Toronto takes over the Sabres house

Toronto takes over the Sabres house

Keyang Center gets taken over as much as we ever have seen before a Saturday event against Toronto to talk about and it’s not going to be the most fun coming up here in the lockdown Sabers Podcast your lockon Sabers your daily podcast on the Buffalo Sabers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every Day And thanks for making lock on Sabers your first listen every day we are free and available wherever you get your podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day today’s episode is brought to you by sleeper download the sleeper app use the promo

Code locked on NHL to get up to a $100 match on your first deposit terms and conditions applies the sleepers terms of used for details and locational availability 3 nothing Leafs over over the sabes that came after a 5-2 win sabes over the Devils on Friday and

Saturday couple of games to talk about and a couple of games this week to look ahead to including one night that should be a pretty cool night uh coming up tomorrow Jeff Skinner’s 1000th game we finally made it there and barring something unforeseen he will play his thousandth game tomorrow and the Sabers

Have a lot of cool things planned some roster stuff to get to as well here with the lockdown SA podcast siky Joe DVI if you would like to reach out to the show I got a good listener question for him a little bit later on from the text line

If you’re not signed up already go to join sub text.com lockon Savers and you can text with us during the games and get some updates and good conversation throughout the days as well the Savers can’t escape 500 third NHL 500 that is 3535 and five they have gone win loss

Win loss in their last four games kind of the story of the season they have not been hot they have not been cold all year long but the story of the weekend has really not a lot to do with the two games it really is more about the arena

And we’ll get to that but in terms of the games themselves before we talk about what happened Saturday off the ice if you will the New Jersey game on Friday like it’s a cool night it’s a cool night to be in the arena it’s a

Cheap game if you were trying to go the Sabers win with a four goal effort from Tage Thompson Thompson was very strong on the night one of them was an empty Netter um and the Sabers were able to pull away for a big win in terms of the

Scoreboard and you know I I especially appreciated the Sabers Downing the Sabers because I think that the Devils unfairly scapegoated Lindy Ruff earlier in the year and I think they are getting what’s coming to them for making a poor decision that really had nothing to do

With the coast it had everything to do with the goal tending and you saw it in that game their goal tending is not very good so they got that win over New Jersey Thompson got his 26th of the Season it is kind of incredible that the year he’s had has been so utterly

Disappointing and I know that the his teammates have not set the bar very high but there’s Thompson somehow tied for the Sabers lead in goals this season he’s got 26 uh in 64 games by the way petka has 26 go goals in 75 games so if

You were to do the math on Thompson’s 82g goal Pace he’s at 33 so listen I don’t feel great about Thompson season at all and I told you recently on this show my biggest worry about them long term right now is the center position do they have a legit number one Center and

I don’t know if Tage Thompson is that but what we are seeing right now is a guy that has not looked right all year that I’ve told you doesn’t has forgotten how to skate and clearly has been dealing with some injuries is somehow sitting there with a pace of 33 goals I

Mean that’s the floor we are seeing the floor this should be as bad as it gets and if as bad as it gets is 33 goals then Thompson might not be a legit franchise number one Center but you know that he’s a pretty darn good Center if

The absolute floor is a 33g goal season and we’ll see maybe he can even up that a little bit more now he and none of his teammates found a way to score on Saturday they got goali lead a little bit three nothing Leafs over the Sabers and the goal tending was Fantastic ilas

Sam sonof who earlier in the year in that nine-goal effort by the Sabers got chased in the second period had led in five in that game he responded in Buffalo with the best game of his season they were way above um he was saving tons of goals above expected didn’t

Allow a goal at all made a bunch of high danger saves he was looking really sharp the whole way through um didn’t give the Sabres a lot of second opportunities Sam son off was fantastic um and overall I didn’t actually mind the way the Sabres played I thought right out of the gates

The first period started and the Savers got down on the scoreboard not too far in only what five minutes in it was one nothing but I felt like before and after that goal the Savers were playing well um and the shot totals will tell you

That 34 to 22 for the game overall like it wasn’t a bad effort by the Sabers they just ran into a great goenda better than Buffalo this is what makes them a better hockey team at least in the regular season the Leafs can have an off night but they score on such a

Higher percentage of their chances that can have them win games like that where Willie neander and Austin Matthews and John Taris the three goal scorers in this game they’re so good they’re so consistent that if you only give them four five incredible chances over the

