could have kind of given themselves some runway. If
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: you are able to right the ship and continue to
• 5:21
  Speaker 4: build on the things that you do well, maybe a
• 5:24
  Speaker 4: stretch like this early on doesn't kill them on, on
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: that note, but four straight divisional games, especially in the
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: Atlantic division. Yeah. You, you got to come out with,
• 5:37
  Speaker 4: I mean, they got the overtime loss last night. So
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: I'd say you got to come out at bare minimum
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: three out of the next four points again, coming up
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: against Toronto, Montreal here this weekend. Yeah.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: They got three out of four so far. And again,
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: the Montreal game, they probably got lucky to get one. So, again,
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: you're you're doing pretty well right now. But again, after
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: what we saw in those Utah and Dallas games, there
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: was a lot to be concerned about, obviously, with the
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: goal scoring, some of the top end players not getting
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: off to the best offensive starts and things like that.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: But again, they play Toronto tomorrow or tonight if you're
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: listening to this the next day. And then they go
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: back to Montreal on Saturday, which is a really weird schedule,
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: in my opinion.
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: But here we are. So and then they go out west.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: So it's a really odd schedule for Buffalo this first
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: month of the season with a lot of Western Conference
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: opponents and then in-division opponents.
• 6:22
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it was starting with yesterday's game against Montreal.
• 6:26
  Speaker 4: I think Hamilton said it was four out of the
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: next 17 are at home. So that's a lot of
• 6:37
  Speaker 4: road games coming up, which I guess can be a
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: good thing. I know, you know, Yarmul and Lindy both
• 6:44
  Speaker 4: kind of hinted at sometimes getting on the road is good,
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: especially for a team like this that's coming off, you know,
• 6:51
  Speaker 4: such an emotional playoff loss and an emotional season last year.
• 6:55
  Speaker 4: Maybe getting away from home and getting on the road
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: early on will do them some good and let them
• 6:59
  Speaker 4: get their feet under them. But, yeah, this is a
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: big stretch. And you were already, I mean, it's 84
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: games now. So they're almost 10% of the season is
• 7:11
  Speaker 4: already down. And when you're in the competitive division like
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: the Atlantic, it really looks like every team, maybe aside
• 7:21
  Speaker 4: from Detroit, is going to be competitive. But it's too
• 7:24
  Speaker 4: early to rule out Detroit being competitive too. Through seven games,
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: this division is exactly what we thought it was. So
• 7:31
  Speaker 4: there's no easy nights. You've got to capitalize every night
• 7:35
  Speaker 4: and you've got to have some success there. early on
• 7:38
  Speaker 4: in the season to kind of build yourself up and
• 7:40
  Speaker 4: give yourself some momentum going into the, to the breadth
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: of the schedule there, because there's, there's no easy nights
• 7:46
  Speaker 4: in the Atlantic. There's no easy nights in the NHL,
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: but there's no easy nights when you're in Atlantic division team. Nope.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: Boston's in first place with 10 points and it goes
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: all the way down to Buffalo. Second last was seven. So,
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: I mean, three points separate first from seventh right now. So, uh,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: pretty crazy to think about. And again, this might be
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: something we see all the way to the end of
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: the year, but, uh, let's move forward with some player
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: updates we got today, Austin. And, uh, and again, like some,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: somewhat concerning here is from Matt Fairburn, but, uh, when
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: on WGR this morning, Lindy rough said it's doubtful that
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: Darlene will join the team in Toronto, possibly back on Saturday,
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: back in Montreal, we'll have to wait and see there,
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: but Alex Lyon had a setback, won't be on the
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: ice for a couple of days. And Tyson Kozak has
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: an upper body injury and is back in Buffalo. The
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: Sabres obviously missed their captain, Rasmus Dahlin, in the game
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: against Montreal.
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: They're still able to pull it a point.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: But, you know, what are your thoughts, I guess, of
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: what the they've they're gone through a lot of injuries,
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: even going back to the preseason with Zellweger and Samuelson.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: And then now sort of what we're looking at here
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: with Dahlin.
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, the Darlene one's tough, right? I mean,
• 8:53
  Speaker 4: Ruff did say day-to-day. We do know that day-to-day and
• 8:55
  Speaker 4: Lindy Ruff speak can easily turn into something a lot
• 8:58
  Speaker 4: worse than that. But I don't know. Until I wasn't
• 9:08
  Speaker 4: obviously shocked that he didn't play against Montreal. When Ruff
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: said he wasn't ruling him out for Toronto, when he
• 9:14
  Speaker 4: wasn't traveling with the team to Montreal, I didn't think
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: there was much of a chance he was going to
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: go to Toronto by himself.
• 9:20
  Speaker 6: I don't know.
• 9:20
  Speaker 4: I don't expect him back by Saturday, but who knows?
• 9:25
  Speaker 4: I mean, it's Darlene. We know he doesn't like to
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: miss time, and when he does miss time, it's usually minimal,
• 9:31
  Speaker 4: so I wouldn't be surprised if he kind of pushes
• 9:33
  Speaker 4: to get back. The Lion one kind of sucks because
• 9:38
  Speaker 4: not even whatever the thoughts people have on goaltending, that aside,
• 9:43
  Speaker 4: just having Alex Lion in the lineup playing for the
• 9:46
  Speaker 4: Sabres gives them a little bit of swagger that I
• 9:48
  Speaker 4: think that they need. and kind of pushes the rest
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: of them, whether he's the backup or whether he's the starter.
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: He provides some swagger and some flair for the Sabres,
• 9:56
  Speaker 4: and I think that's something that is missed. So that
• 10:00
  Speaker 4: kind of sucks. The Kozak one, that is what it is, right?
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: I mean, I was kind of shocked that he stayed
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: in the lineup after the turnover that he had against
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: Utah that led directly to a goal against, but they
• 10:12
  Speaker 4: kept him in the lineup for another game after that. So,
• 10:15
  Speaker 4: you know, depth player, but no offense to Kozak. you
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: can fill in for him quite easily. So the Darlene
• 10:22
  Speaker 4: and the, and the line ones are obviously the big
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: ones there sucks that line had a setback. And, you know,
• 10:28
  Speaker 4: as long as Darlene doesn't go on IR, obviously he'll
• 10:30
  Speaker 4: be back soon, but who knows? It doesn't seem like
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: anyone's coming back soon. So I don't think we have
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: to worry about the roster manipulation at this point, at
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: least not in the immediate future. Yeah.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: And I mean, luckily for the Sabres with their three goaltenders,
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: it seems like one's open always on the shelf and
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: the other two are kind of been, you know, holding
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: down the fort all the way back to last year. So,
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: I mean, if Lyon's able to go somewhat next week,
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: maybe that starts to become more of a controversy, but again,
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: it's been UPL and Ellis right now, at least for
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: the first two weeks of the year.
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: Yeah. And I mean, look, Lyon might not be like
• 11:05
  Speaker 4: all world-class, but he was extremely consistent last year and
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: I think kind of pushed Lukanen to be better. And
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: I think the Sabres desperately miss that. So getting him
• 11:15
  Speaker 4: back soon, we'll, And obviously, Dallin. I mean, Dallin goes
• 11:18
  Speaker 4: without saying. But getting Lyon back soon, I think, will
• 11:20
  Speaker 4: be big for this team. And I think it's something
• 11:22
  Speaker 4: that they desperately need.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: And then before we move forward here, just a quick
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: minor trade here involving the Penguins and the Sabres. The
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: Sabres acquire Caleb Jones and Daniel Leitch from the Pittsburgh
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: Penguins in exchange for defenseman Ryan Johnson. So we've been
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: talking about Ryan Johnson for a long time on the
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: show and wondering when he was going to become a
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: full-time Sabre, if that was ever going to happen. He
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: was the 31st overall pick back in the 2019 draft.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: He's 25 years old now, and he played 56 games
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: with Rochester last season and had played in four this season.
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: But it just seems like he was as many guys
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: that were called up for Buffalo the last few years.
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: And Ryan Johnson did have some opportunities.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: He played in three games in 25, 26 for Buffalo,
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: but he gets moved to Pittsburgh and possibly a better
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: opportunity at getting a top six role. Just didn't seem
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: like he was ever going to have that here in
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: Buffalo with guys that have sort of passed him on
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: the depth chart.
• 12:16
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, it became very clear with Ryan Johnson,
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: you know, I think last year that he kind of
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: just is what he is in the eyes of Jarmo.
• 12:24
  Speaker 4: Even Kevin Adams, when he was here, and Lindy Ruff,
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: for that matter, he was just a depth guy. Was
• 12:29
  Speaker 4: never going to be a full-time player here. You're not, like,
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: he's on Pittsburgh's roster. I believe he was practicing with
• 12:38
  Speaker 4: them when they were about to play Chicago the other day,
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: but he never got into the lineup. So... from a
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: Pittsburgh perspective, Kyle Dubas has a type, right? Former first
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: round picks that have fallen out of favor, whether it
• 12:48
  Speaker 4: was Nick Robertson, Ryan Johnson, that just seems to be
• 12:51
  Speaker 4: something that Kyle Dubas is willing to take a swing on.
