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00:01and looking out the window and knowing how nice it is outside,
00:03I'm really wishing I had, because it's got to be a scene over there today, man.
00:08I can go without the wind, though. I can go without the wind.
00:11This is awesome. Well, anyway, it wasn't so awesome last night.
00:15Brian, I mean, just disappointing. I don't want to say necessarily deflating.
00:19I mean, they've got a lot of runway here, so it's not like I'm shook or anything.
00:24But it was kind of a bummer to see them not be able to come through there
00:28against a pretty, I think, a very good Ottawa team
00:30and certainly a very desperate Ottawa team.
00:33Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think because of the fact that they haven't made the playoffs in so long,
00:38the fact that it was within their grasp, in their control last night,
00:42I mean, I think everybody just wanted to get the stamp on the situation here
00:47and like, okay, we've got this here.
00:49I know obviously, you know, the percentages would say that they still have it.
00:53They're still fine. They can still do it tomorrow night.
00:56It, you know, should be maybe just as exciting.
00:58But for one night, you felt like, oh, man, you could finally end this drought here.
01:02Had they been a playoff participant regularly over the course of the last 14 years,
01:06I think maybe, you know, the disappointment level wouldn't have been as high.
01:08But understandably so.
01:10I mean, they still didn't play that great through 40 minutes,
01:14and they still had a tie game.
01:15And I think we've seen that at least more so recently than earlier in this historical run that they've had
01:21here,
01:22where they've played just what you'd say is okay, nothing erroneous, nothing to really get upset about.
01:27But also, you know, it's not their A game.
01:29And all of a sudden, you just go to the third.
01:31And this is what I was talking with Paul during the intermission last night.
01:34I'm like, here we are again, where they've played fine.
01:36Their goalie has been really good to the point that they're giving them,
01:39he's giving their team a chance to win.
01:41And that's what they had last night in the third.
01:43But Ottawa definitely, I thought, was the more desperate team in the third.
01:47Lindy Ruff said they lost a ton of battles in that period that he would have liked to have come
01:50away with the puck where they didn't.
01:52And even though Lucanen gave them another great opportunity in the third,
01:56stopping a breakaway, stopping a couple odd man rushes, ultimately they couldn't score.
02:01And, you know, that's why we're talking about the delay here of the eventual clinch spot that's hopefully upcoming for
02:06them.
02:06Right.
02:07And it looks like Lyon, at least according to practice, today in Washington, because the Sabres traveled to Washington,
02:15Paul will be making his way to Washington, I presume, to be with you tomorrow evening on pre and then
02:20during the game and post.
02:22But the lines have shuffled, but Lyon had his own net, which isn't, I mean, I don't think that means
02:27the rotation is back.
02:28I think Lucanen just played three in a row.
02:31And I think it's time for Lyon to play is kind of how I would view that.
02:35Yeah, and I think it sets up well, too, because if there's any game left on the schedule here that
02:42Buffalo has left,
02:43that you would say has the most impact on where they're going to finish in the Atlantic.
02:48And, you know, I think everybody's still goal is to win the Atlantic.
02:51It's Monday's game against Tampa.
02:53And this also lines up for you to go back to a rested Lucanen on Monday.
02:58So I like this rotation.
02:59And after Lucanen had played so well earlier in the week, I thought, hey, you know what?
03:04If they want to play Lucanen Thursday again, they can ride them.
03:07And then that sets up Lucanen, I'm sorry, Lyon to come back in Saturday.
03:10You don't want to have him sit too long and then, you know, bring back Lucanen on Monday against Tampa
03:16in that game.
03:17So I think the rotation or whatever, whatever Lindy is calling it at this moment, I think it's fine.
03:23Yeah, I think it's fine.
03:24And it sets up to have the goalie that is playing better at this moment on Monday for the game
03:30that has the most impact on the standings.
03:32And not for nothing, too, Brian, like, you know, yesterday, I thought Lucanen had a terrific game yesterday.
03:38I mean, just big saves and big moments that break away, I thought, kept them in that game in the
03:42third.
