- 12 minutes ago
Paul Hamilton on Konsta Helenius Injury & Sabres vs. Ducks Preview |Schopp and Bulldog
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Have people learned not to ask Paul that after the many times we've played that soundbite?
00:05Who will win?
00:06I'll tell you what, Paul, I haven't learned.
00:09I love to ask you that question just because I love to hear you laugh.
00:13So, you know, I think it's kind of a sure laugh, a sure thing if I ask you.
00:18Well, you've got to think the Ducks are going to be cranky here.
00:20I mean, they had a 5-2 lead at home in the third period against a team that lost 10
00:25in a row, the Canucks,
00:26and they didn't win.
00:27They lost in overtime.
00:28I think two of the goals they gave up were 6-on-5.
00:33And so I imagine it's going to be a cranky group that's won 5-1 in their last seven.
00:38Yeah, you don't want to lose to Vancouver these days, right?
00:41Yeah.
00:426-5 final?
00:44Yeah, with a 5-2 lead in the third.
00:46With a 5-2 lead.
00:47And give up two goals with a goaltender pulled.
00:48Oof.
00:49Right, Paul?
00:50I mean, you're saying a lot right here.
00:53Who is favored tonight?
00:55Anaheim at home is the underdog.
00:57Buffalo minus 142 to win on the money line at DraftKings.
01:02Paul, what happened to Consta Hellenius?
01:05He got absolutely, basically, Trouba lined him up for a hit.
01:12And I don't know if Hellenius set his head down or didn't see him, but he basically almost broke him
01:17in half.
01:18And he was a little slow in getting up.
01:21He wasn't, you know, he didn't lay there or anything.
01:25And went over to the bench, and he didn't get the trainer right away.
01:28He sat at the end of the bench, and I was watching him.
01:30And I could tell he was in a little bit of distress.
01:33He was kind of leaning over, maybe trying to catch his breath or something like that.
01:38And then the trainer finally did come over once and then left him alone and twice.
01:43And he tried to play a little bit after that, and that was it.
01:47And they pulled him off, and he has been sent back to Buffalo.
01:50How does that work, logistically?
01:52Like, they just buy him a ticket?
01:54He flies commercial?
01:55I would imagine it's a first-class ticket, I would think.
01:58But I don't know.
01:59But, yeah, that's what they do.
02:01It's like, you're not going to play the rest of the trip.
02:04Let's get you back to Buffalo, see the doctors, and see what's going on here.
02:09Yeah, that's tough.
02:10I mean, they'll be out there, as will yourself, for, what, three more days?
02:15So you could just kind of wait.
02:18But, I don't know.
02:19Sometimes they might do that, and sometimes they want you to get home and looked at.
02:23Yeah, I think they wanted him to get home and looked at.
02:25It was probably pretty obvious to a doctor or whoever we're talking about here
02:29that said, you know, he's not going to be able to play,
02:33so there's just really no point in, you know, keeping him here.
02:37I know they sent Kulik home early.
02:39That was out of Toronto, though.
02:40That wasn't hard to send him home.
02:42Matter of fact, I think he's gone home twice early, I think, you know,
02:45with the injuries he's had.
02:47So, it's not uncommon that they do that.
02:50No.
02:51It's just, you know, spare no expense, right?
02:53I mean, the team has no trouble affording that trip, paying for that trip.
02:57Who goes in?
02:58As I said, I would hope it's a first-class seat.
03:02Especially.
03:02Who goes in?
03:05Carrick has not been practicing, but I asked Ruff, and he said Carrick is ready,
03:11but he didn't say he's playing.
03:13The choices are to put him in, and he did take line rushes,
03:17or dress a seventh defenseman, because all the defensemen worked in,
03:22so you really couldn't tell who the third pair was going to be,
03:26Crevier, Gilbert, or Metza.
03:28So, he could dress all seven if he wanted to, or dress Carrick,
03:32but Carrick took the full practice, and Ruff did say he's ready.