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: We know Ryan Johnson can move the puck. We know
• 12:55
  Speaker 4: he can, you know, he's a really good skater. He's
• 12:57
  Speaker 4: good offensive mind. He's a responsible defender, but he was
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: just never able to take that next step and become
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: that third pair defenseman that the Sabres need. We know
• 13:07
  Speaker 4: what the Sabres top four has been for the last
• 13:09
  Speaker 4: couple of years. He was never going to get into
• 13:11
  Speaker 4: that role, but him not being able to grab that
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: third pair role in Buffalo was something that I think
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: both of you and I were kind of shocked at,
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: but it became very evident, you know, last year that
• 13:21
  Speaker 4: it was, the writing was kind of on the wall
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: for him. Yeah.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: And when guys like Metza played over him and then when,
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: even in the playoffs, when you had Stanleys and Luke
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: Shens and those types of guys, Gilbert was brought, was signed,
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: re-signed this season. He got called up with the injuries
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: that have happened on the back end. And then they
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: acquired Crevier. So it just felt like there was never
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: really a spot for Ryan Johnson and his team, unfortunately.
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: And when Darlene obviously comes back, those defensive pairs that
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: you see on the screen are going to look a
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: little bit different as well. But it just seemed like
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: there was never going to be a role for him
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: in the top four for Buffalo. And, you know, with
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: them having Zellweger now and trading away Byram, like, it
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: just wasn't realistic, unfortunately, for a guy that, you know,
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: the Sabres had a lot of promise. I think he
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: was a Botterill pick, was he not, in 2018?
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: Botterill was still the GM.
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: He was a first round pick by Buffalo back then
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: and just, you know, never was able to crack it.
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: So as you mentioned, maybe Pittsburgh, he gets an opportunity there,
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: but it just seems like they just needed to kind.
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: Of move on from him there.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: It just, when the writing was on the wall after
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: training camp, that he was not one of those guys
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: that was able to crack and grab, you know, a
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: top seven or even the extra defenseman role.
• 14:28
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Like I think dating back to last year, just
• 14:30
  Speaker 4: seeing how Mets have played and the role that he played,
• 14:33
  Speaker 4: that is kind of what Ryan Johnson would have had
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: to be. if he was ever going to be a
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: Sabre and Metsa was just too effective last year. So
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: it became pretty clear. Like if we're going to have
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: a guy who plays that role, we're clearly going to
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: go with the guy who not only did it, but
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: did it consistently last year and throughout parts of the
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: playoffs last year. So good for him. He gets to
• 14:53
  Speaker 4: move on and it kind of just speaks to what
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: the Amherst are doing right under Stacy roast is their GM,
• 14:59
  Speaker 4: AHL veteran presence and adding a guy like Caleb Jones
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: experienced AHL guy to that blue line is something good
• 15:05
  Speaker 4: because We've talked about the Amherst roster, not a lot
• 15:08
  Speaker 4: of high-end forward prospects, but their defense was young, whether
• 15:10
  Speaker 4: it was Sturback, McCarthy, Mirka, things like that. So getting
• 15:14
  Speaker 4: a guy like Caleb Jones, a veteran with some depth there,
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: will be good for them. And it just kind of
• 15:19
  Speaker 4: is Rochester's philosophy now, is we're going to rely on
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: the veterans and the young guys are going to fill
• 15:23
  Speaker 4: out the depth roles. And very clearly, Ryan Johnson was
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: passed by the guys that I had just mentioned on
• 15:28
  Speaker 4: that roster.
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: Yep, absolutely.
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: And I look forward to watching Rochester on Friday. in
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: Hamilton against the hammers. We're doing a couple of postgame
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: interviews as well. So stay tuned to the channel for those.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Let's let's move forward here. Austin, just kind of talk
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: about the players that have looked good so far for
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: Buffalo and sort of, we'll kind of tie this into
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: the fan polls as well with, with what we want
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: to see sort of improve there.
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: But you look at it, you know, Owen powers.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: The guy that sticks out to us as a guy
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: that you obviously had championed at the beginning of the year,
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: thought he was going to have a career season, you know,
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: have over 65 points potentially for the first time in
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: his career. And he's off to a great start, seven
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: points in the seven games for Buffalo, the game winner
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: in overtime against Minnesota to get that goal. And he's
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: been one of Buffalo's more effective analytic players as well.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: If you follow those hockey stack cards that they post
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: after every game, he's been one of Buffalo's better offensive
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: players and just in general has been really solid. And
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: maybe those those power haters right now, at least they're
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: being silenced through what we've seen through, I guess, seven games.
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: Yeah. He not only looks comfortable, he looks like the
• 16:33
  Speaker 4: Owen power that was playing at Michigan, but he looks
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: like a kid who's taken another step. He looks like someone,
• 16:40
  Speaker 4: he is not Rasmus Dahlien. So I'm not saying anything
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: like that, but he looks like someone where right now
• 16:45
  Speaker 4: Dahlien being out, this was a year ago, two years ago,
• 16:48
  Speaker 4: we're like, Oh, Buffalo's in a lot of trouble. He
• 16:51
  Speaker 4: is someone who can steady the ship while Dahlien misses.
• 16:53
  Speaker 4: If Dahlien misses some short-term time, that's how well he's
• 16:55
  Speaker 4: been playing. He's one of their better players. Um, Honestly,
• 16:58
  Speaker 4: I said it in the preseason episode. I like him
• 17:02
  Speaker 4: operating the power play more than I like Darlene operating
• 17:04
  Speaker 4: the power play. And you kind of, you see that
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: at times. So he has been a huge bright spot
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: for the Sabres. I know, you know, people were like,
• 17:14
  Speaker 4: Zellweger is going to be the one to replace Byram. Well, like,
• 17:19
  Speaker 4: power alone, like we, they were on the same pair.
• 17:22
  Speaker 4: So we never talked about it, but like power is
• 17:24
  Speaker 4: just not only the Byron replacement, he's the Byron upgrade
• 17:26
  Speaker 4: because now he is the one getting the role that
• 17:28
  Speaker 4: Byron had last year, which is the number, the de
• 17:31
  Speaker 4: facto number three defenseman on the team, but really the
• 17:33
  Speaker 4: number two, he's getting the penalty killing responsibility. He's getting,
• 17:36
  Speaker 4: you know, the number two power play. He's getting the,
• 17:39
  Speaker 4: all the minutes when Darlene is out. So he's, he's
• 17:42
  Speaker 4: off to a great start. The Sabres trust him immensely now,
• 17:45
  Speaker 4: which they obviously should. And he's, you know, He's never
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: been a points guy, but early this season he's getting
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: the points, which he's earned every single one. Very happy
• 17:54
  Speaker 4: for Owen Power. People are starting to come around on him.
• 17:58
  Speaker 4: I think the people who hate him are always going
• 18:00
  Speaker 4: to hate him, but if he's playing this well, the
• 18:01
  Speaker 4: people that hate him, they're not really going to be
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: able to hate him that much. They're always going to
• 18:05
  Speaker 4: say he's not physical enough. They're always going to say
• 18:08
  Speaker 4: he gets pushed around. That's just who he is at
• 18:10
  Speaker 4: this point. He's never been a guy who uses his
• 18:12
  Speaker 4: size for physicality. He's been a guy who uses his
• 18:15
  Speaker 4: size for puck protection, for offense, for taking away people's
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: time and space he's never been a physical guy and
• 18:21
  Speaker 4: now you're seeing the true impact he can have offensively
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: potentially like we said reaching his full potential if not
• 18:29
  Speaker 4: even more than we thought he could be because early
• 18:32
  Speaker 4: on looks like he could be a number one defenseman.
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: On a couple other teams in the NHL and I
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: look at that ice time right 26 26 average ice
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: time for Owen Power again that's also because Rasmus Darlene's
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: been out of the lineup the last game. So power
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: took over the power play one responsibilities as well. But
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: I think, and Jonathan and I kind of discussed this
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: on one of our last post game shows was that,
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: do you think that power with Byram gone has been
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: able to maybe have some of the shackles lifted off
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: of and be able to have more of an offensive role,
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: even though Zellweger is also an offensive defenseman and he
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: can put up points, but do you think that they've
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: sort of unlocked something with power being able to be,
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: have more freely offense, I guess, offensive play, from the
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: back end.
• 19:16
  Speaker 4: Yeah and i think honestly and i don't mean this
• 19:18
  Speaker 4: in a bad way at all i think it's just
• 19:20
  Speaker 4: mentally freeing as well right like no offense like when
• 19:22
  Speaker 4: you have power and byram there were times where byram
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: looked better than power and you know some people are
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: like maybe we should you know if we're going to
• 19:30
  Speaker 4: trade one of these guys maybe we should try and
• 19:32
  Speaker 4: trade on power like these weren't actual serious discussions that
• 19:35
  Speaker 4: the sabers ever had but these were discussion topics that
• 19:37
  Speaker 4: people were had whether it was radio hosts podcasts and
• 19:40
  Speaker 4: they were fair at some points They obviously, you know,
• 19:44
  Speaker 4: Byron made the decision for them. Thank God he did
• 19:47
  Speaker 4: because I would have been, you know, you know me.
• 19:50
  Speaker 4: I would have been, I've been one of Power's biggest defenders.
• 19:52
  Speaker 4: I would have been very annoyed if they moved on
• 19:54
  Speaker 4: from Owen Power and kept Owen Byron. But thankfully, Byron
• 19:56
  Speaker 4: made the decision for, you know, if there ever was
• 19:59
  Speaker 4: a decision, it was made for them. And now we're
• 20:01
  Speaker 4: getting to see the true benefit of not only having
• 20:03
  Speaker 4: a guy like Owen Power, but having a guy like
• 20:05
  Speaker 4: Owen Power locked up for the term and salary that
• 20:08
  Speaker 4: he has because, If this guy was on the open market,
• 20:13
  Speaker 4: he'd be getting a lot more than the 12.5 that
• 20:15
  Speaker 4: Byram got, the way he's been playing and the way
• 20:17
  Speaker 4: he truly can be an effective player in this league.
