Sabres Course Correct After Brutal Start w/ Paul Hamilton | The Jeremy and Joe Show

Sabres Course Correct After Brutal Start w/ Paul Hamilton | The Jeremy and Joe Show

Alex Lion, a shutout win for the Sabres over the weekend. They’ll play Montreal tonight. Chance to uh string some wins together this year. Montreal tonight, they’re 42 and0. Then the Red Wings on Wednesday, they’re a top the division and the Leafs back-to-back games on the weekend, Friday uh in Buffalo to start. So, three more games in a row in the division, part of a division run for the Sabres. We’ll get back to your phone calls on the Bills off the bye-week as well. The news from Carolina is it looks like it could be Andy Dalton. And uh just in a quick little group chat there, Yumi and S the conversation is uh is that better or not? Because Dalton is a guy that’s been around the league and you might just have you might have flashbacks to well Joe Flacco and the Steelers. Flaco had seen what the Steelers would do a hundred times and said like that’s easy. He throws it to Jason Higgins and they put up a million points. I don’t know that Andy Dalton is going to do that. I don’t know how predictable the Bills are for Dalton, his numbers against the Bills over the years. And last time he played the Bills, you have any idea when that might have been? Uh, he played against McDermott in the first in 2017 maybe. Okay. Could that be the last time though? That’s a long time ago. Yeah, but that might be it. Well, I’ll dig into some of those numbers. We’ll see what uh Yeah. week three of uh of the 2019 season actually. And the Panthers, Ted McMillan is a nice rookie receiver. And Jaylen Coker is a guy that has returned from injury. He did not catch a ball this week. Um good good young receiver. They’re just adding him back in. Of course, they got Chuba Hubard and Rico Dowel. And uh well, we’ll see what what they got to offer on Sunday from Carolina. We’ll get to Paul Hamilton here. His appearance brought to you by Rayax. Rax, we got this. Paul, back-to-back wins for the Sabres. And uh you know, the first one was a bit of a hey, the goalie on the other side was really bad. And this one was much more of a just a comprehensive nice solid win for the Sabres in a three nothing shut out of Florida. Well, you the one thing I liked is they didn’t back down at all. I mean, you know what you’re getting from the Florida Panthers. whether they’re injured, whether they’re not, they’re they’re coming at you and they’re coming at you hard and you better be ready and you better be able to, you know, try to match it at least. And I thought the Sabres more than matched it. I think at times they initiated it. Um, that thing with Marshon that got going. That was all because Dene absolutely creamed him over next to the wall with a cross check. It was a vicious cross check. Dene absolutely should have been penalized for it. Marshon lost his mind. I didn’t see if Delene got fined. I saw that Marshon got fined for what happened. Did not. Okay. Because he did not uh he did not pull Marawn’s helmet apart. Apart in the penalty, obviously. Marshon is a 37year-old man ripping pieces off a helmet like a like a little child. But whatever, he’s he’s fine for that. Um I’m kind of amazed. Like it it is just an aside, Paul, it’s very funny that Dene does not get fined for what you term as a vicious cross check and Marshon does for responding, but whatever. Right. like that. I don’t think he should have been fined for the cross check, but I think he should have been penalized. Yeah, penalized for sure. Anyway, but you feel like that moment shows a Sabres team that’s not backing down to Florida, which by the way, in the last couple years when they’ve played Florida, it has kind of looked like men versus young men. It’s looked like a team that has much bigger, stronger, more grown up pushing the Sabres around. No question. And you know, the Sabres weren’t having it. And even after Mashan jumped, I mean, Thompson was there immediately, as was the whole team. I mean, and it just turned into a big scrum. And uh, you know, they weren’t having it. And and it was as simple as that. Uh, a guy who really has not been physical throughout his whole career and has taken a lot of heat for it, I thought probably, not probably did play the most physical game I’ve ever seen him play. And that’s Matias Samuelson. I mean, he was cleaning people out. uh short-handed, not not just like playing angles, knocking them to the ice. Um I thought uh he used the body very very well and uh you know was was uh uh you know getting into the frey as far as checking people uh using his size to his advantage, getting into the scrums. I thought he did a terrific job penalty killing, but uh from a physical standpoint, I think by far that was the most physical I’ve ever seen Samuelson play. Yeah, dra he dragged a guy out of the net at one point after he hit him into it. Um but Paul Josh Don becoming a story at the beginning of the season here. He gets two goals. He had six shots in this game. And I think he accounts to this point too of like, you know, men versus young men maybe looked a little bit different and Don’s a part of that. But him scoring a little bit here and putting up some offense, I think is maybe the best part so far cuz you knew he was going to give you, you know, the physicality and good defense. But if he can score like this, I mean, they they really found something