03:36He just didn't commit to that he's in the lineup.
03:39If I'm Carrick, like, I'd better get picked here, you know?
03:43Or a seventh defenseman.
03:45Like, I feel like if I'm on this team, I'm going in, hopefully, for his sake.
03:48The only reason he wouldn't is because he's only had one practice,
03:53but I certainly, if he's ready, which Lindy Ruff said he is, I certainly would.
03:59In the game notes, by the way, I pointed this out earlier
04:02because I just thought it was weird.
04:04The Sabres referred to, you know, it's Kulik.
04:08They say concussion protocol, which, you know,
04:11is more than NHL teams will sometimes do.
04:14Upper body, lower body, lower body, lower body.
04:17Carrick, undisclosed.
04:19So they really don't want us to know what his thing is.
04:21Yeah, well, Ruff did confirm the concussion protocol with Kulik
04:26after practice in San Jose.
04:28We didn't know that until, you know, that would have been Monday afternoon.
04:32So, you know, we did get confirmation for that.
04:36But, yeah, Carrick kind of went through the cracks here.
04:39I mean, you know, as far as, you know, what is the injury and that type of thing.
04:46But he's ready to play.
04:48That's all I can tell you.
04:50Well, I'd expect him to, but you never know.
04:52Me too.
04:53How many games does he have this year?
04:56Does he have any?
04:57He has four.
04:58I can look it up.
04:59Four.
04:59He has four?
05:00Yeah.
05:01Averaging seven minutes.
05:02Yeah, slip to the cracks.
05:04Which is the play he's going to get, you know, playing with Malenstein and Kozak.
05:09He was today.
05:10So that's about what he'll get.
05:12Malenstein usually will get the most of that group because he kills penalties.
05:17And, like, if there's a power play and you've got to put a guy out in somebody's spot,
05:21they'll put him out there.
05:22So he'll tend to get a few more minutes than the other two will.
05:27Are we 100% on it being Ellis or less?
05:32The signs that I see make it 100%.
05:35I mean, Ellis was in the locker room before I got in there, and I was leaving the locker
05:39room when Lucanen came in.
05:41And there's a huge clue right there.
05:44I mean, the starting goaltender usually would not stay out on the ice.
05:47And, you know, the starting goaltender, 999 times out of 1,000, is the first goalie in.
05:55Unless the coach wants to play games or something like that.
05:58And Lindy Ruff may have done that once or twice in his career, but not very often.
06:03And even the line, Lindy once or twice in his career put the different lines out there
06:08for a warm-up and then started the game with totally different lines.
06:13See, that's real fun.
06:14That's having some – you're living a little bit when you're doing that.
06:18I mean, how high does Lindy Ruff need to be on the all-time winningest coach list to not do
06:24that?
06:24I mean, come on.
06:26He's only done it a couple times, you know, but he's done it a couple times.
06:29Whatever the advantage he would see, I'm not sure.
06:33But unless he was just doing it for fun, I don't know.
06:36Does this go back, like, his entire career?
06:38Like, when Hasek was the goalie, it was kind of the same thing?
06:43You would make the same reads?
06:45Yeah, definitely.
06:46You'd be shocked when the other goalie was the first one off the ice.
06:49Oh, Hasek's not playing.
06:50Wow.
06:52Let's wake up here, boys.
06:53We've got something different to talk about here.
06:56Well, everybody loves their routine, you know, and it's not just for fun that they do it the way they
07:01do it.
07:02But what do you think with Ellis here going back in after Tuesday?
07:06He had a fine game, a shutout, of course.
07:09I mean, that says it all.
07:10Going back in, do you trust it?
07:12Oh, yeah, definitely.
07:15You know, as I've said to you since the summer, I wasn't predicting it,
07:20but I certainly wouldn't be shocked if he grabbed the job here.
07:23And I've felt that way all along.
07:25And, you know, Bussie and Carolina kind of opened the door for something like that.