• 20:20
  Speaker 4: So I think mentally freeing to not have that burden of,
• 20:24
  Speaker 4: is it me or Byram? And also, like you said,
• 20:27
  Speaker 4: not only that, stepping into the role that Byram had.
• 20:31
  Speaker 4: I think they gave Byram all those minutes to appease
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: him because they knew Byram wanted to be a number
• 20:35
  Speaker 4: one defenseman. And unfortunately, no one besides Rasmus Dahlin and
• 20:38
  Speaker 4: is going to be the number one defenseman. So here's
• 20:40
  Speaker 4: the next best thing. You get all the extra minutes,
• 20:42
  Speaker 4: you get the power play too. That's what we can
• 20:44
  Speaker 4: give you. Power never really had a shot at that.
• 20:47
  Speaker 4: Now that Byron's gone, he was the only option and
• 20:51
  Speaker 4: he's doing it very well. Yeah.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: I mean, you love these hockey stack cards that, that
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: come out after all the games. And I mean, you
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: look at Owen powers game there against Florida and that
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: win is He was by far Buffalo's best player offensively, defensively,
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: and then even the game against Montreal that you see
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: up on the screen. He was still one of Buffalo's...
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: I mean, going back to the Minnesota game, his stats
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: were off the chart as well. So, I mean, other
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: than maybe a little bit in that Montreal game that nobody,
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: I guess, played well for the entire game and they
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: were lucky to come away with a point in that game.
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: He's been one of Buffalo's I guess better players analytically.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: And even from the eye test as well, like you
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: watch him play, he looks more confident with the puck.
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: He looks more assertive. He takes a shot like that
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: in overtime that, you know, maybe last year, maybe he
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: tries to look for a pass. Unfortunately, it just seems
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: like Owen power has a new found confidence and he's playing,
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: you know, maybe the best hockey he's played at the
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: NHL level. And people are finally starting to notice that, Hey,
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: this guy can, would be, could possibly be a number
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: one defenseman on, on a lot of teams, but because
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: Darlene's here and because he plays so well with Samuelsson,
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: He's on the second pair, and when you've actually got
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: Zellweger playing with him consistently in the lineup, they can
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: be a dangerous top four, even though they lose a
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: guy like Byram this offseason.
• 22:10
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's why out of the two big pieces that
• 22:13
  Speaker 4: they lost, the Byram and Tuck, I said I was
• 22:15
  Speaker 4: least worried about Byram. And it wasn't a shot at Byram.
• 22:17
  Speaker 4: It was just the combined factor of power taking that
• 22:21
  Speaker 4: next step and a guy like Zellweger fitting in seamlessly,
• 22:23
  Speaker 4: which for people who watch the Montreal game, there's an argument.
• 22:28
  Speaker 4: I actually don't even know if there's much argument against it. Like,
• 22:31
  Speaker 4: Zellweger was their most electrifying player on the ice that game. Like,
• 22:35
  Speaker 4: he was awesome. And that's the type of thing he
• 22:37
  Speaker 4: can bring. And that's the type of thing that Byron brought. So, like,
• 22:40
  Speaker 4: their defense was going to be fine. And Power's clearly
• 22:42
  Speaker 4: taking that next step. But it's just, yeah, it's, again,
• 22:49
  Speaker 4: for me, it's not a surprise. But I think for
• 22:51
  Speaker 4: a lot of people, it's like, oh, this kid is
• 22:54
  Speaker 4: who we thought you know, he's, he's clearly now worthy
• 22:57
  Speaker 4: of that first overall selection. I don't think anyone really
• 23:00
  Speaker 4: should have doubted him, but their, their people were obviously. And,
• 23:04
  Speaker 4: you know, he's now showing that he can be the
• 23:07
  Speaker 4: number two defenseman on this team. Even if he's their
• 23:09
  Speaker 4: second pair, he's their number two defense.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: And then quickly talking about Zellweger, he scored the two
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: goals against Montreal. He's played six games now, again, took
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: him a little bit there to get going again after the,
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: after the concussion and, that he got suffered in that
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: preseason game against Columbus and kind of got a little
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: bit of a slow start there. But now, you know,
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: being able to score the two goals and just seems
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: like he's a guy that they can rely on from
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: the back end. Him and power seem like they've gained
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: some good chemistry here so far for the most part.
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: He's averaging just under 19 minutes a night on the
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: ice as well. And again, in his career, his numbers
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: don't pop off, but he hasn't really had a massive
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: role with Anaheim in his short time in the NHL
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: so far. But coming over to Buffalo, you wanted them
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: to sort of fit into that Bo and Byram role. Again,
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: whether he was going to have that same production, I guess, again,
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: that remains to be seen. But through six games that
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: he's played so far and with the last game being
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: the most recency bias with the two goals, how have
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: you thought of his game so far?
• 24:10
  Speaker 4: I think, you know, there were some bright spots, but
• 24:12
  Speaker 4: it was the Florida game where he really kind of
• 24:14
  Speaker 4: seemed to get his feet under him. And he had
• 24:16
  Speaker 4: a couple of plays. You know, he had the nice assist, obviously,
• 24:19
  Speaker 4: being a couple of plays where he almost scored. And
• 24:22
  Speaker 4: then even the other day in Montreal, I know he
• 24:23
  Speaker 4: had two goals, but I don't even think his goals
• 24:26
  Speaker 4: were not impressive. And I don't mean that in a
• 24:28
  Speaker 4: bad way. That's just how good he actually was. It
• 24:30
  Speaker 4: was the rest of his game where you're like, damn. Oh, also,
• 24:32
  Speaker 4: he also got rewarded for two goals. So he's the
• 24:36
  Speaker 4: type of player where, yeah, he plays stylistically similar to Byram.
• 24:40
  Speaker 4: Obviously does not have the size that Byram had. That's
• 24:42
  Speaker 4: the one thing that, you know, Zellweger will never have.
• 24:44
  Speaker 4: He is who he is at this point.
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: But.
• 24:47
  Speaker 4: The skating, the edge work, the speed, the way he's
• 24:49
  Speaker 4: able to accelerate and the way he's able to row,
• 24:52
  Speaker 4: roam around in the offensive zone. It's just so perfect
• 24:54
  Speaker 4: for what Lindy wants in his top four. And you're seeing,
• 24:58
  Speaker 4: you know, the last, the last two games, especially he
• 25:01
  Speaker 4: looks like he's gelled and, you know, he is, he
• 25:04
  Speaker 4: is a lot of fun and having him, you know,
• 25:06
  Speaker 4: three more years of team control and RFA after that,
• 25:08
  Speaker 4: and he's only making 3.3 million. Like that's, that's pretty, pretty,
• 25:14
  Speaker 4: pretty exciting to have that in a potential top four defenseman.
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: Whether you just brought home a new furry member of
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: the family or would like help finding something different for
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: your picky eater, why not visit us at Global Pet
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: Foods Niagara? Let us show you how our lesser-known premium
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: brands will outperform highly advertised big corporate brands. In addition
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: to improved health and vitality for your pets, there's no
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: need to feed as much per day. Decide from good, better,
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: or best on the market.
• 25:40
  Speaker 3: The staff at either.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: Of our locations would love to help you out. Check
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: us out today at 400 Scott Street in St. Catharines
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: or 3643 Portage Road in Niagara Falls. Global Pet Foods Niagara,
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: where pets are undeniably part of the family.
• 25:55
  Speaker 5: Celebrating a birthday, wedding, graduation, or just watching the big game,
• 25:59
  Speaker 5: Carbine's Pizzeria Italiano is there to satisfy your pizza needs.
• 26:04
  Speaker 5: Serving handmade Italian pizzas created with the freshest top quality ingredients.
• 26:09
  Speaker 5: Loaded subs and their famous chicken wings. Platinum award recipients
• 26:13
  Speaker 5: of Community Votes Niagara for best pizza and wings in
• 26:16
  Speaker 5: all of the Niagara region, three years running. Open 3 p.m.
• 26:20
  Speaker 5: to 9 p.m. seven days a week from their brand
• 26:22
  Speaker 5: new location at 7156 Drummond Road Niagara Falls. All payment
• 26:26
  Speaker 5: options accepted to fit your convenience. Available for call ahead
• 26:30
  Speaker 5: pickup or delivery. Place your order today at 905-374-4400 or
• 26:33
  Speaker 5: check out their online menu for the best quality pizza
• 26:39
  Speaker 5: and wing combos you'll find in Niagara at carbinespizzeria.ca. You've
• 26:43
  Speaker 5: tried the rest?
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: Why not try the best?
• 26:46
  Speaker 5: Carbines Pizzeria Italiano proudly serving the Niagara community since 2013.
• 26:53
  Speaker 4: Are you currently looking for work?
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: Or are you an employer looking to hire in the
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: Niagara region? The Niagara Employment Help Centre is here to help.
• 27:00
  Speaker 2: Job seekers can access a wide range of free services,
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: including a fully staffed resource area, resume and cover letter assistance,
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: local labour market information, job search strategies, career planning, employment counselling,
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: Better Jobs Ontario information, and registration assistance. Walking appointments are
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: available Monday through Thursday.
• 27:20
  Speaker 6: Employers can take advantage of our free recruitment services, including
• 27:23
  Speaker 6: job postings, candidate screening and referrals, assistance filing vacancies quickly
• 27:28
  Speaker 6: and efficiently, plus details on available hiring and training incentives.
