#l. ullmark

[penaltybox-gossip]

How dare they deny my precious goalie father Linus!

[callsign-bubbles]

hockey duos as so american by olivia rodrigo!

in order, from L-R: simon benoit & jake mccabe, jamie drysdale & trevor zegras, scott wedgewood & jake oettinger, tyson jost & jt compher, leon draisaitl & matthew tkachuk, connor dewar & brandon duhaime, linus ullmark & jeremy swayman, nico hischier & jack hughes, sasha barkov & matthew tkachuk, mitch marner & auston matthews, tim stützle & brady tkachuk

[howdthebruinsdo]

Minnesota Wild beats Bruins 3-2, marking Boston’s 4th consecutive loss

Hot on the heels of an embarrassing loss Friday night against Winnipeg, the Bruins are sent home on Saturday with yet another L, officially in the longest drought the Bruins have faced under head coach Jim Montgomery. 

The game was a rematch of the game played in Boston this past Tuesday, where the Wild took the win in overtime. These rematches are usually seen in a higher physicality, which was missing from much of the game, with the exception of the first period fight between Jakub Lauko and Brandon Duhaime. The fight came just mere seconds after Pastrnak scored on Kaprizov’s holding penalty, and was likely the attempt to keep the momentum up for the Bruins. While the play did favor Boston for the first 20 minutes, goalie Fleury was able to keep the score 0-1 through the end of the first. 

The game would not continue as the Bruins would have hoped, as defenseman Mitchell drew an interference penalty in the early second period. Joel Eriksson Ek would capitalize on this, though it took a high-effort, third-attempt shot to get the puck past Ullmark. Less than two minutes later, Kaprizov would follow it up with a goal of his own, as three Bruins were caught near the blue line and left ample room below for another Minnesota goal, putting the Wild up 2-1, where it remained for the rest of the period. 

The Bruins very nearly tie the game in the first minute of the third period, when Brad Marchand has what looks like an open net opportunity on a rebound off Fleury, though Wild defenseman Bogosian defends the net behind his goalie and manages to stop the shot from the Bruins captain. The next opportunity favored the Wild, as they had a power play opportunity following a high-sticking call on centerman Coyle. Marcus Foligno scores just three seconds after the penalty expires, with an assist from Maroon, who had inside positioning between defenseman Wotherspoon and the goalie. This goal put the Wild up 3-1. From here, the game tilts further in favor of Minnesota. A strong forecheck puts pressure on the Bruins offense, who struggles to maintain possession or zone time. This is made worse by a penalty on Fredric, who goes to the box for interference after a late hit. The Bruins kill that penalty with nothing worse than a rung post, and manage to regain enough control for some offensive pressure. This allows the opportunity for Heinen to recover the puck behind the Wild goalie, and make a nice pass from Gretzky’s office to the tape of Geekie’s stick, who finally gets a puck past Fleury after two failed rushes earlier in the game. This closes the lead to one goal, and opens up an opportunity for the Bruins to send the game to overtime when they pull their goalie. Unfortunately, even with the extra skater, they did not have the offensive pressure and puck control to tie the game, and the time expired with the score 3-2 in favor of the Minnesota Wild. 

While the Bruins may be on a losing streak, their defense this game was a result of a number of injuries. Forbert and Grzelcyk are both currently out with injuries, and Shattenkirk was also out, seemingly as a healthy scratch, meaning that half of the defensive players (Lohrei, Wotherspoon, Mitchell) are not our top players. Even so, the defense is not the only issue with the Bruins play today. Another major factor was the difference in offensive pressure and shots on goal. By the end of the game, the Wild had outshot the Bruins 34-21, and there was a period where the Wild had over double the Bruins shots on goal. 

While the Bruins were certainly looking to break their losing streak before the holiday break, this time off will hopefully allow the Bruins to reset and address the causes of the last few losses. They play next on Wednesday, December 27th at 7:30 in an away matchup against the Sabres.

[hug-your-goalies]

The 25th place Sabres didn’t make the 24 team playoff that shouldn’t even happen just cancel it so this was our final game of the season. At least it was a fun one?.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[nhlists]

2018-19 Buffalo Sabres Astrological Signs

Aries: Brandon Montour, Rasmus Dahlin, Kyle Okposo 🐏

Taurus: Scott Wilson, Jeff Skinner 🐃

Gemini: Matt Hunwick, Conor Sheary 👯‍♂️

Cancer: Vladimír Sobotka, Zach Bogosian, Casey Nelson 🦀

Leo: Johan Larsson, Evan Rodrigues, Linus Ullmark 🦁

Virgo: none

Libra: Jake McCabe ⚖️

Scorpio: Rasmus Ristolainen, Jack Eichel, Tage Thompson, Sam Reinhart 🦂

Sagittarius: Casey Mittelstadt, Jason Pominville, Carter Hutton, William Borgen 🏹

Capricorn: Lawrence Pilut, Zemgus Girgensons 🐐

Aquarius: none

Pisces: Marco Scandella, Alexander Nylander 🐟

26 march 2019

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 3 - CBJ - Brand

Columbus was the team I wanted to win it all this past Spring. I was also sure they’d lose to one of the better teams in the cap era in the Lightning but hey, this league is whacky. I think it’s part of the charm of the NHL. That postseason performance changed the Blue Jackets brand from the charming Ohio team that never won a series to the club that knocked off Tampa in four games. It was historic and unbelievable… and then most of the players who made that happen scattered to the wins. It was the nature of how that team was constructed salary cap-wise, but it was also the end. It was the end of that new brand of Columbus Hockey, over before it even really had a chance to begin. In the aftermath of the second half collapse and the Phil Housley firing we were left wondering what the brand of Sabres hockey would be going forward. When Ralph Krueger came in he talked about “instinctual hockey” that didn’t require the self-defeating levels of thinking that seemed to paralyze the club in past years. Through two games we’ve seen just how fun that brand is, conveniently just in time for the 50th Anniversary season. That’s all well and good while the team is winning but what is the Buffalo Sabres brand of Hockey actually now with Krueger at the helm? I never played the game so I don’t want to underestimate what culture and instinct and all that stuff might have to do with it but let’s talk programmatically here: What is Sabres Hockey? What are the systems and strategy here, no matter how much freedom that form may actually give the players to be creative? I’m sure we’ll come up with a better name for it but for now I’m going to call it high-pressure hockey. The forecheck makes the opposition uncomfortable. The tight passing has made most zone entries and exits a bit smoother and the word we heard echoed over and over at Training Camp: Together, is something you can actually see unfolding watching the game. I can see the social media campaigns: “Together We Hockey!” LOL! That’s some kind of beer can motto. For now let’s call it High-Pressure Hockey. This brand was put to the test in a big way for the first time in Columbus.

