GDT: Blues @ Buffalo - 6pm| BSMW + |

[The Note]

When: Thursday, April 14 at 6 p.m. CT
Where: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY
Watch: Bally Sports Midwest Extra, Bally Sports app


*Projected*
Saad-O'Reilly-Perron
Buchnevich-Thomas-Tarasenko
Barbashev-Schenn-Kyrou
Toropchenko-Brown-Walker

Scandella-Parayko
Leddy-Faulk
Krug-Bortuzzo

Husso/Binnington

vs.



Skinner-Thompson-Tuch
Asplund-Mittelstadt-Olofsson
Hinostroza-Cozens-Hayden
Girgensons-Krebs-Okposo

Samuelsson-Dahlin
Power-Jokiharju
Bryson-Fitzgerald

Anderson

The view from Buffalo:

Click to read more...

 

[mw2noobbuster]

I still can't get over how loaded the Blues top 9 is. I still think I'm going to go to sleep and wake up and it's still Hitchcock's 1 goal a game team.

 

[eibyyz]

Another trap game. Hope Tage shows well.

I have a soft spot for the Sabres. Always liked watching Mike Grier play, and liked Jochen Hecht because he was a Blues legacy.

 

[TheDizee]

i hope binnington starts today. give husso a lil rest.

hopefully he can beat the sabres

 

[Zezel’s Pretzels]

What is everyone thinking about the D pairings? Krug on the 3rd pair seems like a misuse of him IMO

 

[BlueDream]

What is everyone thinking about the D pairings? Krug on the 3rd pair seems like a misuse of him IMO

Well he just came back from injury so they are managing his minutes because he's likely not 100%.

 

[mab894]

What is everyone thinking about the D pairings? Krug on the 3rd pair seems like a misuse of him IMO

Yeah but these d pairings allow Parayko/Scandella to be the shutdown pair. And Krug will have free reign to be creative offensively on the pairing he's on. It's a good problem to have imo but I still think they are still easing Krug back in

 

[bleedblue1223]

What is everyone thinking about the D pairings? Krug on the 3rd pair seems like a misuse of him IMO

As long as everyone plays well, the top guys will get their minutes. If Scandella/Parayko can be a legitimate top pair defensively, then I prefer Leddy or Krug on the 3rd because then we'll always have some top 4 quality guy on the ice at a time. Krug also has chemistry with all the RHD guys, so they can shift him up anytime there is an offensive faceoff.

 

[Zezel’s Pretzels]

These are all good points; I just want Krug to get the minutes I think he deserves. And if him being on the 3rd lightens the load of 1st and 2nd, that's goodness too.

 

[ScratchCatFever]

What is everyone thinking about the D pairings? Krug on the 3rd pair seems like a misuse of him IMO

Probably just Berube easing him back into action after being on the shelf for a while.

 

[Blueston]

These are all good points; I just want Krug to get the minutes I think he deserves. And if him being on the 3rd lightens the load of 1st and 2nd, that's goodness too.

First of all, this is good problem to have. But so long as Scandella can hold up on 1st pair we can have 3 strong pairs. And if Krug gets less wear and tear, that is good thing. keep him fresh for playoffs.

 

[Stealth JD]

Buffalo is going to roll us tonight, and that’s ok. They deserve some positive momentum heading into next year. Power makes their entire defense better; he and Dahlin should the backbone of a great team for years to come. Tage & Tuch will be a nice duo up front. Solid young team, finally turning the corner.

Throw in the fact that they’ve got 8 combined first & second round draft picks for the ‘22 & ‘23 drafts, on top of an already top-5 (league-wide) prospect pool and you can’t help but think the drought is almost over if you’re a Sabres fan.

 

[MissouriMook]

Buffalo is going to roll us tonight, and that’s ok. They deserve some positive momentum heading into next year. Power makes their entire defense better; he and Dahlin should the backbone of a great team for years to come. Tage & Tuch will be a nice duo up front. Solid young team, finally turning the corner.