Course of the game they can bury two or three of them and win it they needed a good goalie performance too but that’s what comes with having elitely talented forwards that are that consistent they don’t translate to the playoffs but in the regular season that is what makes

Toronto different the sabes don’t have right now an Austin Matthews a Willie neander or even a John Taris they don’t have three players but that that you know night in night out they’re going to have they’re going to generate chances and then they’re going to bury those chances Thompson takes Knights off

Cousins takes Knights off everyone takes Knights off on this team that though was not the real story of that game the real story of that game is what happened in the crowd that Arena no exaggeration was 8515 Leafs fans and often times I almost wish now I didn’t do this that when the

Leaste fans take over the building early in the year that nine goal game which in reality was probably more like 50 maybe a little closer to 6040 Lea fans but I probably said I was 90% Leaf fans in there I’m sure I said that but I would

Have been exaggerating this time I’m not exaggerating there were 90% Leaf fans in that building 1,000 % when saber fans tried to get let’s go Buffalo chance going they were drowned out by the Toronto fans and listen this is not new this is a team whose fans are resentful

Right now and don’t feel like they are getting the best of a of a good deal they’re spending a lot of money on tickets and often getting nights like what we had last week where you go to watch them play the Senators and they give up four goals in the first 10

Minutes and you want to leave the arena 20 minutes after you get there that’s often the experience of going to a Buffalo Sabers game so there is no ill will for me on saber fans selling their tickets because that’s a game where hey someone wants to buy him you don’t care

Who at that point the Sabers haven’t earned the right as a team for to get a fan to ask who is buying the ticket it’s oh someone wants to give me twice what otherwise I could get okay of course I’m going to do that and the Sabers have

Given their fans no reason at the end of the season to hold on to their tickets so you get 9010 Lea fans to saber fans but it doesn’t mean it’s not embarrassing it is incredibly embarrassing Paul Hamilton said this this morning on wgr and I agree with him

That it’s what it’s maybe the most embarrassing thing that’s happened during Terry pula’s ownership as as owner is you arrived at a situation where your building could get taken over like that because when Brier and Drury were going strong yeah there were a lot

Of Lea fans I was at those games it was probably 15 to 20% Leaf fans which is a lot but it was still a heavy saber crowd it was still a Buffalo Sabers crowd this is not that this is a leaf crowd through and through Max doy of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Uh tweeted out on Saturday night Leaf nation was buzzing tonight what an atmosphere what a night for 34 huge W get this he tweeted best crowd of the year that right there is a joke that’s such an embarrassment for the Sabers you’ve got in a way player saying best crowd of the Year

Unbelievable and and on top of that you have at the end of the game ilas samonov who had an incredible effort in that night he takes a little spin at Center Ice he was the game’s number one star and the Toronto fans are giving him a standing ovation he stands there at

Center ice on the saber’s crest and raises his stick to the crowd and gets an ovation on your whole mice and a away player stood up on your logo and held up his stick to his own fans who had taken over the building again this is not surprising this happened Leaf fans have

Been doing this for a while and I would have told you that hey this game’s probably going to be mostly Toronto Maple Lea fans 90 to 10 though that’s nuts that is crazy maybe it was that way earlier in the season I don’t think it was but we didn’t notice it because the

Leaf fans had nothing to cheer about because the sa scored nine goals in December when these two teams met so Dylan cousins Alex tuck I’ll let you know what they had to say about this and on the roster why is Devon Levi still here well I’ll tell you why I like that

Devon Levi is still here that’s coming up here on the locked on Sabers podcast presented by sleeper it’s nearing the end of the season we don’t even want to look at the standings not going to feel good about it but regardless of where the sabes are at in the standings want

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Get up to a $100 match in your first deposit terms and conditions apply that’s code locked on nhlc sleeper serms used for details and locational Avil back here on the locked on Sabers podcast it’s making this your first listen every day check out locked on Sports Today college basketball you’ve

Got Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese going at it on Monday night check it out lock on sports today opinions news streaming 247 on YouTube or the Amazon Fire TV channels app part of the lockon podcast Network your team every day okay before we get to some of uh what’s going on

With the roster you had practice on Monday uh interesting uh goalie situation going on right now Dylan cousins as we continue on this Pro Leafs crowd and what was a heavy contingent of Toronto fans in Buffalo on Saturday night Dylan cousins in response to that said quote it’s something hopefully we

