Sabres NEED More from Top Players w/ Paul Hamilton | The Jeremy and Joe Show

Paul Hamilton joining us. Sabres in Utah and then Colorado. So backto back. Paul, where are you now? I am still in Salt Lake. Okay. In Salt Lake making your way to Colorado to Denver today for the uh Sabres and Avalanche. How far is that of a trip? Salt Lake City. Cuz I feel like the it feels like on a map it’s not that big, but I bet it’s I’m going to guess it’s a 90minute flight. How How is it? That’s it. Okay. Oh, is that close? Yeah. All right. All right. Well, Paul, Colorado tonight, which is a big test, and last night they gave up five straight to Utah in a loss to the Mammoth. Um, I I want to start Paul by asking what level of expectation is fair slash okay to have given the number of injuries they have? Because they do have a lot and they’re probably not a team that’s built to sustain a lot and endure a lot. So, how do you end up like squaring that because they’re missing very important players? They are. And they were missing some very important players who had uniforms on last night. Um, I mean, Ta Thompson and Alex Tuck were and Ryan Mloud were absolute no-shows. No shows. They They didn’t show up whatsoever. No shots from any of them. And if those three show up, he went hockey game. Simple as that. I mean, um, Utah’s best players showed up, Buffalo’s, they might as well stayed on the bus. I mean, they were that bad. Um, you have a two nothing lead. If those three play their games, you you win a hockey game. I mean, uh, injuries do happen. And you know, I point out that it’s the way this team is built. I mean, they as soon as Josh Norris went down, it’s like that’s that probably they’re not going to be able to overcome that because there’s just no depth on this hockey team when it comes to their top six. They don’t have enough top six forwards yet. And you lose one and you lose your best one as far as your best centerman. There’s no depth in this organization to overcome it. I mean that’s you know why the Florida Panthers the Florida Panthers they lost their captain and they lost to Chuck and Kach you know but you don’t have Kachchuck you don’t have you don’t have Barkov you they will survive and they are surviving the Ottawa Senators might be a better example they don’t have Kachuk their best player by farther didn’t start the year he was he was out. Where are they? They’re doing pretty well. They’re They’re doing pretty well. Mhm. So, Paul, you know, so I understand and but the thing is the Sabres can’t overcome it because they aren’t built with any depth whatsoever. What was the worst part about last night maybe that a couple of the guys that wouldn’t be in the lineup for all of those injuries, Osceland, Rosanne, I mean Dunn has been giving you good shifts that you are getting some contribution from the replacement level guys and your guys that would have been in the lineup if everyone was healthy are the ones letting you down. That’s the thing. You you you got some secondary scoring. You’ve got the lead. Your goalender was playing great. You’re getting the goalending. You’re getting your the secondary scoring in this hockey game. You’ve jumped out to a two to nothing lead. And even though you were being outshot after 40 minutes, you were leading in shot attempts, you were leading in block shots, you were leading in hits. And the the only real problem they were having is they couldn’t contain Utah’s biggest their best line. Utah’s best player showed up. Now, they hadn’t scored yet, but Kulie and Keller and Schmaltz were flying and the Savers had no answers for them at all and they were just all over them and Ellis was making great saves on them. Simple as that. That line was getting goalied. Um, but the Sabres couldn’t handle them at all. And I, that’s what I said to Brian for a minute. I said that really the thing that they have to do is find a way to slow that line down. And then sure enough, they did finally start you scoring in this in in the third period. Um, but um, you know, so after 40 minutes, you you had the two nothing lead midway through this second. You gave up one goal. All right. You know, it’s uh, it was a screenshot. Ellis never saw it. Done. Dunn screamed him and he never saw it. Um, so but you’re still two to one and all right, go win a hockey game. You and and and I said to Brian, not only do they have to get points in this game, you they have to win this game. I mean, we had talked about, you know, if you’re going to keep yourselves alive in this race by the end of the weekend, you probably got to take three points. Well, there were two sitting right there for him. And then you I knew Cal I knew Colorado was good and I was looking before I I went to bed. I didn’t realize they had one regulation loss all year. Yeah. Right. One regulation loss. They have gotten points in 16 of their 17 games. Uh they are, you know, the number one team in the NHL in points. They are the number one team in the NHL in goals for and they’re the number two team in the NHL in goals against. and they have not lost in in regulation at home. I believe they’re 50 and two if I’m going by memory. Um, so when I say you had to get three points, I don’t think you’re getting points in backto back on the second day of a backtoback in Colorado. So, I’m thinking, all right, you got to get two in you you have you have a good opportunity to maybe get two in Utah and two in Detroit, maybe, but you know, the the Colorado portion of it, you know, you’re going to be lucky if you stay within three or four goals. Um, so, oh, they also have the leading scoreer in the league, too. Um, so