07:30He, too, was a goalie claimed on waivers last year
07:32and had the better numbers in the regular season.
07:35I was a little surprised he didn't start the playoffs, but they went with the experience.
07:39But he played the Stanley Cup Finals because of an injury to Anderson,
07:42and he wins the Stanley Cup.
07:44And as you know, Ellis, I ask Ellis about that, you know, and he goes,
07:49yeah, I think about that a lot.
07:50And I say to myself, why not me?
07:53So they think an awful lot of him for not putting him on waivers at all last year,
07:58knowing they'd probably lose him,
07:59and to claim him when they had Levi down in Rochester
08:03when Levi was expecting to be their number three goalie,
08:07and all of a sudden they claim Ellis before the season starts.
08:09And that basically signed Levi's ticket out the door.
08:13I mean, you knew that he probably wasn't in the plans anymore.
08:18And, you know, I thought he did all right.
08:20And what I liked about him last year is he could go two, three weeks without playing
08:24and go into a game, and he was ready to play, you know,
08:27and he won some games for him.
08:30Eight and four with a couple of loser points in there rings a bell to me.
08:34It was something like that.
08:35And so that's why I said that, you know, it wouldn't shock me at all
08:40if, you know, he gets the opportunity, which he's getting right now.
08:44You know, you have another great game in this one.
08:48There's a day in between games, and go take on the Kings.
08:51You know, it's not like Lucan has claimed the job or anything.
08:56So, you know, he was starting to get a little bit better in the starts he had.
08:59He was starting to make some big saves, but there's still more to come with him.
09:06I mean, he can be much better than that.
09:09And so the job has not been claimed in my mind,
09:12and Ellis has an opportunity right here and now.
09:15He started with a shutout, showed the team that he can come back
09:18from being pulled after a bad start, and, you know, build on it.
09:23Have a good game in Anaheim.
09:25Yeah, he kind of just did the thing you mentioned that he did last year.
09:28He had two weeks off after getting pulled and went in and, you know,
09:31shut out the Sharks on Tuesday.
09:34With Paul Hamilton in Anaheim, Sabres and Ducks, 10-30 tonight.
09:38Let's go with the morning skate.
09:40I usually don't talk to you with the morning skate.
09:42Yeah, I mean, what is it?
09:42Is it light out yet where you are?
09:44I get very confused with time changes.
09:46Well, I stayed at the arena because I knew I was going to be talking to you,
09:49and, of course, I have to get the article written,
09:51so I'm almost done with the article.
09:53All right.
09:53So I figured I might as well just stay here and not go back to the hotel,
09:56just get everything done, and then I'll be done when I get back.
09:59Appreciate that.
10:00I saw that the Sabres, maybe from you,
10:02were 13-3 against Pacific Division teams last year, 6-2 on the road.
10:10This has kind of been a nice little getaway for them in recent,
10:14well, last year and this year at least.
10:16It just didn't start as well this year, though.
10:19I mean, they had, you know, they beat Minnesota,
10:22but then they lost to Utah and they lost to Dallas at home.
10:27So it kind of, you know, it didn't start off as well.
10:31Against the West.
10:32Against the West.
10:33Yeah, they were 13-2-1 against the Pacific Division last year.
10:37Yeah.
10:376-1-1 on the road.
10:40Yeah.
10:40So now they're 7-1-1 in their last nine against the Pacific Division on the road
10:47and, you know, because they got the win in San Jose.
10:53That's where it all started last year.
10:55Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle.
10:58Were those the three games they won when it started to happen for them last year?
11:02I think those were the teams.
11:03I want to say Vancouver might have been in there.
11:05Vancouver.
11:05Okay.
11:06Yeah, Calgary, I think, beat them.
11:08That was the low point.
11:09They did, and that's when the meetings happened.
11:11That's right.
11:11That's when the veterans got together.
11:14Darlene got them all together.
11:16And I think they might have had dinner together,
11:18and they said some real things to each other.
