Expected Buffalo Post Game Show - Sabres vs Wild | Game 3

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Welcome to the Expected Buffalo Post Game Show. Well, that
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was a fun one. Brought you back to last season.
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Some of those vibes, the comebacks, the energy, the speed,
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all of it. You know, for me, to be honest,
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and I might have even said this if, The third
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period in overtime didn't go the way that it did.
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I feel like that was their most complete game they
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played this season. I know they were down two after
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two periods, but overall, I thought they were crisper on
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their movement in transition. I thought they got on the
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forecheck a lot more. I thought the defense looked in
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sync for the first time all season. All three pairs throughout.
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The forward lines look connected from forward to defense. Like
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I said, in terms of transition, I don't think every
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line looked connected, but Cleaner, faster, all of those things.
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Much better, by far, the best defensive game of the season.
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From defensemen to forwards, it looked a lot like the
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team that we saw last year. And it all came together, really,
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in the third period. And, you know, full credit to
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this team. This is a team in that game for
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before last season, even the first half of last season.
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That game ends 4-1 for Minnesota. They get frustrated. They
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don't stick with their game. They turn over the puck,
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trying to force things. Not tonight. Not this team that
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now knows how to win games. They know what it takes.
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They played their style. They stuck with their game. And
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they were rewarded for it. They didn't get frustrated. They
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didn't push. They were confident. Confident in that their style,
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their skill was going to come through eventually and do
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what they had to do. you know, the notes I
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took here, like I was planning for trying to tell you, like,
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you know, in a loss, I thought they were fine
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and they were good. And here we are, things kind
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of flip on it. And instead of writing down notes,
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I was, you know, locked into the game, obviously. So
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I got to kind of wing it, but also go
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to the notes that I took throughout the game still.
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But I mean, any post game show after that game,
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It starts and ends with Owen Power tonight. And I'm
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not going to sit here and gloat as an Owen
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Power supporter for all these years, as maybe even the
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number one Owen Power supporter that people want to say that.
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But you like the player, you don't like the player.
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If you cannot accept that tonight was maybe the best
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game he's played as a Sabre, arguably, then you just
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can't see the game clearly. I mean, just. Not only
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just the third period, but the third period alone. He
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was the best player on the ice. The best player
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on the ice, and then he gets the overtime winner
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in overtime. But he created almost everything in that period.
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It was off of his stick. Two of the goals.
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Other chances they just missed on. Confident with the puck.
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Holding the puck. Not forcing plays. playing well off of Darlene,
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using his other players. I mean, the first goal of
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the game, I knew people were going to get frustrated
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if that didn't go the way it went. Because he
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held the puck, held the puck, held the puck. Boom,
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makes the play. Now you get a couple lucky bounces there,
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and that goes your way, but that's the reward for
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making the right decision, not forcing it. And that is
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the offensive epitome of this team. I get it's frustrating
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at times, overpassing, not shooting when they have lanes and
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all of those things. But this team succeeds and they
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score so much because they make the extra pass. They
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make the extra play. They hold the puck a little
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bit longer. Those are the things that get them to
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where they are and make them as productive as they
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are offensively every single year at five on five because
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they have players in their team that know how to
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do that and they know what it takes. He was
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just another example of that tonight. And full credit, full
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credit to Lindy Ruff. Went to his trailing pair of
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Darlene and Power in the third period. And every time
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they're on the ice, it is dominated. Darlene and Power
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just dominated every time they were on the ice in
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the third period. So full credit to Lindy Ruff there
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on that coaching decision to go to his trailing pair.
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He likes to go to them, but it worked tonight.
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It got them back in the game and got them
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a point, and then it got them two points with
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the overtime win. So Credit to Ruff. Also credit to
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Colton Ellis. I'll be honest, I didn't think he looked
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particularly great through two periods. The first goal, I think
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he's slow and it's a short goal. He gets beat high.
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The second goal, I think it's kind of unacceptable. I
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think he beat 5-hole. I know some of the play
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around him, the defensive play in the second goal wasn't good,
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especially from Tage. Fully get that, understand that. But you
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can't beat clean 5-hole there. You simply can't. But, hey,
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To his credit, didn't let it get to him, stuck
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with it, made some big saves in the third, big
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saves in overtime. You go back to him on Thursday.
