- 2 days ago
Mike Schopp and Chris "Bulldog" Parker discuss what matchup would be the best for the Buffalo Sabres, if the Stanley Cup Playoffs started today.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00What your favorite Sabres playoff matchup would be?
00:07Oh, um...
00:08We've talked about whether they would wear black uniforms for any, or even all of it.
00:14Don't know that answer.
00:16I doubt they'd wear them for all of it, if they're even allowed to wear them at all.
00:20We talked about this late in the week, and, you know, we're just sort of different possibilities
00:25and hard path, easy, you know, easiest path, whatever.
00:31Um, I'm still hung up on what a Montreal series would look like.
00:36I think those are two of the most interesting and exciting young-ish teams in the league,
00:45and I just think a playoff series between the two of them could be a real, real fun time.
00:51Fun watch.
00:52Um, so I don't know if that's, like, my favorite idea.
00:56I just...
00:57Those games they played this year have been just basically my favorite games.
01:02Mm-hmm.
01:02Um, and...
01:05Them positioned as two and three, which they obviously are not right now.
01:09Montreal is currently third.
01:10The Sabres have to fall back into second and have that stay the same.
01:14Detroit's also at 82 points, same as Montreal.
01:17So it's still, it's going to probably go down right to the wire.
01:21Um, but I'm going to have a hard time getting that matchup out of my head.
01:26Um, and I don't think it's the best or the easiest matchup they could have, but I think
01:33it's the, it's history.
01:35I think the uniforms will look great if the Sabres wear the right stuff.
01:38And I just think style-wise, it, it could be a great fight.
01:44Um, so that, that, I think that's my, that's my answer right now.
01:47I'm a little deterred by going to the last Montreal game and being completely surrounded
01:53by Canadiens fans, except for my daughter.
01:56Right.
01:56And I, I, I've always said this about Leaf fans too.
02:02You love the energy, right?
02:04I mean, there's nothing bad about going to a sporting event and having people root for
02:08both teams.
02:09Like it maybe is a little bit embarrassing to a Sabres fan when that happens, but really
02:14like the, the, the energy of the crowd is so lively and good as opposed to a game where,
02:20you know, they're playing Nashville or something.
02:22And just, everyone's just kind of sitting there.
02:24Right.
02:24And so I'm a little bit, maybe kind of scarred by that.
02:28Yeah.
02:28I don't think it would be that pronounced in the playoffs.
02:32I don't either.
02:33Yeah.
02:34But the Sabres lost this game and I was surrounded by people who were losing their minds with
02:38excitement.
02:40Right.
02:41And I almost got punched in the face, like by accident is my daughter and I were leaving.
02:45There was an empty net goal, like a minute left in that game.
02:48And we were sitting on the glass.
02:50So all the way up and these Canadians fans were just everywhere.
02:53And you'd think they'd won something important.
02:57Act like you've been there.
02:59I mean, you think it would have been important.
03:01That it's just a Saturday night in February.
03:03Right.
03:03It's just a, you know, they're both going to be in the playoffs.
03:06The one guy I was talking to during the game, I think I kind of bummed him out.
03:10So I said, how, how great would this crowd be if this game mattered at all?
03:14Right.
03:15Right.
03:15What do you mean?
03:16Well, it doesn't mean anything.
03:17Yeah.
03:18It means a little bit.
03:19So I don't, I'm not ready to pick Montreal.
03:22Yeah.
03:22No, I, I get that.
03:24Um, I, I would hope that the building, I think we'll, we'll, we'll take care of that.
03:29I mean, I don't know if they'll take steps to bar zip codes or something like Carolina
03:37has done that before in the playoffs.
03:39So I, that's touchy because of Southern Ontario.
03:42Like there are legitimate Sabres fans in Southern Ontario and I don't do it.
03:45So I don't think you can really make that work.
03:48I mean, so, but even still, I just think it'd be such a hot ticket that I, I trust that
03:53we'll have the building, you know, 70, 30, 80, 20, something maybe.
03:58And maybe that's even too much for playoffs.
04:00You know, you don't want, you know, to have to share it.
04:02Um, that's, that is sort of a, that's a, that's a bummer on that front to that idea.
04:08Um, I think I want Detroit.
04:11I think Detroit's probably the easiest mark of the, of the whole group.
04:16There's that.
04:17And I, I not sure there's a huge gap, but there's that.
04:21I think that's probably right.
04:23Um, who knows what the crowds would be for a Buffalo Detroit series.