here. Well, remember when they made the trade, I had said to you, the one thing that you’re not going to have to worry about and the people are going to like is Don’s going to be in the middle of everything. I mean, he enjoys just being, as he called it the other night, chaos. And I kind of get it with him. I go, “You like chaos, don’t you?” He goes, “I love it.” He goes, “I I love, you know, the chaos of of being in the middle of things.” And and that’s what we talked about, though, was there there is an upside. How much is it? What is the upside of a young player like Don who has scored goals in the American Hockey League, you know, and and can it translate into the National Hockey League? And we still don’t know. I mean, yeah, the the he had three assists one night and then scores two goals the next and that’s five points in two games. So, that’s two games where it’s looking like there could be a very good offensive upside for Don. But even if there’s not, I still think he’s a player that Saber fans are going to love to watch play and is going to be a very effective forward for them. He he does things that maybe others don’t do other than Benson and a little bit of Zooker. Um, you know, so, you know, he gives them something that they needed desperately into their lineup. And, uh, I I think you’re going to start seeing a lot of Don jerseys bouncing around the arena. And I I don’t think he’s going to have to buy too many beers as he uh continues his Saber career and goes out uh amongst the community and stuff. I think the fans are really going to take to him. Him and Benson, you mentioned them this year. Through all five games, would you say their defense has actually been living up to expectation? I mean, the first three games didn’t go well in part because they couldn’t really score. But do you feel like we are seeing a team that for the course of the year looks like they’re going to be better at defending? Yeah, that’s why, you know, I I felt bad for the sellout crowd against the Rangers. Um the both teams play pretty well defensively, but that doesn’t make for an exciting game for a sellout crowd. It makes for a one- nothing game. Who are and you’re kind of sitting on your hands going, “Great. Uh yeah, it’s a one- nothing game. Maybe they can win. maybe they’ll score a goal for us and we can cheer. Um, but you know, the defensive effort against the Rangers wasn’t too bad. It was just the offensive effort was horrendous. Uh, you know, there were other things of the game that just didn’t click for them. So, defensively, plus you’re getting the goalending, and we’ve talked about that all summer long. You know, if you can get the big save at the big time and then also play better defensively, you’re probably going to have a pretty good chance to get in the playoffs. you can’t get in the playoffs where the Sabres were defensively last year. Uh you know, if you’re 29th in the league or 25th in the league defensively, you’re you’re not going places. Uh you you have to be better than that. And they’ve been getting the big saves from Lion who has excellent save percentage. Um and really has been doing the job for them. But part of that too, and Lion brought this up after the game against Florida, he goes, “I don’t think I saw an outnumbered all night.” And he goes, “That’s not one, twoonone.” He goes, “That’s it.” He goes, “So he goes, as a goalender, when you don’t have to face outnumbered situations and threeon-1s, twoon-1s, in the Sabres case, some threeonos’s at times, you know, in past years, um, when you’re not looking at that as a goalender, you you can play your game better.” I also feel like for uh having seven penalty kills against, he maybe didn’t see as many chances as you might expect when you’re killing penalties for what, a third of the game. Yeah. And he in the beginning of the game, Benson takes a pretty silly tripping penalty leg out. Yeah. Yeah. And and but he saw four pretty good chances and made the save on all four of them, you know. So that you always you always hear the cliche, your goalender has to be your best penalty killer. Well, he was there. And um you know, and they went from there. They’re not going to get away with taking seven penalties and giving up seven power plays a game. That that is a problem they still have. They got to stop taking the silly penalties, offensive zone penalties. Um you just you can’t give the other teams seven power plays on a nightly basis. And they’re not doing it on a nightly basis, but this was a little maybe crazy for for doing it. But they that is one thing that they really haven’t corrected this year. They’re taking too many penalties. Paul Hamilton on the Western Hotline. So, four points out of their first 10, which is uh a bounceback. You know, we’ve talked Paul, it’s got to be six out of every 10 points, right? Win three out of every five games and you’re going to be in the playoff mix. Um, and of course, you you can make up your your bad little five game stretches, but I feel like it’s key here to keep them locked in, to have these games be in division. These are teams you’re going to see a bunch of like they they after three games, we’re talking about how it’s only three games. We it can’t get out of control. It’s not the end of the world. And this response has been nice. The problem is it’s not a problem. I I can’t decide what number of games they have to get to for it to have completely undone it. You