[Incomplete Title] Sabres (21-12-5) & NHL 2018-19 - Game 39 (MSG-B) vs. BOS (20-14-4) at 7 PM ET on 12/29

[26CornerBlitz]

 

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[bbb]

 

[Like A Mofo]

The Colorado Avalanche own Ottawa's first rounder in 2019, and with generational talent Hughes entering the draft, if that hits, what a disaster Ottawa has become.

 

And think just less then two season ago, Ottawa was one bounce from the Stanley Cup Finals.

 

This is why I think the Sabres can turn things around much faster then most expect. The salary cap era that benefits tax healthy regions has created this dynamic.

Edited September 14, 2018 by Like A Mofo

[BillsFan4]

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Sabres Announce 2018 Preseason Broadcast Schedule

 

The Buffalo Sabres today announced the broadcast schedule for the team's 2018 preseason games. All six preseason games will be broadcast live on WGR 550 and the Sept. 18 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins will be broadcast live on television with Rick Jeanneret providing play-by-play on MSG. 

 

In addition, the Sept. 21 and 22 games against the Toronto Maple Leafs will be shown on MSG using a simulcast of the Sportsnet feed.

 

A full broadcast schedule for the team's preseason can be found below:

 

Date	Time	Opponent	TV	Radio
Sept. 17	7 p.m.	at Columbus	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 18	7 p.m.	Pittsburgh	MSG	WGR 550 (Rick Jeanneret and Rob Ray)
Sept. 21	7:30 p.m.	at Toronto	MSG	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 22	7 p.m.	Toronto	MSG	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 25	7 p.m.	Columbus*	NBCSN	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 26	7 p.m.	at Pittsburgh	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 28	7 p.m.	at NY Islanders**	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)

 

* Game at Clinton Arena, Clinton, New York

** Game at Tribute Communities Centre, Oshawa, Ontario

[26CornerBlitz]

Sabres focused on upping pace this training camp

 

Bill Hoppe Posted on 09.14.18 Categories Housley, Hunwick, McCabe

 

BUFFALO – A year ago, coach Phil Housley and his staff were so busy installing a new system and teaching during training camp, the Sabres never established much of a pace that could lead to regular-season success.

 

Not surprisingly, it hurt the Sabres, who plodded through a miserable campaign and wound up finishing dead last in Housley’s first year.

 

This year, even with a slew of new faces, most of the roster knows Housley’s system, meaning the Sabres can go full-throttle throughout their early practices.

 

The Sabres skated aggressively during Friday’s opening sessions inside HarborCenter.

 

“I mean, it was a tough go,” Housley said. “Both sessions (had) a lot of skating after the play, which we’re trying to encourage our guys. Part of our identity is back pressure and reloading them from the offensive zone of the ice. You could see a lot of the drills the guys were bent over. We pushed them to the limit in the each drill and then we could see that the pace was going down, so we let them get some water, regain their composure and their wind.

[snafu]

On 9/12/2018 at 2:00 PM, BillsFan4 said:

That was an awesome read. Thanks for sharing. 

 

I guess Housley and Botterill told him at the year end meetings that they needed him to become a leader on this team. It sounds like he may have really took that message to heart. 

 

Being a Finn, he probably doesn't want the Swede to come in and run the show. 

[BillsFan4]

1 hour ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

Sabres Announce 2018 Preseason Broadcast Schedule

 

The Buffalo Sabres today announced the broadcast schedule for the team's 2018 preseason games. All six preseason games will be broadcast live on WGR 550 and the Sept. 18 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins will be broadcast live on television with Rick Jeanneret providing play-by-play on MSG. 

 

In addition, the Sept. 21 and 22 games against the Toronto Maple Leafs will be shown on MSG using a simulcast of the Sportsnet feed.

 

A full broadcast schedule for the team's preseason can be found below:

 

Date	Time	Opponent	TV	Radio
Sept. 17	7 p.m.	at Columbus	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 18	7 p.m.	Pittsburgh	MSG	WGR 550 (Rick Jeanneret and Rob Ray)
Sept. 21	7:30 p.m.	at Toronto	MSG	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 22	7 p.m.	Toronto	MSG	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 25	7 p.m.	Columbus*	NBCSN	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 26	7 p.m.	at Pittsburgh	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)
Sept. 28	7 p.m.	at NY Islanders**	WGR 550 (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray)

 

* Game at Clinton Arena, Clinton, New York

** Game at Tribute Communities Centre, Oshawa, Ontario

Columbus is streaming momday’s game on bluejackets.com. 