04:28They're probably both in both buildings.
04:31There'd be road fans.
04:32I mean, it's a, it's a makeable.
04:34Yeah.
04:35And I don't know, like both teams have been down.
04:37For a long time, maybe imagine the Sabres, like if all the, all the things that have
04:42happened this year, what it sounds like to even just posit the possibility that they
04:46might ban certain, you know, zip codes or whatever, how did it possibly come this far
04:51so fast, but we don't think they're going to do that.
04:53Or you're not, I'm not, I'm not sure that they can effectively do it because of their
04:58own Canadian fans.
04:59Sure.
04:59It makes it hard.
05:00I think.
05:00And I don't want them to, um, Detroit though, maybe the weakest team still a long ways to
05:06go.
05:07This could change right now.
05:08It is the matchup, right?
05:09Boston is wild card two, which means they go to Carolina and Detroit is wild card one.
05:15And they would get the other division winner, which is right now Buffalo.
05:18Perfect.
05:19There's no playoff history.
05:20There's no Adams division thing with the Red Wings, but there is a, there's a long history.
05:25Of course it's original six.
05:27There are probably a lot of fans.
05:29Of course, there are a lot of fans in Southern Ontario also who are Red Wing fans.
05:33Yep.
05:34Growing up.
05:34You've also got the Patrick Kane factor.
05:36Right.
05:37If you want that, um, Buffalo zone 20 to 25 years ago, they were the best, you know,
05:44like the Fedorov Red Wing years and that team, like the Patriots accomplished that team always
05:50has tons of fans and that's a generation.
05:52So I think I like everything about that and it, that includes not maybe getting punched
05:59or almost getting punched by a opposing team fan that just cannot control himself.
06:05I don't know.
06:06That's my pick.
06:07Boston is fine.
06:09You get a lot of nostalgia with Boston and Montreal, um, or even Ottawa.
06:14That's long enough now.
06:16Ottawa has, I, boy, it's so funny how quickly it changes.
06:21Um, Ottawa isn't in right now and I, I think I would worry more about them than I would
06:30Detroit or Boston.
06:31I'm not sure I want to say that about Montreal.
06:34Um, but all year really the book on Ottawa has been this active, excellent, young, exciting
06:41roster and the goaltending has been letting them down.
06:44And if they, what are they four, four points back right now with a game, uh, with a game
06:50on Detroit, if they, if they, okay, if they get there, I just think that's, that's a team
06:55that is more of a threat to me.
06:57Um, I, you know, who knows when we get there, but I, I think sitting here today, I would be
07:04more fearful of Ottawa than I am a Boston or Detroit.
07:07I, I, again, I don't know about Montreal, um, Detroit, Detroit's going to have to, I
07:13mean, they, they won, they won like five to two last night.
07:16Um, but Larkin is still out for maybe a couple of weeks and their number two center cop is
07:22closer to returning than Larkin.
07:25This was the, from the Detroit broadcast, which was also on Amazon prime in Canada, uh, which
07:30is how I saw the game last night.
07:31Wow.
07:32Um, yeah.
07:33Right.
07:33Um, it was Ken Daniels.
07:35I don't think it was the whole crew is Ken Daniels.
07:37And I think Jody Shelley, and I don't think he normally does Red Wings games, but they
07:41had the, the Red Wings legendary play-by-play guy was the play-by-play guy on Amazon prime
07:46last night and talking about the timeline.
07:49And so Larkin longer than cop.
07:51And I mean, those are the top two centers like that's, that is tough at this time of the
07:56year.
07:56So they, they might just be happy to make it at this point because of that.
08:01I mean, well, I've been kind of waiting for that, but last night they got down and they
08:05came ran away.
08:06Yeah, they did.
08:07Yeah.
08:07Five, two, I think was the final last night.
08:09Calgary, but Calgary, right.
08:10Yeah.
08:11That, yeah.
08:11Calgary was up to one maybe I think.
08:13And then Detroit just hammered them.
08:15Even the teams on the other, not Carolina, but the other teams on, on the other side are
08:19also in play.
08:22Pittsburgh Islanders, Columbus.
08:23That's right.
08:24Are in play.
08:25Whoever gets fourth there, if they make up two points on Boston or three on Detroit,
08:32just the same.
08:32That's right.
08:33The, the, the, the, the better wild card could still come from the other conference.
08:37You have seven close Pittsburgh included.
08:41You have seven or even eight.