yeah, it’s it was just a a golden opportunity missed and and I I was remembered at two to one. It was actually two nothing when the first one hit where they could have gone up three nothing. It was a, you know, the Utah turned the puck over. Dunn was all by himself one-on-one with Vamela and he Vamela makes the save but he’s down and out and Dunn follows up. done. I mean, all he’s had to do is make contact with the puck and it’s three nothing and he made contact with the puck barely. I mean, he he pretty much fanned on it and the puck just dribbles into the crease and then it’s bouncing around still. Kessle Ring follows in. He takes a back end, puts it right back into the down and out of Vamela and you don’t score there. Okay, then Utah does score. will make it two to one. And right after that, Greenway comes right down Main Street, right down the slot all by himself, takes his time, got his gets his head up, takes a look, and what does he do? What do the Sabres always do? Hits the post square on and I’m just like, “Oh.” I mean, it you could just see him look. you could see him pick that corner and I mean he had it and he and he just hit the post square. So, you know, instead of being 3-1, it’s two to one still. And those were the two chances I thought that were just not only gradea scoring chances. I mean, they’re basically open nets and they could now who knows what happens then. Is it up a different hockey game at three nothing or is it a different hockey game at 3 to one? I would think it is. I mean, we don’t know for sure, you know, if the third period plays out the same way. Um, I the Sabres, I don’t think basically have no resistance whatsoever like they did in the third period. I mean, that was pathetic. I mean, not only was not only were were the be their best players pathetic, but that was just you gave up five unanswered goals to a team that basically was pretty much ready to let you win. And um here here you are. I mean, you lost going away five to2 and of course you had to give up your empty netter. or seventh of the season is how so uh you know they I don’t it’s getting to a point now I’m being totally serious here that they probably should not pull a goalie because it’s going in their net they they cannot play six on five they just cannot they are better off I think just trying to play five on five because six on five they are giving up an empty netter they they they never score they have no empty net goals four this year and they’ve given up seven which I think is pro. It’s either the worst in the league or second worst. When they gave up the six, they were the worst in the league for the second straight year. Last year they were also worst in the league at it. They are horrendous at six on five to a point where I think they probably should stop pulling the goalie. Paul Hamilton, you’re a vibe this morning, Paul. Let me tell you. Holy cow. I mean, it was I get it. It’s justified. I I wanted to ask you back to the you mentioned the top line like Thompson talk mloud Thompson for a couple weeks there couple games we would say like all right slow starter slow starter do you see a player that maybe you know that little stretch there where the Sabres were playing a little bit better hockey uh that is faded and they do not win a lot do you see a player that is that is checking out? Do you see a player that’s on a line where he’s lacking chemistry because, you know, they they have had to shuffle things around like what do you see in Thompson’s game that is missing? He absolutely checked out last night. I wouldn’t say he’s checked out the whole year, but he was nowhere to be found last night. Nowhere. It was it was it was he he should be embarrassed with with and Duck was embarrassed. Ducks talked after the game. Um, you know, Thompson didn’t run and hide. We just didn’t ask for him. We had asked for Tuck. Uh we wanted to talk to to Ellis, you know, cuz he had gotten his second start and Roseanne who who scored a couple of goals. He deserved to talk. Um so I don’t want people to think that Thompson was running and hiding. Had he been asked, he would have talked. Um, so get, you know, but just nowhere to be found to a point where I question to Brian, are the are some guys on this team trying to get people fired? I mean, and by people either Kevin Adams or Lindy Ruff or both because that’s what I that’s what I saw last night. I I saw a bunch of guys who basically just, as I said, they may as well stayed on the bus. Yeah. Paul, there had been some speculation that if the start wasn’t good, that changes could happen. Do you do you think we should start to be on watch for that? There should have been there was speculation there should have been changes last April. Uh Terry Pagulla is totally fine with this by and I’m saying that by his actions. He he he let a a GM go into a sixth year when after five years the team was probably in worse shape than it was when he started. So that tells me that Terry Pagoul is totally fine with what he’s seeing on the ice because he let that GM go into a sixth year. There’s no organization in the NHL that were to let the GM go into the sixth year. None. Except this one. And so if he didn’t make a change then, why would he even considering it now? I mean, that’s the way I look at it. Um, and you know, they’ll just say it was injuries, and they’re not wrong. injuries have hurt them, but also when you have injuries and your top players aren’t your top players. And the thing I think that’s really annoying is they were their top players for third period in Carolina, that line really played well and they scored a couple of goals. Tuck