The Sabres look really good

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Hasekperreault23

Registered User
Nov 23, 2018
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Big difference between this year and last year is the underlying metrics. The team should be winning based upon how they are playing, whereas last year, it was goaltending and the top line.

Vastly improved defense. There is a big question as to which defenseman will come out of the lineup once Montour is healthy again. That's how deep the defense is this year
Nobody
 

Team Cozens

Registered User
Oct 24, 2013
6,566
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The difference is not defense. Its the the powerplay and it isnt even close.
As a season ticket holder, I can assure you that you are completely wrong about the defense. Night and Day better. The PP has lead to the +12 goal differential. Team is so fun to watch and dominate play for large portions of their games.
 

sabremike

Friend To All Giraffes
Aug 30, 2010
22,544
33,789
Brewster, NY
Watching the game Friday night and I was amazed at how many empty seats there were.
Any idea if that was unusual or are they just not drawing?
The team lost a ton of STH's after the debacle last season. It was essentially the breaking point for a lot of people. Having to sell lots of single game tickets is not easy because resale markets are cheaper and the economy of Buffalo and all of WNY is really bad (the only thriving industries are Universities and Medical Facilities).
 

Derg12

Registered User
Mar 12, 2014
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One BIG difference in this team compared to the last 100 years, or however long it has been since we've had a legit NHL defense, is we can actually breakout and hit the long pass now. Joker's 1st pass out is a big contributor to something called a breakaway - which is a hockey term that has had no meaning in Buffalo for the last several generations.
 

Man of Principles

The Krueger Effect
Nov 30, 2011
2,277
383
The difference is not defense. Its the the powerplay and it isnt even close.

I'm not sure how you can say that. Sure they're scoring at 5v5 as well as power play. That's gotta be attributed to the defense being able to smoothly transition and get them the puck. That's what wasn't happening last year. It wasn't happening for a long time, as I mentioned.

The PP is scoring. Great. The defense is also keeping Hutton protected and keeping the puck out of the net. You're not winning if you can't do that.
 

Chainshot

Give 'em Enough Rope
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Feb 28, 2002
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The goalies so far haven't had to face open backdoor guys night after night, allowing them to just stay square and calm. The d have been better at finding open players on the breakout and at the same time, the forwards are almost to a man coming back very deep to both pressure on the backcheck and give the d-men multiple, short-range outlets. It's so far from what they have tried to do under the last two regimes.

The forwards are much better at giving the defense a simple outlet pass.

See above. I just said that.
 
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ucanthanzalthetruth

#CatsAreCooked
Jul 13, 2013
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1st regulation loss. They have a tough schedule coming up, particularly in early November, that will give a better idea of what they are.
 

kilowatt

the vibes are not immaculate
Jan 1, 2009
18,357
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to be fair that's the easiest 47-save shutout i've ever seen

the kings have reverted to a steaming pile of shit and it only took four games!
 

Chainshot

Give 'em Enough Rope
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First win that was basically the goalie saving their bacon. That said, the Kings didn't really get any inside looks in the third. Lots of perimeter stuff and Hutton was square and calm all night.
 

Revelate

Registered User
Apr 10, 2011
2,500
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Sabres got absolutely jack shit all from their first line tonight and still won, so that's nice. In fairness to them Krueger was using them every other shift in the 3rd last night.
 

Panthaz89

Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
Dec 24, 2016
13,194
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to be fair that's the easiest 47-save shutout i've ever seen

the kings have reverted to a steaming pile of **** and it only took four games!
we definitely got outplayed in the 2nd half of the game after building a lead the team had no legs after the the last game. Hutton definitely had to make a few big ones.
 

kilowatt

the vibes are not immaculate
Jan 1, 2009
18,357
20,894
we definitely got outplayed in the 2nd half of the game after building a lead the team had no legs after the the last game. Hutton definitely had to make a few big ones.

I don't mean to take anything away from Hutton's accomplishment - he played great. But the Kings' best chances didn't even hit the net.
 
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Raccoon Jesus

Todd McLellan is an inside agent
Oct 30, 2008
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I don't mean to take anything away from Hutton's accomplishment - he played great. But the Kings' best chances didn't even hit the net.

This is a gimme for any team but us



He definitely had to work for it too though and had some really killer saves. It wasn't 47 muffins.
 
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Osprey

Registered User
Feb 18, 2005
27,093
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the kings have reverted to a steaming pile of **** and it only took four games!

On top of that, the only players worth getting excited about have been scratched the last 3 games. I particularly don't understand what McLellan has against Grundstrom. I would think that someone who scored 5 goals in 15 NHL games last season, especially one that plays a hard-nosed game, would be just what the Kings need. In addition, in his one and only game this season and in only 11 minutes of ice time, he had a gorgeous pass to set up a Toffoli goal. What does McLellan do? He scratches him the next three games. Meanwhile, Kempe, whom he's repeatedly been dissatisfied with, stays in the lineup and gets chance after chance to prove himself.
 
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