11:22And things that needed to be said.
11:25It didn't sound like they were worried about hurting each other's feelings.
11:28And then they played Edmonton the next game, and that's where it started.
11:33Well, we love those kind of stories in sports.
11:36We always want to think that there is some sort of origin story like that on good teams
11:40where everybody is honest and frank,
11:44and they just sort of what the story is about last year.
11:48I mean, you've been around the game for so long.
11:51There are probably lots of teams that were just not going to do that.
11:54But, right, I mean, just not that those are necessarily all the bad teams.
11:58But, you know, you pointed out so often it stands out to you, I think,
12:04that the Sabres made that step last year.
12:07Yeah, it was just like enough is enough.
12:10You know, and we got it.
12:12It's up to us to do this.
12:14We can't blame the coaches or whatever.
12:16It's us.
12:17We're not executing the game plans.
12:19We're not playing the way we're supposed to.
12:21And we're the ones that have to fix this.
12:25And we have to start playing the way the coaches are asking us to play.
12:28And that's exactly what they did.
12:30And they did things and did winning that had never been done by this organization before.
12:35Because don't forget, around Thanksgiving time or right before that,
12:40I mean, they were like third last in the NHL.
12:44And it looked like they're out of it again.
12:47And I remember, you know, saying to you guys, excuse me, others, that, you know,
12:54they're just out of it right now.
12:55It would take a 10-game winning streak to get them back into it.
12:58I love that.
12:59Which did happen.
13:00Literally.
13:00But I should have shut up then.
13:03Because then I said, and I've seen nothing to tell me that they can do that.
13:07Well, you can't be blamed for that.
13:09I wasn't right with that.
13:10And, yeah, that's the thing.
13:12I don't regret saying that.
13:13Because there had been nothing to tell us that they were capable of a 10-game winning streak.
13:19But funny enough that it was after the 10th win when they were in the playoffs.
13:23It did take a 10-game winning streak to do it.
13:26I just didn't think it was going to happen.
13:28That's all.
13:28Well, no one would have said different.
13:31No one would have questioned you for doubting it.
13:33I just, I love that.
13:35That was, like, on the number.
13:37I didn't want them to win 11 because they got to 10.
13:40I'm like, no, Paul said 10.
13:42And they made it to the line.
13:44It's just, like, absolutely perfect alignment.
13:4610, and then you're there.
13:48And that's exactly what happened.
13:49Then they lost Columbus, maybe, was the next game.
13:52It was Columbus, yeah.
13:53And I'm like, okay, well, that's fine.
13:55We got our 10.
13:56I mean, let's see what happens.
13:58And then they basically won almost every other game.
14:01I mean, they won like crazy after that.
14:03Yeah, I thought you were done.
14:04I apologize.
14:05Okay.
14:05You know what, too?
14:07Remember how good last year, and one of the biggest reasons they won the division,
14:11is how good they were going into the third period with the lead.
14:14They could protect the lead and not have any problem doing it.
14:17You never really doubted they were going to win the hockey game.
14:20And here they are.
14:22Their first time having the lead was last game against San Jose going into the third period.
14:28And I thought to myself, I might have mentioned it to Brian in the intermission.
14:30I wonder if they remember how to do this.
14:33They did.
14:33They had a good third period, locked it down, got some good saves.
14:40And they had to finish killing a Benson penalty to start the third period.
14:46But that's crazy.
14:48That was the first time all season they had the lead going into the third period.
14:52It's funny that Benson penalty that you mentioned, lots of times I'm watching a game, you get
14:57the slow-mo replay of it, and like, I could, I don't know.
15:01That one, no.
15:02Like, no, that's a penalty.
15:04Yeah.
15:05Yeah.
15:05And that was kind of a silly penalty for him to take in the neutral zone, just getting his
15:09arm around and pulling the guy.
15:10And especially when you only have a one-goal lead.
