UPL costs the Buffalo Sabres another game in loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins

UPL costs the Buffalo Sabres another game in loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins

Sabres struggles on the road continue. A loss to Pittsburgh. What happened, especially in goal? That’s coming up here on the Locked On Sabres podcast. Your Locked On Sabres, your daily podcast on the Buffalo Sabres, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. What’s up everybody? Happy Thanksgiving. Welcome in to the Locked On Sabers podcast. Thanks for making us your first listen every day here on the Locked Onodcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network. You can watch our show on YouTube. Hit the like and subscribe button if you do. And if you would like to become a part of our Locked Sabers text club, you could also do that. If you’re not already a member, you can go over to joinsubttext.com/lockedonabers. Sneaky Jody Bassi here on Thursday, Thanksgiving football turkey and no hockey today, but the Sabres will be back in action tomorrow. Lot to get to on today’s show. A little bit more of a brief show today. Uh but recapping what we saw against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the problem that I have with another poor performance by Ukah Pekalucan. And not to say that the immediate game before that was poor. He played very well over the weekend, but every other at best is what you’re getting from this guy. There’s a rumor about UPPL, by the way, in terms of the trademark it. Um, there’s a lot to get to on him. But we’ll go through what happened in the game. Overall, Sabres didn’t really get going until the third period, uh, or at least late in the second period, and then we’ll take a quick look at what’s ahead for the Buffalo Sabres. So, that is all coming up here on today’s episode, which is presented by FanDuel. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanuel.com. Win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. So, speaking of FanDuel, our bet of the night from yesterday did hit. So, we are back up to the double digits on the season plus 10.0 units after Jack Quinn. I had Quinn to record a point as the bet of the night did hit. Looked like he had scored two goals. They changed that after the fact and Jason Zucker got credit for the goal. Uh the first goal, not the second goal. So, one goal, one assist for Jack Quinn, who has been very up and down this year. Started the year well. Didn’t like the middle. Have liked him a lot in the last week with Mloud and Jason Zucker. And that line again, you could argue was the Sabres best line. They created the only two goals of the game for the Sabres. and they were getting chances a lot when they were out there together. And I would not touch that because I don’t think Quinn has ever looked better when than when he’s playing with those two with Ryan Mloud and Jason Zucker. So keep that going. The Sabres fall four-26 and two on the road this season. We said going into this stretch, 10 games, eight on the road. You got to find a way to win at least half of them. ideally more if you want to be in a serious playoff hunt here before the new year. And game one doesn’t go well. They did play pretty well. I liked them really almost in every period. The first period was such a slow grind. I mean, there was not a lot happening at all. And they come out of the the period down one to nothing. Not because of anything. I think they really did all that wrong. The only goal that is scored, this is where we start to get to UPL. Matt Dumba from distance outside the faceoff circle taking a wrist shot with no traffic. Now Bo Byum stick out does deflect the puck and it flutters through the air. And you could say, well, that’s not Lucin’s fault because that puck deflects, but the puck didn’t deflect immediately in front of him. It deflected way out. It was not a slapshot. The heat on the puck was not something where you couldn’t react to it and adjust to it. But the problem on that play is Lucinin is so overcommitting to this shot. It’s a wrist shot from Matt Dumba from distance. Watch it back where Lucinin is headed on that play. He is sliding so far out to the right. I don’t know where he’s really going, what he’s thinking the play is. If he’s trying to make the save with his chest. Once in a while, you’ll see goalies try to do that where they will throw their chest in front of it and they will move a a a big way across the net. He’s also way out on top of his crease. So, I don’t know why he was trying to save it that way. He could have just made the save with his arm and he decided I I think this is the thought process of throwing your body in front of it. But the problem there is he took himself so far out that he could not adjust to a fluttering wrist shot that then goes over his shoulder. I I couldn’t believe that that goal found in the back of the net. So that was our introduction to the type of night that UPL was maybe going to have. Otherwise, like there weren’t a lot of shots generated on either side. I thought the Sabres did a pretty good job taking the crowd out of it early on and getting them settled into a nice boring game. I did not like their play early in the second period. I thought at that point, time to get going a little bit here. You’re down one. Let’s go. And they did not record a shot on goal for a long time. They didn’t record their sixth shot on goal until there were roughly 15 uh 25 minutes left in the game. So about the five minute mark of the second period to go. Then they rattled off a bunch in a row and like they doubled up their shot attempts in the final five minutes. So they played really well at the end of the second period but did not find the back of the net. So then we head to the third and it’s a continuation. Sabres are the better team. I think after watching that game last night, I do think the Sabres are the better team. I think they are better than the Pittsburgh Penguins. And what’s frustrating is the one thing that I was afraid of for the Penguins, they didn’t even need with the power play, never really getting much of an opportunity. And then when they did, the Sabres shut it down. So