Taro T

Had they known Granato was going to play UPL all 4 of the final games of the home stand, then yes, Levi should've gotten an extra game or 2 down in Ra-cha-cha. But, was that the plan prior to UPL pitching 2 back to back shutouts? Really doubt it was the plan. But, there's no way you're pulling a goalie out of the lineup that pitched a SO. And, again, if Granato &/or Bales intended to give UPL 4 straight starts, then yes, 100% Levi should've gotten some extra action in Ra-cha-cha over that stretch. He can bounce down to Ra-cha-cha when they get back from the road trip if it makes sense then. Maybe Comrie is finally actually 100% healthy. Didn't see his games down in Ra-cha-cha, but heard that he had a SO recently. IF he is actually 100% healthy, that could change the calculus too. Because, would trust him as the backup IF he truly is 100%. He's an adequate backup when he is fully healthy. Have been in favor of keeping Levi in Buffalo most of this season. And were he still getting say 2 out of 5 starts would still be in favor of his being fully in Buffalo. Since Levi came back up, until this past 4 game stretch of the home stand, UPL was NOT getting used as the clear #1. Things have changed in this past week. When things change, so should the plan moving forward. If UPL remains the clear #1, and there is no reason at present to expect that to change, and hybridizing Levi isn't working, then alter that plan too.

Thanks for the link. Had only heard Granato's postgame comments in the past week on Monday. (We park pretty far from the rink and unless we're in a rush back to the car, he's usually finishing up or done by the time we get the radio on.) And only caught his response to Hamsammich's Q about them standing around on the 1st PP they had that game. Which the team did. Granato's response was either a falsehood or delusional. He said that they'd just watched that particular PP before him coming out for the PC and they had a lot of opportunities that they just missed on that one.

Agree. UPL played well yesterday.

Which is what they should be doing with him now that UPL has actually been given the net as the 1 (and not a 1A/1B situation). Let him get some games in Ra-cha-cha but keep him up with the big team so that Comrie doesn't get games with the big team. And keep reevaluating the situation and if conditions change change the plan.

But it isn't really a defensive focus IMHO, it's more of a maintain puck possession philosophy that they execute poorly. They curl back to the blue line after getting the puck into the opponent's zone rather than challenging defenders to force the puck low. Theoretically, that should maintain puck possession, but they make bad passes after the curl and end up losing the puck. In the neutral zone and in their own end, they drop the puck back to a D man further back, or if they aren't pressured, they just hang stationary waiting for teammates to get further up ice presumably forcing the other team back closer to their blue line theoretically opening up space in the neutral zone to gain speed for an aggressive entry. But they rarely actually transition that puck deep into the other team's zone with pace and bodies.

Was at the Sabres game. Can confirm Comrie was sitting on the bench all game long.