The first period was the roughest we’ve seen so far from this Sabres team. The untrained eye probably still sees that same brand we talked about. But underneath you can see a frustrated Jackets team imposing their will and bad analytics. The visitors trailed in both 5 on 5 shot share and 5 on 5 scoring chances. Even though the Sabres had a slight edge in expected goals you could see Columbus was playing with some anger. The statistical battle never broke back in Buffalo’s direction, but the game did. First things first, the relentless push the Blue Jackets leveled finally broke through in the last two minutes of the first. They gave us a taste of our own medicine and ran a play real fast bouncing the puck from one side to the other to behind the net where Seth Jones forwarded the puck along to Oliver Bjorkstrand who shot tight angle right behind Linus Ullmark. In the immediate aftermath Henri Jokiharju got called for tripping and CBJ was off to their first powerplay. Cam Atkinson made the low-shooting visitors pay from another assist that originated behind Ullmark’s net. If you know me you might think that’s a gentle defense of Ullmark’s goaltending. I don’t feel the need to defend him on a night he faced 44 shots. That’s a simple stat: shots ended 44-18 for Columbus. Gross. They didn’t play their brand in the first period and Kyle Okposo said as much in the intermission. Luckily the second period looked a little bit closer to the cereal we’ve quickly come to like here in Buffalo.

The response in the second was a new thing to see. @BillTCB from the Charging Buffalo put it best: the Sabres forecheck mentality was dogs on raw meat in the second period. They were fishing pucks off of skaters and pestering really hard. Is this our new brand: High Pressure hockey? Colin Miller might be one of the reasons for this new brand. He is one of those fancy new-age offensive defenseman and yet he has the puck awareness to actually play defense as well. High pressure hockey worked for for Marcus Johansson who found himself on the receiving end of a lightning-fast Miller assist on the powerplay. Johansson dove to get his stick on it and it was the perfect tap. Goal Sabres, 2-1 just 1:32 into the second period. To say the home team tried to tamp down now would be an understatement. Perhaps they felt another comeback coming and intercepted passes left and right. They got a juicy powerplay off of a Rasmus Dahlin interference against Alex Wennberg and pelted Ullmark. Again, in spite of the eventual loss I don’t think anyone should be casting blame on Ullmark tonight. On this midgame powerplay he stops an Atkinson shot from a position of falling back on his ass. The Buffalo Sabres would’ve been blown out without Linus tonight and maybe that hurts the mentality in the room endangering the brand we’re trying to speak into existence. The Sabres kept chasing this game and somehow, from the chasing stance they evened it up. CBJ defenseman Ryan Murray recovered a puck in his defensive zone and began skating toward the neutral zone when Jeff Skinner appears like a wild animal and poke checks him, strips the puck and turns around, one-on-one with Columbus goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. He dekes a little and scores. It was a kind of strip and score I’ve never seen in years of watching professional hockey. Strip and score is a dirty combination of words, ha, it felt like a dirty good play. And so the Sabres climbed back to a 2-2 tie through forty minutes.

The third period was the most uncomfortable I’ve felt so far this season. Penalty five minutes in against Rasmus Dahlin and CBJ is back on the powerplay. There was a mad scramble in front of the Sabres net that unfolded and on the replay you can see Henri Jokiharju punch panicked at a puck in the air in front of his face. That touch puts the puck right at Nick Foligno feet and he sinks it. 3-2 Jackets 6:46 into the final frame. The next equalizer seemed elusive as all get out. I think that was in large part because the Sabres shot so little this whole game but particularly in the third period. Scoring effects didn’t seem to act on them and we find ourselves in the last three minutes seeing stoppages for faceoff calls. Frustration was mounting and this just wasn’t the way I wanted the first L to come. Fortunately that faceoff call I mentioned was against noted Blue Jacket Boone Jenner. Now, in addition to an empty net, the Sabres are on the powerplay up 6-4 in manpower. Rasmus Dahlin and Victor Olofsson were passing the puck in this situation until Olofsson decided to shoot. It went straight to the net and I let out a visceral yes that started my wife really bad. Goal, Sabres. It’s hockey season again, honey. 3-3 and we’re going to OT. Now: funny thing… haha… after getting outshot and out-chanced to hell in regulation the Sabres dominated possession in the two or so minutes of overtime. Somehow, after maybe 20 seconds of possession the whole extra frame, the Jackets won the game off an Alexandre Texier goal. This first loss of the Buffalo Sabres season was 4-3 home team. That second comeback to get to the overtime and clinch a point was what made the difference for me. A 3-2 loss would’ve not been a good first loss for me but a 4-3 loss in overtime did it for me. I’ll take that and I think we’ve had a lot of fun these first three games, so I think we all take it really.

Here’s an impressive observation: In postgame Ralph Krueger admitted some fault. He said he regretted putting Eichel out too early in OT after the Captain had just had a long shift to end regulation. In any conversation of team brand the coaching is going to come into play. Krueger admitting any kind of fault publicly is a signal to his players. Jack had to feel more than a little shite seeing that overtime loss after two comebacks. Ralph knew it and took a little bit of that weight off his shoulders. A competitive guy like Eichel will always take losses hard but that kind of move from Krueger is what gets players to buy in and play the way a coach wants them to play. I’ve been watching this club for ten years now, to whatever extent Krueger and get these guys to play his system he’ll be more successful than every coach since Lindy Ruff. The Sabres have just not been good enough for all those ten years I’ve watched, and these kinds of little victories of morale and message might be strategic to finally forming a winning brand of Sabres hockey. Or maybe I’m just making a lot out of a little in the aftermath of a whole-team loss today. I don’t know, on to Montreal at home on Wednesday!

