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Thank you! I saw this yesterday but the color was off and it looked like A-A-Ron was wearing blue.

Ah that was it. Well, he made his money.

Ellis seems to make a big save ur two all the time to keep a take in reach - upl is often giving up a stinker even if playing well. That would be a big decision factor for me

He was OC but got demoted to tight ends coach after a season when a new head coach was hired.

Was he even an OC or just some line coach? Nah, it's Pitt. I know that the OLY games got us used to TLAs because USA, but it's PITT.

Also, Mularkey wasn't fired. He quit on the team and signed as Miami's OC.

Good question. I see shades of 2005-06 here. I don't think the team will have the same success, but I do think Ruff is getting more out of less, which is exactly his main skill.

I'd rather keep Ellis and ship one of Lyon or UPL. I think an Ellis/Levi situation might be good in the future.

Wild assertion. Stats are literally numbers representing how the players performed on the ice 🤦

Samuelsson is play at a first pairing level. I would rather have Tage and Norris playing as centers. I don't care which is first or second line center. I consider Tuch more of a second line forward but acceptable playing on the first line. Benson is capable of playing as a first line forward. He will get better.

I mean, you didn't even list like 90% of the stats or what they do. There's a fundamental misunderstanding and a deliberate downplaying of what stats are for, by you.

I thought that Buffalo kept up with Minnesota. They had scoring chances but couldn't capitalize. At the end of the game, the Sabres forced it on offense that made them vulnerable on defense. From a skating and pace perspective, I thought they played the way they needed to.

Minnesota loss? I think I watched a different game 😉 Yup, speed and pace, that's their forte. They have to not get sloppy or carried away doing it though absolutely. Maintain structure. What veteran leaders we have have to keep them in check if and when they swerve away from that. I hope there's enough of that now but I don't think there actually is.

When the Sabres pace is quick and they are swarming, they do well. (As you point out.) When they get sloppy with the puck and don't play with energy, they become a mediocre team. In a long season, you will have some flat games. But the key for success is skating with pace and effort on the defensive end. In the last few games, even in the Minnesota loss, I thought the energy and skating pace was good.

Everything is interconnected though right? We scored a lot of goals one year there for Granato. Weren't we like 3rd or something? Anyway, they were a bad team. They can score in bunches but generally when they have done that it's wide open hockey with bad D. You have them playing D first the goal scoring goes down. That's pretty normal aside from the very very elite who can do both (and then win the cup). Would you not agree that for the first time in a long time the roster has the shape of a typical successful team? It is more balanced than it has been with more clearly defined roles. Far from perfect yet and I still think too many puck movers on D and not enough defenders but it's looking more and more like a real hockey team. The thing that bugs me though is Adams is just content to let this evolve and take as long as it takes. The wealth of young forwards and extra bodies has me thinking armchair GM you can make a 2 for 1 move(s) to make this team even better and make it a real run for the playoffs. If he sits pat I see the real likelihood of another wasted opportunity.

Well I've seen Winnipeg play this year and this version was slow and not really up to their usual standard. I do think they came in not ready to play. I'm not taking anything away from the Sabres though let's be clear. They were fast and they chased the puck in numbers. That is the core essence of what they have built and how they have to play. If they continue that and slowly add more physicality they eventually could be quite good. Lastingly good even, but I'm not shifting from cautious optimism just yet.

You make a keen observation that not only are the defensemen player better defense but so are the forwards. The improvement in team defensive play can be attributed as much to the more responsible two-way play of the forwards. With respect to the blueline unit, I marvel at the exceptional and consistent play of Samuelsson. From strictly a defensive standpoint, I would say that he has been our best defenseman. His play is better than I could ever have imagined coming into the season. Another example of the improved attention to more responsible two-way play is the play of Quinn. He's far from being a stout defender, but you can see that he is giving an effort to be better in the defensive zone. I credit his experienced linemates for influencing his more mature play. I would even go as far to say that putting Quinn on a line with Zucker and McCleod was one of Ruff's best coaching decisions this season.

Oh ya I have no issue with the hit. The Dahlin hit earlier was pretty dirty but I have no issue with it either. I was actually surprised Winnipeg didn't go after him. The team stepping up is very good. I'm not sure they will be able to handle it if somebody calls them on the bluff though. At this point I'm not sure most of them can actually answer the bell if the bell actually rings. We shall see.

Sounds like they are starting Ellis against Philly.

Idle base it just then recent play. There is too much 'noise' how are your Thanksgiving when evaluating goalies on a handful of games. They are who they are over the medium so long-term. I'm going to give more leeway to a talented young guy who is still developing. I'm not impressed all that much with UPL. He's done what he was supposed to do, no more. Give me a few games where he is the reason they win....and I'll back him a bit more. Haven't seen that yet.

UPL should stand for "U Play to Lose"

Based on recent play, I don't see how you can justify starting Ellis or Lyon over UPL at this point. That said, UPL's numbers at home are far better than on the road. It feels like this road trip is UPL's chance (his last?) to finally establish himself.

Only has two goals. Trade him 😂

8 out of the 12 points available. Don’t care how they do it against who.