Throw in the fact that they’ve got 8 combined first & second round draft picks for the ‘22 & ‘23 drafts, on top of an already top-5 (league-wide) prospect pool and you can’t help but think the drought is almost over if you’re a Sabres fan.

You don't think they'll find some way to f*** that up with their ownership group? I want to believe it because that fanbase deserves something to be excited about.

 

[Brian39]

i hope binnington starts today. give husso a lil rest.

hopefully he can beat the sabres

Not in the mood to watch tonight?

 

[sabremike]

You don't think they'll find some way to f*** that up with their ownership group? I want to believe it because that fanbase deserves something to be excited about.

An omnipotent all powerful deity has emerged to save us:

 

[WATTAGE4451]

What is everyone thinking about the D pairings? Krug on the 3rd pair seems like a misuse of him IMO

Krug can only play limited minutes cuz injury

 

[LGB]

What is everyone thinking about the D pairings? Krug on the 3rd pair seems like a misuse of him IMO

Well he just came back from injury so they are managing his minutes because he's likely not 100%.

Hopefully that's why. Faulk and Leddy have a 34.7 xGF% together.

 

[Xerloris]

Could you imagine the melt down if we won the cup with these D pairings? Doing it with Scandella on the top pairing and no Pietrangelo. I think certain people would have a melt down and it would be fun to watch.

 

[Brian39]

What is everyone thinking about the D pairings? Krug on the 3rd pair seems like a misuse of him IMO

On my perfect world Krug is a 3rd pair, top PP unit guy (who takes sporadic shifts in the top 4 when offense is needed and matchups allow). If you can build a good enough top 4 without him, letting him rip apart the bottom half of rosters from the 3rd pair is a damn good use of his skill set.

Scandella/Parayko have been playing some damn good hockey lately. Even though I'm not sold that they can shut down an elite top line over a 7 game series, it is hard to split them up at the moment.

Leddy played really well in Krug's absence and has quickly earned Berube's trust. 6 even strength points in 12 games is pretty damn good and Faulk's play didn't really dip by swapping in Leddy. I'm not really sure whether Leddy/Faulk or Krug/Faulk is better long term (I'd guess Krug/Faulk), but I have no problem giving them an extended look together. Especially if Berube isn't going to break up Scandella/Parayko.

We know what we have in Krug/Faulk. They are a damn good sheltered 2nd pair. We went on a winning streak with Scandella/Parayko and Leddy/Faulk as the top 4, so now is a great time to see how Krug looks on the 3rd pair. If it doesn't work out, we can go back to Krug/Faulk and they'll be okay.

 

[BlueOil]

blues will have to watch the sabres, they manhandled the mighty maple leafs the other night

 

[GoldenSeal]

Enter
RAISE HELL BOYS
LEAVE

That’s how you handle the Sabres. No Mercy!

Oh and Let’s Go BLUES!!

 

[GoldenSeal]

blues will have to watch the sabres, they manhandled the mighty maple leafs the other night

Sabres are in Spoiler mode, gotta knock them down and keep kicking them.

 

[Reality Czech]

I wouldn't read much into Krug on the 3rd pair. He'll be back in the top 4 once he's back to full strength. The fact that he only played 14 minutes Tuesday shows that he's not 100%.

Seems like a good game to play Binnington before Husso plays the big game on Saturday vs. the Wild. The Sabres could easily play spoiler, but I think the Blues will keep rolling and beat the Sabres tonight. But if they are looking ahead to the game Saturday then the Sabres might give us some trouble.

 

[Chet Manly]

6-0, averaging 5 goals a game in the last 2 weeks.

Blues are hitting their stride.

Strap in boys. 9 games left.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Buffalo is going to roll us tonight, and that’s ok. They deserve some positive momentum heading into next year. Power makes their entire defense better; he and Dahlin should the backbone of a great team for years to come. Tage & Tuch will be a nice duo up front. Solid young team, finally turning the corner.

Throw in the fact that they’ve got 8 combined first & second round draft picks for the ‘22 & ‘23 drafts, on top of an already top-5 (league-wide) prospect pool and you can’t help but think the drought is almost over if you’re a Sabres fan.

I love that! Always been a Sabres fan.