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: That may help offset the cost of onboarding new employees.
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: Visit our website or call 905-358-0021, extension 0, to learn more.
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: The Niagara Employment Help Centre, guiding youth success since 1983.
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: This Employment Ontario program is funded by the Government of Ontario.
• 27:52
  Speaker 7: Since 1999, the Niagara Denture Clinic has been helping thousands
• 27:56
  Speaker 7: of Niagara area residents achieve natural-looking smiles with the confidence
• 28:00
  Speaker 7: to show them off. Sean Battelle and his wife Anne,
• 28:03
  Speaker 7: both licensed denturists, bring a wealth of skill and experience
• 28:07
  Speaker 7: to the warm and friendly atmosphere to their Niagara Falls
• 28:10
  Speaker 7: location at 5501 Drummond Road. Additionally, their on-site Niagara Hearing
• 28:16
  Speaker 7: Clinic offers free hearing tests and all other hearing aid
• 28:19
  Speaker 7: services to fit your needs. This family-run, privately-owned practice has
• 28:23
  Speaker 7: always taken pride in providing superior care and service to
• 28:27
  Speaker 7: their patients, as well as providing nothing less than the
• 28:30
  Speaker 7: best premium products available on the market. Over the years,
• 28:33
  Speaker 7: they've tried hard to improve with better services to their
• 28:36
  Speaker 7: clients by acquiring advanced skills, materials, and equipment.
• 28:40
  Speaker 5: Their on-site denture laboratory at Niagara Denture Clinic allows Sean
• 28:45
  Speaker 5: and Anne to pay attention to every detail while making
• 28:48
  Speaker 5: and fitting a premium dentures and enables a more efficient
• 28:52
  Speaker 5: process at a more reasonable price for their patients. you're
• 28:55
  Speaker 5: looking to protect your teeth with a mouth guard replace
• 28:58
  Speaker 5: missing teeth or wanting better hold and security for your
• 29:02
  Speaker 5: dentures with dental implants the niagara denture clinic is there
• 29:06
  Speaker 5: to help call them today for a free consultation at
• 29:09
  Speaker 5: 905-353-1552 or check out their website niagradentureclinic.com for more information
• 29:18
  Speaker 5: niagara denture clinic creating natural smiles in niagara for 25
• 29:22
  Speaker 5: years Hi.
• 29:24
  Speaker 4: This is Dan Dunleavy, play-by-play voice of the Buffalo Sabres,
• 29:27
  Speaker 4: and you are watching and listening to Sabres Semantics. Hey, hey,
• 29:37
  Speaker 4: here we go, it's hockey night in Buffalo. I guess
• 29:38
  Speaker 4: when you're looking at the rest of the forwards and
• 29:42
  Speaker 4: what we've.
• 29:44
  Speaker 6: Seen so far, again, it's been Lindy's been.
• 29:48
  Speaker 5: Putting the lines in a blender.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: Especially after the, or going into the Dallas game and
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: the Utah game. And I remember, I think you joked
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: about it on, on X going into, I think one
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: of those two games, you're going to, this is not
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: going to work. And then obviously they scored one goal
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: over those two games against Dallas and Utah. And you're wondering, okay,
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: what's going on with these top guys. Norris finally got
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: on the board yesterday against Montreal, quick goals. But again,
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: other than, than page with his seven points in the
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: seven games, you know, what are you seeing from some
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: of these top end forwards? And again, it just seems
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: like they're, like no Alex talk or no, like they're
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: missing sort of a top six forward still, in my opinion, as,
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: as far as what they need from production, because they're
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: expecting guys like Don and Benson and, and Quinn to
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: take steps forward. But what have you been seeing from
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: sort of those top end contributors and why it's been
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: a little bit of a struggle for them so far?
• 30:48
  Speaker 4: I mean, I think I, where are we going to start?
• 30:53
  Speaker 4: I'm going to start with 71 and nine McLeod and Norris.
• 30:58
  Speaker 4: I know Norris got on the board, Montreal, McLeod got
• 31:01
  Speaker 4: on the board in Florida, but they've been bad. They've
• 31:05
  Speaker 4: been worse than bad. So while other players like Benson
• 31:09
  Speaker 4: hasn't scored yet, Doan has not been off to a
• 31:11
  Speaker 4: slow start, and things like that are important, and Hellenius
• 31:14
  Speaker 4: hasn't really taken the step, which is kind of something
• 31:16
  Speaker 4: that I hinted at in the preseason episode. I wouldn't
• 31:18
  Speaker 4: be surprised if we're sitting here like Hellenius is not
• 31:21
  Speaker 4: quite exactly where we thought he is. Doesn't change anything
• 31:24
  Speaker 4: about him long-term, obviously, but To me, it's Norris and McLeod. McLeod,
• 31:30
  Speaker 4: even though he's not a points guy, but he's got
• 31:32
  Speaker 4: 50 points each of his last two years in Buffalo.
• 31:34
  Speaker 4: So I feel like 50 points should be the expectation
• 31:36
  Speaker 4: for him at this point. But these are two guys
• 31:38
  Speaker 4: that have both been fourth line centers this year because
• 31:40
  Speaker 4: they've been off to such a slow start. You know,
• 31:45
  Speaker 4: talk about tuck replacement. We're not even talking about even
• 31:47
  Speaker 4: strength here. Tuck was a fun penalty killer, right? I think...
• 31:51
  Speaker 4: I think Tuck's reputation as a penalty killer might be
• 31:52
  Speaker 4: a little bit overblown because he got so many shorthanded
• 31:54
  Speaker 4: goals and he was able to use his speed to
• 31:56
  Speaker 4: put the power play on their heels. But Norris was
• 32:02
  Speaker 4: tabbed with replacing that for a bay. And I don't
• 32:04
  Speaker 4: know why he's on the penalty kill. He hasn't been good.
• 32:06
  Speaker 4: Quinn hasn't been good on the penalty kill. So the
• 32:09
  Speaker 4: penalty kill is something that has been a bit of
• 32:11
  Speaker 4: a problem. But just to me, it's Norris and McLeod
• 32:14
  Speaker 4: at five on five have been really bad. And while
• 32:16
  Speaker 4: there's other people to blame, I think those two are
• 32:19
  Speaker 4: the two that you kind of have to point to
• 32:21
  Speaker 4: right now because one, Norris is your highest paid forward
• 32:26
  Speaker 4: and is here to score goals. And aside from last game,
• 32:30
  Speaker 4: doesn't even look like he's interested in shooting the puck.
• 32:35
  Speaker 4: McLeod has looked like he's had the yips and shooting
• 32:37
  Speaker 4: for over a calendar year now. You know, like he's just,
• 32:41
  Speaker 4: I know he's not a goal scorer, he's a playmaker,
• 32:42
  Speaker 4: but we're talking about a guy who scored 20 goals
• 32:44
  Speaker 4: his first year at Buffalo 14 last year. And was
• 32:47
  Speaker 4: a really good two-way player. So those are the two
• 32:50
  Speaker 4: that I've highlighted early on. Now that being said, you
• 32:53
  Speaker 4: do need Benson to start finishing his chances. It's always
• 32:56
  Speaker 4: been Benson's biggest thing, right? Is he gets those high
• 32:58
  Speaker 4: danger chances, but they haven't gone in. Those need to
• 33:00
  Speaker 4: start going in. Doan is a guy that I was
• 33:02
  Speaker 4: worried about his production. That being said, the way he
• 33:05
  Speaker 4: looked in that Florida game, if he plays like that consistently,
• 33:07
  Speaker 4: production's not going to be an issue with him.
• 33:10
  Speaker 5: Um.
• 33:12
  Speaker 4: Tage we know the points are there so you can't
• 33:13
  Speaker 4: really blame him but like i haven't liked him a
• 33:15
  Speaker 4: couple times i feel like a couple early couple times
• 33:18
  Speaker 4: early on in the year he was just bad but
• 33:19
  Speaker 4: that's tage right he'll look awful and then he'll just
• 33:21
  Speaker 4: rip a shot and he scores you're like okay he's
• 33:23
  Speaker 4: back so you know whether it's zucker being out or
• 33:29
  Speaker 4: you know i don't know like same he's another guy
• 33:32
  Speaker 4: you put him in the lineup he brings a swag
• 33:33
  Speaker 4: and an energy that might be able to to get
• 33:35
  Speaker 4: these guys going but Out of all the issues, the
• 33:38
  Speaker 4: two that I'm most concerned with are nine and 71,
• 33:41
  Speaker 4: because if they are bad, they're in trouble.
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, what we've seen from those top guys
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: you mentioned, they're they're the guys that are supposed to
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: be producing. They're the guys that are being paid as
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: the top forwards on the team to, you know, obviously,
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: you know, be the reasons why they win games. And
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: when Norris is playing on the fourth line, McLeod, you know,
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: has got off to a rough start. I know, you know,
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: you put so much in the plus minus, but he's
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: the most minus player on the team. at minus five,
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: you know, those two have two combined goals through seven
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: games each. Like that's just not good enough for if
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: the Sabres want to be, you know, a playoff team.
