Analyzing Buffalo Sabres Shaky Start | The Jeremy and Joe Show

Analyzing Buffalo Sabres Shaky Start | The Jeremy and Joe Show

So, with that said, I I want to can I can I even though it’s a football Friday, can I get in on the Sabres for a minute quickly because I had the thought last night about their future. And there are these pesky reports. There are these what do I want to say? What’s the what’s the right word for this? These lingering reports about the idea that Brendan Shanahan would be interested in the Savers job as president. and Brendan Shanahan is looking to get back into a front office and he might take the Buffalo job. I also saw Chicago, whatever. But it’s just kind of there. And you’ve got some NHL insiders that every once in a while reference Brendan Shanahan as an idea. And here are the Sabres off to a a start. I don’t know what I want to say about it. There’s a there’s a thing that happens when you talk about the Sabres. I think if you are someone that watches the Sabres, maybe you have this same experience that I do, which is uh every loss you’re just like, “All right, really though, what are what are we doing? What? Come on. What are we really doing here?” This team, which was going to be more defensively responsible and they don’t have any trouble scoring, right? There’s What are you worried about? Trading away Purka is trading away some goals. It’s not the only thing, of course, but trading away Purka. And what they got back in the deal was they’re going to be more defensively responsible. And scoring’s not a problem. All right. Only one team in the East has fewer goals than the Sabres. And they got shut out last night by the Blues who stink. They got shut up by the Blues who stink. And also sat one of the best players and played a goalie that’s who what’s his name? Who is he? Joel Hoer. Joel Hoer had a sub 800 save percentage. Excuse me. Oh, I think Hoer H O F E R is an omen for this Hall of Famer. He’s going to make it someday if he plays every game against the Sabres. They got shut out by Joel Hoffer and their best players right now deliver nothing. The Sabres, you get nothing from the best players. You really, you get so little. Taage, Dalene, Tuck, are what do you get from from these these players? Taage has been he’s always been a little bit slow aloof to me in terms of like as a hockey player all around. He he’s not the best in his own end and there’s you know he’s an imperfect player. Yeah, I’m gonna say he’s an imperfect player, but what we have seen in these last few games and really to start the season from him is like a completely disengaged player who just looks disconnected from what’s happening on the ice. and he is supremely talented and he is their best chance to have some sort of offensive firepower with all the injuries they have and the struggles with, you know, the rest of the lineup. But when you’ve got him floating around the ice just not really looking like he’s that into the game and making really poor puck decisions, just floating pucks on net, giving it away on the wall, like you’re not surviving with what they’ve got if he’s looking like that. Yeah, it’s not going to happen. And then he’s also that is just the offensive stuff that you need from him. He’s always going to hurt you a little bit defensively because he is just always on the wrong side of the puck. It It’s really tough to see another guy that is more just unaware of how to muddy up another team attacking. He just floats at the puck, dives in, and then he’s behind the play. And it’s just it does not look good for him right now. and they need it to be great from him right now if they want to survive. Yeah. Last night they control play. They are probably the better team and their goalie lets up uh what two goals over expected basically. Like Lucin was a mess. Lucin’s a mess. They throw him in. Yeah. I mean I I would like to like it’s very easy to point to that second goal that Lucinan gives up and say like that’s not okay and it’s not. But when you can’t score, it does not matter. Doesn’t matter. That’s right. Right. It doesn’t matter. Yep. The uh the whatever high danger chances 104 for the Sabres. Scoring chances 19 to7 for the Sabres. Um shot attempts 51 to 30 for the Sabres. All those at five on five. Never mind the power play, which is another conversation. So, you know, whatever. What are you supposed to do with it? What are you supposed to do? the to the Shanahan point, the thing I thought was like, all right, so the best case scenario is they make the playoffs because they are still alive like everybody is still alive. They had a chance last night to maybe move into a playoff spot if other scores went the right way and that didn’t happen and instead they’re in last. They have four regulation wins in 14 games, which you how well do you know the movie Step Brothers, everybody out there, you know, when they’re interviewing for the job and they’re wearing tuxedos, right? And then the mood in the room changes and Seth Rogan says, “All right, you know what? The tuxedos seem a little messed up right now.” Right. Right. He says, “That’s what that’s what all these overtime losses just have done to me.” Like, all right, you know what? All these overtime losses seem a little messed up right now. You have four wins. Real wins. four regulation and overtime, I should say, wins in 14 games. You’ve won five out of 14. And it’s that that’s that’s a disastrous number. The good news is, I guess, that nobody else is that good. But playoff teams have won eight out of 14. The Flyers, the Leafs, who in Toronto, they think the Leafs are terrible. Maybe they turn their season around. 