know, like two and four feels tough. I know it’s one more loss, but to get to four and three, five and three, I’m asking for a lot to get out ahead of the sticks here to use a football metaphor, but like you know, the 0 and3 start was a deep hole. Even though it’s only three games, it’s still deep when you’re in a race with all these divisional teams. Yeah. And Lindy Ruff talked about it even before it happened in training camp. She said basically the same thing you did. He goes, “Last year we won one game in our first six.” He goes, “Now you’re just chasing the whole year.” He goes, “You’ve put yourself in a spot where you have to chase the season.” And I think they I think you’re right. I think they did that losing their first three. Now they won their next two. So in that fivegame segment they’re they have to make up two points somewhere because as Lindy Ruff said and I think you agree with and I do also agree with if you do pick up six out of 10 points in five game segments you are probably going to be in the playoffs. Brian Kosil our resident math teacher I think said get that gets you around 98 points. Um now the one year that went and gotten you in the playoffs the Capitals were the eighth team in the East and got in with 100 but most years that is going to get you into the playoffs. So, and and Lindy Ruff also said after three losses, he goes, “All right, we got to win the next two and get four points.” He goes, “And then we’re two points down.” But he goes, “There will be stretches throughout the year where maybe we get seven out of 10 points and make up the two points that we just lost in this fivegame segment.” He goes, “If you as long as you make it up along the way and average six points out of every 10, you’re going to be in good shape.” And he’s right. I think he I it was just the one year that I can think of that 98 points wasn’t going to get you into the playoffs. Paul, do you think they’re going to keep riding lion here until there’s a backtoback or do you think they’ll try to get Ellis a start at some point before when’s the backtoback with Toronto? Next week. Yeah, for me Ellis starts tonight and I I’ve been targeting that. um even though you’re coming off a shut out and I get that but um you know when does fatigue set in and that’s when it it’s the conversation between Rough Mike Bales the strength and conditioning you know when does fatigue set in where we got to get him out of there and we got to you know and I think this would be a good spot for it because you play on Saturday let Ellis play in Montreal now the Canadians are off to a pretty good start but they aren’t the Toronto Maple Leafs and um you know give give him a start there and then you get you know lion back in the net against Detroit against Toronto and then maybe I I don’t mind playing Ellis against Toronto if it’s not his first NHL game. Um so you know maybe he gets his second game there but I would prefer it not being his first NHL game. And I even though Montreal is like a cathedral of hockey also, um for me I think it would be tonight. I I mentioned it to Lindy Ruff and he said we haven’t gotten that far yet cuz I mentioned it before the Florida game. Um he didn’t say no, but uh you know so I think it’s going to be a discussion. I he So I would say is it a possibility for today? I would say yes, it’s a possibility. And quickly, what should we be looking for like lineupwise this week? like Greenways maybe getting closer and Noah Olland is up so lineup for is out for over a month so he’s coming up for Danforth which I think puts him in the lineup uh there’s no need for Gersonson to be in the lineup so I don’t think there’s ever a need for him to be in the lineup but uh so I think he he’ll probably wind up in the lineup whether it’s Zack Jones or Metsah one of the two of them Bryson is in concussion protocol so either Metsa’s going to get his first NHL game or Zack Jones who’s off to a pretty good start in Rochester. Four assists in four games. And they liked him, you know, in training camp, too. He’s a former New York Ranger. So, one of the two of them probably is going to be into the lineup, too. I don’t think Bryson’s ready. We haven’t had the morning skate yet, and there was no practice yesterday, but being in concussion protocol, I don’t think Bryson’s ready for this game. That’s the eye on the blue and gold brought to you by Great Lakes Building Systems. We keep an eye on your business. You don’t have to. Great Lakes Building Systems. Our business is protecting your business. All right, Paul, thank you. We’ll uh we’ll chat tomorrow and hopefully it’s a three-game win streak and the Sabres are uh you know back at uh even. Okay, sounds good. Paul Hamilton on the Western Hotline 8030550. Sabres and Canadians tonight. Yeah, Paul just mentioned Girtson like no need. He played two minutes against Florida.

Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase analyze the Chiefs impressive run the last few weeks, and imagine what it could look like when the Bills play the Chiefs in a few weeks. They emphasize just how impressive the Chiefs passing offense has looked the last few weeks, and wonder how much the Bills secondary would struggle to cover the speed the Chiefs have. Both hosts explain why they don’t see it as a good matchup for the Bills, pointing to the matchups with the wide receivers, and the Bills sputtering offense.

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