Can get that kind of support one day when we’re on the road we’re going to be a great team like that we’re going to build something special here and we hope to get some support on the road like that cousins though continue I know we have to earn it this

Is good I think the cousins is not necessarily blaming the fans for not showing up when there’s been a little bit bit of a a contentious whisper in the air uh between the fans and the players all season long cousins said I know we have to earn it we all know in

This room we have to earn it we understand it’s been a long time we have to get that support back by being a good team and winning games that’s what it comes down to we can work as hard as we want but at the end of the day to get

That support back we have to win games it’s going to be a big summer for all of us I know we have a lot to prove uh it’s my favorite quote of the year it’s my favorite quote of the year because you know what even for myself the way we’ve

Talked about the players being offended by the fans this year the booing the the the Granado chance you know all of it the way they the salute thing all of it you just haven’t heard a lot of this there it’s not been hey guys it’s on us

I mean I know they probably think it and they say it a lot too but not to this degree and any idea that it would be the fans fault for selling your tickets to Toronto I’m just glad we didn’t hear any of it we didn’t hear anything even close

To it that is what you needed to hear from Dylan cousins I don’t know if it’s been addressed maybe Kevin Adams went down to the locker room in the last couple of weeks and said listen you are not making it players versus fans I don’t care how much you respect the

Coach it’s not happening that might that conversation may have never happened maybe this was all overblown maybe this was you know ere exaggerated um although I still tend to think that it wasn’t I think any notion any idea that players were upset by what the fans were doing is nuts and

They were talking about being offended by it but I’m good I’m good I love this quote from from cousins I know we have to earn it it’s going to be a big summer for all of us we’ve got like it’s a challenge to them like guys we’ve got to

Win the fans back like that has to happen that’s the attitude you want from this team I will say by the way if my theory is that kyoso by the way is the one that is at fault for not nipping the player fan thing in the butt earlier in

The year not maybe not the biggest surprise that this is happening when kylo poso is not in the locker room just throwing that out there uh it’s a conspiracy theory though I don’t actually know anything so I liked hearing that from Dylan cousins a lot and it was a very very similar sentiment

From Alex tuck when he was talking about the fact that the lease fans had taken over over the building it was pretty much the same thing he said obviously we have to try to get the fans back in here to support us it’s been tough it has for everybody involved both sides we’re

Going to continue to work we’re going to try and earn it so I liked especially what I heard from cousins I liked what tuck said too uh no resentment towards the fans they they did a good job a good Balancing Act in the media after that game where they would have been

Disappointed and upset right hey you just lost three nothing in your own building and everyone was against you you were getting booed by the opposing by not by your own fans by the other fans so I would have understood why they would have been frustrated and they did

The right they walked the line showing how disappointed they are how frustrated they are that this situation exists while also showing everyone that they know that it’s on them that it’s up to them to change it the formula is not hard it’s not a hard C to crack there’s not

Much to it just just win that’s it become a good team make the playoffs and the leaf fans go away because left saber fans want to sell their tickets that’s it that’s only answer and Tuck and cousins sound like they know it two of the leaders of the team it’s Dalene tuck

And cousins I think as we go forward here so you had two of your leaders uh talking that way uh one other thing to get to before we take a time out I want to get to Jeff Skinner a little bit whose thousandth game is coming up on Tuesday night

Devin Levi is still with the Sabers Devon Levi is still with the Sabers I I say good you know some of the media’s been a little surprised by that I mean it’s not much to be surprised by uh or not surprised by it’s not like it’s a big deal season’s basically over

But it’s a little interesting because if you look at the Sab schedule the rest of the way they they do not have any more backto backs they go Tuesday Friday Sunday Tuesday Thursday Saturday Monday back-to-backs over so there’s no natural place to put Levi in but what I’ve been

Telling you for about a week now is since the season for me was over let Levi play a few games and there are seven games left I’d play Levi and five of them and I’ll say the same thing I said last week the story of Lucan in

Season has been written and I didn’t think he was that bad against tono I didn’t think he was great it was an okay game for him uh at best uh Ottawa obviously got chased early on and then Edmonton he got chased late so in the last three games you know you haven’t

Seen the best of Lucan in but again his story’s been written there’s nothing he can do positively or negatively to me the rest of the way to change what this season has been for him which is he took hold of the number one job he ran with