They do have systems. You can watch them do the same things over and over and over. They look for the long breakouts to spring breakaways but they rarely actually spring the breakaway. So a lot of their standard entry plays end up slowing the play up. Rather than trying to drive the puck low, they curl back after getting into the zone as they're all alone hoping that teammates will drive towards the net while either getting a pass through to that guy breaking or dropping it to the D to get a screened shot through. It works occassionally. Like it did early in the Columbus game. But it usually doesn't. It usually ends up in bad passes with teammates now trying to get deep into the zone ahead of the puck with no ability to get back to backchecking in a timely manner. That's when they don't mess up that initial or that 2nd outlet pass. Rather than working short give and go passes and weaving getting the other guys back on their heels, they look for the long passes that way too often don't connect. There's a reason most teams try to break out as a unit and they also work the simple wide and drive. These plays generate pressure in the other team's end. They count on F2, F3, and D1 to join that rush quickly as F1 curls the puck back towards the blue line. Why not let them drive in while the puck continues to go deep into the zone if they have to keep running that 2 F's break out of the zone early w/ 1 near the boards in center ice on their side of the red line and the other guy near the other boards outside the far blue line? They don't draw many penalties. If they actually challenge the D rather than curling back waiting for teammates to join them, they'll start drawing some penalties when they use their speed and size to force past defenders. Of course, that would create other issues as the PP is absolute trash. Without that early PP, the Sabres might've gotten the game to OT this afternoon. We complain about a lack of movement and poor passes, but somehow even though the Sabres have the extra skater anytime there is a battle for a puck the Sabres are almost always outnumbered. How can that continually happen? Except when Benson is on the PP, there is a 50-50 chance that if the Sabres have the puck near the blue line that not one single Sabre will be below the hashes in the face off circles. Are they looking to crash the net when the shot from the point (that shot never coming) rebounds off the goalie? Are they planning on some fancy movement that they never quite get to the right moment to implement? Like that they've tried having Thompson drift high a couple of times with Tuch and the other low F drifting to the goal line for the Loafs old cross crease pass to Tucker (who actually would find himself in one of the few spots on the ice where he couldn't miss a shot) that was effective back in the day. But that has to be one of several options and there have to be other options available when they actually DO have some player movement within the PP. They are far too content to pass around the perimeter hoping that a defender will get out of position, but with almost no movement other than the puck around the perimeter that defender never does go out of position. Personally, like that Granato wants to attack. But they have to do it so much differently than they do. @mjd1001 keeps talking about how many fewer goals Thompson and Cozens have this year. But, how many times last year did Thompson drive to the net with speed or with the sweeping moves that got D tied in knots - it was something we'd see multiple times every game. This year, we might see that once every 3 games. How many times did Cozens and Frick and Frack come down the ice and run a beautiful tic-tac-toe play after flying past the red line with one of them, often Cozens, burying it - that was another play (whether it ended in a goal or not) that we saw 2-3 times most games. That just isn't happening this year. Even when that line has finally had chances to be together again. (Obviously, we couldn't see that the 1st 2-1/2 months this year, but we should be seeing it again.) How many times did one of them steal the puck away, get knocked down, have his linemate resteal the puck away and then set the F3 up with a beautiful scoring chance last year? Not an every game occurance, but it happened a lot. It just doesn't seem to happen much at all this past month. From last year's systems, how 'bout you make sure a F is ready to cover for the D-man pinching in to help with the pressure, which they didn't do often enough; and when the puck is in their own zone, don't have 2 F's cheat out of the zone before they have control of the puck so the 1st pass inside the zone isn't ALWAYS to the only F that's still in the zone. Give the D 2 options besides turning back to his partner rather than just 1 option. And when breaking the puck out of the zone or off a transition turnover, make sure the man with the puck has more than 1 option besides curling back towards his own goal. Your team's asset is its speed. Leaving only 1 option besides curling back forces them to be slow. We get it, Tampa is tough to break the puck up ice against. But it's even harder when you do things that help them neutralize your strengths.

7-3 tonight. They flat out dominated Springfield and Malcolm Subban. They outshot them more than 2-1. Especially in the 3rd, they played much tighter D than they had in the couple of games I'd had a chance to watch this season.

For once the 10 minute long anthems worked in our favor. Managed to get to our seats before the puck dropped, though it was tight. Nothing UPL could do on the 1st one. Frustrating that Cozens hit the crossbar ~1 minute before. Was expecting UPL to stop the breakaway as he's been making that save for the last month or so. It was a well placed shot. The 1 passer, 1 shooter, 1 forechecker lines from the Chicago game only lasted 1 period. Theoretically, it should work, but at this point in the year chemistry matters. So frustrated watching them get the puck into the zone with some speed behind them and an opportunity to either drive the puck below the goal line to generate some net front chaos or to drive right past the D towards the net and instead of doing either just curl back towards the blue line to set up a slow developing play that typically results in an intercepted pass taking the puck out of the offensive zone. All the lines do it. That HAS to be the strategy. And whomever came up with it needs to be on the next bus out of town sitting right next to Matt Ellis. The bloody PP cost them another game. -1 through 2 opportunities. In a game they were only down by 1 goal until they pulled the goalie. People wonder why they can never get a loser point. Pretty sure it has something to do with the same idiot drawing up 6v5 plans that draws up 5v4 plans. Again, for the love of all that's good and Holy, PLEASE relieve Ellis of his coaching duties by the AS break at the latest. Now that they're finally getting goaltending, they're competitive. Need to stop playing with 1 hand tied behind their backs. (The horrible PP schemes and execution.) Good to see Cozens get another goal. Maybe he's on the verge of getting out of his slump. On to CA. As good a place as any to finally get a 3 game winning streak going.

Makes sense, now that UPL is actually playing like an NHL starter. But that was not the case prior to this homestand. When Levi will go a long time without NHL action as he's now experiencing, slide him down and let him get extra games in. But for any games that UPL won't be starting, they need Levi back in the fold. This afternoon's loss REALLY hurts. 5 points out seems doable. 9 is a huge gap. They can't throw away more points on Comrie starts.

And those rumors were discussed here quite a bit. With most of us expecting those rumors were complete BS. (So much for that belief.)

You SURE about the bolded? Botterill famously said that if the Sabres were to win the Dahlin lottery it would make retooling (not positive of the exact word he used and too tired to bother looking it up at this point in time) much easier to do. That seemed cryptic to yours truly when it was said, but when O'Reilly was dealt, it sure seemed a lot clearer what he'd meant by that.

