Taro T

He also said that they're really excited about Comrie and UPL too. If you're going to sell high (or at all) you need to pump up the tires. No, the article said that each of the 7 preseason games would be available on either MSG OR Sabres.com. This one is an MSG game.

We're on the same page. And personally would love to see the Sabres and other teams around the league stop gouging STHers for preseason games by either going to local youth hockey leagues and offer up cheap ($10?) tix for players and their familiies OR by taking the preseason games on the road. They used to do that. Used to be a preseason game each year in Houston. Pens played at least twice; once against Gretzky and the Kings, once against the Whale. Took a bunch of friends to those games and then had a bunch of people who were willing to go to one of the local bars to watch the Sabres play every so often. Another way to build up the national fan base.

And 18 yo's being officially "adults" (except when it comes to being allowed to buy an alcholic beverage and a few other items) is also a fact of life. And is THE reason that when Ken Linesman brought suit the NHL dropped the entry draft from drafting 20 yo's to drafting 18 yo's. They aren't going to be able to get that genie back in the bottle. Again, we are on the same page, IF he is good enough to beat out the rest of the challengers for that 9th spot in the top 9 he stays up. If he isn't, he doesn't. But the more we watch of him, the less likely it seems he won't win that competition.

Which is why the plan definitely WAS to send him back to Juniors, but really not as certain that it still is the plan. And another game or 2 like the ones we've seen so far and the plan has to change.

Expect it isn't so much that as ESPN+ has contracts with most all the major regional sports networks to show NHL out of market games that they air. The Caps game wasn't on MSG (don't know whether it was on the Caps broadcaster or just their website; expecting it was just their website because it was showing the Jumbotron feed) and likely not on the Caps broadcast partner either. So, no RSN broadcast -> no ESPN+ broadcast. Whereas the Bruins game was on NESN and MSG.

Didn't say he didn't wear a maple leaf. Said he didn't wear blue and white.

Well, wasn't that how she got her start in the music business, writing songs about teenagers that ignored her? Just getting back to her roots. 😉

Should be some interesting conversations those kids have with their friends 20 years from now: "of course the Workhorse from Whitehorse started out as one of our beloved Loafs; he's a sweater he signed proviing it." "Stop sniffing glue you hoser, look it up, he never wore blue and white, just blue and gold (and the occasional red and black)."

Cozens and Olofsson definitely. Likely Krebs and then one of Rousek, Weissbach, Murray, or Kisakov. (Doubt Jost gets PP1 duty as there is no permutation of the roster where he'd ever get that usage in season.)

To the bolded, 100% all day long. If he is good enough to be one of the skaters on the top 3 lines, meaning he's beaten out all the other kids they're looking at right now AND he's beaten out Olofsson and Jost just can't see a compelling reason to not keep him up. And right now, it looks like he's beating all those other guys out. Victor and Tyson need to bring their A games tonight because if they don't one could be on his way out the door to another franchise and the other's hold on the 13th spot (12th if you believe he'd play ahead of Rousek keeping Benson out of the picture; personally don't believe he would, but it's possible) becomes extremely tenuous. This is fun. And we're actually watching battles for positions that will leave an NHL quality F or 2 or 4 on the outside looking in. One more similarity between this team and the '05-'06 version. (Thorburn got claimed by Atlanta IIRC (might've been Pittsburgh) and Pominville somehow cleared waivers fortunately.)

Yep. You put your best 12 F's on the ice along with the 6 best D and Levi as often as you can without burning him out by NYE. This too. Didn't vote because really not sure if the answer to the 1st question is Y or N. (The other 2 are clear yeses should he stay injury free and there's no reason to expect him not to do so.) But with every game / scrimmage watched that he plays am expecting that 1st answer to become a Y. This kid just has 'it.' Much like Levi does. And if he makes the team better than Olofsson, Rousek, Kulich, Rosen, Biron, or Jost does then how does a management that said competing for and winning the Stanley Cup is the goal justify sending him back to Juniors? And there being cap repercussions 8 years from now rather than 9 to go with the possibility he might walk for nothing then isn't justification enough to keep him in WA. Especially with that team's coach's status in doubt at present. Don't see Savoie's injury being a factor in the Benson decision either. It isn't "fair" that Matt got injured, but life isn't fair, and whether that added another opportunity for Zach or not it really can't / shouldn't get factored into the discussion of what's best for the team and the player. And IF they keep Benson up and then he seems to be wearing down from the grind of playing against men every other day; well, send him back to WA. It burns a year of his ELC but it doesn't do anything to his earning a year of service towards FA which is what matters more. If he can show that he isn't a Lawrence Pilut who is an all star against tweeners and a no show against NHLers (and very highly doubt that he is a Larry), then there is no compelling reason to send him back.

Expect you're right that doing so would untimately result in more revenues than their current preseason ticket selling plan. But it could be a tough sell to the NHL, because to make it work (getting bodies into the rink) they'd have to either not stick STHers w/ tix to the preseason or at a minimum let them opt out. Because most STHers don't want the preseason game tix and don't want to go to them. They're already going to 41 games plus the home playoff games. 3 extra trips to the barn for games that don't matter is a tough sell. And doubt the league would be happy with them not forcing the tix on the STHers because expect there are few if any rinks that are packed for the preseason. And if nobody's going, at least having the 2/3 regular ticket prices in their pockets beats zilch. Maybe they'll experiment with a Bills style preseason kids game, but doubt it for the reasons above. Expect it would work if they tried it. (Of course, they also likely are concerned that it'd cut into demand for the RS Kids Day and Youth Hockey game promotions.

Liking that they're using TC & the exhibition games to get the best look possible at the kids looking to step up. Interesting that they're likely giving Olofsson a shot with Cozens. Not a combination that has been used much at all in the past. Benson's play should have lit a fire under his butt, so hopefully he's fully engaged tonight.

Yeah, that response came across harsher than it should've been.

You really going to compare Cooley to Levi? (And Cooley played well; but they aren't even close to each other skillwise.)

Very unselfish play by Kozak there. Nice to see Cedarqvist get rewarded.

Devon would've had that. 😉

He looked good with Greenway and Jost too. Just sayin'.

So close, had you shouted Devon!! you'd've been set. 😉 (They'd've cut you slack on the o vs the i in Devon/Devin.)

And absolutely nothing that looked scary. This kid is going to be SUCH a keeper. Totally understand Adams unwillingness to use real assets to get him a legit battery mate. Don't like it and don't agree with it; but understand it.

No, Clague's been out with Lindgren. Stillman's been out with #3.

No data. Didn't know he had prostate cancer.

Doubt it. When he's done national broadcasts in the past that the B's were in he was still his bean lovin' homer see no B evil self. He's not well.

There is definitely something wrong with Jack Edwards. Haven't heard him cry about a single call against the B's nor any missed calls against the Sabres. When you lose your calling card, something's off.

Always hear it as an homage when Dunleavy does that rather than a rip off. And personally like hearing that "blast from the past." (As a kid, never could figure out how he knew where everybody in the crowd was from. Didn't catch on to the joke until later. D'oh!)