It and he is their starting goalie going into next year no doubt and probably earned a decent Siz Bridge contract that’s Lucan in season nothing’s changing on that front the next seven games so why why start him in five of the seven why start him in six why start

Him in even four I just I wouldn’t get it I I’m not saying shut him down for the year but I’d like to see Levi more because Levi he’s the one you still got to figure out a little bit about like as time goes on here you probably want to

Ensure as much as possible that hey just want to make sure here Devon Levi is good to start 35 games for me next year because that’s probably a good split right you have uh Uka Lucan play just doing a quick math 47 games next year that’s a good number it’s a good healthy

Number for a number one goalie uh even if there’s a little regression for him I think it’s a good number and Devon Levi plays 35 that’s a good split I think for next year so give Levi five more games you know give him more and more reps in

The NHL and show him like hey man we’re gonna be counting on you next year so we got to give you your reps we got to make sure that you’re up to it so I’d give Levi those five games down the stretch here the other thing is Rochester really

Doesn’t need them a lot right now they will once the playoffs get going of course but as it stands they’re fine if you’re interested in where Rochester is in general in the standings the North Division of the AHL the North Division they have five of the seven teams make the playoffs five

Of the seven teams make the playoffs and as it stands Rochester is in third so what that means is by the way four and five play each other in the first round of the north division playoffs the two and the three get a buy and play each

Other in the second round the one seed also gets a buy and plays the winner of the four five so Rochester’s in third they are four points clear with eight games to go of fourth so they’d have to do a lot to fall down they’d have to

They’d have to have a horrible stretch they just got to play 500 hockey the rest of the way and they’ll be in the top three so because they can’t really fall down much more unless again you know if a week goes by and that changes then

Maybe this changes I don’t think the Le the amicks need Levi right now I think they’re fine going with Hower and tarski through to the end of the to the regular season and then you send Levi back down for the playoffs so that’s the way Rochester going right now they don’t

Really need him in my opinion right now and I don’t think the Sabers need to keep playing Lucan in so to me the best case scenario is that we see a lot of Devon Levi in these final seven games and I’m actually optimistic they will do that because there’s no other reason for

Levi to still be here there’s I mean there’s no other reason I might guess he starts tomorrow against Washington would just be my guess and maybe they go every other the rest of the way and probably sneak com in there one because they probably feel bad for him all right when

We come back skinners one 1000 I got a really good text question on that relates to Skinner and his upcoming 1000th game that’s coming up here on the lockdown Savers podcast we are presented by FanDuel Sportsbook the sports calendar is loaded you got the final four in men’s college hoops you’ve got

The Elite 8 in women’s college hoops Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese coming up on Monday night a monster rematch from last year’s National Championship hockey the NBA playoffs are approaching I can’t wait for that and you can check it all out on FanDuel make it even more

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FanDuel America’s number one sports book final segment here in the locked on Sabers podcast Tuesday night against Washington Jeff Skinner’s 1,000th game in the NHL the Sabers are telling fans get there about 10 5 to 10 minutes early at least uh so they could see the ceremony before the game first 10,000

Fans uh I believe receive a I think it’s a Skinner winner hat say 10,000 on it uh so that’ll be very cool red and black knight also by the way will be their final red and black game of the season so very cool I love Jeff Skinner as a

Player I’ll talk more about him tomorrow on the show and I hope that he gets a good celebration because he’s been one of my favorite players to watch uh in a saber uniform in this playoff drought so Skinner uh got a good question from our locked on Sabers text line and it basically

Asks when you look back you’re ranking all time Sabers who will be higher in 15 years you’re ranking all time Sabers who you put put higher Jeff Skinner or Jack eel and I thought that was a really good question I put a PLL up at lock on Sabers and the

The Twitter verse doesn’t think it’s a great question because they are at 70% for Skinner and 30% for eel at least not 99 to 1% um I mean what’s really the debate here the debate here is how much do you care about How It Ends because

There’s no doubt at all that Jack was a better hockey player than Jeff Skinner both in a saber uniform and elsewhere Skinner’s a great goal scorer fantastic goal scorer and I think last year took a huge step as a playmaker although that’s kind of regressed this year eel though

Is just a complete allaround number one Center um but how much do you care about How It Ends because no one’s ever going to like Jack eel again because of how it ended here and what happened after when he returned and then the hatrick and everything W the cup just no one’s ever