@Hank, your boy is REALLY playing well lately. He's moving better than he ever has professionally. Hoped that he'd eventually get to a point that he trusts the hips, but based on the way he was playing in preseason flat out didn't expect it to happen this season. Thought it MIGHT happen a couple of seasons from now but wouldn't have wanted to have to depend upon it. Would be really interested to know what changed to get him to this point. Know his training and diet changed in the off-season, but they didn't have a positive effect on his play in the preseason. Expecting it was more than just those. And with his movement improved, both his anticipation of where the play is going is noticably improved too and his rebound control is better too. Don't know that it's sustainable. But, if it was a uncomfortableness (for lack of a better word) in the way the hips felt when he moved which he's pushed through both physically and mentally, it very well could be sustainable. Really looking forward to watching him in the Tampa game because it will be a much better test than the last 2 games. He only gave up 1 goal to a very offensively sound Canucks squad, so he can get it done and he looked very good in that one too. Expecting he'll be strong again, hoping that's the case. He noticably is not the same goalie he was in camp. Of course, he's mentioned in the past that knowing his team trusts him and considers him THE one helps his mentality and it also seemed Levi was the annointed one and he was to a degree an afterthought. Wonder how much of the camp struggles were due to feeling he wasn't getting a fair shake if any of it was?

Said that in the back and forth with Brawndo. IF UPL is going to get 4-5 in a row, bump Levi down to Ra-cha-cha on Amerk game nights and bring Comrie up to back up UPL and flip them back after Levi got his work in. Just have to realize eventually Comrie will have to pass through waivers again if it becomes a regular occurance.

Would argue trading away Hasek was worse. But this should be hands down the bridesmaid of bad trades. That trade also included a 1st that became Kenny Jonsson. All for a goalie that wasn't as good as what was already on the roster.

Not saying that's my preferred outcome. But honestly expect that they like the roster they've assembled especially when looking at it with everyone nine months older.

Yep. Unless something really astounding happens (like Nashville deciding they don't want Saros any more for some completely non-apparent reason), these are the goalies for at least the next 2 seasons. Expecting at least 9 if not 10 or 11 of the forwards next year are on this roster right now, too. And 5, if not all 6 of next year's D are here too. Kulich and 3 or so guys not currently in the system will be the only newcomers. (Hoping that continuity doesn't carry through to the entire coaching staff too. Some major upgrades should be made there.)

Dominik Hasek was still a Sabre more recently than the Dolphins last playoff win.

Someone has probably already helped you with this, and this answer is WAY too late to be of any assistance today but hopefully it helps for the future, whenever the Bills and Sabres games conflict the Sabres get bounced to WKBW. Listened to the postgame there driving back home to watch the Bills on TV.

Quite the call. Did you also have Snarks 0, Bills 31?

Trading away Hasek hands down. A couple of honorable mentions: trading for Jacques Richard and trading for Buddy Cloutier.

Have only checked the full online edition a couple of times (basically setting it up for the 'Rents from their print subscription so they can get the "extras" from the paper) but the main section of the online edition those couple of times was identical to the print edition. Have they changed how the online edition is set up?

PF, in the Buffalo area we have what is known as the "Snow Belt." That map that Weave put up gives a pretty good approximation of where the Snow Belt lies. It doesn't always extend out to Batavia but it usually does extend a smidge to the east of Erie County. As you can see, Orchard Park is right smack dab inside the Snow Belt. And while Orchard Park isn't right on Lake Erie, the Stadium is nearly as far to the west (aka near to Lake Erie) as you can be and still say you're in Orchard Park. (There's a town to the west of it, Hamburg, but the stadium is almost in Hamburg.) While Buffalo has the reputation for snow, it USUALLY can't hold a candle to the "South Towns" located in the heart of the Snow Belt. And, so far this weekend the Snow Belt has gotten hit much harder than Buffalo proper. So, as others have stated, yes, it really IS that bad.

Well, for starters Jackie, if this group of Eulers played under the same rules as the 80's Eulers played, they would either have not played ANY OT and that record setting game would've ended in a tie or they would've had 5 minutes of 5v5 play with neither team wanting to lose a point and LIKELY would've ended in a tie. There's other reasons as well, such as them not giving a rat's arse about playing D unless it was post their getting swept by the Aisles in the playoffs and it was also against either a Wales Conference team in the SCF or against the Flames.

The Snooze is printed in Cleveland. In order to make the print edition, the deadline for events is stupidly early. With the (at the time) impending travel deadline, it was likely even a few hours earlier than normal. (It seems in general to be even earlier than the old Courier Express' deadline used to be. And that complete lack of scores from the west coast and news from overnight is why the (former) Buffalo Evening News is the one (kind of) remaining newspaper in Buffalo.