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00:00Joe has the day off. Nate Geary filling in again today and we thank him for making time to do
00:07exactly that and we also thank Joe Yurden for doing exactly that as Joe joins us now on the
00:14West Her Hotline. Noted Hockey at Bleacher Report contributor is what the bio says.
00:20Joe Yurden, good afternoon man. How are you today? I'm doing good. We're almost back in Buffalo after
00:26the five-hour plus drive to Ottawa which kind of a kind of kind of a letdown to not be
00:33coming back
00:33and start scheming about why we still scheme about playoffs but just to be say it's over it's done
00:39the drought is dead ding dong you know. Yeah you know it's funny I've been all over the road on
00:45this
00:46a week ago this subject I was like I'm not really that dialed in on clinch day because
00:51they're gonna get in it's a matter of what seed they're gonna be and I wasn't that worried about
00:56it and I don't know that I've ever been more wrong about how I'd feel let alone how fans felt
01:01because as it got closer I was like yesterday it was just come on we can end the drought now
01:06like
01:06I'm thinking about the bills ending the drought in 17 the way they did and everything like this
01:11will be therapeutic and cathartic and yeah it was it was yeah it was uh it was kind of a
01:15letdown
01:16they they have to work I would think Joe pretty hard to match the desperation of some of these teams
01:23they're playing. Tage Thompson sort of said the quiet part out loud last week right after a loss
01:28like you know we've worked hard to get ourselves in a good spot or something to that effect which
01:32basically says yeah you know we might coast a little which I think is forgivable I don't know
01:38what's your read of where they are in these teams they're playing and they'll see another one tomorrow
01:43that's barely alive but they are still alive so maybe you get Washington's best punch two nights
01:49after getting Ottawa's best punch. Yeah it's uh it I I hope that I think they were prepared for
01:55things to be that way because you know when you've got a schedule like they do and you know how
02:00how
02:00weird things are in the east end of the west because you know they had to kind of deal with
02:03that with Seattle as well where the playoff races for those teams are you know it's life or death
02:09whereas Buffalo it's just kind of like all right we're pretty much in let's just let's just uh get this
02:15we're like we're in but it's just a matter of where we're going to be we'd like to be
02:20winning the division but like yeah we're in let's just let's just not do anything too stupid and
02:25reckless and get hurt but uh but a team like Ottawa who's had so much drama going on around the
02:31last
02:31couple days because you know the Kachuks go on their podcast and the old man says a few things that
02:36you know kind of rankles everybody and they've got injuries out the wazoo on the blue line and you know
02:41they lost another guy in the game last night and you know after you know after the game everybody
02:46was like we had them down to five and they're already without like three of their best guys as
02:51it was we got to take advantage of that we just didn't and you know it's but that was a
02:56matter of
02:57their forwards who are all pretty much healthy said we know our defense is a weakness let's pressure
03:02the garbage out of the Sabres and see how they handle it and they didn't handle it very well yeah
03:06the
03:06DB in weekend like that was I thought would be a big key for the Sabres in that game and
03:10it really
03:11did not come to fruition um I want to take a try at the Kachuk brother and dad podcast thing
03:16um because
03:17I did not know I I knew I saw a reference yesterday to how Ottawa media and maybe I don't
03:24know if you
03:24were you were even up there for the game day skate Joe um that you know the media requested Brady
03:30Kachuk and Olmark and neither was made available and I wasn't exactly sure why that was as big a deal
03:37as it is but it turns out that the Kachuk brothers have a podcast because of course they do and
03:42their
03:43dad Keith Kachuk was on it and they were just talking about how you know load management basically
03:50uh I think I don't know if those words were said but that was what they were talking about and
03:54Keith
03:54Kachuk who played you know 30 years ago starts riffing on like guys can't play back to backs and
04:01you know oh you know the guy I got I got a thing I got I got a hang now
04:05I can't play oh I I can't
04:07play back to back Grant Fuhrer used to Grant Fuhrer played 76 games one year or something and I think
04:12it
04:13was am I doing okay so far it was taken as like Brady Kachuk being present for someone making light
04:22of Lena Solmark's mental health break I think is is how it came off and um I mean I can
04:30say I don't think
04:30it's a a real big leap to make uh not that Brady said anything or nor did really Matthew but
