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PTR, is that a typo? $13 per month? I went from Hulu to the same Hulu bundle when the old Center Ice package disappeared. I’m now paying $79 per month after the most recent of their annual increases. And your first paragraph summarizes the situation perfectly. We’ve discussed the NESN (Bruins games) blackout previously.

Tuch Tage Doan Benson Norris Krebs Zucker McLeod Quinn Beck Kozak Greenway Krebs is less than ideal there but I like Quinn with Zucker and McLeod. I would put Kulich in Krebs place on the RW but I think he won’t be back soon. Östlund is an option there too.

Not available on YouTube TV.

As you are indicating, with the return of some injured players, there are more pieces to juggle to rework the lines. And as you note, there are a variety of options that make sense. Ruff is not afraid to juggle the lines, including within the game. Now he has more material to work with. My sense is that he wants to keep Tage as a 1C because of his recent play and also the player's preference.

It's real simple ESPN+, and I assume it's the same for every other flavor of streaming ESPN, shows every game except TNT and NHL Network games. But if you live in an NHL market, you are blacked out any time the Sabres play that team. One suggestion: don't change your subscription to the new version of ESPN streaming. You are grandfathered at the rate you subscribed at. I bought what was the triple package of ESPN+, Hulu and Disney, and still pay around $13/mo. All the new packages are way more.

Only caught the condensed game highlights, but our speed and tenacity on the puck really stood out to me. Winning battles and hounding the puck and then break through their defense to generate odd man rushes. Looked good in the recap.

Personally am expecting Norris to get Benson and Zucker, with McLeod getting Quinn and Greenway. But who knows. Ruff is on record as saying Norris with be the #2; if that's the case, he'll get Zucker and then one of Quinn, Benson, or Greenway pretty much in that order (which is a direct contradiction of the previous sentence because am not sure if they'd have Benny as the 4th W or Quinn as the 4th W. Quinn is better at finishing; Benny has a more all around game) as expectation of who he gets and McLeod would get the other 2 guys. Doan being able to skate with Thompson and Tuch has opened up some additional possibilities. And all of this is with Kulich on the shelf. When he's back, he could move to wing, or if Norris has already broken become the 2/3C depending upon whether Ruff wants McLeod focusing on D or more 2 way/offensive play.

I'll believe they're a playoff team when they actually make it.

It is going to be interesting to see how Ruff is going to assemble the lines once Norris gets back. I expect the Zucker/McLeod/Quinn line to stay intact because playing with the vets has elevated Quinn's play.

At home, after the 1st 2 awful games they started the season with when Benson was out of the lineup, they've gone 8-2-2. Yes, the 2 regulation L's were awful embarrassing losses, but even with them they've taken 18 of the last 24 points in their own barn. Which, if they could continue on at that level would enable simply getting to ~0.450 on the road be good enough to get to the dance. So, they actually do it quite often at home, but not even remotely often enough on the road.

I live in NM and wanted to watch the game tonight, figuring I would give it a few hours to load. No option other than highlights. Must have been an NHL network game as mentioned above which I believe you have to wait 24 hours to replay-like when they play on TNT, or regular ESPN.

After the game, Ruff said they're bringing him back slowly from his off-season surgeries (radio wonked out briefly, but pretty sure Ruff said he'd had double hernia surgeries) and so they'll give him a game off here or there depending upon how he's doing strength and conditioning wise. Sounded like he could've played but they've got him on a ptich count for now. So, Dunne got into another game. And if that is actually the case, would expect Östlund to be the one getting sent down when Norris comes back if nobody else is out injured as it would be an offensive guy out for an offensive guy in. Prior to hearing that, would've expected Dunne to be the odd man out as he was the press box sitter on Friday.

The problem is they talk about it a lot but don't actually do it far too often

McLeod, Zucker, and Quinn got a ton of ice time down the stretch. Ruff also mixed up the D a bit down the stretch pretty much stapling Bryson to the bench protecting the lead. Had Dahlin and Power together some.

He's not a flashy player or even a prolific stat performer, but what he contributes is responsible two-way play that this team needed more of. He and Zucker were terrific additions that have as much to do with the maturity they add both on and off the ice. You can see the difference for Quinn when he played with these two guys compared to playing on a youth line.

0-69-69 He's not going to end up above a ppg; or are you anticipating playoffs? 😉

- Stephen Wright

Yes, Virginia that’s how you and the team should be playing every night.

What isn't?

Most teams that work the drop pass (and the Sabres are not in this grouping though they work it way too often) are looking to have at least 4, if not all 5 guys hitting the blue line with speed which opens up a lot of possibilities to control the puck in zone. If the D stacks 4 across the line, you dump it in and have one of the guys with speed retrieve it; if they try to take away passes and play a little deeper the puck carrier can simply enter the zone and then skate in, pass it, or curl back towards the blue line while others are going deeper. Etc. etc. But the Sabres dump it simply to dump it. They dump it too far back and they do it from too close to the offensive zone; they also usually have 2 guys already sitting at the opposing blue line so they're standing still when the puck retriever gets the puck back near the faceoff circles. And that results in 4 of the 5 skaters being stationary when the puck carrier gets close to the blue line. Heck, and even worse, last week on at least 2 occassions, they took the puck all the way to the blue line and then sent it back towards their own blue line. They really don't understand that play. A dump in isn't an option because nobody except the puck carrier is in motion. There are limited passing options. And very often, the puck ends up at the boards above the circles with nobody down low to try to chip it down low and they simply lose the board battle and get to regroup again.

It did say it on the ESPN site (that it was an NHL Network game) this morning when I checked

Ryan McLeod was such a good acquisition.

No maybe about it. It was on NHL Network. As far as I can tell you can only get NHL Network as part of a larger programming package on Spectrum, Fubo, maybe YouTubeTV, or the like. With my Spectrum I get NHL Network with the Sports Pack which is I think $5 per month. Usually the NHL Gameday page for the game will say if it's an NHL Network game but it didn't for today's game against Carolina.

It's protected.

Boston owns that pick from the Carlo trade.