- 20 minutes ago
Joe DiBiase is joined by Buffalo Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton as the NHL regular season is officially underway! The guys start off by discussing the positive injury updates we got on Mattias Samuelsson, Ukko Pekka Luukkonen, and more! Paul explains how the injured players could change the Sabres plans for the opening night roster. They also analyze the young players the Sabres are going to be relying on throughout the season.
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00:03One day away from hockey being back for the Sabres.
00:08Did get the NHL underway last night.
00:11Paul Hamilton joins now on the Western Hotline.
00:15We'll talk Sabres practice, injury updates,
00:18tomorrow night's lineup a little bit.
00:19Paul, the league getting underway last night
00:22on the day of the Yankees' first playoff game.
00:25How much hockey did you take in,
00:27or were you all in on Yankees-Red Sox?
00:30Yeah, actually none.
00:31I watched Caitlin Clark first, and that game started at 6.30.
00:37So I started DVR in the Yankees,
00:40and I think the Yankees would have started
00:42around the fourth quarter of that basketball game.
00:45I'm glad I did.
00:45That was a good game, a good basketball game.
00:48Then I went over and started the Yankees,
00:50and I was maybe an inning or two behind
00:52as I was trying to catch up.
00:53But those were the two things I watched.
00:55All right.
00:56I did like the staggered schedule yesterday,
00:58that the NHL's finally started doing that a little bit.
01:01Yes.
01:02I mean, I'm sure it wasn't great for Carolina fans,
01:045 o'clock, having to get down to the arena
01:06to see the banner raising.
01:09But for TV, it was great.
01:11Yeah, I'm sure they figured it out.
01:13I don't know if you saw the numbers from that game, Paul,
01:15but nothing happened.
01:17Like, there were no chances on either side.
01:19Carolina, I felt like, never got near Markstrom,
01:22which, I mean, I guess that's how the Panthers
01:24want to play a lot, isn't it?
01:25Like, just drag teams into that type of game.
01:28And that can help happen with Carolina, too.
01:31I mean, they can score goals if they want to,
01:33but they can slow it down also.
01:36So, no, that doesn't surprise me in the least.
01:38And then the other thing that happened last night
01:40was Edmonton.
01:42Edmonton's not happy with the way their season started.
01:45The goalie gave up six goals on 23 shots,
01:48and Babcock's already mad about things.
01:49Like, just not good vibes to start the season there.
01:54So, here, though, yesterday was a good day, I think, right?
01:58Like, other than, what, was Connor Timmons
02:00the worst news we got yesterday?
02:02And I don't even know if we got news.
02:03It was just there's no timeline for his recovery.
02:06Yeah, that's exactly right.
02:07But Samuelson surprised us and was on the ice
02:11before practice, skated on his own.
02:14Lindy Ruff said that it went well.
02:15And since it went well, he is supposed to jump into practice today.
02:23So, I suppose there's a chance we might see him against Columbus.
02:27So, because that's what Ruff said.
02:30He goes, well, I've got to make a decision on him.
02:33Because he said, we are going to have seven defensemen there.
02:37I mean, you have to have an extra in case somebody gets hurt in warm-ups.
02:40So, if Zelweyer and Samuelson can't go,
02:46that means half of your defensive core is out,
02:48which means you've got three Amhersts in your line,
02:50or, you know, three guys who normally aren't.
02:52There wouldn't be Amhersts because one of them would be your number 7D.
02:56So, you would have three guys that you weren't expecting
02:59in your top six defensemen on opening night.
03:03Right.
03:03Like, do we think if we get to tomorrow
03:05and they think that one or both might not go,
03:08they would have to call somebody up at that point then, right?
03:12They would have to call up two if they both don't go.
03:15Yeah.
03:15Yeah.
03:16They would have to bring up.
03:17So, probably Gilbert and Johnson would come up
03:20because that would put Grzlik and Metza into the lineup.
03:24Right.
03:24And you would need, right, yesterday Kozak played with power.
03:28So, you would need the next guy from the Amherst,
03:30either Johnson or Gilbert, to jump in the lineup
03:32and the other one would be your number 7D.
03:34Right.
03:35If they are good to go, Paul, would you expect they'll just go
03:39right back to the pairings that they kind of started training camp with,
03:42like top four?
