- 27 minutes ago
Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase are joined by Buffalo Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton to preview the Sabres first game of the regular season against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The guys start off by discussing how the team has to reset their expectations and prepare for teams to chase them, rather than the other way around. Then they discuss the Sabres injury situation as Samuelsson is trying to be back for the season opener tonight, and Zellweger is likely out.
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00:01Happy Sabres season, folks.
00:04Game one of 84 tonight in Columbus.
00:06Jeremy White, Sneaky Jody Biasi, Owen Parker, Joe Cagliol with you here on this Thursday morning.
00:11October 1st, the season begins for the Sabres.
00:14The NHL season's already well underway.
00:16We've had a couple of days of games.
00:18And now Mr. Paul Hamilton joins us to preview the season, to preview tonight in Columbus.
00:23Paul, good morning.
00:24Good morning. How are you?
00:26Happy hockey season, Paul.
00:27Yes, thank you. Same to you guys.
00:29I know you live for it, right?
00:31Really, you love hockey season.
00:33You're always sad when it ends.
00:35And I'd imagine that today, the first Sabres game's got to be one of your favorite days of the year.
00:39Yeah, no, it is.
00:40And the worst one is when I'm there for the interviews at the end of the year and they're melting
00:45the ice.
00:47Well, I don't get to see them melt the ice anymore because they have the fans that come in and
00:51they ride on the ice before.
00:54Still, though, it's a sad day when doing those interviews.
00:57Well, Paul, let me ask you, I think a lot of Sabres fans are taking stock in what the start
01:03of the season feels like this time around.
01:05And you, of course, were at all these games through that very long drought.
01:09And now a season with hope, with expectation, with a full building pretty much from the jump.
01:17How do you feel like this season should hit for people?
01:20How does it hit for you as we get started?
01:23Well, that's the thing for these players.
01:25I mean, once again, just like a lot of last year was new, especially as the season went on and
01:31they were winning games and they were actually breaking Sabre records for the streaks they were going on.
01:37And then, you know, then it's playoffs and that was new for them now.
01:42Now teams are chasing them.
01:45That's brand new for them also.
01:47You know, nobody, nobody's been chasing the Buffalo Sabres in many, many years.
01:51And now they are the Atlantic Division champions.
01:56So, you know, teams look at them and say, all right, that's where we want to be.
02:01And now, you know, so that's new.
02:04They're going to have to figure out, you know, what that's going to be like.
02:06And knowing that, you know, maybe if you had some easy games last year, you're not going to have them
02:12this year because teams are going to be prepared to play you because, you know, they know it's going to
02:17be a tough game.
02:18So, you know, that's going to be different for these guys as they move along.
02:22Paul, I saw, I'm looking last year, they won 24 road games.
02:26Only one team in the league won more road games in the Sabres.
02:29And that's the Colorado Avalanche.
02:31Buffalo, Tampa, Montreal, Carolina all won 24 games on the road.
02:35What did you see last year from them for this formula?
02:39And, you know, I'd imagine Lindy Ruff wants to get right back to it.
02:42If they can be as good as they were on the road last year, that'd be a great start.
02:46Yeah.
02:47And the thing is, since they had home ice advantage, it cost them in the playoffs because they, you know,
02:55against Montreal, they lost three games at home.
02:57And they took it to game seven.
03:00So, again, they were winning big games on the road.
03:03I mean, their backs were against the wall, but they were winning those road games, game six.
03:08You know, it's winter, you go home.
03:10And they go into Montreal, a very difficult place to play, and win a hockey game.
03:18And, you know, so it's just, I don't know if they relax more when they're on the road, you know,
03:26or they're trying to put on a show at home or what it might be.
03:30But it really showed itself in the playoffs where, as Jarmo Kekalain had said, we didn't lose in the playoffs
03:40because we gave up a goal in overtime of game seven.
03:43That's not why we lost.
03:45He goes, we lost because we lost three games at home to the Montreal Canadiens.
03:50He goes, you can't do that.
03:53You got to be able to win at home.
03:56And, you know, if they just win one of the three, they move on to the Eastern Conference Finals, and
04:03they couldn't do it.
04:03Yeah, it's funny, Paul, that was really, it was a playoff thing for them, right?
04:07Because there were only two teams in the league that won more home games in the regular season last year
04:11than the Sabres did.
04:13And I guess I hope that that would hold up because I know tonight's on the road, but then they've
04:18got, what is it, five home games in a row after this?
04:20So, yeah, yeah, and that's, but it's just another example.
04:28Even when the pressure was on, they were able to win on the road and win with their, you know,
04:35facing elimination.
04:37Even Boston, they taught, you know, they went in there and won a game on the road that, you know,
04:43had they not won that game in Boston, they could have been in trouble.