I think if I got anything out of this game it’s that the New Sabres are going to fight back hard. For years now it was a pretty solid bet that a 2-0 deficit could be fatal for this club. Tonight it wasn’t. They came back twice and very nearly escaped with the victory. Like, comment and share this blog around. It’s a fan blog which means, win or lose, we talk the fan perspective here. What is the fan perspective? It’s getting really psyched about Ralph Krueger going to bat for Eichel in postgame like I just did for one. It’s also fun crap like biggest game against. Biggest game against will debut on Wednesday against the Habs and you’ll see it for every divisional game. I’ll recount what I think is the biggest game in Sabres history against the opponent of the night and you will respond by grilling my ass in the comments with what YOU think is the biggest game against that opponent in Sabres history. We’ll see if anyone gives a hoot at all about it Wednesday night I guess! Until then crossed fingers for more shots! There certainly weren’t enough tonight! Nonetheless, Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. I saw someone tweet what a fun playoff adversary these guys would be. I don’t know, their club culture is so lovable that I’d be hard pressed to hate these guys.

[wwtweets]

Buffalo Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark exits early with lower-body injury BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Sabres goalie L......Read the rest by clicking the link below! https://worldwidetweets.com/buffalo-sabres-goalie-linus-ullmark-exits-early-with-lower-body-injury/?feed_id=15661&_unique_id=6038fae7c3652

[franklong12]

Buffalo Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark exits early with lower-body injury BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Sabres goalie L......Read the rest by clicking the link below! https://worldwidetweets.com/buffalo-sabres-goalie-linus-ullmark-exits-early-with-lower-body-injury/?feed_id=15659&_unique_id=6038fae6a3709

[paradoxicalca]