08:44If you want to include the lightning, but I'm nervous to let's say seven, seven, pretty
08:49comparable potential opponents by the odds, whether the Sabres finish first or second.
08:56If they finish second, then it will just be third in their division.
08:59Couldn't possibly be a wild card team, but still like that's also Montreal and Detroit
09:05and Boston and Ottawa.
09:06If you win the division, then like I said, those Metro teams are possibilities.
09:11That brings whoever finishes in that wild card.
09:13And right now nobody is, but Columbus is knocking on the door.
09:17They're two points back, but the Islanders are tied with Boston right now.
09:22So if they were to, if Columbus were to displace them or the Penguins, like you said, then, so
09:27yeah, you can consider Pittsburgh, the Islanders, the Blue Jackets, Ottawa, Boston, Detroit,
09:32Montreal, all like if you win the division, those are all possible matchups.
09:37You know, whatever one you would pick as your least favorite, maybe is that, how would
09:43you base that?
09:44What would you base that on?
09:45Is that the worst matchup for them?
09:47You're picking, if you're picking Montreal as you are for your favorite matchup here, it's
09:52not because you think they're the easiest to beat.
09:54That's right.
09:54They're the opposite of that almost.
09:56Yeah.
09:56So maybe you'd pick whoever is just sort of like the least interesting and maybe that's
10:01Columbus, say, right?
10:02I remember in 1997, I would have been in the arena for the Blizzard games then.
10:11I hope I remember this right.
10:1496-97 Saber season, I'm there in the arena because there's a Blizzard game.
10:19I was the radio announcer.
10:21And it's right at the end of the NHL's regular season.
10:25And there's, I'm not sure if it was a game between Ottawa and Montreal, but the guys in
10:31the press box, and there were a couple like Sabres guys there, maybe the Sabres were off
10:34this night.
10:35And they were watching Hockey Night in Canada and celebrating that Ottawa was going to be
10:41the Sabres opponent.
10:42Like they won whatever they did.
10:44Had they even been to the playoffs before, 1997, Ottawa?
10:48Probably not.
10:49They were, when were they born?
10:5093?
10:52So the Sabres win that division pretty shockingly.
10:56Kind of like this, 97, right?
10:58With Nolan, and they draw, the guys who I'm talking about are watching the final seconds
11:04of whatever game it is that puts Ottawa into the playoffs and as the Sabres opponent.
11:10And they were giddy.
11:12And a couple of them were friends of mine.
11:14And like, okay, like the Sabres are going to be in the playoffs and they're playing the
11:18Senators?
11:18Like an expansion team?
11:20And they didn't, it was kind of a low point total.
11:23And I remember saying something about it to one guy, and he worked in media relations.
11:29And his reason, he told me his reason for being so happy is he didn't have to deal with
11:33the Montreal media.
11:35Like, it was more just like his job stuff.
11:39Right.
11:39That was why he was so excited.
11:40Right.
11:41But you never know.
11:42I mean, that was a seven game series.
11:43And even though Ottawa had never been to the playoffs before, the Sabres were pretty lucky
11:48to get out of it.
11:50So, I guess I thought of that because the idea of playing Columbus in the playoffs might
11:55feel something like that.
11:57This is really a playoff series?
11:58Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:0092-93 is their first season back in.
12:04Back in?
12:05Well, yeah.
12:06Since like the 20s or something.
12:07Yeah, right.
12:08From the pre-original six era, basically, right?
12:11Yes, yes.
12:12And I'm looking, and that is, yeah, because they're 6th, 7th, 7th, 6th are their finishes
12:18prior to 96-97 when they finished 3rd that season.
12:23That's the Steve Shields series.
12:26Right.
12:27Right.
12:28And the series that features the Sabres' only ever game 7 win.
12:32That's right.
12:33Overtime.
12:34Derek Plant.
12:35Derek Plant.
12:36What's your favorite idea?
12:37803-0550.
12:39This is another, here comes the disclaimer.
12:41They're not in yet.
12:42There you go.
12:43I said it once.
12:44Okay, thanks.
12:45I said it once.
12:45I wasn't going to.
12:50It's pretty incredible that a win tonight of any kind gets them to 90 points.
12:57That is, that's insane.
13:00With 14 games left.
13:01With 14 games left to go.
13:03It's just amazing.
13:05Yeah, they should get to 100, don't you think?
13:07Yeah, I mean, unless they really fall apart here, yeah, I mean.
13:11Six wins.