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: Those are two centers that they, as you mentioned, 50
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: point guys, at least you expect from them. And with,
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: you know, the speed of McLeod on the penalty kill,
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: maybe you're looking for a little bit more there. You know,
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: it just, it just seems like at times in this
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: seven game stretch, it's why they're three, three and one,
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: because they haven't been able to score goals consistently game
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: in and game out. I know that they had the
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: nice comeback against Montreal, but they're not shooting the puck
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: a lot. I found Norris' post-game comments yesterday getting Montreal
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: kind of odd. He said, oh, you're talking about shooting
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: the puck more and sticking with it. Well, they clearly
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: didn't do that in that game. They did it maybe
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: a little bit in that third period for about five minutes,
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: but they've only hit 30 shots once, and that was
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: in the Florida game where they won. But I know
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: there's only so much you can put in the shots
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: on goal, but their shots are just not they're not
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: generating enough opportunities throughout a lot of these games, which
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: is why their shot total is so low as well.
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: It seems like they were playing road games on home
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: ice against a couple of those teams as well. So
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: I just, as you mentioned, they just need to start
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: shooting the puck with more consistency and also more assertiveness
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: instead of just trying to pass the puck into the net.
• 35:21
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, it's so early on and I don't
• 35:27
  Speaker 4: like doing this because it's excuse making. But the Dallas
• 35:30
  Speaker 4: and Utah games, I look at it like this. Dallas
• 35:33
  Speaker 4: is a really good team. You never like getting shut out.
• 35:37
  Speaker 4: You never like looking that bad for two periods. But
• 35:41
  Speaker 4: Dallas just does that to people when they're on. When
• 35:44
  Speaker 4: Dallas is on, they're one of the best teams in
• 35:45
  Speaker 4: the NHL. And the Utah game, I said it before
• 35:49
  Speaker 4: the game started. I know... I respect Lindy Ruff. He's
• 35:53
  Speaker 4: a phenomenal coach, and I know he's very good at
• 35:56
  Speaker 4: pushing buttons, but sometimes he just doesn't push the right ones,
• 35:59
  Speaker 4: and I don't think scratching Kulik and Hellenius, that game,
• 36:05
  Speaker 4: you don't have the intention of winning the game when
• 36:08
  Speaker 4: you do that, in my opinion. Whether their buttons needed
• 36:11
  Speaker 4: to be pushed is a different story, because they do.
• 36:12
  Speaker 4: They do need a kick in the pants to get going.
• 36:15
  Speaker 4: But scratching them and adding Carrick and Kozak in that game. Well, Danforth,
• 36:21
  Speaker 4: I think, was already in, right? Yeah. But, like, dressing
• 36:26
  Speaker 4: one actual NHL line, basically, in that game, one and
• 36:30
  Speaker 4: a half, you had no chance of beating a team
• 36:33
  Speaker 4: like the Utah Mammoths. So, like, those two games, it
• 36:36
  Speaker 4: sounds like excuse-making, and it is in a way, but
• 36:39
  Speaker 4: it's like those two games, that's just going to happen sometimes,
• 36:43
  Speaker 4: I guess, in the length of an NHL season, but
• 36:47
  Speaker 4: Other than that, yeah, you'd like to see more of
• 36:48
  Speaker 4: their shots actually get on the net because the Sabres are, again,
• 36:51
  Speaker 4: through seven games according to Natural Statric, the Sabres are
• 36:55
  Speaker 4: top seven in the league in terms of five-on-five scoring
• 36:58
  Speaker 4: chance quality four. Like an expected goals percentage, they're sixth
• 37:01
  Speaker 4: in the league right now through seven games. If they
• 37:05
  Speaker 4: stay anywhere near the top ten for the rest of
• 37:07
  Speaker 4: the year, they're going to be a good team. And
• 37:10
  Speaker 4: we're talking they're in sixth place with two of those games.
• 37:13
  Speaker 4: Three of those games because they really weren't that good
• 37:14
  Speaker 4: the other night against Montreal. So it feels like the
• 37:17
  Speaker 4: games that they've been really good in, they've got to
• 37:20
  Speaker 4: finish their chances, whether it be the Columbus game that
• 37:23
  Speaker 4: they lost 6-3, the Florida game they did finish their chances,
• 37:26
  Speaker 4: Chicago game they did finish their chances, Minnesota, you know
• 37:29
  Speaker 4: what I mean? So it just feels like they've got
• 37:32
  Speaker 4: to find the consistency in finishing their chances, and that
• 37:35
  Speaker 4: is guys like Norris, McLeod, Kulik, and Hellenius, and Benson.
• 37:39
  Speaker 4: Benson might be the worst one for not finishing his
• 37:42
  Speaker 4: high-danger chances, but at least he's getting those high-danger chances
• 37:45
  Speaker 4: for now. It's those guys step like just converting those
• 37:47
  Speaker 4: chances and it's going to make the world of difference,
• 37:50
  Speaker 4: especially if they get the goaltending they've gotten from UP
• 37:53
  Speaker 4: over the last four periods, five, if you count the overtime.
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: Last player I want to mention before we get to
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: our fan polls is no awesome. What have you thought
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: of him so far? He scored that that power play goal,
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: the nice pass from Benson. He's got four points in
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: the seven games. sort of playing that second line center
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: role at times. He's been up on the top power
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: play unit. What have you thought of Oslin?
• 38:13
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 38:14
  Speaker 3: Obviously signing the big extension in the off season.
• 38:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah. I mean, four and seven, obviously his line has
• 38:21
  Speaker 4: been the best line, right? Like the most consistent line,
• 38:24
  Speaker 4: at least obviously there's times where Tate has been really good,
• 38:26
  Speaker 4: but Quinn Benson and Oslin, when they've been together have
• 38:29
  Speaker 4: been the most consistent, dangerous line in terms of everything really.
• 38:34
  Speaker 4: And he looks like a true top six center.
• 38:35
  Speaker 7: Yeah.
• 38:36
  Speaker 4: Right now through seven games, hopefully that stands up because
• 38:38
  Speaker 4: that will be awesome. And he'll be worth every penny
• 38:40
  Speaker 4: of that contract that he signed. So early on, no,
• 38:44
  Speaker 4: no concerns with him. Um, they love to that.
• 38:49
  Speaker 3: I saw people complaining online. That's why I brought it up.
• 38:51
  Speaker 4: No, it's a fair criticism, but it just, the Sabres
• 38:54
  Speaker 4: are who they are when it comes to face offs, man.
• 38:56
  Speaker 4: Like it, it just, it is what it is. I
• 39:00
  Speaker 4: do find it notable that when Lindy constructs the lines, uh,
• 39:06
  Speaker 4: what line is the only line with one center on
• 39:08
  Speaker 4: the on the line it's the no oscillant tage krebs
• 39:12
  Speaker 4: whether it was tage norris tage krebs mcleod cooley like
• 39:15
  Speaker 4: every line has at least two sentiment on except that
• 39:17
  Speaker 4: line so clearly they're not too worried about it right
• 39:22
  Speaker 4: hopefully he improves because like faceoffs i'm not saying faceoffs
• 39:25
  Speaker 4: don't matter i do think people overblow it a little
• 39:27
  Speaker 4: bit here because we are so bad at it, we
• 39:29
  Speaker 4: have to talk about it. But I don't think Ruff's
• 39:32
  Speaker 4: that worried about it. The McLeod, Cooley, Colenius line, all
• 39:36
  Speaker 4: three of them are technically centers. Norris and Danforth are centers. Tage,
• 39:40
  Speaker 4: Krebs are centers. That line is the only line with
• 39:44
  Speaker 4: one true centerman on it. So I don't think it's
• 39:46
  Speaker 4: that big of a concern for Lindy Ruff either.
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: Are you at all worried about that they might have
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: too many centers where they're getting flopped around and the
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: lines aren't staying consistent because they have so many centers
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: and that he has the ability and the flexibility to
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: move them around where there's the line chemistry maybe not
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: be where it is right now?
• 40:01
  Speaker 4: I mean, yes and no, right? I think Norris on
• 40:08
  Speaker 4: the fourth line obviously is not something that can continue
• 40:10
  Speaker 4: to happen. When Norris is playing well and ready to
• 40:13
  Speaker 4: come back up to the top six, you have to
• 40:15
  Speaker 4: have a conversation because I don't think Josh Norris can
• 40:17
  Speaker 4: play wing. He's a center. He's a center. He needs
• 40:22
  Speaker 4: to be playing center. And then you have to have
• 40:26
  Speaker 4: a conversation on what do you do with Tage, who
• 40:28
  Speaker 4: I think Ruff has openly said he likes at the wing,
• 40:31
  Speaker 4: but he keeps putting him at center, which obviously is
• 40:33
  Speaker 4: something that on the flip side, we know Tage has
• 40:35
  Speaker 4: said he prefers. So I don't really know. But right now,
• 40:40
  Speaker 4: I think your middle six can work. We'll see what
• 40:45
  Speaker 4: happens when Zucker comes back. I think we kind of
• 40:49
  Speaker 4: know where this is trending. I think 94 will probably
• 40:53
  Speaker 4: be down in Rochester, but we'll see. He's got a
• 40:58
  Speaker 4: couple more weeks to kind of prove that wrong and
• 41:02
  Speaker 4: not do that because, you know, we know how much
• 41:05
  Speaker 4: Lindy hated when Ocelan went down. So if Helena starts
• 41:08
  Speaker 4: playing well and forces his way into this lineup, we
• 41:10
  Speaker 4: know Yarmul and Lindy won't send him down. But right
• 41:12
  Speaker 4: now he looks like a player who could be sent
• 41:14
  Speaker 4: down and probably could use it. Um, But I think,
• 41:18
  Speaker 4: you know, Zucker coming back will also kind of make
• 41:22
  Speaker 4: things look a little bit more clear to what to
• 41:24
  Speaker 4: do with these forward lines. I mean, with Tage, through
• 41:26
  Speaker 4: seven games, he has to play with Krebs. That's the
• 41:28
  Speaker 4: only time he's looked effective. Him and Norris on the
• 41:31
  Speaker 4: ice together has just not been good. I don't think
• 41:33
  Speaker 4: it's ever been good since they've been Sabres.