04:36their
04:37dad is sitting there just like calling calling guys soft and you know maybe not the best look
04:43how'd I do did I hit all the all the key points I I think those I think those were
04:48all the appropriate
04:49uh points and and the leaps made and a lot I mean Keith saying that sounds a lot like you
04:56know
04:56yeah yeah your uncle from from Lackawanna kind of lamenting about how why don't guys fight five
05:01times a game anymore you know that kind of thing where it's like yeah they don't play like they
05:05used to and it's like well no they don't because things are different and even if even if Minas
05:10didn't have like a you know have to take a break for for mental for mental health needs he's still
05:16not
05:16going to play 70 games a year he's thought he's not going to nobody is right games a year nobody
05:19does
05:20that like there's only a handful of guys are even approaching like 60 games this year and
05:24they kind of have to in those situations because they don't have a lot of help or they're just that
05:29good and the backups are not that good either so um you know it's it's one of those things where
05:35like
05:35the drama's been so much this year with that team and this goes back to like some of the internet
05:39nonsense that came up a few months ago and also related to Omar yeah right right and you know
05:46and it dials in on the same guys and like you know I think if this team was was firmly
05:50in a
05:51playoff spot maybe this isn't stuff that's talked about because maybe that podcast is a little happier
05:55but um but this is just like a you know kind of an airing of grievances and you know Brady
06:00Brady's
06:01just like sitting there in the middle of a conversation with his brother and his dad and
06:04they're just saying that speaking their piece and saying they're you know saying their thing and
06:08he's just kind of like hey guys I'm right here you know leave me out of this and you know
06:14that's
06:14kind of spiraled into a thing where people are like well Brady wants out but I don't think that's
06:18necessarily the case at all but I mean if it ends up turning out that way I can imagine there's
06:2331
06:23teams I would be very happy to have Brady Kachuk to their team yeah I have been saying for weeks
06:28here
06:28that um this Ottawa team is a team I'd like to keep out of the playoffs if I could and
06:33the Sabres
06:34obviously did not do their part last night because I think I have this right I'm not sure if the
06:39the graphic was shown on the local broadcast here last night or not but as of uh with you know
06:45three
06:46four games ago what I knew about Ottawa was they were leading the league in shots on goal against
06:51at like 24 a game and were also buck naked last in save percentage which is a very bad combination
06:58but it is indicative that they can they can shut you down like they they can dominate play and they
07:04really did that last night Ottawa that's a good team yeah no and they they've got enough guys that
07:10can grind and you know they they can play nasty they can do all these things and think about how
07:14how they played last night that's without Jake Sanderson that's without Thomas Shabbat you know
07:19I mean that's and the kid the kid the Yarmul the the other young defenseman too yes yeah uh yeah
07:26uh
07:26Yakemchuk yeah who they just they just called him up and you know he was playing very well and
07:31yeah you if if you're struggling against a team that you know doesn't have those guys and Jordan
07:37Spence played 30 minutes I think Jordan Spence a pretty good defenseman but like I don't think
07:41you want to play in 30 minutes a night either but like it's you know it that was a game
07:45where
07:46you know it's such a cliche but it's like Ottawa wanted it way more and they had enough motivation
07:51you know they got their tails kicked in by Florida I know they gave up five goals in the first
07:55period
07:55against them you know a couple days before and then all this stuff pops up and it's like well
07:59if they get they get knocked around and lose to Buffalo tonight season's probably over because
08:05this is only going to melt down worse instead it's just like one of those I think it's a bonding
08:09game for them and now they're in a way better spot to be able to to to secure themselves for
08:14for the postseason I mean and nothing's secure right now obviously but they're in a spot yeah I mean
08:18right now they're in a spot and they're feeling better about themselves and like this is the kind of
08:22thing that can kind of bring everybody together and that's it's dangerous you know like if you're
08:26you know if you're a division leader if you're I mean if you're Tampa or you're Buffalo or Montreal
08:31or Carolina you're sitting there looking at Ottawa going like can they just lose a couple more games
08:36that would be really nice Joe yesterday or earlier in the show Bulldog and I were kind of talking about
08:41how you know especially now with the lines maybe getting shuffled up a little bit which I think is