r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 2: Nature's Wrath Edition

/r/Hockey NHL Power Rankings Week Oct 7, 2019 - Oct 13, 2019 (30/31 Rankers Reporting)Thank YouThank you to all of the volunteers doing the power rankings. Each ranker has their own system and have their own reasonings and analyis. It truly is a lot of work.RankersSpoilerOrganizersSpoilerVisualizationThe visualization contains historical data, so you can see how your team has done over time. Hopefully, we can run this for many years in hopes that we can see the rise and fall of teams by /r/hockey opinion.It automatically updates so feel free to bookmark. You can find it hereProcessHow does this work? Throughout the course of the week rankers are able to access an app that will allow them to rank teams. At the end of the period we calculate the average ranking for every team and collate all of the analysis provided by rankers.The app then generates a post that is first proofread and then posted to /r/hockey!RankingsRanking (avg)TeamDeltaOverall RecordRecord This WeekComments1 (2.61)Colorado Avalanche34-0-02-0-0Week two same as the first 2-0 and the Avs remain unbeaten. Honestly it has been impressive. MacKinnon still seems frustrated and not quite firing 100%, so that is scary for other teams. The depth has been there though Kadri finally got rewarded and Burkovsky had two GWG, Jost got his first and the PK looked slightly better. Best news on that front is Ian Cole should be back soon and will travel on the road trip. Defensive zone giveaways are still the big weakness of this team combined with the young d-core, but we will get better, and the great passes generally out weigh the giveaways. Avs have a really hard 6 game road trip coming up with the easiest teams being a beat up Pittsburgh and Florida, neither of those are easy games. We start of with a matinee in D.C. on Monday. Calder Watch: Makar now has 5 points in 4 games with two primary assists in the win against the Coyotes on Saturday, He is still averaging about 20 min a night. Barnacle_Ed says Undefeated and boasting the likes of Mackinnon, Rantanen, and Makar, this team is all but a lock for a playoffs spot in the West.2 (2.97)Carolina Hurricanes45-1-02-1-05-1-0 to start the season, two early Norris candidates in Slavin and Hamilton, and Svechnikov coming into his own as a play maker has Canes fans ecstatic. Aho has had a slow start, lets see how the following weeks California trip goes for him, fans hope to see his production kick off.3 (3.42)Boston Bruins-14-1-02-1-0The Bruins finished up their first road trip with 6 points in 4 games which is an impressive way to start the season. The Bruins came into Vegas with a sluggish start but then turned on the offense and responded with 4 unanswered goals for a win.The Avs provided to be a very formidable opponent, handing the Bruins their first loss of the season in a wacky game with two, rightfully, overturned Bruins goals. The Bruins returned home for their season opener and put on a clinic against the Devils for Rask's first shutout of the season. The special teams are starting to get a good rhythm going and more depth is showing up on the scoreboard on a consistent basis. In the buzzsaw that is the Atlantic, the Bruins can't take the foot off the gas to fall behind other teams also high in the standings.4 (5.53)Edmonton Oilers105-0-03-0-0A blazing powerplay and penalty kill have powered the Oilers to an undefeated 5-0-0 to start their season. Real Deal Neal is scoring at a fiery pace. The wins are from some spectacular offensive performances from Klefbom, Nuge, McDavid, and Draisaitl this past week. Nurse is dominant on defense, and goaltending has been solid (though nothing spectacular). The Oilers performance is undeniably unsustainable, but comeback victories this week against Oilers, Devils, and Rangers have many believing that this team looks to make magic happen for this entire season. Let's see where this goes.5 (6.5)Buffalo Sabres34-0-12-0-1We have had a nice string of games to start the season, however these last few look quite different from the first couple. Columbus really had our number; we barely had any chances and were badly out-shot. We somehow dragged that game into OT and came away with a point, but yikes. The Florida game could have had a much higher score if not for Bobrovsky, and at times Ullmark. Its not a good sign that we need extra time every night to get the job done, given how that turned out last year after the streak. However, the only real problem I see right now is an invisible third line. That would be Vesey-Mittelstadt-Sheary/E-Rod. Don't be fooled by the flashy shootout winner, we will need to see production from all four lines if we want any chance at making the playoffs this year. Speaking of invisible,someone should tell Krueger to put a third player on with Skinner and MoJo.6 (7.87)Vegas Golden Knights-44-2-02-2-0After dropping two straight games against Boston and Arizona, Vegas bounced back really strong against Calgary and Los Angeles. Cody Eakin's return allowed Gerard Gallant to reunite the Pacioretty - Stasty - Stone line and has worked wonders for them. Marc-Andre Fluery has been fantastic on the season so far and the two rookies on the line, Cody Glass and Nic Hague, are doing pretty well for themselves.7 (8.21)St. Louis Blues23-1-12-1-0Blues are most finding ways to win, but Saturday's ugly loss to Montreal shows that we still have some work to do. Hopefully some young guys who aren't getting it done like Fabs or Sanford can pick it up before its too late for them. Also, i see u Sammy Blais and I love you8 (8.45)Washington Capitals-23-1-21-1-19 (9.55)Toronto Maple Leafs-63-2-11-2-0I think it’s safe to say this was not the week that the leafs envisioned themselves having. The week started alright with an overtime loss to the reigning Stanley cup champions. A loss is never the goal but keeping pace with the team that just won the Stanley cup was a good measuring stick for the leafs. On Thursday the leafs hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning and in short the Lightning walked all over the leafs. This was a game where nobody on the leafs played well and the score shows that (7-3 Tampa Win). I could sit here and talk about which leaf players played poorly and which ones were worse for hours but I am not going to. My suggestion to all leaf fans is to just accept that this game happened, every team gets blown out once in a while. We don’t need to be happy about it but the fact is it happened so just put it out of your mind and move on to the next one. Saturday against the red wings was a chance at a bounce back game for the leafs and they did just that with a solid 5-2 win.10 (10.05)Anaheim Ducks34-1-02-1-0We have got your nail biting hockey here. The ducks went 1-1-0 this week against the penguins and blue jackets. The ducks don’t have anyone with more than 2 goals. Ondrej Kase leads the team in points with 1+3=4 points.11 (12.29)Tampa Bay Lightning-42-2-11-1-0YIKES. Sure, the Bolts looked great against Toronto, but good god did they play down to Ottawas level. The first line was almost non-existent, and those poorly timed penalties showed up again. It's almost like Tampa plays hard against difficult opponents, then tries to coast by teams that should be easy, but we see how well that works.12 (12.53)Nashville Predators13-2-02-1-0Alright, another week down and the playoff picture is really starting to become clear... Okay, not really, but it does seem pretty clear that the offseason moves have given us a Preds team that is different than what we're used to. Defensively the team seems to be adjusting to a lineup sans Subban, and Fabbro is handling the immediate expectations nicely. Conversely, I'm going to continue deluding myself into thinking somehow the loss of Subban explains whatever our third pairing is doing on the ice. On the other side of the puck, well, as weird as it feels to say it the Preds lead the league with a 4.6 GF/G. More importantly though is the fact that no longer does a 2 or 3 goal deficit feel insurmountable; this week alone the team clawed their way back against WSH multiple times before stealing a W, and they closed a 3 goal deficit to LAK before letting in the game winner in the final minute. There's still a long season ahead, but if nothing else this team is a hell of a lot of fun to watch right now.13 (13.08)Winnipeg Jets84-3-03-1-0What a week, wins against Pittsburgh, the Wild and Hawks. all come from behind affairs, there is reason to be optimistic about this team. No one doubted their forward depth, and with Laine looking like he wants a big pay day in 2 years, it’s been tough for teams to match the skill from the Jets top 9. Helly has also shaken off whatever was ailing him against the Rangers, allowing the inexperienced d-corp to make a few mistakes and gain some confidence. Heinola has looked shaky at times but he seems to have a very high skill ceiling. Lowry hasn’t looked great, but being between Bourque and Letestu will do that to you. Also, I’d love to take a moment to shout out Anthony Betetto, kid has looked like a serviceable NHL defenseman these past couple games, almost like Chevy knows maybe a bit more about hockey than your average r/winnipegjets poster. But this could all be for not as I’m writing this before our game against the Pens and