04:48So, you know, it's, it just, you know, it's, it's something that they, they were pretty good at last year
04:56and something that, you know, they have to continue to be, to be, if they want to continue to be
05:02where they are.
05:03Well, Paul, how ready do you think they are for tonight health-wise?
05:06We had wondered about the goalies and the defensemen in the last couple of days.
05:10And yesterday seemed like another positive step for at least Samuelson, right?
05:15It sounded like Zellweger was tracking towards playing, but I know now that that's, that's not going to be the
05:19case.
05:20Yeah.
05:20I asked Lindy Ruff if he is regressed at all.
05:23He goes, no, what happens when you're in concussion protocol, everybody gets a baseline, you know, before the season starts,
05:31you know, for concussion testing.
05:34And to get out of concussion protocol, you have to get to that baseline in your testing.
05:41He's not there yet.
05:42So that's, that's the problem.
05:44He's on the ice, he's skating, but he's not to, you know, he's, he hasn't passed that test yet.
05:51Lindy thought he was going to take the test again today, which would, if he passes, it would make him
05:56ready for Saturday.
05:58Um, so it's not that it doesn't seem like he's feeling bad or anything like that.
06:04He just has to get his baseline testing back up to where it was, uh, when, when, you know, when,
06:10when they had it.
06:10So that's, that's where they're at with him.
06:13Samuelson just said, look at, um, it's a pain tolerance thing.
06:17He said, uh, let's see how he handles the plane ride.
06:20He goes, let me see how I handle this, this practice.
06:22He goes, I haven't had a, a grueling practice in a while.
06:25He said, so he goes, I'm okay right now, standing here, but he says, you don't know how you're going
06:30to wake up or anything like that.
06:31So he goes, let's see where I'm at in the morning.
06:34And, uh, it sounds like if he's still where he was when he was talking to us, he should be
06:41ready to play.
06:42So with the blue line being what it is then, Paul Samuelson, we'll see.
06:47I mean, Crevier is going to be asked to be at least for tonight.
06:50Maybe it's only tonight, a top four guy, but he did a lot of that in Chicago last year.
06:54I did. Yeah, no, that's not going to be a problem for him.
06:57Um, and, uh, you know, you're going to be without for sure two of your six defensemen.
07:04So, uh, that would put Mets into the lineup and that would put a Grizzlik into the lineup.
07:09And there is probably a guy here from Rochester, you know, maybe two, uh, depending on if they're not, if
07:18Samuelson truly is a game time decision.
07:21Although you can get somebody here if he wakes up and isn't ready to go, you can get somebody here
07:26if you have to.
07:27But as Lindy Ruff said, they will be here with 7D.
07:32So somebody is here from Rochester.
07:34Did it seem like yesterday, do we get any more clarity on what's going to happen with Kulik?
07:39If he'll be in the lineup, like on a fourth line or whether he won't be?
07:42That's where he was, you know, uh, you know, and that's where he's been.
07:46And, so, and, you know, Lindy Ruff for the last two practices, he wanted to get a different look at
07:51some things.
07:52And it seems like maybe they're not going to go with what they went through the whole preseason.
07:57They're going to go with what we've seen the last couple of practices, which would be Norris on Thompson's line.
08:05And then Krebs going to where Norris was not playing center.
08:09McLeod would move over to center and Krebs would, uh, would play on the wing.
08:14So, um, that really is the only change that we've seen.
08:19Um, yeah, it looks like maybe, uh, Kulik's going to play with Carrick and Malenstein.
08:26I, you know, I, I, I just don't understand what, what you get out of that.
08:30But, uh, Lindy Ruff has it in his head that he's going to get something out of it.
08:35You don't like it for what reasons specifically, Paul?
08:38Because of like, just not playing with skilled guys basically, you think?
08:42Yeah, exactly.
08:42And, uh, you know, if you're going to have an energy line that plays the way the Carrick and Malenstein
08:48play, I think you've got to go with Kozak or Danforth.
08:53Um, you know, they're going to fit there.
08:54They don't, it just, it's not a fit for Kulik.
08:57It's not, you know, what the type of hockey he's going to play.
09:01Has he improved his defensive play?
09:03Yes, he has.
09:04Um, is he totally there yet?
09:07We'll see.
09:09Um, but is he a good winger?
09:11Eh, he's, he's a much, much better center.
09:15Um, but if he's going to play wing, I, I just, um, you think, you know, you'd be better off
09:21flipping him and Krebs right now.
09:23Paul Hamilton.
09:24Paul, how about in goal tonight?
09:26Lukaden's ready.
09:27As he said, uh, you know, he, he didn't necessarily have to leave that game.
09:32It was just, he just felt something minor and it's like, this is preseason.
09:37There's no point.
09:38And, you know, this feels okay, but let's make sure it's okay type of a thing.
09:43So that's why he left the game.
09:45Um, he was at practice after the retreat full go.
