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can we call anyone up without first placing 1 or both of them on IR? I know IR in the NHL is different but we can we put them on IR for 1 game? I'm expecting them to have to play Geersten and Bryson (is he active, or maybe he's still on IR?). I'd rather waive Geersten than play him again.

Curious who steps in. Does Östlund come back? I assume Benson will still be out.

I agree with this. Sports, like life, is cyclical. In football, it was all passing, and then, a couple of years ago, as defenses changed to defend the pass better, a lot of teams went back to focusing more on the run. The Bills and Eagles are good examples of this. The same types of things happen in hockey. Scoring trends up for a few years, then teams adjust to play more defense, new goaltending techniques and/or equipment emerge, etc. and scoring trends down. I'm curious to see what happens with goalie size. In recent years, the big 6'5" goalies like UPL were in vogue. Now it seems like there are more "average" sized goalies starting to emerge. Not sure if it's reality or just my perception. And in life - moustaches are back in style and beards have been popular in the last few years....argyle socks come and go every couple of decades....wide legged jeans, etc. I'm getting too old to stay on top of the trends (and maybe just don't give a sh*t anymore, but I can see what my kids wear). But hockey, like anything else, will shift in one direction and then reverse the trend in a few years.

I'll add Kulich is dealing with something that isn't an injury.

Zucker is sick Kulich is dealing with someone that isn't physical (non-injury) Duplicate topic. Please close

Rosen looks to be bigger, stronger, and more confident than last year He has gained 25 pounds since he was drafted. The AHL games have helped him immensely. I am much more optimistic on his future after seeing the difference in him in the last game. He is 22 until March. Still developing and appears to be trending up.

I agree. I haven't really found any definitive metrics of what counts as a high danger chance vs a scoring chance vs a shot.

This is anecdotal, but it seems to me like they're doing a better job of clearing the front of the net so that the goalies have fewer screens and can see the puck better, leading to more saves. When they don't do it, we see a lot of pucks going in (not necessarily on the PK, but in general). Lyon may also be better at seeing/tracking the puck than UPL. The opposite is true at the other end of the ice, where guys like Doan, Dunne, Kozak and others are establishing position in front of the net, screening the opponents' goalies, and leading to more goals in the net-front area and/or pucks getting through into the net because the goalies are screened.

Anyone know of a reliable place to get Chris Brown calls? Sometimes bills.com has a mix of Brown and the national voice. Looking for all local... Not only do I like Chris, I tend to dislike the national guys. Jim Nantz really bugs me.

Quoting my previous post. Finally, Rosen has flashed at the NHL level. Loved seeing him get his first NHL goal, and he overall played much better and was noticeable on the ice. I'm not sure if it's because he was used differently (playing higher up in the lineup, getting PP time, etc.) or if he has just gotten older/bigger/stronger and/or more confident. It would be great if he can maintain it, particularly with injuries to Benson and Norris. It feels odd to even mention Norris, as it really doesn't feel like he's part of the team, but he is technically part of the Sabres' top-6 and he is out with an injury. What has the team gotten from him yet - 3 games last season and two period this season? If he can return and remain healthy for the rest of the season, I would consider that a bonus, at this point. But back to the original point of the post - congrats to Rosen!

I'm referring to his play generally. And, yes, I'm aware that goalies have to give up rebounds as part of their play. (And, bro, seriously - that's a condescending thing to say to a regular on this board.) I don't have one of those photographic memories where I can recount in detail the shots that made me wince or clench my tush. It's a feeling I took away from the game. I didn't like his play at all in the 1st and 2nd. If the Caps had been playing a harder, more aggressive game, I think they would have been up by a bunch. I think is not unfair. He was better in the third. And certainly in OT and the SO he was good. I just don't believe in him.

Punctuation would help, but that seems to be turning into a lost art.

I was pondering on this as well. If it's just about getting a shot off from the area in front of the net vs a shot from the wing there is some sub text to that stat you would have to take into consideration. Allowing an initial shot from in close is not as dangerous as the second or third chance from in close. If the D men are clearing the puck or putting the shooters on the ice it would certainly help prevent goals. The other question is what about preventing goals from what are considered low danger areas? Thompson, Ovi, Matthews and Zibanejad among others score many goals from an area that is considered low danger on NHL edge at least. It's slowing down the cross ice passes or blocking that helps prevent those shots. In my mind are just as high danger with certain players on the ice. Getting back to the Sabres PK They certainly are good at harassing the play before it gets in the zone. They were good at that last year as well. The second stage is trying to get possession of the puck before the power play can set up. Some nights they are pretty good at it but I think it depends on the speed of the other teams players. The third is to stay in the box and if a puck does get inside try to prevent the second and third chance. I think that is what they have been better at.

You have to consider that he hadn’t played a game for quite awhile. So a little shakiness in the beginning of the game shouldn’t be a surprise. Late in the game and in overtime he faced a barrage of shots and stood tall. In the SO he was stellar. I’ve been a critic of him because of his up and down play. In this game, it should be acknowledged that he was a big factor in the win.

Better team, better goalie.

When you say "control over rebounds" are you referring to every time he kicks a rebound to the side? Not every shot sticks to a goalie. Sometimes the best thing you can do is kick it with your pad towards your defenseman. However the rebound of his pad on goal #1 did go directly to a Caps player.

2 things they've been better at this year than last on the PK. They aren't giving the pass through the crease to allow a clean tap in this year. Teams aren't trying it much, and the 1 or so time they try it during each game, the D-man has managed to get enough of his stick on it to disrupt it. Is that luck or a slight change of alignment, or simply being a year older and being more ready for that pass? No data. If it's luck, that'll bear out as the PK falters. But if it's one of the other 2 or something else, then it likely is sustainable. The other thing they've been better at is not letting themselves get out of position to the point that there is a wide open shooter dead square in the slot leaving the goalie to hope the shooter misfires as the goalie needs to move to even get into a spot where he MIGHT block the shot. That happened a LOT last year. Can't recall a single instance of it this year (neither from taking the puck below the goal line and sending it back to the slot nor from getting a 1v1 win at the boards with a man open in the slot) though it probably has happened a bit. Would really like to know how the people deciding what is high danger are making that evaluation. Expect that there really should be a further deliniation between a high danger chance and a high high danger chance. Am not seeing nearly as many high high danger shots against as there were in the past. And, clearly the GTing has been significantly better on the PK this year than in past years. Expect that isn't just that the goalies are playing better (though it's a huge part of it); expect it's also lesser quality high danger chances than there were in the past.

I thinks about 90% goaltending.

but since you asked: 1st goal, wristed muffin from the point with some net front presence, UPL graciously directs the puck into the slot and fails to put himself in a position to make a play on the follow-up shot. the skatersdidn't help their goal. UPL didn't help them either. 2nd goal, 2 on 0 madness. not blaming him there, obviously.

Not sure why he scares you and he is part of the regular PK unit, not just when someone like Tuch is taking a penalty Love seeing the young players rounding into solid two way players

Pretty sure that that is from Modern Problems, not Fletch.

I'm not even talking about the goals, really. I'd have to go back and watch. My sense, in general, from watching him is that he was fighting the puck, putting himself out of position, and exhibiting poor control over rebounds.

I know it's early but I actually don't really see much. I watched the last couple of games and he just doesn't seem that noticeable to me. And as far as him making good plays with the puck? I guess so. I don't see a lot of bad stuff. But again I don't see him doing things that any defenseman should not be doing.