who knows what could happen. Knock on wood.14 (13.89)Pittsburgh Penguins34-2-03-1-0This team is getting 6 and 7 goals with Malkin and Bjugstad out. Not to mention Galchenyuk and Rust as well. Their offense is gonna be flat out scary in a month or two.15 (14.55)New York Rangers-52-1-00-1-0Only one game this week, and unfortunately it was an L. On the bright side, KAAPO KAKKO IS A GOD. I believe he deserves a chance on the first line with Bread and Mika. Lias also deserves to play more than 8 minutes a night. The game overall was ok but it was apparent that there was some rust (thanks schedule makers). Now we have to wait until Thursday for another game.16 (15.18)Calgary Flames42-3-11-2-1The Flames do not look great. The team just isn't clicking and can't seem to start games on time. Through 6 games, only 4 forwards have scored (insert James Neal joke here). The good news is they started last season quite slow (5-5-0) and still finished 2nd in the league, so there is hope the team can get things rolling.17 (15.63)Philadelphia Flyers12-0-11-0-118 (16.26)Montreal Canadiens-32-1-21-1-1Two hard losses to worse teams hurt morale, but they bounced back with a big win against the Blues. If they keep up the momentum from this win, they will shoot up the rankings19 (17.66)Detroit Red Wings13-2-01-2-0Detroit was outlasted by the Ducks and shut down by the Maple Leafs this week. Detroit could have potentially won both these games despite being out-ranked and they had every opportunity. This is a transition from last years mentality of “maybe” to “should be” winning games any given night. While the young studs are playing great, there is a player missing. That player between rising stars and worn-out veterans, who sets contenders apart from the rest of the league, similar to Ryan O’ Reilly before last season. That kind of player comes into the picture after a playoff window starts and Detroit hasn’t hit one quite yet. Their dominance over Montreal, who has a similar rebuild timeline as Detroit, offers assurance that things are on the right track. Detroit will be a fun team to watch succeed this year when they can put together a complete effort. Their games can be consistently determined by their own ability and effort, instead of getting lucky against a superior opponent.20 (20.34)New York Islanders-12-3-01-2-0Last year the Islanders took almost a dozen games to stop being garbage and get into the Trotz system. You'd expect that in year two this wouldn't be necessary, but Isles fans are hoping thats what this is right now. Not playing well, this team has struggled to score and goaltending hasn't been able to bail them out. Bailey and Beau are leading the way so far for the offense, with Barzal, Lee, and Eberle leaving a lot to be desired. On defense Pelech looks to be picking up where he left off, with Dobson holding his own in his first start. Have to hope that they build on the solid effort they put up vs the Panthers, and are able to start getting into a groove going forward.21 (20.74)Florida Panthers-51-2-20-1-2The Panthers had two solid games and Bob and Hoffman stole the show during the home opener. Q's system will take some time to cement itself, but it's looking good.22 (22.45)Arizona Coyotes31-2-11-0-1The Coyotes came out of the 2nd week 1-0-1, attaining 3 of 4 available points. As was the case in the first week, the Coyotes defense and goaltending combo has arguably been one of the top in the league, allowing only 1.75 goals against per game, and limiting opposition possession and high quality shots. The Coyotes main struggle comes in finding consistent offense. It was on high-display in Vegas, where the yotes scored 4 and took the victory; however, it was ellusive against Colorado on Saturday, in which, despite having possession and shot advantage, the Yotes could only pocket 2, eventually falling in OT. If the Coyotes maintain the current levels of defensive production, all they need to do is find a way to hit 3 goals in a game, and they will win the majority. PP desperately needs help as well.23 (22.47)Vancouver Canucks62-2-02-0-0I suppose I should say something I'm thankful for this year, but as a true Canucks fan I'd rather just be an entitled little egg eater and not give thanks for anything. This team is pretty good, but what I really deserve this year is a Stanley Cup win, or maybe the first overall draft pick if we miss the playoffs. Ideally, the Canucks will win both, otherwise it's time to #firebenning. Anyway, The Canucks turned around their early season slide with a very convincing win at home vs. the Kings and a less-convincing shootout win vs. the Flyers. The top line continues to be somewhat stifled, but that's okay because there are now various interesting players to watch on this team. Miller and Hughes have both come exactly as-advertised, Markstorm is tight, and Pearson appears intent on revitalizing his career. Myers is big, and while I don't know how his play will end up on statlines, he is very fun to watch.24 (23.76)Columbus Blue Jackets62-3-02-1-0A few solid performances this week vs some hot teams. Special teams still seem to be an issue, however. The youngest team in the league will continue to grow in the coming weeks and we should get a better idea of what we've got by Thanksgiving.25 (24.13)Los Angeles Kings22-3-02-2-0Sorry for missing last week fam. After getting thrashed by the Nucks, the Kings did pretty well and bounced back against the Predators. McLellan's system is continuing to be tweaked game to game- but its clear that the Kings are trying to create somewhat of a new identity early in the season.26 (25.32)Dallas Stars-31-4-11-1-1I know you may want to panic... but. don't panic. Everything is going to be fine (probably). Remember, it has been a pretty darn tough schedule.. We played good hockey on Tuesday against the Caps and, on Thursday, showed moments of strength against the Flames despite a heartbreaking shootout loss. Later in the week, the Caps were ready for a rematch and took advantage of our under-performing special teams. It was the worst we looked all week, tons of missed opportunities. The 4-1 loss was deserved. Here's the thing, though. The top 6 WILL start producing. The schedule WILL get easier. And our goalies are only gonna look better as the season progresses. If things are still looking dire by this time next week... well maybe start panicking a little.27 (26.61)San Jose Sharks-12-4-02-1-0Still not a good week for the Sharks, but a definite improvement. Having Marleau back should add some scoring depth, and hopefully Simek will be back soon to tighten up the defence and help Jones/Dell.28 (26.61)Chicago Blackhawks-60-2-10-1-1The Blackhawks have lost 3 straight, all by 1 goal. They have started strong, but failed to play a full 60+ minutes. They have an abysmal 42.91 CF% and 60 PK%. But the defense was helped by the returns of Connor Murphy and Calvin de Haan. Kirby Dach made his pro debut in Rockford on Saturday, on a conditioning stint.29 (28.26)Ottawa Senators21-3-01-1-0The Eugene Melnyk Experience Senators managed a win this week over renowned choke artists the Tampa Bay Lightning, thanks to a surprisingly solid game defensively and Namestikov showing that he was certainly worth the steep price of a 4th round pick. This was a great morale boost for our young core, but hopefully that 1 win doesn't come back to bite us later in the Lafreniere and Byfield sweepstakes at the 2020 draft. Hopefully, in true Ottawa fashion, we have a poor showing against the Mild on Monday and get this tank right back on track pronto.30 (28.68)New Jersey Devils-60-3-20-2-1Please hockey gods, tell us what do we need to do? The subreddit is seemingly calling for Hynes head just 5 games into the season, however it's hard to discern whether this is a result of the echochamber of the GDT or legitimate consensus. Here is a straw poll that was sparsely answered, but still holds value in the people that answered it are more likely to be users active outside of the GDT. Pros: not many but Cory has been a bright spot. #goals4cory2019. We also have played good teams, currently the Devils opponents combined record is 19-3-2. Like Damn. Cons: The team is gelling like oil and water. Our PP is 0 for 15, and PK is 8 for 16. We aren't even giving up an unusually high number of shots. 30.8 is T9 in the league. It feels like the wheels were put on too hastily and they fell off a few feet out of the gates and we are still trying to repair the damage. Oh, and the cherry on top is that Greene is on IR so we are down our captain.31 (30.39)Minnesota Wild-30-4-00-2-0Big brain take: With just one disastrous season at the helm, Paul Fenton was brought on to enable the tank, absorb the unified hatred of a fan base, and allow Bill Guerin to ascend and rebuild the franchise from the dumpster fire which it currently resembles. It's unfortunately going to cause Bruce Boudreau to lose his job as a result and while it's not his fault that the outgoing GM made moves that caused even Peter Chiarelli to scratch his head, this season could spiral out of control very quickly. The prospect of a complete overhaul and not "tweaking the roster" as our meddlesome owner loves to repeat is the only thing keeping me from doing my best Peter Parker with a Metro train. r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 2: Nature's Wrath Edition Source