15:14But I think it really energized them because there were only a few, I don't know, 20-some-odd
15:19seconds left in the period.
15:20And they got a huge block shot from Norris and right afterwards, one from Malenstein.
15:25So now you go into the room hooting and hollering and all full of yourselves and say, yeah, great
15:30job.
15:31Let's go out there and finish killing the penalty.
15:33And they have killed off their last eight penalties, something I talked to Josh Norris about
15:37today, which you'll hear in the pregame.
15:40So maybe it is starting to get better a little bit as far as the penalty kill goes.
15:45We talked about Benson at length yesterday.
15:47How about Norris?
15:49I always want to ask you about him to see how he fits.
15:52What's the latest for you on how that's going?
15:55I liked him a lot this last game because he was doing things out of character, you know,
16:01diving around to block shots to get into passing lanes and shooting lanes.
16:05He said that he cost them some goals on the penalty kill and that stuff that he needed
16:12to clean up, clean up.
16:13And he was really upset about it.
16:15And I think he has cleaned it up and he's willing to go down and block that shot.
16:19But more, you know how they charge the net almost the whole game against the Sharks.
16:24He was one of the guys that was there all the time.
16:26He was in that crease constantly.
16:28And I liked that too.
16:30I thought if he does that more and is standing around that crease, he's going to start scoring.
16:35He's going to, the whole team is, they're going to get more than one goal if they play
16:39like that all the time and have not just Malenstein and Zucker and Doan around the crease and
16:45Benson, you know, have everybody there.
16:46And they did have everybody there.
16:48Nobody shied away from it.
16:50And that's when you get the greasy and dirty goals.
16:53You know, goals are going off skates and that type of thing.
16:56But you got to be there to do it.
16:58Paul Hamilton for a couple more minutes here.
17:00Dylan Larkin, Paul, is the big topic in the NHL today.
17:04And whether or not the Sabres might be, he might be available to them at this point.
17:09Do you have a thought on like how important you would consider this?
17:12Well, back in June and July, that was the, that was the one I said right off the bat,
17:18that's the one I'd be going for.
17:20And I would constantly be in contact with the Red Wings.
17:24And I had said back then there, there's no question in my mind, knowing Jarmo Kekalainen,
17:29that he has made the call.
17:31I mean, I wouldn't need to even ask him.
17:33I mean, I know him well enough that he's going to be making the call on that,
17:37trying to see where it's at and what would it take if, if Larkin would waive the,
17:43no trade for the Buffalo Sabres, which he hasn't yet.
17:47The Sabres still are not on the list with 10 names, 10 teams on it.
17:52But I wouldn't give up.
17:54I would still be calling and making an offer that the Red Wings like.
17:58And the Red Wings are saying, well, look it, you can go to this team right here
18:03that was a playoff team last year.
18:05You know, some guys on this team very well, talk to them and see what it's about.
18:09Because we can make a trade right now with this group because they made the best offer.
18:13You know, if Kekalainen is so inclined.
18:16But that's how it's done.
18:18You just don't give up and then take it to the player and see if he will agree to it.
18:23I mean, how cranky do you want to be here?
18:26Now you're not going to play anymore because you haven't been traded
18:28and then you're still going to get picky?
18:30It's not like, you know.
18:34So definitely, it's the trade I said I would overpay for and still would overpay for.
18:41And I think that is really what would help the Buffalo Sabres to get a player like that.
18:48How did your night play out?
18:49Any bobbleheads or strip mall excitement?
18:52No, no.
18:53I didn't get the $49.99 bobblehead.
18:56I decided not to do that.
18:57I bought some other stuff, though.
18:59Really?
19:00Oh, yeah.
19:00Got a good coat and good sneakers.
19:04And so I spent a lot of time there.
19:08And I think I told you I had such a good beer, cheese, cheesesteak sandwich.
19:14But I do get full fast.
19:15So I really didn't have dinner.
19:16I went down for the at the embassy suites.
19:20They have a little greeting at five o'clock and stuff.