 

I am not sure if it’s only for in-market or not, but even if it is there should be a way to watch it. 

 

Hopefully the Sabres will just pick up the stream, like NJ did with the prospects game. Everyone feel free to contact the Sabres and recommend they do.... 

Edited September 14, 2018 by BillsFan4

[Marv's Neighbor]

1 hour ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

Sabres focused on upping pace this training camp

 

Bill Hoppe Posted on 09.14.18 Categories Housley, Hunwick, McCabe

 

BUFFALO – A year ago, coach Phil Housley and his staff were so busy installing a new system and teaching during training camp, the Sabres never established much of a pace that could lead to regular-season success.

 

Not surprisingly, it hurt the Sabres, who plodded through a miserable campaign and wound up finishing dead last in Housley’s first year.

 

This year, even with a slew of new faces, most of the roster knows Housley’s system, meaning the Sabres can go full-throttle throughout their early practices.

 

The Sabres skated aggressively during Friday’s opening sessions inside HarborCenter.

 

“I mean, it was a tough go,” Housley said. “Both sessions (had) a lot of skating after the play, which we’re trying to encourage our guys. Part of our identity is back pressure and reloading them from the offensive zone of the ice. You could see a lot of the drills the guys were bent over. We pushed them to the limit in the each drill and then we could see that the pace was going down, so we let them get some water, regain their composure and their wind.

Back to back teams "installing a new system!"  How much can we take?  If the Sabres can turn it around this year, then maybe there's hope for the BILLS?

[4merper4mer]

18 hours ago, Like A Mofo said:

The Colorado Avalanche own Ottawa's first rounder in 2019, and with generational talent Hughes entering the draft, if that hits, what a disaster Ottawa has become.

 

And think just less then two season ago, Ottawa was one bounce from the Stanley Cup Finals.

 

This is why I think the Sabres can turn things around much faster then most expect. The salary cap era that benefits tax healthy regions has created this dynamic.

Whose idea was it that we get a generational talent every year now?  It was a good idea.  I remember back in the day waiting for what seemed like a generation or so.

[eball]

On 9/13/2018 at 9:30 PM, Dante said:

Tieranny is a good 3rd line center. DeMelo is a  young Dman who was coming along. He had a good year last season getting more and more competent. Solid 3rd line Dman who won't hurt you. The one prospect Norris is supposed to be pretty good. The draft picks kinda suck but I will take a deep playoff run any time. Should be an interesting year especially with a healthy Kane.

 

An "interesting" year?  LOL -- you guys now have an NHL all-star team on the blue line!  Move San Jose to the top of the list of contenders in the West.

[26CornerBlitz]

Top NHL rookies: Early Calder Trophy candidates for 2018-19 - Sportsnet.ca

 

The NHL is a young man’s league these days, where speed and skill rule and the salary cap puts pressure on teams to find affordable talent to complement their highly paid stars.

 

With training camps open now, we’re starting to get a glimpse of what the next class of rookies who haven’t hit an NHL ice surface yet look like against the world’s best competition. Rookie camps are behind us and the real competition is starting. By the end of this season, some of these names still will not have caught on to the NHL full-time, while others will break on to the scene and become known league-wide.

 

To be considered a rookie in the NHL, a player must not have played in more than 25 games in any preceding season, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons. Any player who is 26 years old as of Sept. 15 is no longer considered a rookie, regardless of games played.

 

With that said, here are 18 rookies to keep an eye on next season.

 

Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo

 

Of course the No. 1-overall draft pick shows up on this list. An exciting talent charged with transforming the Sabres’ blue line over the next few years, Dahlin has to battle the odds to win it. Only two of the past 14 Calder Trophies were won by defencemen (Aaron Ekblad and Tyler Myers).

 

Dahlin didn’t disappoint at rookie camp last week — actually, he more than lived up to expectations. Dahlin should excel at both ends of the ice, driving play on offence and helping to start and even end rushes with Jack Eichel and his new linemate Jeff Skinner.

Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo

The 19-year-old’s place in the lineup became a little clearer with the trade of centre Ryan O’Reilly. Mittelstadt scored 30 points in 34 games for the University of Minnesota, led the WJC in scoring with 11 points and had a successful first taste of NHL action at the end of the 2017-18 season, posting five points in six games. Mittelstadt is set up to have a successful rookie season with the Sabres as their second-line centre.

 

“You’re always excited about Casey’s hockey sense and his skill level,” Sabres GM Jason Botterill told the Buffalo News. “Those are things that we’ve talked a lot about with our group here in Buffalo, improving our team speed and improving our team skill level.”

Edited September 15, 2018 by 26CornerBlitz

[26CornerBlitz]

Session one: 9:45 - 10:20 a.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 10:25 - 11:15 a.m. (KeyBank Rink)
Session two: 11:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 12:25 - 1:15 p.m. (KeyBank Rink)

[Jrb1979]

I am hoping the Sabres get off to a great start this season. Pull some of the frustrated Bills fans over to the Blue and Gold and show them how a team represents their city. 

[BillsPride12]

22 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Whose idea was it that we get a generational talent every year now?  It was a good idea.  I remember back in the day waiting for what seemed like a generation or so.

That phrase is getting thrown around and used the wrong way too much these days.  Every great player that comes out of the draft is not a "generational" player.  McDavid is.  And luckily for Sabres fans it looks like we actually do finally have a generational player in Dahlin.

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[JohnC]

5 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

That phrase is getting thrown around and used the wrong way too much these days.  Every great player that comes out of the draft is not a "generational" player.  McDavid is.  And luckily for Sabres fans it looks like we actually do finally have a generational player in Dahlin.

I agree with you that McDavid is a generational player. I don't consider Eichel to be one. Is Mathews a generational player? Not sure but leaning toward no. 

[BillsFan4]

 

[BillsFan4]

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-end-first-weekend-training-camp-strong-outing-scrimmage

 

Quote

It was a good showing for Dahlin, as the 2018 first overall pick scored twice for Team Blue in the win. Aside from his two goals, the 18-year-old rookie continued to display his excellent tape-to-tape passing skills, his reliable play in his own end, while also skating well with the puck and creating some good offensive possession.

 

"I think his timing has been impeccable," Housley said of his young defenseman. "He jumps into the play at the right time. When he beats a guy, he moves the puck right away and gets it up ice. Overall, I like the way he's developed so far in this camp."

 

So far in the three days of training camp, Dahlin has fully displayed his abilities in all three zones of the ice, as well as his puck skills and vision on the ice.

"He's an amazing player. He's gonna be great," said Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut on Dahlin after practice. "Just watching him out there today, he does some stuff [where] you have to blink twice. But it's real. He's gonna grow up to be a great player, and playing against his is always hard because you never know where he's gonna go. He's just an amazing player."

 

[BillsFan4]

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

Edited September 17, 2018 by 26CornerBlitz

[shrader]

On 9/14/2018 at 12:34 PM, Like A Mofo said:

The Colorado Avalanche own Ottawa's first rounder in 2019, and with generational talent Hughes entering the draft, if that hits, what a disaster Ottawa has become.

 

And think just less then two season ago, Ottawa was one bounce from the Stanley Cup Finals.

 

This is why I think the Sabres can turn things around much faster then most expect. The salary cap era that benefits tax healthy regions has created this dynamic.

 

This generational talent label really needs to go away at this point.  It doesn't matter how good these players are.  If the first pick every single year is generational, the term has lost all meaning.

[Like A Mofo]

59 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

This generational talent label really needs to go away at this point.  It doesn't matter how good these players are.  If the first pick every single year is generational, the term has lost all meaning.

 

I understand what you mean but the Nico and Nolan Patrick draft there wasn't that term: it is entirely possible that the NHL may have a golden era of franchise players coming into the league but most would never know it given the NHL's lack of vision and trying to market these players better.

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[shrader]

1 hour ago, Like A Mofo said:

 

I understand what you mean but the Nico and Nolan Patrick draft there wasn't that term: it is entirely possible that the NHL may have a golden era of franchise players coming into the league but most would never know it given the NHL's lack of vision and trying to market these players better.

 

There's no doubt that there has been a boost in elite NHL ready talent.  Even with the 2017 draft, we have now heard the generational talent label applied to 5 players over 5 years (yes, Eichel had it as well).  Something's clearly developing here.  The thing that really amazes me about it is that only one of them is Canadian.  The world as a whole is starting to produce top tier NHL talent.  It has to be killing Hockey Canada to see all of those non-Canadian flags in the top 5 of the last couple drafts.