03:43Like he he has been playing great.
03:45And I know the score ended up being four to one yesterday, but I thought he he'd been great all
03:50game yesterday.
03:51Yeah, for sure.
03:52I mean, one thing that we've seen during this great stretch is that it seems like there's always that early
03:57big save that for years the Sabres never got.
04:01And another and Lyon and Lucanen were doing it all throughout the stretch.
04:04But, you know, yesterday, I, you know, Metza got hit in the face and he kind of reached up and
04:11grabbed it.
04:11This was, I mean, maybe two minutes in and it led to a two on one.
04:15And Lucanen came up with a big save there that obviously kept this game scoreless at that point.
04:21And then in the third, Stanley misplayed the puck right around the red line and it led to a breakaway
04:26by Giroux and he makes the save there.
04:27I mean, those are two key moments in the game where I thought, OK, if Ottawa was going to get
04:31the crowd going, get their excitement about them being this such an important game for them in the standings, they
04:36didn't get that early goal.
04:38And then when it's 2-1 and you can't give one up, that's when Lucanen comes up with that big
04:43save on Giroux.
04:44So, yeah, I would agree with you, Nate.
04:45I thought he played great and I thought Allmark played great, too.
04:49I thought Allmark was excellent.
04:50So both goalies, to me, were worthy of the win yesterday.
04:54Yeah, it's a weird game in that I think Ottawa deserved a 4-1 win the way they played.
04:58But it also, like, it's two empty netters, you know, it sort of makes the score look, you know, more
05:03crooked than the game really, you know, was.
05:05It really just doesn't shine a light on how well Lucanen played if you just look at the score.
05:09But it's two empty netters, so, you know, you only give up the two.
05:12Brian Koziel on the West Air Hotline with us, pouring over last night's Sabres loss in Ottawa.
05:17We'll look ahead to Washington.
05:19Brian already mentioned the big showdown with Tampa coming on Monday.
05:23You know, Brian, speaking of Lucanen and the goalies and the way Lindy's handled them with the taking turns with
05:30Lyon and Lucanen whenever both guys had been healthy, it was easy to kind of overlook.
05:35I was really grateful that Paul did the work to get Lucanen's numbers just since the winning streak back in
05:42early December.
05:43Because we've been waiting, I think, since Lucanen had that great second half of the season, was it three seasons
05:50ago now?
05:50I can't remember, it was the year before he got the contract, where, you know, he's just like, boy, if
05:56we get that guy, you know, and he got paid off that half season, he pretty much has done that
06:02again.
06:02But it was easy to miss because he was taking turns with Lyon.
06:05But to be leading the league in save percentage since December is, I mean, that is not a small sample.
06:12No, it is not. And I think you're right, because we were even focused on Lyon and his, what he
06:19had, 11 straight road victories.
06:21He was going for the road record and, you know, he had all these other things in there.
06:25And their goals against average was basically identical and their save percentages were tight, although Lucanen was just a hair
06:30ahead of him here at the end when Paul did those numbers.
06:33So, yeah, I think probably if, you know, if the playoffs were to start this weekend, I think you'd probably
06:40say, OK, Lucanen is your guy.
06:42And I don't know if I would argue strong that you have to do this rotation that maybe two weeks
06:46ago we would have sat here and had a really strong debate of who would play game one.
06:50And then would you flip for game two and vice versa? And I'm not saying that that can't go back.
06:54I mean, there's still obviously two weeks of hockey left here that if if Lyon comes back and looks lights
07:00out, let's say he plays two or three more times and he looks amazing.
07:03Well, then I think you could maybe still open up that discussion.
07:06But I'm also totally fine with thinking that Lucanen is so locked in right now, even in losses like last
07:12night, that if Lindy decided, hey, he's going to be our guy until something goes haywire in the playoffs, that
07:17I feel like I'm totally fine with that.
07:20The lines have been jumbled a little bit at practice today.
07:23We'll see. I think if if we were going to be talking to Paul, he he would warn us that
07:28Lindy has sometimes it doesn't happen often done stuff with the lines in practice.