you get to the third and they’re pushing and they’re pushing and they finally break through. First goal of the game, it it took a long time. All right, we are seven minutes into the third period before they finally find the back of the net, but they did it on a great little shift. Great shift overall. Again, the Quinn, Zucker, Mloud line had Pittsburgh running around and they finally find it and Zucker again got credit for that goal. It was originally Quinn’s. Mloud also gets an assist. They tie the hockey game and I’m thinking, “All right, here we go. They’re out playing them now. They’re tied. Let’s Before I could even have that thought, within 30 seconds, 31 seconds later, bam, puck in the back of the net.” And that goal made me as angry as any goal that’s gone in maybe this season for the Buffalo Sabres other than maybe when Lucinan let in that soft wristster against Toronto and cost them two points or cost them at least one point on that night. Here is a play where again he’s just overcommitting and scrambling around not composed and that cost them. These are the types of mistakes that you would expect from a young UPL, a rookie UPL that has just entered the NFL. So, or the NHL, excuse me. On this play, the puck goes off the back wall and because again, he’s overcommitted a little bit, he finds himself outside the post. So the puck actually sneaks in behind him and he has to desperately with his stick while falling get the puck shoveled out towards the corner and because again the the the source of all of this is he finds himself outside the net outside the post when he shouldn’t be. So then he’s scrambling around. He loses his stick. He recovers without his stick and now we’re at a place where a soft wrist shot along the ice by Brian Rust goes between the pads and in 30 seconds later Penguins have their lead right back which is so demoralizing as a team after you have tied the game to have it immediately taken back just like that. And again, one, you know, you don’t have your stick. So to leave a hole like that is not great. And to be so chaotic in the first place to get yourself into a place where that puck can go in is ridiculous. That should never happen. I don’t know what he’s doing way out there chasing the puck. Dene is there. He doesn’t have to be outside the post. Dene is there. Cause him to lose his stick. That causes the goal. Brutal. It’s a brutal, brutal goal to allow by Lucidin. Two goals that should not have happened. The Sabres should have been winning one to nothing halfway through the third period and instead they were trailing. Then uh I do not blame UPL for the third goal at all. I do not. That is Owen Power. Owen Power is standing in front of the net doing nothing. Eric Carlson throws it in front. Kevin Hayes is cutting to the net and Power is just like not not looking at all, not tying up a stick. Uh that’s a brutal play on his part. And at that point, it feels like the game is over until Jack Quinn in that line gets you right back in it and gives you, you know, four minutes to try to tie the hockey game, which they uh they did have a chance. They had a chance right at the end. There was a loose puck. I think it was the Quinn Zucker line again. Um they were unable to cash it. And then Conor Dwire throws in the empty netter, which might be ironic cuz I think I made fun of him for being on the top line and he’s the one who closes it at the very end. But at the end of the day, that’s a that’s a game that should have been won and it wasn’t because you didn’t get goalending. In this game, goals saved above expected or often in this case, goals saved below expected. The Penguins expected goals 3.29. They scored or excuse me, that’s the Sabres. Sabres were 3.29. Pittsburgh was 2.2 and they found the net three times. So almost a full goal above expectation. Again, the Sabres had a high number. Like the Penguins got a great goalie game and the Sabres did not and it cost them. Back of the line in the rotation. The last thing to say about UPPL here is a pretty unbelievable rumor from David Pegnota of the fourth period. He was on Canadian uh I think it was on radio in Vancouver this morning or yesterday and he says that Uka Pekka Lucanin this is about him and the trade market and you know Pagnota is not always you know like it’s not Freriedman saying this um but he’s plugged in he said I think Buffalo would need to be blown away to a certain extent they’re going you’re going to have to overpay for a guy like Uka Pekalucan throw him back like what what What does that mean? What is overpay for Ukapanin? Not giving somebody something to take his contract. That might be an overpay. Is a fourth round pick an overpay? I just What type of mentality is that from Kevin Adams? Who do you think Ukapeka Lucinan is? He’s played six, seven years of professional hockey now, including the AHL and NHL and in both leagues and one good season. What on earth do you think somebody is going to give you for him? I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there isn’t some dumb team out there that’ll give you a prime asset for UPL. But I think any trade at all that gets his contract off the books is a win. That’s an overpay and they should take it and run with Lion and Ellis. Uh I’m about done with UPL. have been for a while and he continues to get chances to lose them hockey games and it very often happens. Very often happens. All right, that is it for the UPL part of this game. We’ll dive into a little bit more what else we saw and also what’s coming up next on the schedule. That when we come back on this Thanksgiving edition of the Locked On Sabers podcast. Today’s episode of Locked On Sabers presented by Monarch. Let’s be honest, most of us cannot even name all our financial accounts, let alone what they’re worth. Between 401ks, savings, investments, it’s easy to lose track, and that can mean leaving money on the table. 