03:44I guess it'd be tough to know if they're battling through anything,
03:47but it seemed like it was Darlene, Samuelson, and Power, and Zellweger
03:52until they started getting those injuries.
03:54Yeah.
03:54Yeah.
03:54And I would think Grzlik would be the guy over Metza
03:59because he's a left-handed shot.
04:01I think that was one of the reasons they signed him.
04:05So, I think he would play with Crevier on the third pair
04:09because you'd have a lefty-righty.
04:12If Lindy has two righties, then he goes with,
04:15then, you know, that pair, Crevier, Metza, don't play together.
04:20And Darlene would come out and play with one of them.
04:22Power would come out and play with the other one.
04:24Right.
04:24And they would do it that way, which would give, you know,
04:27those guys a lot more ice time.
04:29But, to me, there's an easy fix.
04:32You just, Grzlik's your number six and Metza's your number seven
04:35if that's what you're faced with in the lineup.
04:38The other thing I think they would have to weigh there
04:40is Timmons is, like, their number one or top penalty-kill defenseman.
04:47If he's not number one, he's right there.
04:48Yeah, he and Samuelson are probably the top guys.
04:51And what we know from Metza last year is they didn't really want him to do it.
04:55Maybe that'll change now.
04:57Byram penalty-killed a lot.
04:58Near the end, they gave him some chances.
05:00But, yeah, it took almost the whole season to give him some chances.
05:04Right.
05:04And I don't think Zellweger does it a lot, like Byram did.
05:09So, that decision, like, if Grzlik can penalty-kill for them
05:12and they are not sure that Metza will be able to,
05:15I mean, that could play into the decision, too, I would think.
05:17I would imagine Darlene, Crevier, Power, I would, I don't want to say for sure,
05:24but I would think, because most of the practices really weren't for the penalty-kill,
05:29it was for the power play.
05:30Right.
05:31So, you really couldn't look over at the penalty-kill and say,
05:33well, they're their penalty-killers, because it's not really their penalty-killers,
05:37because some of their penalty-killers are on the power play.
05:40Like Benson, you know, it would be one right off the bat.
05:42But, so, you know, it's, I really didn't get a good idea,
05:47other than I saw Norris in preseason games doing a penalty-killing.
05:52So, it seems like maybe he is going to be part of it.
05:56I did not see Doan do any, which surprised me a little bit.
06:00So, it seems like maybe Norris and Benson up front, Malenstein would be up front.
06:06I would imagine Carrick would be up front.
06:09You could have Krebs doing it.
06:11But, you know, so you, oh, Ostland, I'm sorry, you know, he's somebody that could do it.
06:17So, it'll be interesting to see, you know, once we get to see their penalty-kill,
06:21what it's going to be all about.
06:22And I shouldn't say, while you're talking there, I shouldn't say that Zellweger can't do it.
06:26He did do it a little bit last year, like 60 minutes with Anaheim.
06:29So, he's done it in the past.
06:31The other injury news from yesterday, Lukanen, do you think he's just good to go now, right?
06:37Like, he wasn't really limited yesterday, right?
06:39He said he didn't have to come out of the game.
06:42He said it was a preseason game.
06:44He said he felt something very minor, and he just thought, get out.
06:50There's no point here.
06:51I mean, this seems minor.
06:53Let's not make it major.
06:55Let's make sure it's minor.
06:58So, that's why he said, he goes, it wasn't necessarily I had to come out.
07:03It just seemed like the smart thing to do.
07:06But he's fine.
07:07He went through practice fine.
07:08He said, you know, there are no problems at all.
07:10It basically turned out to be nothing.
07:13But he just wanted to make sure it was nothing.
07:16Yeah.
07:16And with Lion, Lindy said Lion's days away, right?
07:19I mean, I was wondering a couple days ago when we didn't know about Lukanen, like, is Ellis going to
07:24have to play the first however many games of the season?
07:27And if it's Lukanen good to go and Lion's not that far away either, I mean, they might just get
07:33right into what they were planning for goalie-wise to start the year.
07:36I don't, until Lion comes back, I don't foresee them going back and forth with him and Ellis.
07:45Maybe they would.
07:46But I would think, you know, Lukanen would be like your starter.
07:51And then Ellis would come in in whatever situations that might arise, whether it's a back-to-back.
07:58I'm going off the top of my head.
08:00You've got a back-to-back at home on a Monday and then in Montreal on a Tuesday in mid
08:05-month.