07:34And then the next day, the game and it's back to whatever they were the previous game.
07:38But I'm trusting I watched Lindy talk to the media this this morning or this afternoon after this practice.
07:44And it sounds like he wants to go into a game moving some things around.
07:49So for folks who haven't heard yet, and I want to get Brian's thoughts on, you know, just how significant,
07:55you know, all of this is, they've moved some some key guys around.
07:59Thompson is now centering Krebs and Doan.
08:01So basically, Doan and talk have swapped roles because talk is now with Norris and Zucker.
08:07So Zucker has moved off of that McLeod line and now Benson is with McLeod and Quinn and then Kozak
08:14is in the spot that Dunn had last night that had been Carrick until he got hurt.
08:20So how about the top line for starters, Doan taking Tuck's place.
08:24What do you think?
08:25I think it's fine.
08:26I think you've got now two players on either side of Thompson that maybe can create a little bit more
08:31space for Thompson and end up getting some better looks.
08:35I'm not saying that Tuck doesn't, but I think Tuck's of the mindset of I'm trying to score here.
08:40And I think as he should, but maybe Doan and Krebs can give a little bit more physicality or around
08:46the net where maybe Thompson can free himself up.
08:48One thing that I when I look at that right away is I think about what Jason Zucker said last
08:53night.
08:53He said that we are not as consistent as we were weeks ago about being around that net and shooting
08:59more often.
09:00I think that was definitely a spot last night where they didn't.
09:04And Josh Norris, to me, is as guilty as anybody of maybe not shooting in opportunities that he should.
09:10Him playing with Zucker and Tuck, maybe he'll feel like he's got a little bit more of a green light
09:14to go ahead and get things going.
09:15I think Thompson, though, overall, I mean, we know when he scores, the Sabres tend to win almost every time.
09:20So however Lindy feels like it can work to make him play at his best, then I'm all for it,
09:26no matter what it maybe does to some of the other lines.
09:28Because I think some of these guys here are interchangeable and they're able to handle it.
09:32I know Auslin's, you know, that when he was there with with Norris, that line worked very well.
09:38And obviously, since I think Norris really misses him.
09:41Yeah, I think that that trio really did a nice job.
09:45And now Lindy's maybe trying to figure out how to create some magic back.
09:49I wonder, ultimately, you know, when Auslin comes back, I would assume that probably, as if you look at today's
09:55lines, that Kozak would be the guy that comes out for him.
09:58Carrick, if he's available come playoff time, then maybe you have to have the Greenway discussion of how valuable do
10:04you feel like his penalty killing is.
10:06But, you know, I think Carrick would be in over him at that point, to be honest.
10:11I feel like he brings more to both sides than maybe Greenway would.
10:13But, yeah, the lines look a little bit different.
10:15I think you're right.
10:16Lindy ultimately could hate the first period and then change them all up again and go back to something else.
10:21Because that's what he does more often than other coaches.
10:23So, but, yeah, I mean, why not?
10:25Give it a fresh look and see if something works.
10:28I think if you have guys now on each line, it's spread out a little bit more.
10:33Like, Doan can kind of be that net presence on the first line, Zucker on the second, Benson on the
10:38third.
10:39Just getting guys to maybe have that more net presence mentality.
10:42I think they've lost it over the last, I wouldn't say, three or four games to not be as high
10:47as it had been where it felt like it was just automatic all the time there for about two months
10:51straight.
10:51Right.
10:52Maybe the most notable thing here is that for the first time in a long time, Lindy did mess with
10:57the McLeod line.
10:58By moving Zucker.
10:59Because whatever they were always tinkering, that line had been Zucker, McLeod, Quinn, and that had been very static for,
11:07I feel like, months.
11:09And I think McLeod maybe is someone who needs a little bit of a jolt.
11:14I've not really liked his game for maybe quite a few weeks, I think I want to say.
11:20His offense has been down, and I feel like he's also hasn't been as good defensively, too.