• 41:35
  Speaker 3: And you prefer Tage at center than the wing at
• 41:37
  Speaker 3: this moment?
• 41:38
  Speaker 4: I don't really have a preference, but he prefers center
• 41:43
  Speaker 4: and the coach prefers wing. And that hasn't changed for,
• 41:45
  Speaker 4: you know, now the third year that it's happened. And
• 41:48
  Speaker 4: it seems like the player wins because he's been a
• 41:50
  Speaker 4: center most of the time. I want Tade where he's
• 41:53
  Speaker 4: most engaged. And if he's most engaged at center, that's
• 41:55
  Speaker 4: where it is. Even if I think he's better suited
• 41:57
  Speaker 4: as a wing, which I do.
• 41:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: And if Hellenous goes down to Rochester, you know, hopefully
• 42:02
  Speaker 1: he doesn't take that as a demotion, gets top playing time,
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: and then eventually gets called back up, I think. he'll
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: be a saber at the end of the year. If
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: he does kind of go down for a little bit and,
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: you know, injuries can happen. He can find himself in
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: a top six role midway through the year. You never
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: know how things are going to work. Josh Norris is
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: injury history, obviously, or, you know, heaven forbid anybody else
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: in the top six, you know, goes down with an injury.
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: He's a guy that's obviously capable of doing it. We
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: saw in the playoffs last year, but consistency over an
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: 84 game season left to wait and see there.
• 42:30
  Speaker 3: But we'll move.
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: Forward into our fan polls to close it out here. And, Again,
• 42:35
  Speaker 1: those are brought to you by the Niagara Employment Help Center,
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: helping people find work in Niagara since 1983. Check out
• 42:40
  Speaker 1: our today job board at ehc.on.ca or call 905-358-0021 to
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: find your next work opportunity today. Make sure to give
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: us a follow on X at Saber Semantics so you
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: can get in on our fan polls. First one, thoughts
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: on how the Sabers have looked with their 3-3-1 start
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: so far this season.
• 42:55
  Speaker 3: Good, meh, bad, or terrible?
• 42:57
  Speaker 4: Meh.
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: Dominated this poll at 81.5%. Bad at 11.1 was second,
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: and then good and terrible were both tied at 3.7.
• 43:05
  Speaker 3: Austin, your thoughts?
• 43:08
  Speaker 4: I think it's pretty straightforward, right? I agree, right? There's
• 43:13
  Speaker 4: been some good, been bad. There's been some stuff we
• 43:17
  Speaker 4: expected to be better that hasn't been. There's been some
• 43:20
  Speaker 4: stuff that's been as bad as we expected. They look
• 43:26
  Speaker 4: like a young team with inconsistent goaltending and a bad
• 43:29
  Speaker 4: power play. But the one thing that's giving me solace
• 43:34
  Speaker 4: is they still look really good at five on five
• 43:36
  Speaker 4: for the most part. And if that continues, they'll be fine.
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: And that sort of leads into our second poll here.
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: And that is what needs to be the biggest improvement
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: for the Sabres after their mixed results through seven games,
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: shots on net per game, penalty kill, power play, or goaltending.
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: Goaltending won this one at 46.4. Second was shots on
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: net per game at 21.4. Actually, power play was 25%.
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: and penalty kill 7.1. I think the Sabres have the
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: third worst penalty kill in the league, and I think
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: the fourth worst power play, even though they got a
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: couple of goals after starting the season 0-13 on the
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: man advantage.
• 44:11
  Speaker 3: But you're already chuckling here.
• 44:13
  Speaker 4: I'm just chuckling that people are that worried about the
• 44:15
  Speaker 4: shots on net per game. All right, whatever. It's really,
• 44:21
  Speaker 4: it's fine. No, it's clear, right? Goal tending and power
• 44:24
  Speaker 4: play are the top two. Recency bias, Lukanen's been really solid,
• 44:29
  Speaker 4: really consistent. I'm hoping the Montreal game is what he needed.
• 44:34
  Speaker 4: He played extremely well. I'm not going to harp on
• 44:37
  Speaker 4: him for not stopping any in the shootout. You'd like
• 44:39
  Speaker 4: him to stop at least one of them, but it
• 44:43
  Speaker 4: is what it is without Lucan, and they probably don't
• 44:44
  Speaker 4: get a point. Got to give credit where credit's due.
• 44:48
  Speaker 4: I've went from ragging on him to saying I think
• 44:51
  Speaker 4: he's going to earn the number one spot, head and
• 44:53
  Speaker 4: shoulders above everybody else. That looks really bad through seven games,
• 44:57
  Speaker 4: but if he plays the way that he played in
• 45:01
  Speaker 4: that third period against Florida and, you know, 85% of
• 45:06
  Speaker 4: the way he played in the Montreal game, he's going
• 45:08
  Speaker 4: to be fine. And if he plays that, I think
• 45:10
  Speaker 4: the Sabres are going to be in really good shape.
• 45:15
  Speaker 4: But I know the goaltending has been a hot topic, right?
• 45:18
  Speaker 4: There's people who want to crucify it. There's people who
• 45:19
  Speaker 4: are going out of their way to defend it, especially
• 45:22
  Speaker 4: with Lukanen. There's people going out of their way to
• 45:24
  Speaker 4: be like, why are people not writing on Ellis as
• 45:26
  Speaker 4: much as they are on Lukanen? People are. Lindy Ruff
• 45:30
  Speaker 4: pulled him after two goals in Florida. He was on
• 45:32
  Speaker 4: a short leash. So if you don't think that it's
• 45:35
  Speaker 4: a goaltending issue, it's not a UPL issue, it's a
• 45:38
  Speaker 4: goaltending issue. But UPL gets the brunt of it because
• 45:42
  Speaker 4: he's the highest paid goalie on this roster. That's just
• 45:45
  Speaker 4: unfortunately what comes with the territory, right? Like, his numbers
• 45:52
  Speaker 4: are still bad. Obviously... I think he was at like
• 45:55
  Speaker 4: a four goals against average and a less than 800
• 45:58
  Speaker 4: say percentage before that third period in Florida. So obviously
• 46:00
  Speaker 4: like the last two games have really helped them out.
• 46:04
  Speaker 4: But they've had some of the worst goaltending in the league.
• 46:07
  Speaker 4: That includes Colton Ellis.
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: I will say though, I think there's a few games
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: there that they got left out to dry by a
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: couple of terrible defensive lapses or just bad penalty kill play.
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: Like I'm not going to blame every goal on these guys.
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: Like I would go back. to the Dallas game or
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: the Utah game. Like they just didn't play well in
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: either of those games. I look back at even the
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: game against Columbus.
• 46:28
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: UPL, you know, probably want a couple of those back,
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: but a couple of them were some tips, some things
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: back door.
• 46:34
  Speaker 3: Like, I don't know. I think the goaltending hasn't been
• 46:37
  Speaker 3: great by any means.
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: And again, people are always right now with Connor Hellebuck
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: still being available that they always want to knock on
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: that door. But I don't know, like I haven't been
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: as maybe concerned as some people are about the goaltending
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: so far, because I just think that seven games is
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: too small of a sample size for me to start
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: getting worried or wanting to, you know, give the farm
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: to Winnipeg for Hellebuck. I think their biggest war concern
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: right now is maybe a top six forward and maybe,
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: you know, Zucker coming back in the lineup, you know,
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: as a middle six guy will help with that or
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: Norris just, you know, actually looking like an NHL player
• 47:09
  Speaker 1: once again would be nice as well because he's a
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: guy that should be playing top six minutes. But I
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: don't know for me, like I haven't and I can
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: rag on goaltending from time to time, but I feel
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: like I'm in the minority right now of that. It
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: hasn't been as bad as some people are banging the table.
• 47:26
  Speaker 4: I think the show is going to turn into a
• 47:27
  Speaker 4: goaltender debate then. I don't necessarily disagree with you on
• 47:32
  Speaker 4: some of that. I think the Chicago game specifically, the
• 47:35
  Speaker 4: goals that he gave up were, those were just defensive lapses. Well,
• 47:41
  Speaker 4: two of the three, the third one, he just absolutely
• 47:43
  Speaker 4: has to stop. The Columbus one tips and stuff. Sure.
• 47:46
  Speaker 4: But like, no offense. You're a goalie. You get paid
• 47:52
  Speaker 4: to stop the puck. Not every save is supposed to
• 47:54
  Speaker 4: be easy. Buffalo, 4-0 against Dallas. We don't have to
• 48:00
  Speaker 4: go goal by goal, but there were chances in that
• 48:02
  Speaker 4: first period that Buffalo had to put the puck in
• 48:04
  Speaker 4: the net and their goalie made the save. Utah, Colton Ellis,
• 48:11
  Speaker 4: a couple of those goals you have to have. Florida,
• 48:13
  Speaker 4: Colton Ellis, you have to have those. So it's like... Yeah,
• 48:18
  Speaker 4: I'm not going to say every goal is on these guys,
• 48:21
  Speaker 4: particularly Lukanen, but it's got to be disheartening when, especially
• 48:27
  Speaker 4: in the Chicago game early on, even the Columbus game
• 48:30
  Speaker 4: early on, Buffalo has prime chances and the goalie makes
• 48:33
  Speaker 4: a stop. Through the first five games, Buffalo hadn't even
• 48:39
  Speaker 4: given up 24 shots against it, but they were giving
• 48:41
  Speaker 4: up four goals a game. So I'm not saying the
• 48:43
  Speaker 4: goals are the goalie's fault, but At some point, you
• 48:47
  Speaker 4: have to stop the puck, whether it's a prime scoring
• 48:49
  Speaker 4: chance or not. And listen, Lukanen said this himself after
• 48:52
  Speaker 4: the Dallas game. I don't care if it's four breakaways.