Going to love eel again Skinner though is lovable SK skner I’m I would say beloved I know they were making fun of him on that video clip you know the player saying beloved like as a joke but he’s beloved I think as much as you can

Be for a drought era player if you’re a Bills fan you’ll understand this reference he’s Kyle Williams he is Kyle Williams play the whole drought and we’ll love you at the end anyway and listen Skinner story is not fully written I might guess his career ends like Kyle Williams Kyle Williams played

The entire playoff drought almost from 2005 till 2017 and then when the team got well you know they they broke the drought he was a part of the drought breaking team despite the fact that he’s a career drower and that’s gonna be Skinner I I would guess that’s going to be Skinner I

Mean if you look at like again this question is kind of like right now I might say eel but Skinner’s story is not over he’s got three years left on his contract and I I I don’t know I just cannot see him being moved or someone taking that contract in the next three

Years I would bet he finishes out his contract as a buffalo saber so what are the odds they miss the playoffs each of the next three years I wouldn’t bet it I know we’re not happy with them right now and there are things to do and there is

Maybe a coach dilemma coming up um you know no one’s feeling great about them right now but I I will sit here and tell you that I believe they will make the playoffs in the next three years it it would I was almost I’ll say this I’d be

Surprised if they don’t make the playoffs in the next three years and I’d be surprised if Jeff Skinner is not on that team that makes the playoffs scoring 20 to 25 goals at least so in my opinion he’s going to be a part of the drought breaking team and if you have a

Career at the end of it which has a lot of goals a fun player always smiling always getting in the other team’s head yeah he’s not good defensively coaches might hate him I don’t know Krueger doesn’t does at least I don’t think ronado does uh you got

That I I think at the end of it all he’s going to be a part of the drought breaking team he’s gonna have a Longs saer career goal scored I think he’s gonna be a very likable player looking back in time and and a good player at

That so my answer would be Skinner I think he can really earn himself a nice little spot here in sab’s lore uh exiting a playoff drought if he uh can maintain being a part of that and I again predict that he will be so we’ll see next year the next year after that

And the next year after that so he’s you know going to approach 1500 games I bet in the NHL it’s kind of amazing it speaks to him earning a spot in the NHL in Carolina right out of the gates at the age of um the age of 18 you know

There are not many guys that did what Zack Benson did which was make the league right away as a non-top two pick top two picks make it all the time right out of the gates Benson made it as a 13th overall pick and it was stunning Skinner made the NHL as a seventh

Overall pick right out of the gates and Benson what’s funny is like we’re all happy with Benson right like I’ve Loved Benson season he’s a responsible two-way player but Ben’s not putting up a lot of points Skinner walked in as a seventh overall pick not top two seventh overall

As an 18-year-old in Carolina it scored 31 goals and 32 assists like he came right out and was doing it and he’s still going scoring 20 plus goals so probably get to 25 uh at least he only needs one more for that uh as this

Season ends so I like Skinner a lot I’m excited to talk more about him tomorrow and uh enjoy that game tomorrow night as well as he’ll uh have his 10,000th game so if you’ve got a favorite Skinner moment let me know what you think I’ll have mine for you tomorrow of course a

Lot of people I think will probably be answering the 10 game win streak goal against San Jose but uh there’s a there’s a lot to choose from I got a couple of good ones so stay tuned for that tomorrow that’ll be tomorrow’s episode a show dedicated to Jeff

Skinners we get ready for Sabers and capitals as the season winds down that’s going to do for us today here in the lockdown Sabers podcast reminder again you want to check out lockdown sports today it’s the time to do it college hoops NBA playoffs NHL is a lot going on

Right now check them out on YouTube or the free Fire TV channels app that’s going to do it for us today here on lockdown Sabers thanks for making us your first listen every day lockdown Sabers part of the lockdown podcast Network your team every day

As much as we’ve ever seen, Leafs fans took over KeyBank Center on Saturday night, to a point where it was legitimately 90% Toronto fans. Sneaky Joe talks how embarrassing this is for the team, but also why he loved what he heard from Dylan Cozens on the subject-matter.

Also, a look ahead to Jeff Skinner’s 1000th NHL game, and why is Devon Levi still up with the Sabres? Joe explains why the Amerks may not need Levi for a few more weeks.

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