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He should 100% get the net on Thursday against Dallas.
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We'll see how it goes, running on a game-by-game basis,
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but he's earned that. Like I said, made some big saves,
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ended tonight with a 90 save percentage,. 01 goal save
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above expected. It's not a negative, it's a positive, pretty
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much a break-even. We take those things after those first
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two games for sure. So I want to give him
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his credit because on social media, I got him a
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little bit that I would have liked some saves, but
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settled in, let his team keep going and pushing away.
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So I want to give him, you know, credit there
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with that one. The Oslin line again, Oslin, Benson, Quinn,
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third game in a row, best line on the team.
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Just that line just goes Jack Quinn, man, like, I'll
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openly admit, I feel like, you know, Olsen and Benson
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are running that line for sure as the two main drivers,
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but you got to give Quinn his credit. Looks faster, aggressive, attacking, confident. Uh,
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it's all there for him. It looks like the player
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pre Achilles hair is what it looks like. And, you know,
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maybe it took a couple of years to get back.
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That's not impossible. Um, but yeah, again, I liked his game.
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I liked that line. Um, Kulik made a nice play. Again,
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it seems like Yuri Kulik is always around the play
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when a game-winning goal happens. He got the winner against Chicago.
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He made the nice pass on overtime to power. So
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he's there. He needs to be quiet most of the night,
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but made that play. What else did I write down here?
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The fourth line, the new fourth line with Danforth and
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Malenstein and McLeod. I didn't mind it. I thought it
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was pretty good. The numbers behind it. They were pretty
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good for that. Actually, they were 3-0 in shot share.
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And their expected goal share was... It says here they
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didn't really give up anything. They gave up zero. They
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expected goals again. So there you go. And I think
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a couple of times they were put out against the
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wild top line. So credit to that group. Looked pretty good.
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I imagine they'll run that back for next game. You know,
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the Hellenius Krebs Kulik line was, like I said, was
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pretty quiet. Um, as you notice, I'm not mentioning one
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specific line because I'm trying to keep it positive here
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until we get to that. But, um, yeah, good. It
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gets back to the beginning. Good defensive game. Good on
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this team to stick with it. Keep pushing. Um, And
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I think it's a good sign for fans that are,
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you know, wondering if this season was going to be
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the same as last, if they had the same juice,
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the same jump, the momentum from last season. I think tonight, well,
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it's only game three, right? Like we shouldn't go nuts
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with it. But I think tonight is a good example
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of a team that is different. They have skill. They
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have the talent. I know no Byram. I know no Tuck.
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But they seem to be okay. Shades of last season
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tonight for sure. And we're going to wake up tomorrow morning.
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I got only three games. Only three games. But you're
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going to wake up tomorrow morning. You're going to look
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at those analytics sites that you go to. And this
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is going to be a team at five on five
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that's going to be at the top of the league
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in expected goal share. This is going to be a
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team that's going to be at the top of the
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league in shot share. This is going to be a
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team that is not yet going to be the top
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of the league in goal differential. We'll see where that goes.
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But let's just see here. I'm looking right now. So
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hockey stats has it updated right now through three games.
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Sabres are 61% expected goal share five on five. That
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is fifth best in the league right now. Pretty impressive.
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Expected goals four per 60. They are still a little
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bit down at 13. Expected goals against. How about this?
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They are 3rd in the league right now. Expected goals
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against at a 1.89. Just all these numbers. Again, only
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through 3 games. We don't want to get crazy. Are
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showing signs of a good team. I'm trying to find
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the shot share here, but I think I I lost
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it in my screen. This is the not benefits of
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doing these things live, but I'm pretty sure their shot
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share is going to be high too when we take
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a look. Let's see here. I found it. Shot share
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is going to be 7th in the league at 57%
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at 5 on 5. So, 5 on 5, this is
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all the makings of a good team right here. If
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you want it, they're top 10 in the league and
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goals 4 per 60 at 2.792. So, Top 10 in
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a lot of categories. Top 5 in some even. Only
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three games. Get it. But early signs are there. Connelly
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Kill looked better tonight. Much, much better. I know they
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gave up a goal. But I think they looked really
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good after a shaky outing in Columbus. They looked pretty
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good in Chicago. They're missing some guys in Chicago. But tonight,
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the Wild came in with one of the better power
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plays in the league through two games. They shut that down. Again,
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I know they gave up a goal. But one shot.