11:26I mean, I feel like it was that Boston overtime game that he and Tuck were kind of tough on
11:31the ice there at the end there.
11:33And his, he is not doing as, you know, to take the phrase from the players, the shot mentality is
11:38not there with him either.
11:39So, I mean, he should be a guy that with his speed, I mean, he's a guy that can beat
11:43a guy one-on-one at any point in getting to the net and create a scoring chance just alone
11:47with his speed.
11:47I feel like that's been missing lately.
11:49The other guy, too, Brian, who, listen, I mean, really since he's gotten here, the spurts of offense, and when
11:56they're there, it's a thing of beauty.
11:58But when they're not, it's, I don't look at Bo Byram as a guy that, like, if he's not producing
12:03offensively, then what are you doing for me in the lineup?
12:05I think he's been very good defensively in that second pair.
12:08But I do, there is something about his game when he's playing with confidence offensively, the speed, the, you know,
12:16and the chance creation that he's able to make from the point.
12:19He's a great skater.
12:20He is such a good skater.
12:21And, like, last night he has that shot right at the end of the first period, or maybe it was
12:23the second period, where, I mean, I mean, Allmark makes a great play coming way out of the net to
12:28make that save.
12:29But, like, I've been talking a lot, I think a lot of people have been talking about Josh Norris as
12:33a guy that they need more from offensively.
12:35I want to maybe say that Bo Byram's right there with him.
12:39I think that's fair.
12:40Yeah, and his opportunity at the end of the second that you mentioned, like, that was a good one.
12:43And I guess I would credit more Allmark on that play than anything on Byram himself.
12:49But, yeah, I think, I mean, you could even say him and Power that there's inconsistencies all the time with
12:55their offense.
12:56When they make a play, it's usually an impressive one.
12:59Yeah.
13:00And you want to just, I think everybody just wants to see a little bit more out of both of
13:03them.
13:03And I don't know if them together, they feel like maybe they have to cover for each other a little
13:08bit more than if they were playing with someone like, you know, Samuelson and where they have more of a
13:12green light.
13:13But I almost, you know, you want to tell them both, hey, you can both go because the forwards have
13:18done such a better job this year of covering for each other that if you feel like you've got the
13:23opportunity to be aggressive and get involved offensively, they both have the ability to produce on the offensive side.
13:28So I don't know if that particular pairing maybe has stymied the thought of getting involved more.
13:32But when they do, it's usually a thing of beauty from both he and Power when they've been together.
13:37Yeah, there have been shifts.
13:38There was one, I think, in the Seattle game.
13:41I can't remember which game it was now.
13:43Pretty recently where I was just begging for them to score because Power and Byram both did such a great
13:51job on the high cycle.
13:53And Power at one point was really walking the blue line, very close to coming out of the zone but
13:58kept it in.
13:59They must have had, like, almost a minute and a half, it felt like, in the zone, just they had
14:04the opponent in a blender.
14:06But it was one of these, speaking of production, one of these shifts where you're like, man, what a great
14:11shift.
14:12All I got was some zone time out of it.
14:14You know, I didn't get a goal.
14:17So that was, you know, obviously disappointing.
14:18Third pair, Metza, do you think we're settled?
14:23He killed, I think he killed two minutes' worth of penalties last night.
14:26Made a great play late in a penalty kill to squash a play up near the blue line and then
14:34went out on an odd man rush with whoever else was out there killing that penalty.
14:38And I'm like, boy, if they're waiting for a moment where they can point to and say, I can trust
14:43Metza killing penalties, I hope that that was it.
14:46But where are you at on the, you know, days of our lives, Zach Metza?
14:53I can't argue against him not being on the ice all the time.
14:56He's just, there's, he's seemingly is always making the smart play.
15:01He's in the right spot.
15:02And the numbers would back that up.
15:04And I know that they put Timmons back in when he was healthy to maybe bolster the penalty kill.
15:09It was great his first night out.
15:11And Lindy even said, hey, it looked like he hasn't even missed any time at all.