85 and one, the Leafs. I just I don’t know what to do with it. They lost to the Blues. You want to say they should have won, they got goalie, there’s lots of things to say, but there’s also this part where the Sabres can never sync it up. They can never sync up better defensively with the ability to score. They can never sync up scoring and good defensively with a couple of saves. They can never sync up the saves with the power play, with the penalty. It’s like always two or three things taking them down. And I don’t want to be the guy that after a random Thursday loss to St. Lewis says, “What are we doing here?” But what are we doing here? If you want to be serious about the season that then like these are games need to bank. Yeah. You got to win a game like that. And they play Carolina next, which is a much more difficult challenge. And they never win. They never win in Carolina. And they’re they’ve got injuries, too, but 14 points in 14 games. Like right now, their their pace is below what they need. They’re on pace for an 82point season, which is pretty much what they finish with every single year. So, I I am not I’m going to make this very key distinction. I’m not telling you that missing the playoffs would be better, but if I was to ask, you know, for the next 10 years of their existence, what do I want to be a little bit nervous about a team that if they did put it together and make the playoffs as the eight seed, that that might embolden the way that they’ve done things for the last six years? and instead if they miss by five maybe they go boldly in a direction to be different. This is kind of like can I make a comparison? The Dolphins like the Dolphins have been competitive. They’ve actually been a playoff team and yet the entire time most would say they’ve been non-threatening. There’s nothing really there. They’ve only beat bad teams. They lose to good teams. And every once in a while they can fool themselves into thinking they have a real chance to win something. And of course they don’t. and they never really did through that time. What should they do? Should they fire their GM and their coach? Like they did fire their GM for the Sabres. Like, man, you’re so far into this and it’s, hey, you have a trade that looks good. Kessle Ring and Don for Purka looks like a good trade. Oh, nice. All right. So, your good trade has made you a better team, right? No, not really. Last in the East, five wins in 14 regulation for five wins in regulation in 14 games. It is just every year we’re trying to talk ourselves into, you know, this part of it might look better and this part might look better. I’ve been doing it. I’m trying to talk myself into it. But, you know, the standard is the floor and they’re always just like one sheet of paper above that. It’s it’s the thick. It’s a micron above the floor when you are in last in the east. And well, you’re not out of it yet. In the entire NHL, there might be five teams that are out of it and they’re all in the West. So, man, it is tough. It is tough. The Flames have uh three wins like of all the teams, the entire league, I was looking at the entire league and regulation wins because I used to do this when the Sabres had like at the late stage Ryan Miller years where it would feel like they’re not that good. Say, man, they don’t have that many regulation wins. They’re overtime merchants in that one of those seasons and think like if you’re good, you win games in regulation occasionally. And to only have four, listen, there are a lot of teams that only have four. It’s kind of the story of the league this year. But any idea that they’re good, they’re improved, they’re better, they’re headed in the right direction. I mean, it’s just tough to sell. It’s it’s a real tough cell. So, that’s a game against you. You’ve lost to Boston twice in St. Louis. Yeah. These are the worst teams in the league along with you, I guess. And you you just can’t despite how well they’ve played at times and despite the injuries, you can’t lose those games to those teams and think that you’re going to have the good faith of your fan base. Yep. They’ve got a pair of back-to-back wins happened twice. They beat Ottawa and Florida and they beat Detroit and Toronto. And in regulation wins in that department, they just haven’t they haven’t done much. It’s really it’s haven’t had a regulation win in six games, but you got five points. Okay, six points. Sorry, six points in those six