I get that goaltending can be erratic and small sample sizes mess things up, but when you're dealing with UFA's, better players make more money. You can't say there's no correlation.
- Lunaion

if stamkos, point, kuch and perry are on

your not beating them with casey, olofsson, asplund, girgs, okposo, jost, fitz, joker lyubuskin, and 6k/comrie in net and your losing the special teams battle

I get that goaltending can be erratic and small sample sizes mess things up, but when you're dealing with UFA's, better players make more money. You can't say there's no correlation.
- Lunaion

If there is correlation it should be easy to prove. So prove it. Sure, the perceived better players make more money, but you still have to go out and play the games. There isn't correlation.

You do realize that in the 6-2 game that our goaltender stood on his head, don't you?
Is playing pond hockey sustainable? You keep dancing around that. Nobody wins long-term playing that way.
- Slump Buster

Bad goaltending is the last stage of the tank mentality.

You cant be serious and think Anderson, comrie and upl is a team that's trying to make the playoffs.

I appreciate the banter, but neither of us are bending.

Our goaltending has cost us 10 games this season.
Not neccesarily wins, but bad goals, bad times, bad goalies.

Half of the games we have had bad goaltending

if stamkos, point, kuch and perry are on

your not beating them with casey, olofsson, asplund, girgs, okposo, jost, fitz, joker lyubuskin, and 6k/comrie in net and your losing the special teams battle
- homiedclown

The funny thing is if we could just prevent the cross-crease passes on the PK then we still would have won the game despite all of the things that you point out.

That said, it isn't like their roster is bullet-proof either. They don't have near the depth that they used to have.

If there is correlation it should be easy to prove. So prove it. Sure, the perceived better players make more money, but you still have to go out and play the games. There isn't correlation.
- Slump Buster

https://www.capfriendly.c...limits=age-25-46,gp-10-90

Not a lot of budget guys on that last, for a reason.

The funny thing is if we could just prevent the cross-crease passes on the PK then we still would have won the game despite all of the things that you point out.

That said, it isn't like their roster is bullet-proof either. They don't have near the depth that they used to have.
- Slump Buster

they miss cirelli

Bad goaltending is the last stage of the tank mentality.

You cant be serious and think Anderson, comrie and upl is a team that's trying to make the playoffs.

I appreciate the banter, but neither of us are bending.

Our goaltending has cost us 10 games this season.
Not neccesarily wins, but bad goals, bad times, bad goalies.

Half of the games we have had bad goaltending
- Boss34

So at what point does the quality of what we are putting out there on the bottom end of our roster come into play? That doesn't matter at all? We give up a ton of chances every game - that is sustainable?

Bad goaltending is the last stage of the tank mentality.

You cant be serious and think Anderson, comrie and upl is a team that's trying to make the playoffs.

I appreciate the banter, but neither of us are bending.

Our goaltending has cost us 10 games this season.
Not neccesarily wins, but bad goals, bad times, bad goalies.

Half of the games we have had bad goaltending
- Boss34

You really think goaltending has cost them 10 games???

14 months ago, the Sabres had a decent 4th line and nothing else. People wanted to hurry up and trade Dahlin while they could still get something for him. Tage had a seat booked next to Eakins for a rocket to the moon.

7 months ago, Dahlin is looking better, Tage's seat on the rocket was cancelled.

3 months ago, lots of questions to start the season. Can Tage repeat last season and give them a legit 1st line. Is Dahlin going to live up to the hype. Is Power going to be any good. Who's going to play with the pair of 1OA dmen. Do they have a 2nd line and who's on it.

Today, Dahlin is in the Norris conversation. Tage would get $10 million if they didn't resign him already. Samuelsson looks like the next coming of Ryan McDonagh, but 3 inches taller and 20lbs heavier. Power gets better every game, except the Coyotes game, he looked like he was drunk. 2nd line question answered. Questions still remain but figuring out a 3rd line and the bottom 3 dmen are much easier questions to find answers for. Goaltending is a harder one to tackle, they'd need the second coming of Hasek to compete night in and night out with the chances they give up. Anyone expecting UPL to come in and dominate right away must not follow hockey very closely or are clueless.


It's clear that Granato is following the you learn more from mistakes philosophy, and they are learning what they can and can't get away with. They're giving up less breakaways than they did the first 12 games, less odd man rushes too, though still too many. Anyone waiting for him to jettison Mittelstadt or Olofsson 22 games in hasn't been listening to him or KA. But a one game benching could be coming.

The biggest change I'd make is booting Skinner off the first powerplay, the guy's game just isn't built for it. That and adding Mittelstadt to the healthy scratch rotation for a few games.

You really think goaltending has cost them 10 games???
- Lunaion

4 or 5 game

also won us 4 or 5 games

https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/active/2023/caphit/all/goalies?signing-status=ufa&stats-season=2023&limits=age-25-46,gp-10-90

Not a lot of budget guys on that last, for a reason.
- Lunaion

On that list there are a bunch of good players and a bunch of mediocre players. The good and the bad are spread throughout the list. Lets not pretend that shopping for goalies is like shopping for brand name tools. Adams tried for Murray and others and came away with Comrie. Anderson has been fine this year. UPL has played one great game and two so-so games.