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From the wall, got past your goalie, but they even
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created chances themselves. The power play, I think, was better.
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I wouldn't say great. You know, the power play could
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have won the game late if Walsat didn't make that
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insane glove save, so credit to him on that one.
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But look, they moved people around. They put Tage in
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front of the net in the bumper position. Thank you. Good.
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Keep doing that. They allowed Oslin to play on the
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wall and Quinn to play on the other wall. There
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was more rotation because Tate wasn't standing in his one spot.
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They made him stand somewhere else. Continue that. I have
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confidence that the power play will improve if they're going
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to continue playing that way. Now the one negative of
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the night that we do have to touch on, which
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I think is thankfully probably over. Um, that first line
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of Thompson Norris don't just not good, not good again
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for the third game in a row. Um, they end
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as a line with a 43% expected goal share, the
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worst of any line of 44% shot share, the worst
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of any line tonight. They were broken up late. Um,
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Lindy rough went back to your recoup league, Peyton crabs
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and Tate Thompson moved Norris down, uh, to playing with
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Hellenius and, uh, I don't know. Was it McLeod? Maybe
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that was on that line. I can't really remember, but, um, yeah,
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I think, I think you really got a staple of
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Krebs to Thompson. Uh, that just seems to work. And
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then you can put Kulik there if you want. Sure. Fine.
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Maybe he's earned it. Uh, Josh Doan was the guy tonight.
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McLeod was the guy last game. Doan was the one
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tonight who found himself on the bench for the majority
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of the third period. Um, I don't blame him. You know, it's,
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I think I have bigger issues with the way that
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page played at certain points in the way that Norris
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specifically has played for almost the entirety of this season. Um,
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but don't just, is that the same fire, that same juice,
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that same energy that we saw last season. And it's early.
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So we'll, you know, give them some time to get
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going and maybe a new line. We'll shake that up
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and spark it for him. Uh, so we'll see how
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the middle of your lineup, I think looks, um, On
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Thursday when Dallas comes to town. But 2-1 now. Shaky
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starting Columbus. You got a big win at home. You
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got an overtime win against a good team. Another good
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team is going to come into your building on Thursday
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in Dallas. So they got to be ready. And I
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think it's Florida after that. So the five-game homestand continues here.
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You're 2-0 on it. Very good. You want to end
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this homestand with a winning record. So I think you've
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got to, out of those last three, you've got to
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pick up at least two more wins to be happy
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with that because I think the schedule on the road
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gets a little bit difficult here after that. Or have
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the full October schedule memorized. Yeah, give me another week
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or so and I will. So yeah, good. Good game. Fun.
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Tuesday night action. I think gets people to get back
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in there, right? Like, okay, this seems going to be okay.
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They have all the same stuff. You know, for, let's say,
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two of these three games so far, we've seen the offense,
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we've seen the energy, we've seen the forecheck, we've seen
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the speed. It all comes through. Zellweger has looked good.
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Crabier has settled in. So your new guys are working
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in for you. So good things. Good things. Dallas comes
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to town, and we'll see how that goes on Thursday night.
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Thank you very much for listening to the Expected Buffalo
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Post Game Show brought to you by Richmond Mona. Make
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sure you're subscribing to us on YouTube. Also, no time
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better than now to get into ExpectedBuffalo.com. Now that we're
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getting a couple games under our belt here, we can
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start to grab some numbers, small sample size numbers, of course.
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Start to put some written content together along with the
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podcast here. All right, well, tomorrow we will do a
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full episode podcast. Thursday we are back with a host
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game show, and then it might be a little bit
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quiet after that because a little bit of a one
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more weekend getaway, glamping trip, if you will, before we
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settle in through the winter and fall, end of fall
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and into the winter here in Buffalo. So we will
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talk again tomorrow. See you.