08:08So, you know, that, as I said, I'm going by memory here.
08:12Yeah, no, you're right.
08:12That, I think, is the first time that you would need another goaltender.
08:17Monday, October 12th, they play Florida.
08:19And then Tuesday, October 13th, they play in Montreal.
08:22Yeah, that's their first back-to-back.
08:24Otherwise, Lukanen can go.
08:25I'm looking now.
08:26Columbus, Chicago, Minnesota, Dallas, Utah.
08:30There are days in between.
08:32And then the Monday, Tuesday is when you would need another goaltender.
08:35And all those games, except the first one are at home.
08:37So.
08:38Yes.
08:38The new lines also yesterday, right?
08:41Like, which is, is that interesting in that they had lines through most of the preseason that were, I didn't
08:47think they were really changing it up.
08:48And then yesterday, Lindy came out with a different combo.
08:51Yeah, he just, Norris and Krebs.
08:55And he said, he goes, there's only four preseason games.
08:58He goes, there were things I never got to look at.
09:00So I got to look at them in practice.
09:02He goes, this is something I wanted to look at.
09:04So he goes, if we would have had two more preseason games, he goes, you probably would have seen it
09:08in a preseason game.
09:10But he did say, this might be what you see against Columbus.
09:13And that was Norris with Doan and Thompson.
09:17And then Krebs was with McLeod and Hellenus.
09:19McLeod went back over to center.
09:21He hadn't played center the whole training camp.
09:23He had been on the wing because Norris was centering that group.
09:27So, you know, those are the, and again, I'm going to say it again.
09:35Put Krebs, if you're going to move him around, put him with Carrick and Malenstein for right now.
09:39And have Kulik with McLeod and Hellenus.
09:42It just, if Kulik dresses with Carrick and Malenstein, no.
09:47Just send him to Rochester until you have a top nine spot for him.
09:52And put Kozak or, you know, whoever.
09:57Danforth.
09:58Danforth.
09:59Put one of those guys out there.
10:01Kulik, to me, it just, it doesn't make sense to me.
10:04It's not like he's on one of the power plays, which, you know, he could have been.
10:10It just, if that's your move, let him go to Rochester.
10:14Let him get his feet wet.
10:15And when you've got a problem in the top nine, get him back here.
10:19Yeah.
10:20And you've talked about, too, with him that he's looked better at center in the games that he's played in
10:25the NHL.
10:25Yes.
10:26And right now, who's playing center?
10:30Like, I guess he could work into that mix.
10:33But they've already got Norris playing on the wing, kind of, right?
10:37Like, I mean, they'll rotate.
10:38Who takes face-offs?
10:40Yeah.
10:41He was on the wing.
10:42He was at center.
10:43It's interchangeable with the two of them.
10:45Right.
10:46So, like, where Kulik ends up, I feel like you're right.
10:49Like, I would not want to see him play on the fourth line.
10:51I also feel like it's not serving him to sit in the press box and be a healthy scratch.
10:56So, like, yeah, I guess he could end up in Rochester, Paul.
11:01But, like, who else other than Krebs makes sense to go down there to line four?
11:04Because you're not going to want to do that with Helen Euse, right?
11:06Like, you're not going to want to do that with Ocelin.
11:07Yeah.
11:08I mean, Benson could do it, too.
11:10I mean, Krebs, he did last year.
11:11Krebs can do it.
11:14Anybody, really, other than Kulik, Kulik, it's not a match at all.
11:19To me, you're wasting him.
11:21And it's not the end of the world if he started the year in Rochester to get going.
11:26He hasn't played hockey in almost a year other than the preseason game.
11:30So, I don't think it would be like a punishment to say, all right, we're going to start you down
11:37there
11:37and, you know, see the puck going in the net a few times and we'll get you back here in
11:45not too long.
11:45The other two young guys, Paul, that there's a lot of hope about this year, Ocelin and Helen Euse,
11:52how do you feel like their preseasons went leading up to the start of the year?
11:57Ocelin's basically just been playing center.
12:00So, I had wondered, as many did, about where he would slot into the lineup.
12:04And then Helen Euse has mostly, I think, been on the wing.
12:07Yes.
12:08How those two have looked and, I guess, was that surprising to you where those two have ended up positionally?
12:15A little bit.