08:47is definitely a much needed sign from the last couple of games but this feels like a more of a
08:53couple game
08:54sample size from this team and and there are probably reasons why we were talking about not
08:58being able to manufacture um you know desperation which I mean you definitely can and the Sabres are
09:04in a good position because they've largely played desperate for a couple of months after being in
09:08last place and that is sort of you can't manufacture that but you know I'm I'm thinking last night and
09:14about their fourth line and about not having Carrick in the lineup and and sort of at times that fourth
09:20line especially when they start slow that that fourth line can kind of drag the dead body of the
09:25other three lines together when things aren't maybe uh going smoothly how much do you suspect
09:31they did miss Carrick last night in the lineup on that fourth line and and how much do you think
09:37they
09:37maybe will miss them him moving forward and this is the thing that I hate most about hockey is just
09:42the
09:42vagueness of these injuries and not really knowing exactly what is wrong with Carrick but I guess it was a
09:47good sign that Lindy didn't completely rule him out for the playoffs but like he has been really since
09:52day one since he's entered the lineup one of their most consistently there's not a lot of guys that
09:58play his game in this lineup he does the job he does very well right and he he understands the
10:04assignment you know he's veteran enough to know what he's good at what he does and how to get it
10:09done
10:09and he knows what he's out there to do and that helps his line mates because they're like okay
10:16Carrick's you know when they call him Ricky you know Ricky's got the lead he's going to win a draw
10:20and then we're going to go we're going to get the puck down the other end of the ice and
10:23if they get
10:23you know if they get it back well they're not going to have it very long because we're going to
10:28smother
10:28them in their own end of the ice and then we'll see what happens it's a little bit different when
10:33it's you know if it's done or if it's Kozak or you know or Pearson's on that line or whatever
10:37however
10:38you want to do it because you know Carrick makes the possession happen because of the face loss but he
10:43also
10:43understands like getting in on that forecheck and getting it on top of everybody makes it miserable
10:48and he's just such a a guy that knows knows the routine and knows what you know and knows how
10:53to
10:53how to do things not to say that Kozak doesn't or Dunn doesn't but like Carrick's got the years and
10:58he's got the experience so like that makes that a little bit better for them but um you know it's
11:05would his presence have helped last night yeah maybe you know I think of the go-ahead goal there
11:11where maybe you know Carrick wins that draw a little cleaner they get possession and they get
11:15out instead you know it ends up out up top Zub takes the shot and Eller gets the tip but
11:20um but I
11:22you know I'm not going to say losing Sam Carrick is is a is is a crucial blow it hurts
11:28because he's so
11:29good on draws and this team is not good on draws but um but I mean it's it's very specialized
11:34use but
11:35you're right the fourth line helps make a lot of things go and I you know listen you know Greenway's
11:39just
11:40getting his feet under him I think he's looked good he's looking a lot quicker he looks you know
11:44he's happy he's healthier ready to go yeah he looks healthy finally for the first time in like a year
11:49and a half two years he's healthy so that's great to see and you know Mountain's line's been great all
11:53season long so I I'm not sweating that line at all right now but you know I the other lines
12:00could
12:00have used some juice last night and it could have you know maybe a little bit more of a shuffle
12:03but
12:03I I totally get Lindy not wanting to like totally mess things around last night because you're like
12:09well you guys you guys got to do this like this is this is what our lineup is it's up
12:13to you guys
12:13to go get it done and then he just didn't last night yeah not that Greenway and Carrick are asked
12:18to
12:19do the same job they're you know playing in the same at the same level of the lineup on the
12:23fourth line
12:24but I feel like Greenway being back buffers the loss of Carrick at least a little that's a it's a
12:30veteran guy it's a penalty killer it's my son and I both view Greenway the same way which is he's
12:36if
12:37if your team is floundering like the Sabres have been and this is not a guy that's going to produce
12:42a lot you're kind of like what why is he here what does he do exactly but when the last
12:47time they were
12:47in any kind of a race a few years ago I would notice him all the time in games like
12:53when when the games
12:54matter your team is good and you've got a guy that plays the role he plays like he's on the