and Thompson both scored and they look good and it’s like, “Yeah, yeah, okay, there you go.” And and I and I thought to myself and I talked about it and probably with you guys and in the pregame that this could be a springboard for those guys. It’s like, okay, they played really well. Build on it. You didn’t win the game in Carolina, but build on it. Again, there there was another right there. That Carolina game you give up a just a goal where just Byum was like, “What are you doing? That’s Eric Robinson that looks like Wayne Gretzky that just walked in there and he just gretzkied you. And we talk about getting goalied. He got gratitied by Eric Robinson and then you don’t get a save and now it’s four to one and then all of a sudden you’re this team takes off and it’s four to three. It’s like, yeah, maybe maybe if you wouldn’t have given up that goal in the first 29 seconds of the third period by Eric Robinson, um you you could have gotten points in that game, too. But they came to the party, so it’s like, okay, there you go. Now, build on that. You got a couple of goals. You have some confidence here. Build on it. And they didn’t build on it at all. It was embarrassing. And why? What? What are you doing that you can’t you can’t build on in Cage Thompson’s case, you can’t build on winning a gold medal where you won the golden you scored the golden goal. You can’t you know you you should have been so raring to go by the time you got to got to training camp that uh because now you’ve won something. But it’s just I I I can’t explain it. I don’t understand it. I don’t get it. Um, you know, I’m not Ta Thompson. I can’t tell you if he’s happy or that uh that Adams is here or if he’s not happy Adams is here. I I don’t know. And he’s not going to say it publicly, even even if you asked him. So, um I I I don’t know what’s happening here, but yeah, Tage Thompson, very little of what Ta Thompson can play like has shown up in in in this season. Paul Hamilton on the Western Hotline here talking. Savers says they lost to Utah last night and they’ll play Colorado next, then Detroit, then come back home. It’s uh it’s five wins in is it 14 games? Five wins in 14 games for the Sabres right now. Or it’s one one win in eight. One win in eight. Yeah. And overall uh maybe it’s five Yeah. Five and 16. Five and 16 wins. And they have three fewer wins than any team in the conference right now. They’re now 30th in the league. I I saw that. in points. And I’ll tell you, Paul, like injuries are a part of this, but for a team that made the trades they made and said, “We’ve got plenty of scoring.” They don’t score. Well, and the injuries don’t appear, Paul, to like be anywhere near coming back other than Benson, right? Cuz Lindy said with us the other day, Zucker hasn’t eaten in two weeks. Uh Koulique bloodclott thing could be anything. Diene is a defenseman, but he’s for he’s offense and he’s out probably for a while. Like other than Benson, I don’t really think the the Calvary is coming. Yeah. Uh, and he’s right about Zooker. Not only does Zooker have to start feeling better, once he starts feeling better, how much weight has he lost, how much strength has he lost, you know, that he’s going to h have to, you know, get training again before you can use him, you know, and so it’s not just feeling better, it’s, you know, getting his whole body better. I mean, Bulldog said yesterday when I was on with him, remember uh last year, the year before where he was in the hospital for uh for eight or nine days, and he said he didn’t eat a thing and he lost like 20 pounds of muscle, you know. Now, he’s not a fine condition athlete as he said, but still, it just gives you an idea that I don’t think he’s just going to say, “Oh, finally I feel better. Okay, I’ll I’ll be I’ll be standing in front of that in the power play tomorrow. No, I don’t think so. You know, I think you got to get ramped up again. Uh so, you know, that has to happen. Um you know, we’re talking about a blood clot that needs to dissolve. Nobody knows how long that’s going to take. It’s different. There are players who’ve never played again after I don’t think that’s what Kik is because Lindy said that he expects that he will play again this year because they found it early. Yeah. Yeah. So, um it’s these are things that you just don’t know. We don’t know how long is going to be in Sweden. That’s a situation he may not even know. you know, that’s a hurting guy right now. You know, and and he doesn’t know which way to turn and and he’s scared. And there are that’s the thing I think we all forget about with athletes sometime that real life happens for them too. Um they’re they’re fathers, their husbands, they have things to do. I mean, they um that don’t have anything to do with money, you know. I know they make a lot of money and that can, you know, so they don’t have to worry about, you know, if can they buy groceries this week or are they going to be able to put gas in the car or anything like that. I understand that. But there also are situations in life that money are not going to take care of. And you know that that kid is scared to death right now. And you know, he is the captain of the Buffalo Sabres, but that comes way, way later than what he’s going through. Paul Hamilton, his appearance brought to you by Railax on Railax. We got this. All right, Paul. Colorado tonight. Back to back. We’ll talk we’ll talk uh we’ll talk tomorrow. All right. Thanks. Thanks, Paul. Yeah. Yeah. Take care. Thanks, Paul. I pick myself up off the floor. Hold on. Let me watch some Gavin McKenna highlights. Yeah. I mean, really, it’s Gavin McKenna.

Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase are joined by Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton for a Buffalo Sabres check in following their 5-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth last night. They start off by discussing the injuries facing the team, and their role in the slump. Paul explains that the injuries definitely play a role, but it doesn’t matter when your best players who ARE healthy don’t show up. They also touch on the game itself, G Colten Ellis’s play, and their upcoming game with the Colorado Avalanche.

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25 comments

  3. The team checked out cause they knew they didn't have it last night and they weren't expending energy in a back to back, especially against Colorado tonight. That's what it looked like to me

  9. Leading it hits is a questionable take. I think most the sabers players each had one hit I think Krebs had maybe like 10 hits that night which were all hits that didn't help the play. If this team is going to be this soft and not for check and not lay the body they will always lose

  11. Hate to say it, but it’s time to trade Tuch. He isn’t staying, and the sooner you do it, the more value he has bc the new team gets that many more games and the contract is nothing. And KA must be fired immediately bc he cannot be in charge of any more decisions. His last move of a top 6 forward brought back a player who has played 3 2/3 games of an available 40 or so. It’ll be 65 by the time he’s back.

  15. The Sabres need a new coach. Bringing back a previously fired coach seemed like a terrible idea the moment it was announced and has proven to be just that. They have gotten worse the year and a half since Ruff came back. I live way out of town, but watch the Sabres’ broadcast on ESPN, and the comments they clip in from Ruff throughout the broadcast are absolutely comically stupid. He seems like he’s half asleep, completely uninspiring, sounds like just some guy off the street. One last night was “we need to win more faceoffs, if we don’t we end up chasing the puck”… No Shit! That is coming from the head coach?

  16. This is a Pegula problem. They bring apathy and mediocrity to everything they touch. 15 years with the Sabres, not one playoff game. And now, they are even starting to steal Josh Allen's love of the game. As long as the seats are full, they will not make a change. If the seats are empty, they can simply threaten to move.

  18. Fire KEVIN ADAMS!!!!!!! Please already, I’m bought into a quick rebuild, keeping Benson and the young guns who scored last night. Trade everyone else besides Rasmus and Levi. Oo yeah and fire KEVIN ADAMS!!!!!

  21. Great take by Paul on top 6. Seems like the Sabes came in to the season with 4 true top six forwards and really only one top line player (Tage). Kulick & Zucker/Quinn are not top 6 forwards. Once they lost Norris (first
    game) they had 3 holes.
    No vision, no standards of professionalism.
    I love Tuch, but why would he sign long term on a team with this management team all on expiring contracts.

  24. Pauls take on this is how I think most of us feel. As a Sabres reporter and eye in the arena, I really like he is not holding back on this. GMKA wont get fired. He will either finish out the year so to his contract, or if Pegula fires him, it will be late in the year and too late but Pegula will hold his head high as if he did what everyone wanted him to. Too little and 2 years too late.

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