• 48:54
  Speaker 4: He gave up four goals on 17 shots. In no way, shape,
• 48:59
  Speaker 4: or form is that acceptable. I do not care. I'm
• 49:01
  Speaker 4: not a goalie, so whatever. I obviously can't speak to
• 49:04
  Speaker 4: playing the position, but in no circumstance is that acceptable
• 49:06
  Speaker 4: at the NHL level, at any level. So sure, the
• 49:10
  Speaker 4: goals against might not necessarily be your fault, but at
• 49:13
  Speaker 4: some point, We haven't had a goalie in Buffalo. And
• 49:17
  Speaker 4: this is, I, I want to say this very clearly. This,
• 49:20
  Speaker 4: this speech right here is not saying Buffalo needs to
• 49:22
  Speaker 4: go trade for Connor. I'm the one who said, I
• 49:25
  Speaker 4: think you, it's going to be the number one goalie
• 49:27
  Speaker 4: this year, but I'm also not going to sit here
• 49:30
  Speaker 4: and pretend why some people are getting frustrated saying, please
• 49:35
  Speaker 4: go get the hell of luck. Because the power play
• 49:39
  Speaker 4: has been bad. They do need to start finishing their
• 49:42
  Speaker 4: chances more. But with Ukapeka Lukanen, it's not the five
• 49:46
  Speaker 4: games this year. It's the whole career. It's been one
• 49:49
  Speaker 4: good year, one bad year, one good year, one bad year,
• 49:51
  Speaker 4: one good year, one bad year. Last year was a
• 49:53
  Speaker 4: good year. So if this year's a bad year, it's not.
• 49:57
  Speaker 4: We as Sabres fans and the GM, they can't be
• 49:59
  Speaker 4: shocked about it because that's who he's been. So sure,
• 50:02
  Speaker 4: are people maybe overreacting to this sample size?
• 50:05
  Speaker 6: Maybe.
• 50:06
  Speaker 4: But with Ukapeka Lukanen, at least, It's just who he's
• 50:09
  Speaker 4: been throughout his whole career. He's that goalie who will
• 50:13
  Speaker 4: make a great save, but will give up one of
• 50:15
  Speaker 4: the most back-breaking goals at the worst possible time. That's
• 50:18
  Speaker 4: just who he's been.
• 50:21
  Speaker 3: Or an overtime Game 7.
• 50:24
  Speaker 4: That's what I mean. I understand that anyone who blames
• 50:29
  Speaker 4: every single goal against on the guy, no. You've got
• 50:33
  Speaker 4: to be realistic. But I think it's totally fair to
• 50:37
  Speaker 4: say the gold pending has been abysmal this year because
• 50:40
  Speaker 4: it has been and again that's both guys ellis looked
• 50:43
  Speaker 4: really good in the minnesota game but other ever since
• 50:45
  Speaker 4: then has has not.
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: Were you shocked he had that short of a leash
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: against florida where he let him two in the first
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: 10 minutes and then lindy had him gone no.
• 50:52
  Speaker 4: The only reason i was i was a little bit
• 50:55
  Speaker 4: shocked because of the back-to-back but honestly with the way
• 51:01
  Speaker 4: the gold tending had been the three games prior to
• 51:02
  Speaker 4: that no You have to have these guys on the
• 51:05
  Speaker 4: short leash if that's what they're going to be. Look
• 51:07
  Speaker 4: at the short leash in the Montreal series. He's got
• 51:10
  Speaker 4: to do it until someone takes the net. And no
• 51:14
  Speaker 4: one's taking the net.
• 51:18
  Speaker 1: And, I mean, Lyon still is a factor in this
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: as well, right? Like, when he comes back, how is
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: the start distribution going to go, right? Like, how are
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: they going to distribute that if all three guys are
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: healthy with what we've seen so far with Lukanen and
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: Ellis being very hot and cold?
• 51:32
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it'll be very interesting. And it's kind of like, again,
• 51:37
  Speaker 4: it's the problem that, you know, Jarmo did kind of
• 51:41
  Speaker 4: create for himself. He did not put any water on
• 51:45
  Speaker 4: the fire on the Hellebook stuff at the season opening
• 51:47
  Speaker 4: remarks when he was just like, oh, you know, the
• 51:50
  Speaker 4: guys we have here are the guys that we have
• 51:52
  Speaker 4: here for now. You know, Tage Thompson didn't put any
• 51:56
  Speaker 4: water on the fire by saying he'd love to have
• 51:57
  Speaker 4: Connor Hellebook in Buffalo. So... not getting the deal done
• 52:02
  Speaker 4: and having, you know, not, not cooling it down, not
• 52:05
  Speaker 4: going out of your way to disparage it is kind
• 52:08
  Speaker 4: of the reason why fans are acting that the way
• 52:10
  Speaker 4: they're acting. I'm not even like, I would like the Conor.
• 52:14
  Speaker 4: I don't even necessarily know if the Conor Helbig trade
• 52:18
  Speaker 4: makes a huge difference right now because he hasn't had
• 52:20
  Speaker 4: training camp or anything like that. But the biggest thing
• 52:23
  Speaker 4: that we said this year was if your forward group
• 52:25
  Speaker 4: is going to take a step back and you're finishing
• 52:27
  Speaker 4: might come down to earth a little bit, what could,
• 52:30
  Speaker 4: salvage that very consistent goaltending. So I don't blame people
• 52:35
  Speaker 4: for saying they want Hellebuck because unfortunately up at this
• 52:37
  Speaker 4: point in his career, Lukanen has not proven to be
• 52:39
  Speaker 4: a consistent goaltender. I still hope he does. He looked
• 52:42
  Speaker 4: really good in the Montreal game. I'm really hoping he
• 52:44
  Speaker 4: builds off that.
• 52:45
  Speaker 1: He's lucky as a no trade clause that kicked in
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: where he doesn't want to go to Winnipeg.
• 52:50
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Again, this is, it's not even like, I'm not
• 52:53
  Speaker 4: even focusing fully on Hellebuck, just any improvement in goaltender.
• 52:56
  Speaker 4: You want to kill that? You want to put that
• 52:58
  Speaker 4: to bed, Lukanen? Do it with your play. Right. Yesterday,
• 53:02
  Speaker 4: the other day was a good starting point to keep
• 53:04
  Speaker 4: building off of it, because unfortunately for him, the worse
• 53:09
  Speaker 4: he plays, the louder it's going to get. Yeah, that's
• 53:13
  Speaker 4: not good for Jarmo Kekalainen either.
• 53:16
  Speaker 1: No, because, you know, are people going to be mad
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: that he didn't pull the trigger on that deal?
• 53:20
  Speaker 4: They already are.
• 53:22
  Speaker 3: You know, and it'll get louder, as you mentioned, it'll hit.
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: He'll start to really hear that if it continues to
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: have inconsistencies like we're seeing right now through the first
• 53:33
  Speaker 1: seven games. But going off the rest of the poll,
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: obviously the fourth worst power play and the third worst
• 53:39
  Speaker 1: penalty kill in the NHL, 60.9% on the kills, obviously
• 53:44
  Speaker 1: not good enough, and a power play at 11.1, even
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: though they started off 0 for 13, so it's been
• 53:49
  Speaker 1: better as of late. Are you at all concerned with,
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: I guess, what the special teams is right now?
• 53:55
  Speaker 4: Very, obviously. Penalty kill, I think, honestly, it's just a
• 54:00
  Speaker 4: little bit of personnel. I don't mean this in a
• 54:02
  Speaker 4: bad way against these players, but, like, I don't think
• 54:05
  Speaker 4: I need to see Jack Quinn, Josh Norris, or Zach
• 54:07
  Speaker 4: Metz on the ice for the penalty kill. I just don't.
• 54:11
  Speaker 4: Go with the classic Danforth, Malenstein, maybe throw Benson, Doan,
• 54:18
  Speaker 4: or Oslin out there. Like, go... The Sabres penalty kill
• 54:21
  Speaker 4: was so fun and effective last year because it was
• 54:23
  Speaker 4: McLeod and Tuck kind of operating under the power kill system,
• 54:26
  Speaker 4: which is we're going to kill penalties by generating chances.
• 54:30
  Speaker 4: And the Sabres have had some really good shorthanded opportunities
• 54:32
  Speaker 4: this year using the guys like Norris and Quinn. So
• 54:35
  Speaker 4: like it, it's kind of, you're going to, it's a
• 54:40
  Speaker 4: high risk, high reward the way that the Buffalo operates.
• 54:43
  Speaker 4: And right, right now the risk is, just isn't worth
• 54:47
  Speaker 4: the reward because they haven't been rewarded with shorthanded goals
• 54:50
  Speaker 4: and they've given up a ton of power play goals again.
• 54:53
  Speaker 4: So I'd like to see, at least until they kind
• 54:56
  Speaker 4: of figure it out, maybe go with a more traditional system.
