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Aye yi yi. 💔 It's cliche but still very true: Some things are bigger than [hockey.]** My earnest prayers go with you to Sweden, Rasmus. ** Insert any number of things here.

With the captain and 1D on a LOA, let's start fixing the staff now so we can surprise him with a new vision when he returns.

Scoring was in issue last night of course, but if the Sabres did lose 70% of the board battles it only made the game 'on ice' closer than it was. The bottom line is the Sabres pretty much dominated chances to score. For most of the game they had double the shots. They were way up on offical 'scoring chances'. They had more 'high danger' scoring chances. Whether it was through board battles, possession, faceoffs, or whatever...the Sabres had a lot more legit chances to score than they allowed. They just didn't finish. UPL wasn't awful all night, he didn't let in 6 goals or something like that, but the goals he did let in, one he was slow on, the other was just soft, soft, soft (again.) The soft goals I hardly noticed 2 years ago, but since the start of last season, they are happening on a very regular basis with him. And as far as UPL not costing them the game. Yeah, they didn't score so that is kinda true, but they really, REALLY limited St. Louis to hardly any good scoring chances. Other goalies would not have allowed those 2 goals that UPL did last night, and hence it would have/could have been going to OT again at 0-0.

Perfect timing. Dahlin knows the team isn’t progressing and will lose the next several games. He’ll be doing some sole searching while home and I have a feeling he will come back to with an ultimatum.

Lack of faith. Same problem the vets like Dahlin, Thompson, and Tuch have in their Owner and GM, imo

Frankly my guess is he's always had the option but has like any typical man wanted to put his head down and grind through it. Trying to lead a hockey team out of the basement, be a good fiancé for a wife who had a heart transplant overseas, and being a world class hockey player simultaneously can't possibly be easy. If this franchise is good at anything though, its treating their players well in regards to this sort of stuff.

To be clear, I think he would do a 'better' job unencumbered...however, at this point it might be better to blow the whole thing up. And by that I mean Adams AND everyone else in the front office, they all have to go. There is just to much of the potential to 'overvalue' their own guys they brought in. A new set of eyes from the outside is less likely to do that.

Also, Kesselring is not practicing this morning. Two big hits to the blue line. Well wishes to Ras and fam.

Good for Rasmus. Go, be there, you need to as much as she needs you to. Can't even imagine what he's feeling. https://www.rasmusdahlinfoundation.com/

Unless he was counseled by Pegula and Adams to take a LOA from the beginning and declined, they failed him, imo. The A’s would have had to step up and the team would have had to adjust from the beginning of the season. Timing is lousy for an adjustment now.

He let a soft one in and I didn’t watch the 3rd do can’t comment on how he finished. I’m a lot more concerned about our forwards than goalie at this point. Lyon has played well and Ellis did also in his sneak peek preview. You need to find out what you’ve got and so I can’t argue with starting UPL. Blues didn’t need the 2nd goal so IMO it wasn’t UPL that cost them the game. I read somewhere we lost 70% of the board battles?

I think Lyon demonstrates a higher level of focus and he battles harder. I think the players in front of him see that and feed off of it. You see the way UPL responds to something like the near breakaway that happened last night that resulted in a goal and you can just tell he's not locked in enough. I don't think he sees his job as that of someone who needs to bail his teammates out, he sees his job as making the saves that he is expected to make and nothing more. Players will respond when they know their goalie is keeping them in a game. Lyon fights to keep them in the game. UPL, not so much.

Better late than never but someone on this staff should’ve recognized he was in a bad place mentally due to the offseason stuff with his better half.

He's likely tired from worrying and its been a noticeable distraction on the ice for him so hopefully this will give him the proper time to right himself and hopefully return with his fiancé to better days ahead. Perfect time for some firings and making things right on the homefront

Good for Dahlin. More ammo though for not firing Adams with all the injuries and LOA.

One iota of management cleansing may have helped

This is the right thing to do but man, this team needs some sort of spiritual cleansing.

Wow

His fiancée is doing well, it’s a temporary leave with no timetable for his return

What's your take on Lyon's vibe as a goalie and how he's seen by his teammates compared to UPL?

I wouldn't but primarily due to the contract

We would trade Thompson for Robertson.

I did, we’ve had this conversation a few months back and you intimated that you wouldn’t be opposed to seeing what Adams could do “unencumbered”. You’ve changed your stance since then - to that I said congrats and welcome to the wiserhood

He is not a playmaker at all. He is a finisher. He could be a 50+ goal player but he will never be the catalyst that consistently drives the play. He is a piece of the puzzle but not the solution to the problem.