[puckgoss]

https://www.tumblr.com/puckgoss/747935406937505792/alessandra-very-notably-is-not-mutuals-with?source=share

Moa and their 2 kids live in Boston with Linus.

You can see this here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMD4o6zQghI

(the youtube channel posts visits to the swedish players, like Markstrom, Dahlin, Zibanejad, Bratt and more )

ya i think i read an article a few years ago saying she lived in sweden? but clearly that isn't the case anymore and looking back was prob a product of covid or smth idk i don't remember

thanks anon!

[penaltybox-gossip]

https://www.tumblr.com/penaltybox-gossip/782560415398936576/its-official-jacob-markstr%C3%B6m-is-the-third-and

According to Linus himself he wasn’t asked to join the team.

He was rejected. He wanted to go but they rejected him

[howdthebruinsdo]

Bruins lose to Arizona 4-3 in overtime

After their game against Colorado just the night before, the Bruins met the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Tuesday night, where they collected another overtime L in their west coast road trip, along with a couple more injuries. 

The first period would see a handful of penalties on both teams, with each team getting a power play opportunity within the first five minutes. Arizona’s opportunity came first after a Frederic holding penalty, but the Coyotes were unable to maintain possession and the penalty was killed with zero shots on goal. The Bruins would go next after Coyote defenseman Dumba hooked Lohrei. Geekie had a failed attempted set up from Marchand, though Zacha tipped the rebound to Pastrnak, who patiently waited for his moment to sink the puck over the shoulder of Arizona goalie Ingram. Those were the only two man advantage opportunities, though halfway through the period, Marchand instigated a scrum which resulted in a cross checking and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on Marchand himself, and two penalties on Coyotes with Keller going for cross checking and Schmaltz going for roughing. Play continued 5-on-5, and neither team would change the score through the end of the period, with the Bruins ahead 1-0 after the first period.

The second period would see much of the same physicality that the first period brought, which included a fight between Frederic and O’Brien. The Arizona forward was also called for roughing, as Frederic had been tangled with Derzi before O’Brien picked the fight. Boston was unable to take advantage of their resulting power play. The Coyotes would have the next man advantage after a Grzelcyk tripping penalty. Arizona centerman Keller created his own opportunity, gaining possession and scoring off his own rebound. While this goal tied the score 1-1, the Bruins would answer quickly on a 3-on-3 rush led by Boqvist. As his linemates crashed towards the net, he shot instead of a passing, and sent the puck top-shelf into the Arizona goal. The Bruins couldn’t hold the lead through the end of the period, beefing a line change by turning the puck over, resulting in a goal by forward Guenther. The score after two periods was tied 2-2. 

The Bruins defense did not come out of the intermission ready to play, and would give the Yotes the lead after Lohrei turned the puck over to Crouse. Ullmark was able to stop his breakaway shot, but McAvoy failed to poke the rebound away from Maccelli, who scored on the second attempt. The Bruins would get lucky when Crouse got called a few minutes later for playing the puck with a broken stick, and sent the Bruins on the power play, where DeBrusk would tie the game 3-3. While both teams would get another power play opportunity before the end of regulation (separate high sticking penalties on Coyote Durzi and Bruin Zacha), neither team could get the puck across the goal line before the start of overtime. 

The Bruins, who won the first faceoff of the overtime period, managed to immediately get the puck to an open Pastrnak, who had a breakaway attempt against Ingram that was skillfully saved. Keller would get a similar breakaway attempt to Pastrnak, and would be similarly shut down by Ullmark. This was the last shot on goal that Ullmark would stop before he injured himself reacting to a goal that sailed over the net. His injury is unknown as of now, but was likely a back or lower-body injury based on how he was moving after play stopped. Swayman would substitute in, though hadn’t gotten any action since warmups over two hours earlier. The Bruins had another scoring opportunity before Swayman could be pressure-tested, with another Pastrnak breakaway. Though he managed to beat the goalie, the puck connected with the post and bounced back into play. When possession returned to the Coyotes, Schmaltz’s shot managed to get past Swayman, still cold from his time on the bench, winning the game for Arizona with a final score of 4-3. 

Fresh off another game the night before, it is no surprise the Bruins aren’t able to clutch a victory against Arizona. They were also missing one of their top defensemen, Brandon Carlo, who was injured in their last game. This brought Mason Lohrei back into the lineup, along with James van Riemsdyk, who had been out for an undisclosed injury. Despite half of the lineup changes being defensive, the Bruins offensive lines were mixed and matched all game, even before center Matt Poitras was injured in the second period. While some variation is expected, the lines tonight verged from unlikely to extreme (briefly Geekie, Poitras, and Frederic were all on the ice, all players who can center, and two who are almost exclusively centers). With the injuries from today’s game (Poitras and Ullmark), it is expected that the Bruins lineup will continue to shift as the west coast road trip continues. 

The Bruins play next on Thursday, January 11th at 10 PM EST against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

[nhlists]

2018-19 Buffalo Sabres Countries of Origin

Canada: Carter Hutton, Brandon Montour, Alexander Nylander(🇸🇪), Jason Pominville(🇺🇸), Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Marco Scandella, Jeff Skinner, Scott Wilson 🇨🇦

Czechia: Vladimír Sobotka 🇨🇿

Finland: Rasmus Ristolainen 🇫🇮

Latvia: Zemgus Girgensons 🇱🇻

Sweden: Rasmus Dahlin, Johan Larsson, Linus Ullmark 🇸🇪

United States: Zach Bogosian, Jack Eichel, Matt Hunwick, Jake McCabe, Casey Mittelstadt, Casey Nelson, Kyle Okposo, Conor Sheary, Tage Thompson 🇺🇸

25 march 2019

[wwtweets]

Buffalo Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark exits early with lower-body injury BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Sabres goalie L......Read the rest by clicking the link below! https://worldwidetweets.com/buffalo-sabres-goalie-linus-ullmark-exits-early-with-lower-body-injury/?feed_id=15660&_unique_id=6038fae71ba22