12:17I wasn't expecting Ocelin to be in the middle, but I get it.
12:19It seems like maybe he's going to take over the McLeod role.
12:24At least I thought that until yesterday when McLeod finally wound up at center as the two-way guy
12:30because McLeod was having trouble with it last year and by the playoffs wasn't even doing it anymore.
12:35So, yeah, a little bit surprised.
12:38But Ocelin, I think, has done very well.
12:41Well, Lindy didn't seem real excited with what he's seen from Helen Euse so far.
12:46He says, you know, there's going to be more.
12:49He goes, he'll be fine.
12:50He goes, there's going to be more from him and we'll get it from him.
12:53But it just seemed like, you know, he wasn't extremely impressed with what he saw in training camp and in
13:01the preseason.
13:01But he did say, you know, well, he'll be fine.
13:05You know, it was kind of like he was okay.
13:08It wasn't like he was good.
13:09He was bad.
13:09He's been okay.
13:11And there's more.
13:12Basically, he's like, there's more to come and we'll see it.
13:16Yeah.
13:17Was there any – they said Connor Sherry down, right, yesterday?
13:20That was the other news.
13:21But that was expected.
13:21Yeah, he has to clear waivers.
13:22So, we'll know this afternoon if he made it or not.
13:26Because Sherry and Danforth played as a fourth pair defense yesterday.
13:30They had three forwards playing D.
13:32Kozak was with power and Sherry was with Danforth because they had four lines.
13:38So, you didn't have to alternate anybody in the lines.
13:41They gave them four sets of D.
13:42So, Sherry and Danforth were defensemen yesterday all day during practice.
13:48Will they skate today or tomorrow?
13:52Today?
13:52Okay.
13:52Yeah, no, they'll practice today.
13:54Then they'll head for their plane.
13:55I'll head for my car and off we all go to Columbus.
13:58All right.
13:59You know, it's –
14:00The drive through Ohio.
14:01Yeah, practice first and then put a short article up or whatever and then get in a car and let's
14:07go.
14:08That's not a – I don't like that drive.
14:10I don't like driving at all.
14:12But I finally – like last year I flew and you got to connect in D.C., D.C.A.,
14:18and that's a mess.
14:19That's weird.
14:20Yeah.
14:20You can get delayed there so easily.
14:22You got to get to the airport an hour early.
14:25You know, even if you don't get delayed in D.C.A., you know, you get hung up on the
14:29runways.
14:30And I finally came to the realization it's – unless the flights go absolutely perfect, I'm probably better off driving
14:39and it's going to be shorter driving.
14:41Yeah.
14:41Well, safe travels and we'll talk again maybe tomorrow on opening day.
14:46Thanks, Paul.
14:46Okay.
14:46Sounds good.
14:47Take care.
14:47Paul Hamilton with us.
14:49They have so many centers.
14:53They have – I mean, Norris playing kind of on the wing yesterday at practice.
15:00Krebs, they really have two lines – well, they have one line.
15:03It's like all centers.
15:05Yeah.
15:06Yeah.
15:06I mean, since the – how long have we been saying they got so many forwards?
15:13I –
15:13Yeah.
15:14They're going to have to do something.
15:17I guess they don't have to.
15:19Injuries will happen and that will solve the issue for them.
15:22But I just – it's not – I don't think it's the best way to do it to have –
15:28like, Kulik and Rochester for a little while is fine.
15:30I don't have a problem with that.
15:32Yeah.
15:32But if you've got him down there for more than, like, ten games, I got a problem with that.
15:39I think you should – you propped those guys up, those young players up, as what was going to replace
15:47the veteran scoring and presence that you lost.
15:51And I don't – I'm not going to like it if one of those three is not on the team.
15:56Yeah.
15:57Can I – can I – can I throw one theory out there, though, about the NHL that no one
16:04ever does, but that's probably because no one ever has a forward group this deep?
16:08Sure.
16:08Do I have to have my fourth line be a checking line?
16:11Why is it also called a checking line?
16:14It's often called a checking line because your fourth line is worse than the other line and they never have
16:19the puck, so they're physical and they're throwing their body around.
16:22Sure.
16:22Can I have a fourth line that's kind of like a third line or a second line that has a
16:29couple of skilled guys on it and they have the puck so they don't have to be defending their own
16:34zone and blocking shots and checking?
16:36Like, that would only happen, though, if they were ever fully healthy at forward.