13:12That's six wins out of 15 games.
13:15Correct.
13:16I mean, that's not even good.
13:17No, that's not even good.
13:18And by this team's standard, it's terrible.
13:21Because they're losing like five every 30 or something or whatever the numbers are.
13:27Five every 30?
13:28The numbers are ridiculous.
13:29Yes.
13:31It's not exactly right.
13:32It's close to that, though.
13:34I'm, again, like so many of you, like just so wired for this.
13:40And it's not the most interesting conversation.
13:43But it's so much fun to think about, to imagine, like we're a month away.
13:47The 15th of April, I believe, is the season finale.
13:51So on this date in a month, we're going.
13:53I mean, this is, we're going to know everything about whoever the other team is.
13:57We'll try to.
13:59That Tullamore-Dew segment is going to have to be more than nine seconds.
14:02It's going to be, yes, right.
14:03What are we going to do about this guy?
14:05It'll be longer.
14:06What are we going to do about Slavkowski?
14:07Slavkowski, we've got to really, he's like a segment now.
14:10Right.
14:11You guys done your Slavkowski segment yet today?
14:14Nope.
14:14It's coming up.
14:154.45.
14:16That's not enough time.
14:17That's not enough time.
14:18No, that's right.
14:19Too short.
14:22Yeah.
14:24There's just so much.
14:26There's just so much that comes back.
14:28It's just so good.
14:29And it's just so, look, all this stuff has been said probably already and over the years.
14:36But you just, football's king.
14:40Bills are king.
14:41We all know it.
14:42We get it.
14:44I mean, the two leagues, where they sit in the American consciousness, I mean, it's obviously not even close.
14:53But football is just, it's not exactly the opposite, but it's close.
14:59It's like six days of pouring yourself into this matchup, and then it's three hours, and then it's over, and
15:06then you're either on to another game, or you're going home, and your season's over, and your coach is getting
15:11fired.
15:12And it's just so spotty, like the action, the actual thing that you really are waiting for takes up so
15:20little of the actual time spent, you know, thinking about it.
15:24Whereas with hockey, once the playoffs begin, unless you get, you know, you win five and everybody else goes seven,
15:31and you're waiting around for, you know, six or seven days for the second round or the third round to
15:35start, it's just every other day, and the rhythm of it is so great.
15:41It's just, you're just, you get up in the morning, and it's like, it's game day, and like, oh my
15:45God, the angst is already there.
15:48I cannot wait for, what am I going to do until seven o'clock?
15:51I've said for years, I mean, I haven't said it recently, because obviously we haven't had it, but I like
15:56having this job for that, because it gives me something to do.
16:00Like, whereas.
16:01An outlet.
16:02Yeah, I mean, if I, I'd be going out of my mind.
16:04I mean, I know I would have some other job that would be occupying my time.
16:07I recognize that.
16:09So it was like I would have the whole day to kill or anything, but I like, you know, not
16:14being able to just go to the bar at three o'clock, for example.
16:16Like, I like that we're locked in here until almost game time.
16:21Locked up.
16:22Locked up, right.
16:23I really do like that.
16:25But the rhythm of it is just so great.
16:28Like, how was the game last night?
16:30What about tomorrow?
16:31And then, like, then you're there.
16:33Like, there's another game.
16:35Bam!
16:35You barely had enough time to talk about and think about all the things that happened the night before, and
16:41you start thinking about the next one, and then it's there already.
16:43And it's just so great when that schedule is every other night like that.
16:48Well, yes.
16:49And I think it's probably right.
16:53I mean, we're in sort of a honeymoon phase about this.
16:56It was not expected.
16:58And it's just so fun, like I'm saying, as we're talking about playing certain of these opponents and all of
17:05it.
17:05But what will be the question of the day, those days?
17:11Might be who the goalie is.
17:14I don't know.
17:14Do you have a feel for whether the fans are one way or another about Lyon and Lukanen?
17:21My sense is that the fans favor Lyon.
17:25Lukanen has been here and has mostly, I mean, what?
17:31It's a letdown, mostly.
17:32He hasn't gotten it done.
17:35And he's got a contract which is not obscene, but it's a commitment.
17:40It's $4.5 million for three more seasons.
17:44And I feel like that, and Lyon is newer and really hasn't let you down at all yet.
17:50I mean, he's been excellent all year.
17:54He didn't have a seven-goal win, seven-goal against win, like Lukanen did.
18:00And I just think there's some fatigue with Lukanen.