15:13The second game, not so much.
15:15And then Metza's gotten his opportunity and he's thrived in that situation.
15:19So if you're asking me, if I'm not allowed to kick Stanley out, I would say I'm taking Metza over
15:25Timmons.
15:26Now, if you want to have the Stanley versus Timmons versus Kesselring conversation, those three for one, I feel like
15:32I could make an argument for all of them, either for or against, which maybe is what happens when you're
15:37talking about six, seven, eight in your rotation.
15:40But for me, Metza's a clear five.
15:41I want him in on game one for the postseason.
15:45And then the other three, I think with Shen a clear eight, I don't think he's in the discussion for
15:50regular playing time.
15:51I think between Stanley, Kesselring and Timmons, if Lindy feels like Kesselring is healthy enough, I'd like to see him
15:58get a shot here for a game or two in the regular season just to see what do we have.
16:02Now, I know that he's not 100 percent healthy, and maybe that's what's making the decision ultimately here, because the
16:08other guys in this back end have all gotten an opportunity to play a couple of times here to see
16:13like, OK, what works well with Stanley?
16:15What works well on the penalty kill? But we haven't gotten it from Kesselring.
16:19So maybe it's more just his health is just not where it needs to be.
16:23And maybe Lindy knows that and just has decided like, look, even, you know, even though maybe there is some
16:28offensive upside to Kesselring's game, I just he might just not be 100 percent enough that it's worth taking that
16:34risk.
16:34Yeah, Paul has said many times to me, like, if he if he's not going to be right physically, they
16:38should just shut it down and like, you know, not say the book is closed, maybe next year.
16:44But yeah, I don't know. I wonder also, I mean, it's hard to know with the injuries as frequent as
16:49they were, it seemed like every time he got close to looking like the player that was advertised of something
16:56else would happen, a reoccurrence or something new.
16:59And he just never really got to settle in. I wonder if the system really works for him to Kesselring,
17:05because it is pretty curious that he has not gotten another look here yet.
17:10And it's it's either you're right, that could be a layer of it or or go back to the health
17:14and just say he knows he's not healthy enough to play.
17:17But if he if he is healthy enough to play, I'd be one to I'm not saying throw him out
17:22there against Tampa.
17:23But yeah, but see, yeah, right. And we're running out of games. But let's you know, maybe if if they
17:28are locked, even if they are maybe with two games left, if there's if they're locked into a spot where
17:33maybe they can't catch Tampa or maybe they've you know, maybe they've played so well.
17:36They've gone four and oh, and they've got it locked up. I mean, I'd like to at least see him
17:40if he's physically able to join them on the ice to play a game or two just to see like,
17:46hey, if we come to the playoffs, what options do we have with Kesselring there?
17:50Yeah, I do think the way you worded this was interesting. Like, if I if I if I can't take
17:55Stanley out and it does kind of feels like he's in right.
18:01I think they got him for a specific thing in with a specific thing in mind, and that is the
18:07playoffs and wanting a bigger body for the net front and behind the net and the corners and all that
18:12stuff.
18:12I mean, we all know what the limitations are. I mean, a man that's he doesn't move great.
18:17And you saw that. I mean, anyone can get caught flat footed, but boy, when he is flat footed, it
18:23is just like you're dead, right?
18:25I mean, that breakaway play was like, oh, no, you kind of see it coming. But I I would be
18:31surprised if they took him out.
18:33I think that's you're right, that they probably are thinking we want his presence, his physicality.
18:39If there has to be extracurricular activities, we know he can be the first guy in if necessary.
18:44It feels like because there has been some errors here and there throughout his short time here with the Sabres,
18:51and it hasn't cost him ice time or even coming out of the lineup that to me, that signals they
18:56want him in.
18:57So that's why I kind of feel like that's the way I preface it to you.
19:02I'm like, well, if I can't take Stanley out, then here's here's the argument for the others, which is probably
19:06why the Stanley Mets a pairing is what I would envision.
19:11Again, if game one is tonight, I think that's probably what I would go with.
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