Locked On Sabres - Daily Podcast On The Buffalo Sabres

As the Sabres approach the playoffs, one player that has started to perform poorly is center Ryan McLeod. In the last couple of weeks, McLeod's offense has gone dry, with lots of turnovers and mistakes on the penalty kill to go with it. How concerned should we be with McLeod's play? A look back on his playoff experience with the Edmonton Oilers shows some weaknesses to his game, but also reason not to panic. Plus, the Sabres match up with an angry Islanders team who were just destroyed by the Penguins. Ilya Sorokin getting pulled against Pittsburgh could be bad news for the Sabres. Zach Metsa going back into the lineup is great news for his fans. And Jordan Greenway makes his long awaited return to the lineup.

Indeed

Robinhood

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The Buffalo Sabres salvaged their weekend with a comeback win over the Seattle Kraken, in part due to a very strong effort by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. That performance, combined with a couple poor Alex Lyon games, has Lindy Ruff looking to switch up the goalie rotation with UPL likely playing the Sabres' next game against the Islanders. If Lyon starts stacking bad game after bad game, he could be in danger of falling out of the rotation for the playoffs.

Goaltending has come back down to Earth in the last couple weeks, but what about the rest of the Sabres game? There are some causes for concern, as the Sabres are taking more penalties and not killing penalties as successfully, but in large part they're playing fine. There's no need for panic, as in the last six games where the Sabres have lost three games, they're still outplaying teams at even strength.

Plus, why the Sabres should play overtimes to go to the shootout. And an interesting NHL rule idea that could prevent teams from doing that in the future.

Indeed

Robinhood

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In what world is Jon Cooper more deserving of the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year over Lindy Ruff? The Buffalo Sabres are still above the Tampa Bay Lightning for first in the Atlantic Division, the Sabres have more man games lost this year to injury than Tampa, and don't have the likely MVP and best goalie in the world like Tampa. Soooo, why is Cooper getting attention over Lindy? There's a real chance voters turn the Jack Adams into a lifetime achievement award instead of coach of the year. Also, comparing Lindy's case to Dan Must of the Penguins, Rick Bowness of the Blue Jackets, and Travis Green of the Senators. Plus, what went wrong in the Sabres overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, and what went right (particularly with Zach Benson). 

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Indeed

Robinhood

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The Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins face-off in what could be a playoff preview, as the two teams would meet in the first round if the season ended today. Nothing about the Bruins should be looked at as a significant advantage over the Sabres, from goal scoring, to defense, to even goaltending, despite Jeremy Swayman's stellar season. Swayman's numbers are comparable to Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as a tandem. The Bruins biggest problem appears to be defense. They cannot stop other teams from getting any chance they want. Boston has the highest expected goals against in the NHL this season in all situations.

Could Swayman steal a series against the Sabres? It seems to be the only way Boston could win in the first round. Will the Sabres end up playing Boston? A look at the current odds on who they'll play features Montreal and Ottawa as having a higher chance. The Senators have rocketed their way into a playoff spot and have no signs of slowing down.

Plus, a preview of Wednesday's matchup between the Sabres and Bruins, which features a return of Conor Timmins to the lineup for the first time since December.

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With the Buffalo Sabres racing towards the playoffs and potentially an Atlantic Division crown, the Alex Tuch contract situation has taken a back seat. However, there are reports that the two sides are still communicating and that there was a "budge" on the Sabres end after Jarmo Kekäläinen took over as GM. Two signs that the chances of a contract extension at some point are strong. How much impact has this run made on whether Tuch stays? It can only increase the chance of a deal getting done and ideally on a bit of a discount. With more reports that the salary cap is going up to as much as $130 million in the next five years, the environment to give Tuch a deal north of $10 million per year on a long-term deal is set up for the Sabres. A deal of that level would be roughly the same as Josh Norris' current deal by percentage of the cap.

Plus, who else the Sabres will have to make decisions on after the season includes Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs, and Michael Kesselring who are all restricted free agents. They'll also have to make a call on unrestricted free agents Beck Malenstyn and Logan Stanley. Who are the right guys to prioritize?

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Robinhood

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The Buffalo Sabres finished their West Coast road trip with seven of eight points, following a victory in LA over the Kings, and a comeback OT loss to the Anaheim Ducks, which keeps them four points up on the Lightning with just a few weeks to go in the season. The win over the Kings was super impressive, but what about the OT loss to the Ducks? It's as good as you should feel about a loss. The Sabres were playing the second of a back to back, were down by two in the third period, and the Lightning also lost in OT. It should never feel better to get a point with that added context. HOWEVER, the Sabres did blow a lead in the final two minutes following an Alex Tuch tripping penalty, and a big mistake by Ryan McLeod on the ensuing penalty kill.

Plus, Zach Benson has refound his form in the last couple of games, playing on the fourth line with Sam Carrick and Beck Malenstyn. Is that to be his permanent home the rest of the way? And the bottom of the East playoff race is expanding to a bunch of teams. It's now realistic for the Sabres to play any of eight teams, with the Bruins increasing in likelihood.

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The Buffalo Sabres are playing like the best team in the NHL when on the road, winning 19 of their last 22 away from KeyBank Center, gathering points in 11 of their last 12, and Alex Lyon has his own road win streak going with 10 (one off the NHL record). It's the second game in a row where the home team couldn't score a single goal on the Sabres, as Lyon shuts out the San Jose Sharks, in a game he was tested early. Lyon gave the Sabres enough time to find their groove, and once they got going, it's was over for the Sharks. Noah Östlund, Rasmus Dahlin, and Sam Carrick all scored within two minutes of each other in the 2nd period. Plus, we're starting to find out details for playoff tickets. Joe is not worried about the potential of Canadiens fans filling up the building. And Michael Kesselring has some strange social media behavior going on.

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While the Buffalo Sabres have been hot, the Carolina Hurricanes have been playing .500 hockey, allowing the Sabres to catch up to them for first place in the Eastern Conference. What will the the Sabres need to finish above the Hurricanes? Finishing in first place would give the Sabres home ice advantage through the entire East playoffs, and would decrease the odds of a playoff matchup with Montreal in the first round. Plus, why the San Jose Sharks are an easier matchup than it may appear, as they're basically a one man team led by Macklin Celebrini. Plus, why Joe likes Josh Norris in Thursday night's matchup, the final 'Sabres After Dark' of the season.

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The Buffalo Sabres won their first game of the western road trip in Vegas, on the back of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen getting his first shutout of the season, in one of the greatest games of his career. UPL was dialed from the beginning, stopping point blank shots on Jack Eichel and others, stopping one timers across the ice, and even stopping pucks that were deflected. He was flawless. UPL's game now puts the Sabres duo of he and Alex Lyon atop the league as, statistically, one of, if not the best goalie tandem in the NHL. If they both continue to play this well, they're both going to have to play in the playoffs. Plus, Josh Doan's goal showed off every skill in his game, as he now has the same amount of goals, but more points than JJ Peterka. And the win over the Golden Knights now puts the Sabres in a tie atop the standings in the East with Carolina!

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Owen Power is on track to record a career low in points this season and is yet again the subject of constant debate in group chats and social media for Buffalo Sabres fans. Is he good? Is he great? Is he terrible? This may be the hardest season to answer that question as Power's role has changed with much more defensive responsibility and less offensive insulation. Power's lack of physicality continues, but he also continues to be a very strong possession player despite that. Playing with Bo Byram has helped this year, but Power is still playing with lesser partners more than Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson. Plus, a preview of the Sabres matchup with the Golden Knights, who are not a great team, despite their place in the standings.

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