• 55:03
  Speaker 4: Even though I know it's not fun and it's kind
• 55:04
  Speaker 4: of the opposite of what the Sabres did last year
• 55:06
  Speaker 4: and why their penalty kill was so good. But the
• 55:08
  Speaker 4: power play, I just, I don't know. I don't know anymore.
• 55:11
  Speaker 4: I watch other teams work the puck high to low
• 55:13
  Speaker 4: around to other people. And you just watch and you're like,
• 55:17
  Speaker 4: the Sabres don't have that. This is, again, nothing bad
• 55:20
  Speaker 4: against these two players. These two players are phenomenal hockey players,
• 55:23
  Speaker 4: but it just feels like Darlene and Cage want to
• 55:25
  Speaker 4: play pass. And that's not dangerous. Cage hasn't been a
• 55:28
  Speaker 4: good power play goal scorer in like five years.
• 55:33
  Speaker 3: And he's not scoring on that patented one-timer, right?
• 55:36
  Speaker 4: It hasn't been a weapon in five years. It just hasn't.
• 55:40
  Speaker 4: And again, he's one of the best five-on-five goal scorers
• 55:43
  Speaker 4: in the NHL. It's not even a criticism, really. It's
• 55:45
  Speaker 4: just You might not be good at scoring on the
• 55:47
  Speaker 4: power play. There's nothing wrong with that. Keep scoring at
• 55:49
  Speaker 4: five on five. That's all we need. But like, why
• 55:54
  Speaker 4: not try something else like that? Yeah, the Ocelan power
• 55:57
  Speaker 4: play goal from Benson. Why do we not see that often?
• 56:01
  Speaker 4: The puck worked low to the net and you have
• 56:03
  Speaker 4: Austin tap in a backdoor pass. That's an effective power play.
• 56:09
  Speaker 4: The Darlene one, you work the puck low to high
• 56:11
  Speaker 4: and Darlene rips at one time. That's not just playing
• 56:14
  Speaker 4: pass on the half dot. That's actually working the puck
• 56:17
  Speaker 4: from somewhere. Like, the first power play goal that the
• 56:19
  Speaker 4: Sabres scored this year was that awful angled rush by
• 56:22
  Speaker 4: Tage against Yuma.
• 56:23
  Speaker 3: You can't even count that.
• 56:25
  Speaker 4: It's so perfect for the Sabres that that's how they
• 56:27
  Speaker 4: scored their first power play goal because it was awful
• 56:29
  Speaker 4: to look at. So, I don't know what the fix is.
• 56:34
  Speaker 4: It's the strategy. It's the strategy. Or you tell Dallin,
• 56:38
  Speaker 4: maybe Dallin and Tage are going rogue. I don't know.
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: I think it was Paul Hamilton that brought up Lindy
• 56:43
  Speaker 1: Ruff's power plays throughout the year since he left Buffalo
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: and they have not been very good with his power
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: play setups. So again, I know everybody wants to rip
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: on Seth Appert, but this is Lindy Ruff's power play
• 56:54
  Speaker 1: at the end of the day.
• 56:54
  Speaker 3: He's the one that calls the final shot on what
• 56:56
  Speaker 3: it looks like.
• 56:58
  Speaker 4: It's both. It's both of them because yeah, Russ, the
• 57:01
  Speaker 4: head coach, but they're like the power play that Seth
• 57:03
  Speaker 4: Appert ran in Rochester wasn't exactly good either. So if
• 57:06
  Speaker 4: you have a bad power play head coach with maybe
• 57:08
  Speaker 4: not the greatest power play tactician as your assistant coach,
• 57:11
  Speaker 4: shouldn't be surprising that what you're getting is poop on
• 57:14
  Speaker 4: a plate.
• 57:16
  Speaker 3: Yeah. That's kind of what it's been so far.
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: And again, their special teams needs to be a lot
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: better than that if they want to, to be a
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: playoff team. But as we're wrapping up here, Austin, I mean,
• 57:25
  Speaker 1: we got Toronto tomorrow night or tonight for listening to
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: this the next day and then back in Montreal on
• 57:30
  Speaker 1: Saturday before our next post game show will be Wednesday,
• 57:33
  Speaker 1: next Wednesday night, following the home game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: And then they go on that interesting, road trip out West,
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: but I guess, what do you just, obviously you want
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: to see the power play, the penalty kill improve. If
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: you want to see the goaltending improve, but what are
• 57:48
  Speaker 1: you looking for this next stretch of games here for
• 57:50
  Speaker 1: Buffalo to obviously continue to try to pick up some
• 57:53
  Speaker 1: points here. And they've got three of four so far
• 57:57
  Speaker 1: out of the possible eight points within the division. But
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: what are you thinking for the rest of the week here?
• 58:02
  Speaker 4: Well, I'd like to get six out of eight. So
• 58:04
  Speaker 4: that's three out of the next four, like I said
• 58:05
  Speaker 4: earlier in the show. Game by game basis against Toronto,
• 58:09
  Speaker 4: I'd like to see you score because Toronto gives up
• 58:13
  Speaker 4: a lot of goals. They score a lot of goals,
• 58:15
  Speaker 4: but they give up a lot of goals. So if
• 58:16
  Speaker 4: your five on five offense is generating a lot of
• 58:19
  Speaker 4: chances and you're finishing, that is a good sign. Ideally, again,
• 58:25
  Speaker 4: this is easier said than done, but also just stay
• 58:29
  Speaker 4: out of the box. We've talked about how their penalty
• 58:31
  Speaker 4: kill has been so inconsistent. Toronto has a lethal power play. Montreal,
• 58:36
  Speaker 4: even without Demidov, has a lethal power play. So you
• 58:39
  Speaker 4: want any shot at these guys. You keep the game
• 58:41
  Speaker 4: at 5-on-5 and you do what you do best, which
• 58:43
  Speaker 4: is play the game at 5-on-5. Dating back to last January,
• 58:50
  Speaker 4: one of the best teams in the league at 5-on-5.
• 58:52
  Speaker 4: So keep doing that. And hopefully we have Dahling back
• 58:58
  Speaker 4: for at least one of them. Because as good as
• 59:02
  Speaker 4: power and these guys are, He's your captain. He's your
• 59:05
  Speaker 4: heart and soul. He's your best player. You need him back. Also,
• 59:10
  Speaker 4: how bad do you think TNT is regretting putting that Flyers.
• 59:14
  Speaker 3: Game on national TV? 7.30 game on a Wednesday night.
• 59:18
  Speaker 4: I don't know what it is about Buffalo Philly always
• 59:20
  Speaker 4: on national TV in the States, but it for some
• 59:23
  Speaker 4: reason always is.
• 59:24
  Speaker 1: I don't want to watch a Rick Tockett Flyers team
• 59:28
  Speaker 1: right now.
• 59:30
  Speaker 3: I'll tell you that.
• 59:31
  Speaker 4: No, they're not playing tonight. Are they? No, but so
• 59:36
  Speaker 4: they're still, they're still winless as of recording this podcast.
• 59:39
  Speaker 3: What a, what a team.
• 59:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 59:41
  Speaker 1: That'll be an interesting late start next Wednesday. And we'll
• 59:43
  Speaker 1: be here for you guys with the post game show,
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: but I don't know if you got any final thoughts, Austin,
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: or if that was kind of your final thoughts there.
• 59:49
  Speaker 4: No, I mean, I, I'm just going to burn me
• 59:53
  Speaker 4: because I already predicted him to be the bona fide
• 59:55
  Speaker 4: starting goalie this year. I, think Lukanen's going to figure
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 4: it out.
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 3: Do you think he gets both games, like Toronto and Montreal?
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 4: Based off Lindy today, Lyon's not close, I'd say yes.
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 4: The only way I didn't think he would is if
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 4: Lyon was close.
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 3: After Ellis got pulled against Florida, yeah.
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I do think, I mean, Ellis still only needs
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 4: nine more games to maintain RFA status, so they're probably
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 4: still going to give him his nine games, but the
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 4: way Lukanen's played the last you know, since the third
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 4: period of that Florida game, I feel like you have to.
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 4: And he hasn't earned it yet, but out of the
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 4: last two, he's been your best. And it's just go
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 4: with the hot hand until the hot hand becomes a
• 1:00:39
  Speaker 4: true goalie, I guess.
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, hopefully the goaltending, they can get some sort of
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 1: consistency there. And when Lion comes back, we'll have to
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 1: wait and see what that rotation is going to look like.
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 1: But that's going to wrap it up for today's episode
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 1: of Saber Semantics right here on the Armchair GM Sports Network. Again,
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: proudly brought to you by Global Pet Foods. Where pets
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 1: are unannoyedly part of the family. Visit their in-store today.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: 3643 Portage Road in Niagara Falls or 400 Scott Street
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 1: in St.
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 3: Catharines.
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: Replace your online order today at GlobalPetFoods.com. Again, thank you
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: to everybody that tuned in live tonight here on the
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: video version on YouTube. Make sure to hit like and subscribe.
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 1: Smash that bell. And thank you to those that are
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: listening on your favorite on-demand audio podcast platform. Make sure
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 1: to give us a five-star rating on whatever one you
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: chose to listen to us on. Again, give us a
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 1: follow on Exit Saber Semantics as well as on Facebook, Instagram,
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: and TikTok. So for Austin Broad of Elite Prospects, My
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: name is Brandon Quiddle. We'll talk to you guys again
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 1: next week following the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 1: home ice.
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 3: Talk to you then. This is the Armchair GM Sports Network.