16:40Yeah.
16:40If they were totally healthy at forward, you could have Kulik at center, you could have Zucker on that line.
16:48I guess Malenstein's probably got to be there, right?
16:51Right.
16:51So I'm going to have one guy like that?
16:53Yeah.
16:54I think it's –
16:55I guess the reason I bring that up is because the 06 Sabres were so deep that there were times
17:04that Pommenville would be on line for just because they had so many guys and this guy's a young guy.
17:08Like, we have nowhere else to put him, but we want him in the lineup.
17:10Roy, sometimes that was true of.
17:13Connelly.
17:13Like, they just – and those guys would play wing.
17:15Roy would play wing with Drury in the Ottawa series.
17:18Yeah.
17:18They had so many guys that let's just put our best 12 forwards on the ice and if that means
17:24we only have one forward that's kind of like a checker, then I guess Paul Gostad's going to play with
17:29Jason Pommenville and J.P.
17:31Dumont, like –
17:31Yeah, you know what doesn't sound horrible to me is like a fourth line of Kulik with Krebs and Malenstein.
17:39Like, that feels – that feels like that could play, like to your point, a style that isn't only about
17:46checking and defense.
17:48It feels to me like Malenstein can make enough plays to be functional.
17:51We know Krebs can do that, and obviously Kulik, I'm talking about why I – he needs to be a
17:57top nine guy.
17:58Yeah.
17:58Like, that could work in that sort of – in that mindset, in that realm of, you know.
18:03Yeah, but basically you're going to want to give him at least one partner on that line that's got some
18:09skill that can work with him offensively.
18:12Exactly.
18:12And Malenstein, you just go to the front of the net and you do the dirty work, right?
18:15And even he is – like, he's flashed stuff, and he's so fast.
18:20It's more the pace.
18:21Like, I want a guy that can play at that pace.
18:24And Malenstein can do that.
18:26Yeah.
18:26So that could work.
18:27But I just – I think it's an interesting situation they find themselves in.
18:33But what they have now, because there's no Zucker, like Carrick being there, now the line, because I have Carrick
18:39and Malenstein,
18:40does feel like a much more – like, it's got to survive, get helmed up – I'm going to get
18:45helmed up in my own end sometimes,
18:46and they're going to be good and responsible and keep them to the outside.
18:49But when you're playing that way, I don't think – now I don't want Kulik to be a part of
18:53it.
18:53Right.
18:54No.
18:55Me neither.
18:55That, to me, is kind of what happened to Krebs.
18:58Krebs got here, and he ended up finding himself in that fourth-line center role with Gergensen and Okposo for,
19:06like, three years.
19:08And I have always kind of felt like that might have neutered his offensive development.
19:14Yeah, he was a high pick.
19:16Yeah.
19:16He was a skilled guy when he came in.
19:18He did a good job developing into, like, a two-way responsible forward.
19:22But when you're a creative offensive player, like Krebs was when he got drafted,
19:28and then for the first three years of your career, you're playing on a line where it's all about doing
19:34the simple things
19:35and staying along the wall and winning battles, and then, like, oh, let me see if you can be skilled
19:39again.
19:39Like, oh, I haven't really been on a line like that in three years.
19:43I think you could lose something doing that.
19:45For sure.
19:45And I don't want Kulik to do that for a long period of time.
19:48I don't think they would either.
19:49I think they love him, and I think they would want to get him on a skilled line at some
19:54point.
19:55Yes.
19:56I would expect the same thing.
19:58I thought it was possible that he started the year as their first-line center.
20:03Me, too.
20:03I thought the same thing.
20:04With Taige on the wing and Benson.
20:06Me, too.
20:06But it's just, I think they're playing around with it, and I think that's good.
20:10I think them having to earn these roles and these spots is a good thing for them.
20:16So, you know, it's a good problem to have, no doubt.
20:20803-0550 is the phone number.
20:21Sabres in action tomorrow, then Saturday, and then the Bills on Sunday.
20:27It's a great week.
20:28Great sports week.
20:31When we come back, got more Josh Allen rushing touchdown stats that are just mind-boggling.
20:43Like it's just him and other legendary running backs.
20:47I'll give that to you when we come back.
20:48Who he joined as one of four guys in NFL history.
20:55And the other three are like all-time greats.
20:57That's next here on WGR.