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 56 - NYI - Buy Me Tickets

Last game I acknowledged the high emotions of a playoff push on a fanbase like ours: so out of that picture for so many years now. Perhaps there is an added word along with that to say that when you talk shit to an opposing fanbase in a stretch like this it’s not personal, it’s just sport. There exists no better example of this than the New York Islanders. I don’t personally hate the droves of downstate kids who emerge from the area’s colleges and universities for a game like this. I do however resent the snootiness about your organization that fell ass-backwards onto a hot second half. Again, it’s not personal. This scenario is also true for Robin Lehner. Giving up the first round pick for him was why he always had a target on his back in Buffalo; from there on out he was never going to not hear it with every blown angle and wide open five hole. Yeah, the Sabres defense was bad then, not much better now, and evidently he had some personal addiction issues and let’s make this clear: God bless you, Robin Lehner. Hockey aside, getting your life together is great and everyone here in Buffalo is proud of you for that. It’s rad you probably see the playoffs on the island this spring. Also: thanks for not having a great night last night. With no further ado: Playoff Trash talk. Islanders, there would be a couple decent storylines in a playoff series between you and us. The first all New York matchup since 2007 when Maxim Afinogenov made the Rangers cry. We can agree on enjoying the Rangers’ misery but you better understand Robin Lehner is untested in the postseason with a propensity for giving up clutch goals. Anders Lee replacing Johnny T as Captain is like buying the discount cereal because milk gave you stomach problems. Your team plays at Barclays Center which is fitting for a team as forgettable as the Brooklyn Nets. The Sabres have less playoff experience but the Islanders have a way of never looking all that threatening in the postseason. The late season heroics will cool off and the Sabres win this series in 6. This game last night was probably supposed to be an L but I was there and got to enjoy the unlikely W. You expect a Winnipeg game but got a Minnesota game. If we’re going to make the playoffs you take wins like this and run. 2 points is 2 points but beating these guys should be a mental boost.

As the Sabres took the ice I got all riled up as the sound system played “Never too late.” Hell yeah, the Sabres aren’t done yet! The first ten minutes of this game however belonged to the Islanders. The Sabres hardly got four shots on goal before the midway point of the first period while the Islanders dominated the possession game. Linus Ullmark looked good from the start. It seemed like at some point the home team realized they were not done yet and woke up a bit. Jeff Skinner certainly did when he got the puck off the faceoff and looked around a forest of Islanders defenders and his own teammates before wiring a slapper past a screened Robin Lehner. 1-0 Sabres with 3:35 left in the first and I recall saying these words aloud: “Just please don’t give up the response goal now.” Tim Murray must still work for this club in the disappointment department because a couple minutes later that was exactly what happened. Rasmus Ristolainen was dispossessed or… just thought he had a quota of defensive zone giveaways to meet, and Casey Cizikas got the puck in the slot and shot it too fast for Ullmark. 1-1 and that was that for the first period. There was a small contingent of Islanders fans, right in that annoying golden age of 19-21, sitting a couple rows down from me. When Cizikas scored they chanted their “Yes, Yes, Yes” goal song and I got to admit I’m on the fence about that. On one hand it sounds awfully unique; on the other hand it does kind of sounds like you’re a three year old celebrating your mom making mac & cheese. I suppose I got no legs to stand on considering the Sabres just made some random 70s party rap their goal song. At the end of the first period I was not expecting anymore rap but was fully prepared for more yes’s. Let’s put it that way.

Those feelings are safer to have than the more bull-headed “the boys got this” in recent games. We were all pleasantly surprised in the second period. Well the Islanders were continuing doing a good job of boxing Buffalo out of the net-front the home team didn’t stop testing them there. Jeff Skinner and Jack Eichel teamed up in a wicked scoring opportunity that followed up the weirdest botched pass defensive zone turnover on the part of the visitors. That was at about 7 minutes into the middle frame and maybe by that point we started seeing chinks in the Islanders armor. It was not long after that opportunity when Jack Eichel and Jason Pominville came streaking in following an offensive zone turnover. Jack Eichel took the puck along the wall before getting it over to Pominville with perfect timing for him to just give it a little cheeky five-hole tap. Robin Lehner’s five-hole must be a parody account somewhere, right? Perhaps shockingly, the Sabres were now up 2-1. Every line was contributing to a better shots count this period for the Sabres but the CJ Smith – Vladimir Sabotka – Tage Thompson was surprisingly bad turning over the puck and generally just looking aimless in the offensive zone; bench Sabotka whenever you want, Phil. The only powerplay from either team came this period and it was in Buffalo’s favor. No luck there and you knew that. The Isles probably got more chances on the Sabres PP… woof. At some point in this stretch Rasmus Dahlin leveled Cal Clutterbuck in front of the Sabres net earning the Carubba Collision of the game. Nice. Some fans complained a lot at this game for how few calls there were. As long as it’s consistent I don’t mind and the whistles were overwhelmingly put away in this game. The defensive scheme looked better for Buffalo as this game went on and that’s a welcomed change if we’re going to make the playoffs.

The fact that Pominville scored the go-ahead goal was fun because I am about 60% certain I was sitting next to a couple Frenchmen really enjoying this game in their Sabres uniforms. However by the end of the game I am not exactly sure what language they were speaking as everyone there kind of exclaimed the same sounds of urgency. This 2-1 lead did not feel safe, especially as the Isles pushed hard in the third. The final frame felt prideful for all of us in the Linus Ullmark Fan Club. He looked like a starting goaltender in this third period, really the whole game. Eventually it would earn first star honors. He had one save against Clutterbuck that you look back on and understand hot it really saved this game for the Sabres. I don’t expect Housley to ever appoint him long-term starter explicitly but he’s getting the starts now and he’s staying hot against really good teams. That’s how you win a crease. You win games by scoring goals and although the skaters on this team have learned the dump-in and drop-pass a little more fervently than I would like they scored more goals than the visitors in the third. It was the hardest working fourth line in Hockey that yielded the insurance goal. Kyle Okposo got the puck in the slot from Zemgus Girgensons and shot it dead center on Lehner with about 2:25 left in regulation. The puck trickled through that five-hole and none other than Old man Larry Johan Larsson tapped it in: 3-1 Sabres. I’m down for Okposo’s permanent deployment on the fourth line pending his buyout in summer 2020 and I am so very down for Old Larry making his mark. The Larsson goal allowed us to breathe a sigh of relief and the boys in blue and gold played a little bit less desperately in the last two minutes. There was one Isles shot that rung off the crossbar but this one ended 3-1 in favor of the home team. I could do without chanting Lehner’s name but a win is a win and two points is two points. Nonetheless, if these are the kind of games the Sabres will play down the stretch then buy me tickets!