13:00right side of
13:01a lot of battles right just it was a hell of a shift without a stick yesterday he's a sound
13:05he's
13:05a sound player so I think I'll miss Carrick too what's funny about Carrick is how how much of a
13:11void it feels like he leaves and going into the deadline I don't know what this is to really say
13:15but like I wasn't I wasn't like sitting here going oh I need to get a fourth line center and
13:20then they
13:21made the move like oh okay I get it and then he gets on the ice it's like wow this
13:25fits perfectly
13:25I guess they really needed that or could or can use that but I hope that Kozak and you know
13:32your
13:32name here done last night they can get by um but you know Carrick that really did settle in nicely
13:39but what are you going to do um Joe Yurden noted hockey and bleacher report contributor on the
13:44Western hotline with us here on WGR so let me ask you this I asked Paul this on pregame yesterday
13:51because you know we were close to you know the clinch happening and you know we talked to Paul
13:57you know three four times a week sometimes and often don't ask the big questions and so I tried this
14:05on him yesterday I want to try it on you Joe how when when people come up to you and
14:09they you know
14:10what you do for a living um do you answer when they ask you how did the Sabres do this
14:18you know I even amongst other writers we're getting asked that question you know a couple
14:24a couple of the folks in the auto would be you know it we're just like how how did this
14:29happen
14:29like what what did this go and my first joking answer is like I'm still trying to figure that out
14:35um but mostly this is I I view this as like the power of positive thinking and positive experience
14:42for this group because you know the the the main guys here you know Darlene and Thompson and you
14:49know even talk and even some of these younger guys like you know Krebs has been around for years
14:53Quinn all these guys have had so much losing way more losing than winning and even you know the
14:59playoff race a couple years ago that was such a roller coaster year that it was like okay we're doing
15:04great and then uh-oh we just lost six in a row well we're toast and then it's like oh
15:08one five or oh we're
15:09bad you know yeah that gets that can wear you out so quickly and this was the first time where
15:17every everything was like either breaking their way or they were doing the right things
15:22and the right and they were getting the positive results from that and getting that kind of success
15:29and those kinds of things happening makes you believe you know and it part of that is what
15:34Lindy's doing with the systems and the teachings and all that like he's a big part of that because he
15:38helps make that happen because the coach can tell you like how to do everything in the systems and
15:43everything but if you don't win games it's very easy to be like this ain't it and you start you
15:49know
15:49you stop believing stop paying attention you know just say like well what this guy's doing I don't I
15:54don't buy into it oh let me just do what I need to do and we've seen that plenty over
15:58the years you
15:59know with coaches where it's just like the message stops ringing a bell and you're just they're just
16:04like all right well this is this is toast let's forget it you win game I mean it's it's almost
16:09so easy just be like well you win games and duh of course it works but to have this kind
16:13of extended
16:14stretch of success and to have you know to be able to constantly bounce back in games and to do
16:19that
16:19kind of thing it's confidence it's a you know it's the experience of winning it's all these things
16:23coming together is one and then you understand like ah yes this is what it is this is how it
16:29goes and
16:29this is what it takes to do these things and then you just do it and you know it seems
16:34easy and like
16:35you know you could kind of see see and hear the annoyance in Zucker's voice after the game last
16:40night talking about you know what went wrong what they didn't do right and talking about the
16:45desperation of what Ottawa had because they finally got some of their own medicine dealt back at them
16:49a team that's desperate that wants to prove themselves that wants to win and it's just like oh
16:53other teams can do this oh this is kind of tough and uh you know it's one of these things
17:00where you're
17:00just like all right man like you know this kind of stinks to be on the other end of it
17:05but we'll
17:06figure it out and we'll go from there and you know now it's just you kind of got like this
17:10whole thing
17:11where um you know you're you're thinking about how like you know we've got to get the playoffs done we
17:16got to get this taken care of one thing at a time just win one more game and you're good
17:20and then
17:21you can focus on trying to get over Tampa you know take care of Tampa get to first place and