14 months ago, the Sabres had a decent 4th line and nothing else. People wanted to hurry up and trade Dahlin while they could still get something for him. Tage had a seat booked next to Eakins for a rocket to the moon.

7 months ago, Dahlin is looking better, Tage's seat on the rocket was cancelled.

3 months ago, lots of questions to start the season. Can Tage repeat last season and give them a legit 1st line. Is Dahlin going to live up to the hype. Is Power going to be any good. Who's going to play with the pair of 1OA dmen. Do they have a 2nd line and who's on it.

Today, Dahlin is in the Norris conversation. Tage would get $10 million if they didn't resign him already. Samuelsson looks like the next coming of Ryan McDonagh, but 3 inches taller and 20lbs heavier. Power gets better every game, except the Coyotes game, he looked like he was drunk. 2nd line question answered. Questions still remain but figuring out a 3rd line and the bottom 3 dmen are much easier questions to find answers for. Goaltending is a harder one to tackle, they'd need the second coming of Hasek to compete night in and night out with the chances they give up. Anyone expecting UPL to come in and dominate right away must not follow hockey very closely or are clueless.


It's clear that Granato is following the you learn more from mistakes philosophy, and they are learning what they can and can't get away with. They're giving up less breakaways than they did the first 12 games, less odd man rushes too, though still too many. Anyone waiting for him to jettison Mittelstadt or Olofsson 22 games in hasn't been listening to him or KA. But a one game benching could be coming.

The biggest change I'd make is booting Skinner off the first powerplay, the guy's game just isn't built for it. That and adding Mittelstadt to the healthy scratch rotation for a few games.
- Wanchuk

good post

On that list there are a bunch of good players and a bunch of mediocre players. The good and the bad are spread throughout the list. Lets not pretend that shopping for goalies is like shopping for brand name tools. Adams tried for Murray and others and came away with Comrie. Anderson has been fine this year. UPL has played one great game and two so-so games.
- Slump Buster

murray was a dumpster fire with the sens

put on waivers once I believe


now he is on a decent but flawed D with the leafs and he is a top 10 goalie again

that shows you how much defense affects the goalie stats

I've been a staunch advocate of staying the course and I've annoyed the hell out of some of you for it. But it is time. If I can get Chiquorin and not include Savoie or Kulich, I do it. I think a part of that has to be the conclusion that 46 needs to be sitting next to 37 in the press box. I hate to say it but I am starting to have real questions about the coach.

murray was a dumpster fire with the sens

put on waivers once I believe


now he is on a decent but flawed D with the leafs and he is a top 10 goalie again

that shows you how much defense affects the goalie stats
- homiedclown

It also shows you how unpredictable the position is. I wouldn't throw 6 mill at any of these guys.

The revisionist history never ceases to amaze me. The guy was the furthest thing from a proven commodity. Hell, he still isn't proven. He lost his job to a college kid. Where were you last year with this love for Boston's backup goalie?

The guy never even played half a season for us and now we remember him as being a star? Are you kidding me? 36 mill for 6 years?
- Slump Buster

Great post.
The sky is falling crowd is losing its' collective mind.
UPL didnt help his cause last night now doubt. But you would swear they are playing the Team Dentist in net by these posts, lol.

Great post.
The sky is falling crowd is losing its' collective mind.
UPL didnt help his cause last night now doubt. But you would swear they are playing the Team Dentist in net by these posts, lol.
- IonSabres

and the thing is I also loved Ullmark. He signed for 4x5 in Boston, and Adams said he would have matched it. Ullmark didn't want to be here and told him 6x6. Adams has to pass on that if for no other reason than Ullmark's injury history.

and the thing is I also loved Ullmark. He signed for 4x5 in Boston, and Adams said he would have matched it. Ullmark didn't want to be here and told him 6x6. Adams has to pass on that if for no other reason than Ullmark's injury history.
- Slump Buster

Letting it get to that point is why you should have some reservations about KA.

Letting it get to that point is why you should have some reservations about KA.
- Lunaion

Hopefully he learned his lesson and the Tage/Sammy contracts are now what we can look forward to.

Great post.
The sky is falling crowd is losing its' collective mind.
UPL didnt help his cause last night now doubt. But you would swear they are playing the Team Dentist in net by these posts, lol.
- IonSabres

maybe they should

Hopefully he learned his lesson and the Tage/Sammy contracts are now what we can look forward to.
- ImThatGuy

ever since darcy left no one in Management has had a clue how to deal with goalies..

its been a dumpster fire.

ever since darcy left no one in Management has had a clue how to deal with goalies..

its been a dumpster fire.
- SabresFaninIndiana

and 2 that left as UFA have gone on to play extremely well

Letting it get to that point is why you should have some reservations about KA.
- Lunaion

Sure, that makes sense. But at the same time you also can't run out and reward a guy that couldn't stay on the ice with a longer bridge deal. It isn't nearly the same as what we did with Reinhardt. But yeah, they should have taken a smaller gamble earlier. Maybe they did and he wanted too much money then, I don't know.

and 2 that left as UFA have gone on to play extremely well
- Lunaion

Again, Ullmark has had a good few weeks. He was beat out by a college kid last year and was considered a disappointment.

Hackett: "I told Russ he's gotta stop saying things like 'It's Russell Wilson time' when his team is losing 17-3 to the Panthers. It upsets guys and he gets that now."

God I love it