games. Larry, in South Florida, it is Miami week. We’ll talk plenty of Bills Dolphins today and uh you know, dig into that. Larry, good morning. Good morning. Um, I know it’s it’s uh Miami week and I’m going to the game and you know, you talked about Brandon being, you know, yesterday. You you you listen to his comments, so he felt pretty good that he tried and I think someone even said something about Yoda. There’s no try. Do or do not. There is no try. Yeah, that’s right. And so that just I mean I I’m sorry. I You do what you got to do. Like you said, you know, you got to have the the courage to make that move. But I I called to talk about UPL and the Buffalo Sabres. I was on the bullpen earlier this morning and people are ripping, which as they should. You know, there’s 17 shots on this guy and he lets up three goals and two of them were a joke, one short-handed. And I don’t know if you guys notice, I’m sure Owen, you know, with your hockey knowledge and background you do, but it seems this, especially this year, and I know it’s only been a handful of games, but when he’s in the lineup, they play differently. It’s just, it seems like the defense just kind of gets super lax. And like you were talking about Ta, he looks like a different player. I don’t know if these guys rally with around Lions, but when Lion’s in there, I mean, he goal these teams, but we don’t we don’t score enough goals. I mean, if UK Lucan’s in the game against Utah, I’m convinced they score six or seven goals against us. But Lions stood on his head time and time again, and we could not deliver. And and they goalied us. There’s no doubt about it. That guy is huge and he’s good. Well, UPPL is huge. He’s not good. When are we going to get an administrative unit in this hockey club that is going to understand that this team is just not good? We have two first overall picks, both defenseman. I think Darlene’s great. Power I can’t figure them out. You got Epicel and Reinhardt with number TWS. And we don’t even sniff the playoffs. So, there is something happening in this organization, gentlemen. That is so beyond frustrating for Sabres fans that people just aren’t going to go. I turned it off after we gave up the short-handed goal. I said, “Yeah, UPPL’s in that. Here comes another loss.” So, I think it’s time either you go get a top six forward by trading him in some draft picks and probably a prospect or just get rid of him. So, I’d love to get your thoughts on that and go Bills. Thanks. Good. I mean, in terms of getting rid of him, good luck. Yeah, like really good luck. you signed him to a big huge contract and that was off of like what 50 games, right? Some somebody would pick him up if he’s on waivers, but you’re not going to get anything of any kind of significance for him right now, I don’t think. Y um and just to to to the caller’s point about playing differently in front of UPPL, there is there is a lot of merit to if your team trusts what’s in the crease, you do play more free. And I think that that is there is a little bit of that coming through from them. uh it it just doesn’t look comfortable when he’s back there, UPPL. And I think it’s not only the the fact that he’s been struggling, you know, results wise, but it’s also a little bit of how UPPL plays the position. He’s very scrambly. There’s a lot of rebounds popped out to weird places. And when you’ve got a guy back there that is looks unpredictable in the net, it can lead to the team feeling nervous. Whether that’s conscious or not, that happens. I know I’ve had conversations with coaches in my playing days. I I used to be a little bit of that. I used to get a little wonky and and like get a little chasey. And I would have conversations with almost every goalie coach I ever had and they would tell me like, “It may not hurt you where you’re giving up a goal that looks bad, but your team sees how you’re looking in the net when you’re sliding into the corner chasing a puck and even if it doesn’t go in, your defenseman notice that and they they you know, the grip tightens on the stick a little bit.” And that is absolutely a a a thing that happens in the game. I’m I I don’t think that the Sabres don’t trust UPL right now, but I think that they are aware of what is happening when he’s in net for them. Yeah. And there’s no avoiding that. And you’re if I was a defenseman on that team, I would I would think I’m probably being smart if I’m a little more on my toes in the D zone. And you know, there is something to be said there. 8030550. Thanks, Larry, for the phone call. Sabres lose to the Blues. They get shut out by the St. Louis Blues. And uh next up it’s Carolina.

Jeremy White and Owen Parker discuss the Sabres disappointing 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. Jeremy lays out why the start of this year has been frustrating, and why he doesn’t think the Sabres are for real right now. The guys analyze the performance of their top players, goaltender UPL’s struggles, and where things go from here.

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