17:25you know maybe have a slightly easier matchup but how this happens is just buying in and believing
17:31and having each other's back honestly like it's weird how these things take place and that
17:36supporting each other and just you know having each other's back I know the big thing was
17:39Darlene saying like you know you drink beers together yeah camaraderie it's a big deal chemistry
17:44is a big deal but like winning winning does it all that's that's that's the most basic thing
17:48I assumed when Bulldog was going to ask about the big important question he was going to ask
17:53about Zach Metz I won't um but uh um the lineup I was talking to I was with Chris Baker
18:00I don't know
18:01like maybe last weekend we were at a bar drinking uh shocker and uh we were talking about like you
18:08know the lineup and over the next couple of weeks they're I think luxury but maybe looking at it from
18:15this perspective it might not be a luxury of being able to toy with some things as you enter the
18:20playoffs and what your game one lineup looks like and I think it's easy right now to look at that
18:25last
18:25pair to say well that's maybe the one that's most in the air but I think the injury to Ostland
18:30we were
18:31talking about this too a little earlier like they feels like they miss him in the lineup without him
18:35right now uh you know with his injury with him healthy and I I don't know I don't know maybe
18:40you want
18:40to presume that Carrick will be ready for a game one but I'm actually thinking less about that last
18:46pair now because it seems like they're settling into to Metz and Stanley as that third pair defensively
18:51but what about Greenway right now and and and are you maybe leaning towards having and again maybe
18:58this is more so who they play in the first round and maybe less about the veteran presence but I
19:03do
19:03wonder if Lindy will prefer to have a Greenway in the lineup even if Noah Ostland you know is healthy
19:10in a game one scenario I I think with the way this breaks down now with you know with Carrick
19:15being injured and I don't think there's a shot at all he's ready for for the start of the playoffs
19:21I I really don't I know Lindy tells us week to week and I'm like you know you look at
19:25what you don't
19:27know what the injury was you can certainly spitball some ideas of of what it was look like a dislocated
19:32elbow to me that's my guess elbow like elbow shoulder or whatever maybe but I who knows but either
19:38way it's gnarly it'll take a little bit for it to come back and if it's a if it's an
19:42elbow I mean
19:42I've had I've dislocated my shoulder a bunch of my life and if it's an elbow the elbow makes me
19:47want
19:47to like gag that's yeah awful three three to six weeks is a timeline an elbow I don't know that
19:52I'm
19:52right I mean I just it looked I I Zapruder filmed the fight because I'm a sicko and there's a
19:59point
20:00where his arm is just looks like it's bent the wrong way you know right at the elbow and I
20:04just
20:05but I don't know for sure either obviously right but like but I I look at like a Carrick absence
20:11and like yeah that's tough and it's not what you want but Greenway's return I think makes it so that
20:18uh if Austin's good to go and he's day-to-day so like we'll we'll see what's up there I
20:23mean
20:23whatever that he took was in the Boston game like is enough to like keep him out of action but
20:27like
20:28it's not serious so like whatever if he's good to go I think he's he's the guy who gets back
20:32in the
20:32lineup and then you kind of play with me to play with your forwards and figure out what you do
20:36from
20:36there I know the draws are really important that I it's it's really important and I think you need
20:43your your top three group group top three four guys to be better at doing that uh you know the
20:49specialized situations have to you know PKP you know PP you gotta you gotta win the puck um but I
20:56think if Austin's good to go for the playoffs and I think you know a lot of the and taking
20:59their time
21:00with him is like hey listen we need you we need you for postseason so let's just make sure you're
21:03good but Greenway makes it easier to to slot him back in to slot Austin back in with ease and
21:10then
21:10you you know figure out who goes where maybe you know maybe Krebs goes yeah he's been so good on
21:17that first line I get it but like he's their utility knife he's their guy that does whatever they need
21:22him to do and he's happy to do it um you know again he's been great with Thompson and Tuck
21:27but like
21:27if he's your fourth line center don't you feel a lot better about that being without Carrick
21:31and then if Austin's back in the lineup and you've got him and what was it him and him and
21:36Benson and
21:37Doan together was the line I think for a little bit or you know maybe you put Benson with Thompson
21:42and Tuck or you know the lines they had set up today I think you can you can kind of
21:46monkey around