18:03I feel like if it ever is being talked about online, Twitter, whatever, I feel like I'm defending Lukanen.
18:13From fans?
18:14From fans.
18:15Like from, yeah.
18:17So that is, my sense is that Lyon, again, Lyon has never hurt us.
18:24Not that Lukanen has really hurt you, it's just, you know, whatever.
18:27They just haven't been a good team when he's been the guy that was playing most of the games.
18:33So I think they're very comparable.
18:35I think it's a really interesting year for, there's not an easy answer.
18:42And I thought, and maybe some of our audience picked up on it, maybe even you did, like, even early
18:49in the year, I just always thought their default setting would be, okay, let's get Lukanen up and running.
18:57He's the commitment, let's just make that work.
19:00He's younger, he's maybe athletically more gifted, pedigreed second-round pick, finished national team.
19:06Like, he sort of outranks Lyon career-wise just because of his draft status almost, and Lyon's more of a
19:14journeyman.
19:14And I just thought they would try to get him, give him the benefit of, like, the extra start here
19:20or there.
19:21And that just really has not happened.
19:22He was even picked for the Olympics this year.
19:24That's right.
19:24But then got hurt and didn't go.
19:26So, to their credit, I think I want to say that this is to their credit.
19:30They haven't forced that.
19:32At least not externally.
19:34Like, I don't think anyone could tell you that they've been favoring Lukanen in any way.
19:39I can't.
19:40And I thought they would.
19:42And as I say, it's a mistake.
19:43I think they've been honest about it, and it's really worked out for them.
19:47But it's at a point where they're probably going to feel like they should pick one or the other.
19:52The question on Lyon probably, the most common one probably will be the combination of the lack of playoff experience,
20:01which, you know, is also Lukanen.
20:02But he's going to end up at a workload that he's never surpassed.
20:08I mean, he played 44 games in one season for Detroit, which is easily the most of his, what, nine
20:15-year career.
20:16And he'll come somewhat close to that this year.
20:19But then if you tack on playoff games, it's kind of a new workload for him.
20:26That's the word, I guess, I want to use.
20:28And who knows, right?
20:30I mean, when you have so many key players that have never been – I mean, Lyons had one season
20:36where his team was in the – he started three games for Florida in a playoff year.
20:41That's it for his whole career.
20:42And got pulled, and then they went to the finals.
20:45I mean, I'm blaming him, but I'm just saying, like, it didn't go real well.
20:50They lost, and then he got taken out, and they, you know, went on a run.
20:56That would count as a run.
20:57That lasted until this year.
20:59Yeah, right.
21:00So it was three years ago.
21:01David is with us.
21:02Hello.
21:04Hey, guys.
21:04I really appreciate you guys taking my call.
21:06Sure.
21:06Thanks for being there.
21:07Yeah, just calling just to say how excited and how much it's going to mean to me when those Sabres
21:16make the playoffs as a long-time Sabres fan,
21:19moved to Buffalo in 89 and then moved away later in life, but have remained a huge fan.
21:25I have a 13-year-old and a 10-year-old son both play hockey and are avid hockey fans
21:33and are Sabres fans,
21:34but really haven't been able to experience playoff hockey as that true fan.
21:41And if, when the Sabres are able to make it, it's just going to be an amazing experience that I'm
21:48going to be able to have with them,
21:49watching from afar, and just truly excited about this team and what's to come for these guys.
21:55Thank you again for taking my call.
21:56All right.
21:56You're welcome.
21:58Yeah, a lot of people are going to be experiencing that with their families, with their kids.
22:02I mean, two boys, one of them doesn't care about hockey.
22:07The 24-year-old has never experienced it.
22:10So, I mean, I'll have that with not a little kid that's playing hockey anymore,
22:14but still, this year has already been as much fun as I've ever had with him watching the Sabres.
22:22It's not even close.
22:23I'm waiting for my kids to show a little bit more excitement for it.
22:27If they don't, they don't.
22:28Right.
22:28But I'm kind of thinking that their friends are going to be into it.
22:32I mean, my daughter's a hockey player.
22:34My son is a lacrosse player.
22:35He's got lots of hockey player friends.
22:36And I want to think that'll happen, but nobody of high school age has any memory and any personal experience
22:44with it.
22:45So, we'll see what it looks like.
22:48Got to think, though, there'll be a lot of excitement there, too.
22:52Mike Schoep and the Bulldog here at 803-0550.
22:54This is WGR.
Comments