Taro T

Watch pretty much everything on a 1/2 hr - 1 hr delay and then skip through the ads. For NFL usually don't care about the 4PM football games so since we're usually caught up by then, watch a quarter of one, then watch a quarter of another skipping commercials in both. This puts us far enough ahead to skip commercials & the annoying parts of FNiA & the commercials of the late game. For Sabres, start watching the pregame around the realtime puckdrop & it gets us to the end of the game commercial-free. Watch Amerks pretty much real-time, but switch to something else during commercials as we can see the game on the laptop connected to the TV so we can see when the commercials/intermission are over. Have recorded all the WC so far, so just pick a game we're interested in & watch it straight through skipping the 1/2 time show. Have avoided discussions of the games, so they're live to us. Wifey is the big college sports fan & she likes watching live so there are usually 2 games on at once & we flip games when one is at a commercial. If they both are in commercial, go to her 3rd game.

Thing is, a couple (& maybe all 3) of the pieces might already be in the lineup. They need a 2C that can keep the other team's scoring line in check AND generate chances at the other end. They need it because the Thompson line isn't good enough in their own zone against true top lines. (They're good enough there against mist, but there are 5-10 lines they simply are going to get exposed against in their own end. And Thompson keeps getting better in his end and recently has been playing a bit more physically, maybe he can get good enough that the coach WANTS to match #1's vs #1's.) They don't have that 2C that can handle that matchup yet. Cozens will very likely grow into that, maybe even by the end of this season. Really expect him there next year. Mittelstadt isn't there yet either. Most everybody here doesn't expect him to get there, but he still could as well. If neither can be that true 2C, well they have at least 2 more possibilities in the system that could very well do it & at least 2 more that aren't as likely to do it but might. They need a true #4 D. Lyubushkin looked like he could be that before the injury. He was bad for a month after that. He's played well these last 2 games. Maybe he can handle that well enough. Jokiharju may grow into that. And they need a #1 goalie. Comrie, w/ the D they have now when healthy, might be good enough to be it. He wasn't w/ the D they used minus Samuelsson. Even if he is, and especially if he isn't, still want another. And obviously, there are other pieces that would help push them to championship level that they're lacking today. But those should be enough to make playoffs the expectation rather than the hope.

The 1st SHOULD never count, but we both know that play results in a goal quite often. Have seen far worse allowed through the years. The 2nd absolutely should've been a goal.

The difference in this game was 2 fold - the Sabres didn't have an answer for the Hischier line & the ref had an early whistle twice. Granato was matching his D and for the most part matching lines. This team still needs a bunch of pieces (which for the most part might already be in the system) to compete for the Stanley Cup. But they really are only about 3-4 pieces from being a legit playoff team. Fix the goaltending (and yes Anderson played well but he isn't stealing a game after October for them) and playoffs need to be the goal. This team competed with one of the 3 best teams (at present) in the league. Yes, they were outmatched early, but they weathered the storm and competed.

2 goals called back due to early whistles. 3-3 w/ legit reffing.

And getting a lot of help from his 2 best buddies. Unfortunately.

They could easily have 4 goals this period. Tuch's shot wide, the Mitts line's post, the Okposo line's post & Dahlin's spinarama. Joisey really only had that great Anderson glove save as a counter.

No, Dahlin is NOT in his prime. He is still improving as he gets stronger & wiser. The rest of the league should be shaking at how much better this kid can be and how long he'll be good. There are 4 Sabres past their prime: Anderson, Okposo, Skinner, & Girgensons. (Though would say that the way he plays, Skinner is still in his prime.) There are 8 10 Sabres in their prime: Tuch, Lyubushkin, Thompson, Hinostroza, Olofsson, Bryson, Fitzgerald, Pilut, Jost, & Comrie. There are 5 Sabres on the verge of their prime: Mittelstadt, Asplund, Dahlin, Jokiharju, & UPL. The rest aren't even close to their primes: Power, Samuelsson, Cozens, Quinn, Peterka, & Krebs. Yes, they may be wasting a quality year of Skinner, Thompson, Tuch, Olofsson, & Lyubushkin. But only 2 of those are expected to be true parts of the core of this team. The entirely of this team's core, except for those 2 are not in their prime. And some of what likely will be parts (such as Savoie & Levi) aren't even playing pro hockey yet.

22 year old Rasmus Dahlin is "in his prime?" Really?

So, what are the odds he gets a QO this offseason? Slim and completely non-existant? You've watched him a lot more than most. What happened to him? Did he just stop developing or was he unable to adjust to the organization's higher tempo offensive thrust? When he was starting out, looked like he might develop into that PITA to play against that the Sabres so often lack.

Even during the 1-7-1 streak they went on right after St. Patty's Day?

And after they aren't playing his dad's team, Fitzgerald will go back to the 7th healthy D-man. Pilut & Bryson are essentially the same guy. Neither is 'it,' but unless a piece that Adams sees as a LT fit, one of them will be the 6 when healthy, at least until Johnson gets his end of season ELC burn games in.

Von Miller update

Doubt Adams is bringing anybody in w/ the intention to flip him at the deadline. So, though an ability to recoup some value might have merit in bringing a guy on an expiring contract in, don't see it moving the needle for KA. And, after the Devils are in the rear view mirror, Pilut slots in in place of Bryson as they're essentially interchangeable. Did want another D in the offseason brought in; thought we could see a move right before the season opened. But after watching them play a month w/ Dahlin, Power, an injured Lyubushkin, & a bunch of 6-9's don't see anyway that their 6th being out for a month or so will move the needle. And, much to your chagrin, they don't want Bryson expendable, they see something in him that makes them think he could grow into a useful contributor.

Would guess Krebs. But, again, who knows?

Yeah, Granato is definitely a players coach. He always lets guys have their moments in games that are important to them. Wonder if we would've seen this D even if Bryson weren't out?

Might we be seeing a passing of the IR torch? If not somebody will be on their way to Ra-cha-cha soon.

Pretty sure they're giving you flack for poorly wording your Q. It seems you meant to ask 'if somebody has only scored 20 can they still be called a 30 goal scorer' but you actually asked if they can become a 30 goal scorer. The answer to the 1st is 'no' except arguably in extreme circumstances such as a season cut significantly short. The answer to the 2nd is 'of course.' Happens often as players mature.

That name, created on the day on this side of that pond that people make turduckens, is friggin' awesome! Hope it sticks. Cozterkinn. Genius.

According to the Sabres website the only 2 on IR are Okposo & Comrie.

Yup. Certainly did. Thanks for correcting that. Too much tryptophan.

Tell that to my kid's boss. Opening puck drop is overrated anyway. Nothing ever happens in the 1st minute or 2. 😉

Not quite precisely accurate. As both goat heads are on the black backgrounds, the outline around the logo was white; it wasn't silver. The silver outline was only used on the whites.

Doubt it, but who knows? Anderson will get Detroit & UPL gets the Avs. Which would likely give Anderson the Mickey Mouse Club & UPL the Bolts. Were it still Comrie, would expect him to get the next 2. Doubt they're ready to give UPL the majority of starts yet. But, development something, something, something.

They won't know for sure until after the MRI, but right now the early indications are a "sprain." Which would mean some missed games but not season ending. There are also indications that Hyde has a remote possibility to be back before the season ends too. (Doubt it, but would be really sweet & could get them back into the driver's seat.)