21:48with those and get Austin into into a spot there and make it work a little little smoother I think
21:53it's nice to have this kind of flexibility and you know I think with Austin's injury being a
21:57little less serious Carrick's being a fair bit more serious these are easily movable pieces for
22:04the lineup to figure out what you need to do playoff wise and yeah the matchup will depend
22:07very heavily on it because something like an Austin against Tampa like he's he more than held
22:13his own against Tampa uh but like maybe you need to get a little bit more roughnecks with with those
22:18guys because you know you know how they are Montreal is also tough but they're also speedy and quick
22:23yeah so maybe Austin's a better mix there if it's Boston or you know or Ottawa or you know
22:29Philly or like whoever whoever whoever breaks down yeah I think you can figure out a little easier from
22:35there yeah I don't think there's any question in my view there's no question Austin the second he's
22:39cleared to go back in he goes back in and you just have to figure out what you're doing with
22:43whoever
22:43else whether that's Krabs Kozak whatever um yeah Austin I think they I think they've really you
22:49know sneakily missed him for a couple games here without him being there he's he's become one of
22:54their I think most important forwards um Lindy seems to trust him in any situation that and that says a
22:59lot I think right there um all right Joe any parting thought here about Monday like do you think you
23:06know that these things often go one of two ways you either get the hand to hand hand to hand
23:11combat that we
23:12got a couple of weeks ago or everyone's on alert and the you know the league calls both teams to
23:19warn them that they're going to be watching closely and nothing happens um I don't know I kind of feel
23:25like Tampa might still want to try to make the same point they tried to make a couple of weeks
23:29ago
23:30I think there will be I think there's bound to be some of that hangover but I do wonder if
23:34maybe
23:34Bill Daly or Gary Batman decides to take a Monday trip to Buffalo maybe they're curious about
23:39dingus day heard all the everything what that's about and they're like hey we heard this is going
23:44on oh there's a game huh that's funny let's go watch the game um I I think you're going to
23:49get a far
23:50more serious game uh because I mean what happened in that last game I think is just like is one
23:56of
23:56those you know Howie's comment that was insane yeah right aberrations like that is a once in a that is
24:01a once in a lifetime kind of thing now it's not to say you know I know everybody's so eager
24:06for
24:06for a new Red Wings Avalanche rivalry to pop up in the NHL and like it's been like 30 years
24:11you know like we we haven't seen that it'll happen in a long time and I don't think that we're
24:17quite
24:17there yet we need a playoff series or two between them to help make that happen and you know maybe
24:22we get that this year but um this game's a fair bit more serious for both teams because well against
24:29each other a because I think the winner has the driver's seat to winning the division I think that's
24:34that's kind of obvious but also you've got Montreal hot on your heels you got to keep them away
24:39because you don't want to feed home ice in the first round to them whether it's in the number
24:43two spot or them winning the division so both teams want to win that maybe you got some scores
24:49to settle I don't know man you had so much stuff happen in that first game that I what's what
24:53what are the scores what are you like hey hey hey hey for what he did to Darlene I think
24:58is is the
24:59thing but like how do you even do that like Hagel doesn't fight Logan Stanley like that would be
25:04absurd right so I don't know what I don't know how how you approach that and you know we just
25:10saw a
25:10score get settled and the Sabres lost an important piece for you know multiple weeks here in Carrick
25:16going after Lee like he did on Tuesday night anyway yeah and and like if Hagel even plays I mean
25:22right he's he's been out with a thing so Sabrin Sabrin's the guy that you'd send after Stanley
25:26if you're Tampa but Sabrin's banged up and you know I'm pretty sure those injury updates were
25:31made clear knowing that Buffalo's coming on Monday right so you know maybe you know that's a call
25:36off the dogs kind of thing where it's like hey maybe these two guys that you'd probably want to
25:40you'd probably be dealing with the most aren't going to be there so just chill out and get to
25:44the playoffs and maybe we can settle the score then all right Joe thanks for the time safe travels all
25:49the way home here and um you know we'll look forward to bumping in you down the road man
25:54absolutely sounds great guys thanks for having that is Joe Yurden noted hockey bleacher report
25:59contributor on the Sabre Beat was in Ottawa last night uh
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