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You get a profit boost off that. Um that’s good for Thanksgiving. So, get in on that. Hockeyy’s back, of course. And you don’t want to miss um all of the action. FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA. If you miss the start of the game, you want to ride the hot hand. FanDuel’s live bets on everything from who’s going to score next to your fourth quarter comebacks, your third period comebacks. Keeps every game more exciting, especially when your team is making that push. Right now, FanDuel’s giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So, head to fanduel.com, sign up, play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Sneaky Jody Debbie Bioassi back here in the locked on Sabres podcast. Uh other things we saw from Sabres and Penguins, we saw a really good defensive effort, I thought for the most part, other than that moment by Owen Power in front of the net. Um they got a little scrambly on that chaotic goal that Pittsburgh scored. I think Lucin might have put the defense into cha chaos mode though because he was out of the net and on the ground without a stick. Um, so that might have contributed to it. But otherwise, the Penguins and Sabres played a very, very dull hockey game. Uh, other numbers from this game, how some of the, uh, Saber forward lines played. I mentioned the Mloud, Jason Zucker, and Jack Quinn line. Uh, shot attempts for them, 20 to the opponent’s 11 when they were on the ice. They outshot the opponent 8 to4. They outscored them two to nothing. Here’s the best one. that line last night scoring chances when they were on the ice 14 for Buffalo, two for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, the only line that really got outplayed and this is pretty incredible and I maybe they’re about to break it up and they did a little bit. I think middle of this game you saw Josh Don, Zack Benson flip. They were trying around with different combinations because early in the game the the Tage Tuck and Don line that had been playing together for the last couple of weeks or really last week at least in 6 minutes and 49 seconds of ice time together. So you know it’s what that’s four, five, six shifts in that almost seven minutes of ice time that that quote unquote top line was together. They did not have a shot. They did not have a shot attempt. Didn’t get a shot attempt while they were out there on the ice. They were three for Pittsburgh. So they were really a part of that dull game. Um so they did not really show up. But the big two lines really the other the other three consistent lines were all awesome. I mentioned the numbers on that Mloud line. The Osland Don Kak line once Don got thrown around on a different unit. He went down to Benson’s spot. 10 shot attempts for Buffalo, three for Pittsburgh. Shots were seven nothing. Seven nothing when it was Osceland, Don, and Kak. I think Osceland was really strong in this game again. He’s making it really tough to take him out of the lineup. Um the other the fourth line, Krebs, Malenstein done. Shot attempts were 12 to2 when they were on the ice. Shots were six to1. Just the Sabres really got great play from every line except the one that was supposed to be your top line going into the night. But on the overall, they still outperform the Penguins. And I think it’s just a game where goalie goalie really let you down. Can’t happen. I would go with Alex Lion next. Uh we’ll see how much he’s really fell out of favor. If he doesn’t play on Wednesday or on Friday against New Jersey, um I don’t know what he’s doing here anymore. It’s his turn, so we’ll see if it goes well. Sabres and Devils Friday at 4:00. We will talk to you next after that game is over. um a very quick look preview of that game. The Penguins um or the Devils, excuse me, have been playing better this year than last year. They are first in the division at the moment and they actually been winning games since Jack Hughes went out. Last year when they lost Hughes, he got hurt hit by Eel behind the net. He was out for the year. They really had a tough time overcoming that. This year he has his freak hand injury at a team dinner and he’s out of the lineup. They’ve stayed afloat and they’ve been doing a pretty good job. They are again first place in the division, 31 points in 23 games. When healthy, I think the state the way that the Eastern Conference looks at the moment, you give me a healthy Jack Hughes and I’m willing to say that the Devils are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. I think they are a team that I wouldn’t be stunned to see go on a run and make it all the way. um them Carolina you know those would be the two teams in the metro not just picking out the two teams top of the conference I mean I think going into the year most believe that those were their their top guys but yes Brat Nicoir um Luke Hughes has developed into a nice player like they they got a lot of depth they got a lot of good players Jacob Marstrom has had a bad year so far in goal but they’ve got Jake Allen there to pick up the pieces um having two veteran goalies ensures that one of them is probably going to give you a good and that’s been happening with Allen. So, all right, that’s going to do it for us today here on the Locked On Sabres podcast. We will talk to you after Sabres and Devils. One of the one of the more fun nights of the year when you get uh the Thanksgiving post Thanksgiving home game. So, enjoy that and we’ll talk to you after it is over here on the Lockdown Sabers podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

The Buffalo Sabres went into Sidney Crosby’s house and outplayed the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, thanks to another poor performance from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Sabres lost the game. UPL getting himself out of control on a couple of different plays cost the Sabres two goals that they could not afford to give up. Sneaky Joe campaigns for this being the final straw for UPL’s Sabres career. However, there is a trade rumor that implies Kevyn Adams is not thinking the same way.

Plus, another great performance from the Jack Quinn – Ryan McLeod – Jason Zucker line, but a no show from the line of Josh Doan – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch. And a quick look ahead to the New Jersey Devils, who lead the Metropolitan Division as they head to Buffalo for Friday night’s game.

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