 

It goes really well with your last point there.  This game is poised for a big time boom period, if only the league can figure out how to stay out of the way of it.

[bbb]

I never even heard of the term "generational player" until the McDavid/Eichel draft - where we had two, defying all logic.

[K-9]

3 minutes ago, bbb said:

I never even heard of the term "generational player" until the McDavid/Eichel draft - where we had two, defying all logic.

Crosby, Lemieux, Gretzky? 

 

The next generational player will be identified when we start hearing of an 11 year old doing amazing things against older competition in some junior midget league, in some obscure Canadian hamlet. 

[bbb]

Just now, K-9 said:

Crosby, Lemieux, Gretzky? 

 

The next generational player will be identified when we start hearing of an 11 year old doing amazing things against older competition in some junior midget league, in some obscure Canadian hamlet. 

 

Correct - I never heard the term "generational player" applied to them.  It seems to be a new term to me. 

[K-9]

2 minutes ago, bbb said:

 

Correct - I never heard the term "generational player" applied to them.  It seems to be a new term to me. 

I can recall that term being applied to Gretzky when he was 16. 

[shrader]

1 minute ago, K-9 said:

I can recall that term being applied to Gretzky when he was 16. 

 

I'm with bbb on this one.  But then again, maybe once Wayne showed up, they instead just started hyping people as the next Gretzky (no, not you Keith).  But then with Crosby, they needed to start using a different reference.

[bbb]

7 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

I'm with bbb on this one.  But then again, maybe once Wayne showed up, they instead just started hyping people as the next Gretzky (no, not you Keith).  But then with Crosby, they needed to start using a different reference.

 

This is exactly what I remember hearing.  And, I remember hearing Pierre Turgeon was the next Lemieux.  That type of thing. 

[K-9]

6 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

I'm with bbb on this one.  But then again, maybe once Wayne showed up, they instead just started hyping people as the next Gretzky (no, not you Keith).  But then with Crosby, they needed to start using a different reference.

GMs and sports writers have been using the term to describe truly exceptional prospects in football, basketball, and hockey since I was a kid. But it was never over-used like it has been for the last 10 years or so. The term has become so watered down it’s almost meaningless. 

[bbb]

1 minute ago, K-9 said:

GMs and sports writers have been using the term to describe truly exceptional prospects in football, basketball, and hockey since I was a kid. But it was never over-used like it has been for the last 10 years or so. The term has become so watered down it’s almost meaningless. 

 

Ah, that's where the disconnect is.  I'm not a GM 

[K-9]

3 minutes ago, bbb said:

 

Ah, that's where the disconnect is.  I'm not a GM 

I’m not either. But you can cram your snark, regardless. 

[Dr. Who]

8 minutes ago, K-9 said:

GMs and sports writers have been using the term to describe truly exceptional prospects in football, basketball, and hockey since I was a kid. But it was never over-used like it has been for the last 10 years or so. The term has become so watered down it’s almost meaningless. 

The internet, twitter, cable news, the "echo chamber" effect has really inflated hype. Dahlin actually appears to be a rare talent, but excessive praise (and blame) is now part of the normal mode of rhetorical overreaction that constitutes social communication nowadays. The demotic is never the restrained.

[bbb]

11 minutes ago, K-9 said:

I’m not either. But you can cram your snark, regardless. 

 

Google comes up with nothing about Gretzky being called one.  This is what I'm coming up with as the origin:

 

Ever since the term “generational talent/player” was coined roughly a decade in the 2005 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft, a highly-anticipated draft that produced the current fact of the NHL

 

https://obiter-dicta.ca/2016/11/22/why-landing-a-generational-talentplayer-through-todays-national-hockey-league-draft-is-so-difficult/ 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

8 minutes ago, bbb said:

 

Google comes up with nothing about Gretzky being called one.  This is what I'm coming up with as the origin:

 

Ever since the term “generational talent/player” was coined roughly a decade in the 2005 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft, a highly-anticipated draft that produced the current fact of the NHL

 

https://obiter-dicta.ca/2016/11/22/why-landing-a-generational-talentplayer-through-todays-national-hockey-league-draft-is-so-difficult/ 

 

Really though....who gives a crap?