Speaking of tickets, the thing happened again: whether it’s pretty or not every Pegula-owned team wins when I am in attendance. What does that mean? It means buy me tickets. How many classes am I willing to miss for a Sabres playoff berth? There is no upper limit there. The Amerks won 7-1 the other night when I was there! Whether I’m there or not the Sabres got one more home game on this long home-stand Friday night against the Rangers: let’s sweep downstate, just for all the lovely downstate hockey fans that go to area colleges. It was uniquely satisfying watching those three obnoxious probably-UB-student Islanders fans leaving with a minute left in the game. Hey, it was 9:45ish at that point: they could have made it back to North Campus in time to get a late night snack at the Dining Hall. In the quest for the ever-elusive two-straight wins the other New York provides an excellent opportunity and one this Sabres team really ought to capitalize on if they’re going to be taken as serious playoff contenders down the stretch. Like, comment, and share because the Sabres ain’t done yet! If you can beat the Islanders right now you can win two in a row in the following game against the Rangers, right? Right? RIGHT!?

Thanks for reading.

P.S. My wife was having a rough day so she brought a book to read to this game. Apparently her mom brings books to baseball games. Am I mean for saying hockey is different? Or should you not bring a book to any sporting event?

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 19 - WPG

If you read the New Look Sabres for Game 18 against Tampa Bay you’ll see I, like most Sabres fans after that game was turgid for the Blue and Gold. Beating a much better team like that is going to make you excited for your team. Perhaps in all my capitalized excitement I didn’t give Carter Hutton enough credit. In this tough five game stretch, the well-being of these Sabres was going to run through, or not run through as it were, goalie Carter Hutton. He’s proven Jason Botterill and smart man with at least that move and a solid starter while Linus Ullmark prepares for the role down the road. Like Tuesday night against Tampa Bay, tonight in Winnipeg it was Carter Hutton and whatever the forwards would do. Tonight was an away game though, an away game at a small, intimate, and vitriolic Winnipeg Jets whose fans never fail to let you know whose tiny home that place is. The Winnipeg Jets also happen to be perhaps the best team in the league. The conversation of whose best in the West includes two cities: Nashville and Winnipeg. This game was to be a test among tests for the Sabres. If Tuesday was the first piece of evidence Buffalo can win games they weren’t supposed to then this game against Winnipeg would be the not only more evidence but proof they can do it often.

The Winnipeg we expected came and the first period was a story of Sabre Survival. Yea, there were the token opportunities for Buffalo but more and more as the first frame went on Buffalo got pushed into their own zone. Nikolaj Ehlers tripped up Jack Eichel and the ensuing powerplay for the visitors was fruitless. The whole while as this game goes on your in fear of the Jets powerplay. The sixth best powerplay in the league resides in Winnipeg. You better believe Rob Ray’s three tips included stay out of the penalty box. Then Patrik Berglund hooked Jacob Trouba and you’re sure it’s the moment Winnipeg cashes in. The Sabres survived, they survived the whole period as it were. Once again the Sabres are living and dying on the back of Carter Hutton. The second period was just as bad if not worse as the visitors struggled to even get in front of the net where they do the majority of their scoring. No one in a dark blue uniform could get the puck to a similarly dressed player and the vast majority of the period the Sabres chased. Then a two on one led to a Jets goal by Kyle Connor in what felt like the most inevitable goal we’ve seen this season. This game should have seen a lot more Jets goals. Once again Carter Hutton stood tall. In the last five minutes of the second it looked like Buffalo could get some chances including a Sam Reinhart slapshot that echoed off the Jets post and a Laurent Brossoit near-own-goal that made everyone in MTS Place scream in a bad way. Somehow the period ended 20-20 in shots.

Then the third period arrived and the Sabres showed some life. Jeff Skinner snuck in the game tying goal in the midst of melee in front of the Jets net less than a minute into the first period. What do you know, Jeff Skinner is on pace for 60 goals with this his 14th of the season. At this rate the City will impose a new tax to pay for his hefty contract to come. Casey Mittelstadt would also get a wicked shot that could’ve put the visitors ahead. The Sabres went onto look like they had arrived to play in the third but with time Winnipeg pushed back. By the final moments of that final regulation period it once again looked like Winnipeg would take the game they were playing better in. Zach Bogosian gave up the puck right into Patrik Laine’s stick and Carter Hutton made a panicked save with less than five seconds left. The Sabres stole a point just like they stole the games against Vancouver and Tampa Bay. The Overtime period was anyone’s game. Jack Eichel got a sweet breakaway, Kyle Okposo got his chances. Mark Scheifele nearly ended it. I’ll be honest I really thought it was just a matter of puck luck that allowed this game to get to the shootout. Another honest thought: even with Carter Hutton being 98% of the reason the Sabres survived that long I didn’t think a shootout would be good for Buffalo against this Jets team. Eichel and Laine exchanged shootout goals in a beautiful exchange. Friggin Jason Pominville scored in the shootout. This one went past the first three rounds and in the seventh round Conor Sheary won it for Buffalo. Two points and Buffalo stole another W in this tough stretch 2-1. Hats off to Carter Hutton: his role tonight cannot be understated.

A few things to talk about here before we get into the collective adulation that is this streaking Sabres team: Evan Rodrigues was a healthy scratch in this game lighting the fury of bloggers like me the world over. Without an L here tonight does that sort of move not happen again tomorrow? I don’t know, I’m not your smart guy. I was openly wondering during this game what PDO meant and instead of looking it up I called it puck luck and said the Sabres had it in this game. Unpopular moves like Tage Thompson still being on the big club is up with management as well, GMJB is the where the buck stops on these things and he’s got a plan with Thompson we’ll have to live with. That said, putting that guy in the shootout was a riot, eh? Many players shouldn’t be happy with their performances in this game but that fourth line and one Patrik Berglund will have to figure out what they’re doing as they play these really solid league juggernauts.

Speaking of juggernauts, this is the second one in a row the Sabres have beaten en route to a four game winning streak. It’s their first four game winning streak since December of 2014 back when we were dreading those wins due to the pursuit of a Newmarket, Ontario native named Connor McDavid. If the Sabres win again tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild they will have their first five game winning streak since Terry Pegula was still the hot new thing back in March of 2012. For at least the time being Buffalo sits in the third spot in the Atlantic division, they have more points than any team in the Pacific Division and as many as the Metropolitan Division leading Columbus Blue Jackets. There are still 73 games left to play this season but if those games go anything like these last four have then we all might need to rethink our pessimistic takes on the Buffalo Sabres. Like, comment and share this blog around; I may not be the smart blogger but I am the one who had perfect timing naming his blog New Look Sabres!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. If you want a laugh Peter Chirelli is back at it again.