19:22And they had a few snacks down there that that surficed for dinner.
19:25That was enough.
19:26Yeah.
19:26Watch the World Series after that.
19:27Okay, interesting.
19:28Actually, the World Series was on during that and then finished watching the World Series
19:33because everything's earlier here.
19:34So the World Series would have started at 5-0-8.
19:375-0-8.
19:38Yep.
19:388-0-8 was first pitch last night.
19:40Do you like that, Mizorowski?
19:41Come on.
19:42Yeah.
19:42Oh, that's not fair.
19:44That's pretty good.
19:45And then the poor guy felt so bad for him.
19:47You know, he gets a cramp and can't finish.
19:50I mean, he just had to maybe throw a couple more pitches and that's it.
19:54But he couldn't do it.
19:55But he still gets the win in the deciding game.
19:58And good for Milwaukee.
20:00I would have rather seen Milwaukee win than Tampa Bay.
20:04I'm not a fan of Tampa Bay at all.
20:05Paul, you've been everywhere.
20:07But I might want to pull rank on you.
20:09You might put it right back in my face.
20:11I have been to a hockey game in Milwaukee and in Green Bay.
20:15I have been past both of their arenas.
20:17I have not been in them.
20:19Okay.
20:19Green Bay Gamblers was the team.
20:22I think Don Granato stopped by the Green Bay Gamblers.
20:24Remember talking to him about that?
20:25Does that sound right?
20:26In his travels?
20:27That was his team.
20:29And Milwaukee Admirals in the American League.
20:31Are they still a thing?
20:33Probably.
20:35I mean, it's a big enough city.
20:36I want to say they're not, but I might be speaking out of turn here.
20:40Because they have teams that Rochester doesn't play in the American Hockey League.
20:44Like the teams out here.
20:45Right.
20:46We were actually in San Jose's AHL's practice rink.
20:51Or the rink they play in for practice.
20:55And I've been in Henderson where the Vegas AHL team plays.
21:00And there's one near you.
21:02There's one near you.
21:04Matt Molson played for whatever team that is down by you right now.
21:07In the A.
21:09Oh, Ontario.
21:10Ontario.
21:11Okay.
21:11Yeah, that's probably it.
21:13Sure.
21:14Yeah, Milwaukee Admirals at the Bradley Center.
21:16Are they still there?
21:17I don't know.
21:18Oh, I thought that's what you looked up.
21:20No, I'm not going to do it.
21:22There's no way to find out.
21:23I'm settling for that conclusion.
21:25There's no way to find out if they still exist.
21:27But for all the places you've been, I guess maybe I have you on.
21:31Well, you know when I passed the Green Bay rink is when I went to see.
21:34It was in Allen's rookie year.
21:36And I wound up at Lambeau to see the Bills and the Packers because I went to school with a
21:42girl who lived in the Green Bay area.
21:45So did I.
21:45And she said, well, it was the only weekend of the whole football season I could have done it because
21:52the Sabres at training camp and it was done.
21:54It was the weekend before the regular season and they'd off.
21:57So I could actually go do it.
21:59And I thought to myself, when was the last time I sat in the stands of a Bills game?
22:03And I think I had to go back to college.
22:05I think was the last time I had sat in the stands for a Bills game.
22:09Could it have been the same woman?
22:11No, probably not.
22:13But, yes, I had a girlfriend from Green Bay.
22:16Did you date somebody from Iowa State?
22:19I have to check on that.
22:21I have to check my notes.
22:23Let me see.
22:24What?
22:25Iowa State?
22:26That's the easy way to find out to see.
22:28G-H-I.
22:31No, I most certainly did not.
22:33Well, then it was not the same.
22:34Okay, well, sorry that that drama doesn't linger on.
22:38Thank you, Paul.
22:39We'll be listening tonight if we stay up late enough.
22:42Sounds good.
22:43Take care.
22:43Paul Hamilton.
Comments