09:49Uh, we talked to him afterwards.
09:51He said, he's feeling fine.
09:52He's totally normal.
09:53Um, it was just, you know, you, you don't want to chance something in preseason.
09:58So that's why he left that game.
10:00Paul, how do you feel about their power play going into this year?
10:02We spent so much time last year on it.
10:04They had, you know, really rough stretches.
10:07Uh, they finished well, right?
10:09Like they had a couple of goals that were important against Montreal on it.
10:12Um, and there was this story the other day about the Lindy and them talking about like
10:16the analytics report that they did.
10:18It, it felt like in the preseason, they were doing what they did in the playoffs, which was
10:23not just let's force the puck to Tage and take one timers.
10:27They were trying to get the puck like down on the goal line and do stuff from there.
10:31Yeah, definitely.
10:31And, uh, that was the game that was when Seth Appert was there because Lindy Ruff was at,
10:37uh, Brent Peterson's, uh, uh, memorial service and Appert talked in depth.
10:43And when I asked him about the power play, I said, look at, you know, what, what kind of
10:47things are you doing this year to make it better?
10:49Uh, and he went into that deep dive and everything with the analytics.
10:53You'll hear, uh, Rasmus Dahlin talk about the deep dive too, uh, in the pregame show today.
10:59Uh, he really likes the numbers and the things that, that they came up with.
11:04So if you believe in analytics, you know, the Sabres have a lot of information that they
11:10went and got with their analytics department and their coaching staff and going over power
11:15plays that work and also going over power plays that don't work.
11:19Why don't they work?
11:21What are people doing that they don't work?
11:22And the ones that do, well, what are people doing that make them work?
11:26And that's one of the reasons Benson and Doan are on that number one unit because they found
11:31out, you know, a lot of times that the puck is coming low to high and the Sabres weren't
11:37doing a lot of that.
11:38So, uh, you know, that's one of the differences that you'll see.
11:42That's what I wanted to get to, Paul.
11:43Like there's, I guess if you're studying all these successful power plays, there are a
11:47couple of different things to look at.
11:48There's, you know, where does the puck go?
11:51What are the most likely setups and scenarios?
11:54And then it becomes which of our players can deliver those.
11:57Exactly.
11:58And I still think you, you brought Norris here.
12:02Do you know, I think I would have him in for Quinn.
12:05Um, I think Norris should be on your number one power play, but, uh, you know, I understand
12:11why Doan and Benson are there.
12:13And then a couple of times you saw in preseason, you know, Benson goes low to high.
12:19What does he have?
12:20It's not Thompson over in the circle.
12:22It's Thompson coming down the slot.
12:24And he gave Thompson, I know, two very good opportunities coming down the slot.
12:29It seems like he's almost like a Rover, you know, uh, now they may have, you know, different
12:35routes in the offensive zone.
12:37They want him to take, and he probably will wind up in the circle now and then, but it's
12:44almost seems like they're going to make the other team find him.
12:47The other thing that those two do, obviously is like, you're going to win more puck battles,
12:51right?
12:52Like you'll, you'll keep the puck in more often.
12:54I feel like if Doan and Benson are out there.
12:56So I like that.
12:57That was a key last year.
12:58They didn't, and I didn't understand it.
13:01And I remember saying this to you guys last year, they, they're great at competing and
13:06winning battles five on five and on the penalty kill.
13:09And for whatever reason on the power play, they, they didn't go to battle that two guys,
13:15there'd be two sabers in one opponent.
13:17The opponent would win the battle and throw the puck down ice.
13:19And I never understood that.
13:21Now you've got two guys in Benson and Doan.
13:24You don't have to worry about them.
13:25If they're going to wind up, you know, getting into the fight and, and winning some battles
13:29along the wall or winning some battles, you know, along in front of the net and those
13:33types of things.
13:35Paul Hamilton.
13:36Last thing, Paul, for me, like face-offs also were a problem last year.
13:40I mean, the center group is largely the same.
13:43I guess the difference would be that if you're getting a full season out of Sam Carrick,
13:46you're probably hoping that the numbers will be a little bit better there.
13:49And Norris, you hoping his number, I mean, when he came here, he's supposed to be a good
13:53centerman and he wasn't.
13:54I think that was a career low for him last year.
13:56Right.
13:56Yeah.
13:57And that also makes me wonder, did he play most of the season hurt, you know, where he
14:02couldn't win face-offs at the rate that he's won them when he was in Ottawa.
14:07So there's another guy who's supposed to be very, very good at face-offs.
14:11And so there's two, you know, and if he gets back to what he was earlier in his career,
14:17other than last year, you'll have two guys out there that can win face-offs.
14:22Paul Hamilton ahead of tonight's game in Columbus.
14:25Paul, we'll talk tomorrow.
14:26Sounds good.
14:27Take care.
14:27Thanks, Paul.